VOICE ACTIVATED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

• US 20200134643A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bucknell, Graham R., Scott, Ewan M., Baldwin, Nicholas A., Wong, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 10,970,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/18 using natural language modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

A method, computer system, and a computer program product for voice activated inventory management is provided. The present invention may include recording an audio feed of a customer product query from a customer and a staff response from a staff member. The present invention may then include identifying a product requested by the customer. The present invention may also include identifying an inventory status in the staff response. The present invention may also include determining that a negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer. The present invention may further include, in response to determining that the negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer, storing, in an inventory database, a plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer.

Claims

1. A method for voice activated inventory management, the method comprising:

recording an audio feed of a conversation between a customer and a staff, wherein the recorded audio feed includes a customer product query from the customer and a staff response associated with the customer product query from the staff;

identifying a product requested by the customer in the customer product query;

identifying an inventory status in the staff response associated with the customer product query;

determining that a negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer; and

in response to determining that the negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer, storing, in an inventory database, a plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, using natural language processing, the customer product query in the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff; and

analyzing, using natural language processing, the staff response in the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting a wake trigger in the conversation between the customer and the staff, performing a data collection event, wherein the performed data collection event includes recording a plurality of customer query metadata associated with the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, using at least one voice recording device, an audio environment of a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff;

in response to receiving, using the at least one voice recording device, at least one phrase from the monitored audio environment of the physical retail location indicative of the customer product query, determining that a wake trigger is detected in the audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff; and

in response to determining that the wake trigger is detected in the audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff, performing, using the at least one voice recording device, a data collection event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer further comprises determining that the identified product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer is selected from the group consisting of:

a geographic location of a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff, a time stamp associated with the recorded conversation between the customer and the staff at the physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff, and the identified product requested by the customer, wherein the identified product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at the physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing a user with access to the inventory database including the stored plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer; and

indicating, in the inventory database, that the determined product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at the physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.

8. A computer system for voice activated inventory management, comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage media, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the computer system is capable of performing a method comprising;

recording an audio feed of a conversation between a customer and a staff, wherein the recorded audio feed includes a customer product query from the customer and a staff response associated with the customer product query from the staff;

identifying a product requested by the customer in the customer product query;

identifying an inventory status in the staff response associated with the customer product query;

determining that a negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer; and

in response to determining that the negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer, storing, in an inventory database, a plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

analyzing, using natural language processing, the customer product query in the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff; and

analyzing, using natural language processing, the staff response in the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff.

10. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to detecting a wake trigger in the conversation between the customer and the staff, performing a data collection event, wherein the performed data collection event includes recording a plurality of customer query metadata associated with the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff.

11. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring, using at least one voice recording device, an audio environment of a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff;

in response to receiving, using the at least one voice recording device, at least one phrase from the monitored audio environment of the physical retail location indicative of the customer product query, determining that a wake trigger is detected in the audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff; and

in response to determining that the wake trigger is detected in the audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff, performing, using the at least one voice recording device, a data collection event.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein determining that the negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer further comprises determining that the identified product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.

13. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the stored plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer is selected from the group consisting of:

a geographic location of a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff, a time stamp associated with the recorded conversation between the customer and the staff at the physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff, and the identified product requested by the customer, wherein the identified product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at the physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.

14. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising:

providing a user with access to the inventory database including the stored plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer; and

indicating, in the inventory database, that the determined product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at the physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.

15. A computer program product for voice activated inventory management, comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage media and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage media, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

recording an audio feed of a conversation between a customer and a staff, wherein the recorded audio feed includes a customer product query from the customer and a staff response associated with the customer product query from the staff;

identifying a product requested by the customer in the customer product query;

identifying an inventory status in the staff response associated with the customer product query;

determining that a negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer; and

in response to determining that the negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer, storing, in an inventory database, a plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

analyzing, using natural language processing, the customer product query in the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff; and

analyzing, using natural language processing, the staff response in the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to detecting a wake trigger in the conversation between the customer and the staff, performing a data collection event, wherein the performed data collection event includes recording a plurality of customer query metadata associated with the recorded audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

monitoring, using at least one voice recording device, an audio environment of a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff;

in response to receiving, using the at least one voice recording device, at least one phrase from the monitored audio environment of the physical retail location indicative of the customer product query, determining that a wake trigger is detected in the audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff; and

in response to determining that the wake trigger is detected in the audio feed of the conversation between the customer and the staff, performing, using the at least one voice recording device, a data collection event.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein determining that the negative inventory status trigger is detected in the identified inventory status associated with the identified product requested by the customer further comprises determining that the identified product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at a physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

providing a user with access to the inventory database including the stored plurality of customer query data associated with the identified product requested by the customer; and

indicating, in the inventory database, that the determined product requested by the customer is unavailable for sale at the physical retail location associated with the conversation between the customer and the staff.