Call centre agent automated assistance

• US 6,721,416 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Farrell, Anthony Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US09/592,401
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/266.07, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88-1-, 704/270
• US Class Current: 379/265.07
• 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 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

This invention relates to the automated assistance of a telephony call center agent comprising a method and system for providing dialogue suggestions to an agent during an agent caller interaction. A prior art solution provides data based on analyzed text from one or other of the conversations but does not offer any useful information based on the performance of the agent or on the state of the interaction. A method of interaction in a voice response application comprising: receiving a voice signal in a call center; identifying whether the caller or a call center agent is the originator of the voice signal; converting the voice signal into computer readable text; identifying a key word such as a confrontational phrase e.g. ‘what are you talking about’ in the converted computer readable text; and providing a different suggestion depending on whether the originator is the call agent or the caller. For instance, a suggestion if the agent made the confrontational phrase would be to use a less confrontational phrase next time such as ‘can you explain that again’. A suggestion if the caller made the confrontational phrase would be to counter with a ‘I'"'"'ll try to explain that better’.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

means for receiving a voice signal;

first identifying means for identifying whether a caller or a call center agent is the originator of the voice signal;

second identifying means for identifying a key phrase, in the voice signal; and

means for selecting one of a plurality of suggested responses depending on the first and second identifying means, wherein said means for selecting one of a plurality of suggested responses comprises first means for selecting a suggested response as an alternative to the response given if the originator is the call center agent and second means for selecting a suggested response as counter to the response given if the originator is the caller; and

providing means for providing the selected suggested response to the agent so that the agent may use the suggested response immediately or at a future time.

2. A system as in claim 1 further comprising means for converting the voice signal into computer readable text.

3. A system as in claim 2 wherein the providing means stores the computer readable text and suggested response together for later retrieval.

4. A system as in claim 1 wherein each key phrase is stored in a field of a record in a key phrase table, a further field stores an alternative phrase and a further field stores a counter phrase.

5. A system as in claim 1 wherein said providing means places comments and suggestions on a caller workstation as a call comprising said voice signal is being placed.

6. A system in claim 1 further comprising means for grading each voice signal interaction with respect to the key phrase and acquiring a total grade for the interaction.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a voice signal;

identifying whether a caller or a call center agent is the originator of the voice signal;

identifying a key phrase in the voice signal; and

selecting one of a plurality of suggested responses depending on the first and second identifying means, wherein a first suggested response is selected as an alternative to a response given if the originator is the call center agent and a second suggested response is selected as a counter to a response given if the originator is the caller; and

providing the selected suggested response to the agent so that the agent may use the suggested response immediately or at a future time.

8. A method as in claim 7 further comprising a step of converting the voice signal into computer readable text.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein each key phrase is stored in a field of a record in a key phrase table, a further field stores an alternative phrase and a further field stores a counter phrase.

10. A method as in claim 8 further comprising storing the computer readable text and suggested response together for later retrieval.

11. A method as in claim 7 further comprising placing comments and suggestions on a caller workstation as a call comprising said voice signal is being placed.

12. A system method as in claim 7 further comprising grading each voice signal interaction with respect to the key phrase and acquiring a total grade for the interaction.

13. A computer program product, stored on a computer-readable storage medium, for executing computer program instructions to carry out the steps of:

receiving a voice signal;

identifying whether a caller or a call center agent is the originator of the voice signal;

identifying a key phrase in the voice signal; and

selecting one of a plurality of suggested responses depending on the first and second identifying means, wherein a first suggested response is selected as an alternative to a response given if the originator is the call center agent and a second suggested response is selected as a counter to a response given if the originator is the caller; and

providing the selected suggested response to the agent so that the agent may use the suggested response immediately or at a future time.

14. A computer program product as in claim 13 further comprising converting the voice signal into computer readable text.

15. A computer program product as claimed in claim 14 wherein each key phrase is stored in a field of a record In a key phrase table, a further field stores an alterative phrase and a further field stores a counter phrase.

16. A computer program product as claimed in claim 14 further comprising storing the computer readable text and suggested response together for later retrieval.

17. A computer program product as claimed in claim 13 further comprising placing comments and suggestions on a caller workstation as a call comprising said voice signal is being placed.

18. A computer program product as claimed in claim 13 further comprising grading each voice signal interaction with respect to the key phrase and acquiring a total grade for the interaction.