Method for managing the quality of encrypted voice over IP to teleagents

• US 20060098625A1
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: King, Joel W., Johnston, John A., Schubert, Steve H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system and more particularly, an improved VoIP system serving a distributed group of teleagents. Network parameters that affect voice quality over broadband connections are rapidly detected by generating both detected and subjective alerts when problems with the quality of a IP telephone connection are detected and correcting the detected problems. Network parameters are monitored during an actual VoIP telephone call or by using synthetic traffic. If the voice quality degrades for a particular teleagent, the teleagent is removed from the pool of available agents until voice quality improves. Alternatively, the voice quality of each teleagent may be ranked according to the service provided.

Claims

1. A method for managing a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network comprising the steps of:

identifying users deployed in a network having a VoIP telephone. determining selected parameters of said network;

correlating said selected parameters of said network with a subjective determination of voice quality, said subjective determination provided by at least one of said users; and

identify a problem source affecting the voice quality for said at least one user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying further comprises the step of selectively probing routers in said network to determine said selective parameters of said network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining step further comprises the step of monitoring jitter at the router closest to said VoIP telephone.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said correlating step further comprises the step of receiving an indication from said user that at least one of said selected parameters of said network has subjectively degraded.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining step further comprises the step of identifying voice traffic and determining said selected parameters of said network when said voice traffic is present.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of generating synthetic voice traffic and determining said selective parameters of said network.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of maintaining a historical database of said selected parameters together with an indication of whether said parameters were determined from voice traffic or synthetic voice traffic.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of ranking said users deployed in said VoIP network and blocking said users, ranked as having poor voice quality, from said VoIP network until the voice quality for said blocked users has improved.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining whether voice quality has improved comprises the steps of generating synthetic voice traffic and determining selective parameters of said network.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of activating an alert button on said IP telephone to generate a subjective indication of poor voice quality.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of transmitting said subjective indication to a network administrator at a network management system.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of associating said subjective indication with the most recently acquired set of selected parameters.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of selectively probing network components in said network to determine said selective parameters of said network at each of said components.

14. In a voice over Internet Protocol deployment, a method for monitoring quality of voice service to a plurality of deployed users, said method comprising:

snooping on voice traffic at a first router to determine network parameters;

correlating said network parameters with an objective indication of poor quality of voice service;

identifying a likely cause of said poor quality of voice service and initiating a corrective action; and

monitoring said network parameters using synthetic voice traffic to verify said corrective action.

15. The method of claim 14 comprising the steps of defining a pool of users and ranking each of said users in said pool in terms of quality of voice service.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising the removal of a user identified as having poor quality of voice service form said pool.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising generating synthetic traffic to identify the cause of said poor quality of voice service.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said snooping further comprises the generation of synthetic traffic to monitor the quality of voice service.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein said monitoring further comprises the distribution of a plurality of network probes to verify network parameters at intermediate points in said network.

20. A system to implement the method of claim 14.

21. A voice over IP (VoIP) network system comprising:

an outside caller;

means for connecting said caller to one of a plurality of teleagents working out of a home office;

said home office having at VoIP telephone and at least a router for coupling said VoIP telephone to a call center over said VoIP network system;

means for monitoring network parameters when voice traffic is present; and

means for monitoring network parameters using synthetic voice traffic when voice traffic is not present;

means for identifying teleagents having low voice quality relative to others of said plurality of teleagents; and

means for blocking said identified teleagent from using said VoIP telephone until said voice quality is improved.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said identifying means comprises a means for subjectively identifying poor voice quality and a means for objectively identifying poor voice quality.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said subjective identification means comprises an alert button.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein said subjective identification means comprises a computer for sending an XML message to a server;

said server adapted to associate said XML message with monitored network parameters.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said monitored network parameters includes a measure of jitter at said home office router.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein said means for identifying teleagents having low voice quality comprises a database comprising information identifying said teleagents and information specifying said monitored network parameters;

said monitored network parameters including a measure of jitter at said home office router.

27. The system of claim 26 further comprising means for ranking said plurality of teleagents in terms of voice quality.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said ranking is based on at least one network parameter indicative of poor voice quality.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein said ranking is based on amount of jitter at the router nearest to the home office of each of said plurality of teleagents.

30. A system comprising:

a network to connect a caller to one of a plurality of teleagents working out of a home office;

said home office having at VoIP telephone and at least a router for coupling said VoIP telephone to a call center over said VoIP network system;

a call manager for routing said caller to a selected one of said plurality of teleagents and for generating a call record containing information relating to said call;

a software tool for determining jitter at said router when voice traffic is present and by generating synthetic traffic when no voice traffic is present;

said software tool adapted to associate the jitter determined at said router with said call record;

an alert manager for responding to an indication of poor voice quality and for restricting voice traffic to said router; and

means for isolating the source of said poor voice quality and for determining jitter at said router by generating synthetic traffic until said voice quality is improved to a selected threshold.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein said isolating means comprises a plurality of probes distributed through said network and a software tool for generating synthetic voice traffic.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein said alert manager comprises an alert button associated with an IP telephone for indicating a subjective deterioration of voice quality.

33. The system of claim 32 further comprising means for correlating said subjective indication with said determined jitter.

34. In a call center system having a plurality of teleagnets available for receiving telephone calls from customers, a system for monitoring voice quality for each of said plurality of teleagents comprising:

software for selectively monitoring voice quality for each of said teleagents;

a server, coupled to said call center system for correlating a determination of voice quality derived from said monitoring with a subjective indication of voice quality;

a database containing information for ranking voice quality for each of said teleagents; and

said server adapted to selectively remove one or more teleagents from said plurality of available teleagents if voice quality is below a level of suitability.

35. A method of monitoring the quality of a network over which telecommunication calls travel as call packets over at least a portion of each network, the method comprising:

characterizing the network based on whether or not a recent volume of call packets for each link is sufficient to monitor the quality;

monitoring a quality parameter of a call packet for which the recent volume exceeds a selected threshold;

generating a synthetic call packet if the recent volume is not sufficient and conveying the synthetic call packet over that network; and

monitoring the quality parameter of the synthetic call packet

36. The method of claim 35, where the telecommunication call is selected from a voice call or a videoconference call.

37. The method of claim 35, where the call packets are selected from one or more of Internet protocol (IP) packets, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) packets, or frame relay packets.

38. The method of claim 35, where the quality parameter is selected from at least one of a jitter parameter, a latency parameter, or a packet loss parameter.

39. The method of claim 35, where the network that is characterized is a network for which a user of the telecommunication system has activated a quality alert.

40. The method of claim 35, further comprising altering the routing of calls when the quality parameter exceeds a selected tolerance.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising taking a user of said telecommunication out of service when the quality parameter exceeds the selected tolerance.

42. A telecommunication system for monitoring the quality of calls transmitted as packets over at least a portion of the call, the telecommunication system comprising:

telecommunication network, each configured to convey a leg of at least some calls;

a quality monitor configured to characterize the network based on whether or not a recent volume of call packets is sufficient to monitor the quality of the network, and configured to monitor a quality parameter of a call packet for which the recent volume is sufficient; and

a network node configured to generate a synthetic call packet and transmit that packet over said network if the recent volume is not sufficient;

where the quality monitor is further configured to monitor the quality parameter of the synthetic call packet.

43. The telecommunication system of claim 42, where the call is selected from a voice call or a videoconference call.

44. The telecommunication system of claim 42, where the call packets are selected from one or more of Internet protocol (IP) packets, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) packets, or frame relay packets.

45. The telecommunication system of claim 42, where the quality parameter is selected from at least one of a jitter parameter, a latency parameter, or a packet loss parameter.

46. The telecommunication system of claim 42, further comprising an end node of the network, where the end node is configured to activate a quality alert in response to a user command.

47. The telecommunication system of claim 46, where the quality monitor is further configured to characterize networks for which the quality alert is active.

48. The telecommunication system of claim 42, further comprising a controller configured to alter the routing of calls when the quality parameter exceeds a selected tolerance.

49. The telecommunication system of claim 42, further comprising a controller configured to take a particular link out of service when the quality parameter exceeds a selected tolerance.

50. A telecommunication system for monitoring the quality of calls transmitted as packets over at least a portion of each call, the telecommunication system comprising:

means for characterizing whether or not a recent volume of call packets is sufficient to monitor the quality of the call;

means for monitoring a quality parameter of a call packet for which the recent volume is sufficient; and

means for generating a synthetic call packet for which the recent volume is not sufficient and for conveying the synthetic call packets in place of call packets;

where the means for monitoring is further adapted to monitor the quality parameter of the synthetic call packets.

51. The telecommunication system of claim 50, further comprising:

means for activating a quality alert in response to a command from a user of the telecommunication system.