System and method for monitoring an interaction between a caller and an automated voice response system

• US 20070286359A1
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alastair Sutherland, Gilad Odinak, William Tolhurst
• Original Assignee: Alastair Sutherland, Gilad Odinak, William Tolhurst
• Inventors: Odinak, Gilad, Sutherland, Alastair, Tolhurst, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.100
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis speech synthesis per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/306 Prerecordings to be used during a voice call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5133 Operator terminal details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

An apparatus and method for monitoring an interaction between a caller and an automated voice response (AVR) system is provided. An audio communication from a caller is processed by executing an AVR script, which includes a plurality of instructions. A visual representation of the audio communication is presented substantially simultaneously with the audio communication to an agent based on the AVR script. The visual representation includes at least one field to be populated with information obtained from the caller and the information populated in the field can be updated by the agent.

Claims

1. An apparatus for real time automated voice response (AVR) system monitoring, comprising:

a script engine to process a call through execution of an interactive AVR script; and

a session manager to present a visualization of the call based on the interactive AVR script while providing the call to an agent.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visualization of the call is populated with an utterance of the caller.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein agent control over the execution of the interactive AVR script is enabled.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the session manager provides visualizations of a plurality of calls to the agent, wherein each of the calls originates through execution of separate interactive AVR scripts.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the AVR script comprises a set of executable instructions for specified and interactive question-and-response dialog.

6. A method for real time automated voice response (AVR) system monitoring, comprising:

processing a call through execution of an interactive AVR script; and

presenting a visualization of the call based on the interactive AVR script while providing the call to an agent.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

populating the visualization of the call with an utterance of the caller.

8. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

enabling agent control over the execution of the interactive AVR script.

9. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

providing visualizations of a plurality of calls to the agent, wherein each of the calls originates through execution of separate interactive AVR scripts.

10. A method according to claim 6, wherein the AVR script comprises a set of executable instructions for specified and interactive question-and-response dialog.

11. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the method of claim 6.

12. An apparatus for monitoring an interaction between a caller and an automated voice response (AVR) system, comprising:

a script engine to process an audio communication from a caller by executing an AVR script comprising a plurality of instructions; and

a session manager to present a visual representation of the audio communication substantially simultaneously with the audio communication to an agent based on the AVR script, wherein the visual representation comprises at least one field to be populated with information obtained from the caller and the information populated in the field can be updated by the agent.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of instructions are mapped to the visual representation.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a field in the visual representation is populated with an utterance of the caller.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the utterance of the caller is transcribed to populate the field in the visual representation.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a call center service window to allow the agent to review the field in the visual representation populated with an utterance of the caller.

17. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a call center service window to allow the agent to update the field in the visual representation populated with an utterance of the caller.

18. An apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a call center service window to allow the agent to alter a flow of the AVR script.

19. An apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a call center service window to allow the agent to intervene in the audio communication.

20. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein an audio portion of the audio communication is provided to the agent.

21. A method for monitoring an interaction between a caller and an automated voice response (AVR) system, comprising:

processing an audio communication from a caller by executing an AVR script comprising a plurality of instructions; and

presenting a visual representation of the audio communication substantially simultaneously with the audio communication to an agent based on the AVR script, wherein the visual representation comprises at least one field to be populated with information obtained from the caller and the information populated in the field can be updated by the agent.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising:

mapping the plurality of instructions to the visual representation.

23. A method according to claim 21, further comprising:

populating a field in the visual representation with an utterance of the caller.

24. A method according to claim 23, further comprising:

transcribing the utterance of the caller to populate the field in the visual representation.

25. A method according to claim 23, further comprising:

allowing the agent to review the field in the visual representation populated with an utterance of the caller.

26. A method according to claim 23, further comprising:

allowing the agent to update the field in the visual representation populated with an utterance of the caller.

27. A method according to claim 21, further comprising:

allowing the agent to alter a flow of the AVR script.

28. A method according to claim 21, further comprising:

allowing the agent to intervene in the audio communication.

29. A method according to claim 21, further comprising:

providing an audio portion of the audio communication to the agent.

30. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the method of claim 21.

31. An apparatus for providing a visual interface to an automated voice response (AVR) system, comprising:

a caller device to allow a caller to establish an audio communication;

a telephony interface to process the audio communication with the caller device on behalf of a call center;

a script engine to execute scripted voice interactions with the caller via the telephony interface by executing scripts written in a scripting language;

a messaging server interfaced to the script engine, comprising;

a session manager to create a session for the caller with the script engine and to terminate the session or transfer the caller to a call center agent; and

a scripting server to receive a request for scripting language pages comprising the scripts for the script engine and to send the scripting language pages to the script engine during the session; and

an agent console to display a visual version of the scripting language pages from the script engine and to monitor the voice interactions with the caller through the telephony interface via the script engine.

32. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the scripting language pages comprise at least one prompt to request a caller utterance and at least one corresponding field to store the caller utterance, wherein the script engine populates the at least one field with the caller utterance.

33. An apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the messaging server provides the scripting language pages, including the field populated with the caller utterance, in a call service center window to the agent console.

34. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the call service center window allows the call center agent to perform an action comprising one or more of answering the at least one prompt for the caller, intervening in the execution of the scripts, and altering a flow in the execution of the scripts.

35. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the caller device comprises at least one of a conventional telephone, cellular telephone, and internet protocol (IP) telephone.

36. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the script engine employs a scripting language to enable multimodal and telephone access.

37. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the telephony interface processes at least one of traditional telephone, IP telephony, and VoIP-based communications.

38. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the scripting language pages are obtained or created dynamically by the messaging server.

39. A method for providing a visual interface to an automated voice response (AVR) system, comprising:

allowing a caller to establish an audio communication with a caller device;

processing the audio communication with the caller device on behalf of a call center through a telephony interface;

executing scripted voice interactions with the caller via the telephony interface by executing scripts written in a scripting language on a script engine;

interfacing to the script engine through a messaging server, comprising;

creating a session for the caller with the script engine and terminating the session or transferring the caller to a call center agent through a session manager; and

receiving a request for scripting language pages comprising the scripts for the script engine and sending the scripting language pages to the script engine during the session through a scripting server; and

displaying a visual version of the scripting language pages from the script engine and monitoring the voice interactions with the caller through the telephony interface via the script engine over an agent console.

40. A method according to claim 39, wherein the scripting language pages comprise at least one prompt to request a caller utterance and at least one corresponding field to store the caller utterance, further comprising:

populating the at least one field with the caller utterance via the script engine.

41. A method according to claim 40, further comprising:

providing the scripting language pages, including the field populated with the caller utterance, in a call service center window to the agent console via the messaging server.

42. A method according to claim 41, wherein the call service center window allows the call center agent to perform an action comprising one or more of answering the at least one prompt for the caller, intervening in the execution of the scripts, and altering a flow in the execution of the scripts.

43. A method according to claim 39, wherein the caller device comprises at least one of a conventional telephone, cellular telephone, and internet protocol (IP) telephone.

44. A method according to claim 39, wherein the script engine employs a scripting language to enable multimodal and telephone access.

45. A method according to claim 39, wherein the telephony interface processes at least one of traditional telephone, IP telephony, and VoIP-based communications.

46. A method according to claim 39, wherein the scripting language pages are obtained or created dynamically by the messaging server.

47. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the method of claim 39.