System and method for automated third party verification

• US 6,859,524 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Concentrix CVG Customer Management Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Convergys Customer Management Group Incorporated (Convergys Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramsay, John R., Skaddan, Dana N., Unger, Nicholas K., Price, Timothy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US10/463,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20030219105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.02, 379/85, 379/92.01, 379/900, 379/88.16, 713/200, 704/273
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10

Abstract

A system and method for performing independent third party verification utilizes an automated system for posing questions to a customer and for recording and analyzing the customer'"'"'s responses to those questions. The system could include a voice synthesizer or an audio player for posing oral questions to a customer. The system could also include voice recognition capabilities to analyze a customer'"'"'s oral responses to questions. The system could also be provided with the capability to analyze a series of customer responses and to create an automated score to confirm or deny the verification process. The system could further include a live operator interface to allow a live operator to quickly review only the customer'"'"'s responses to a series of verification questions. The live operator'"'"'s analysis of the customer responses could be compared to the automated analysis as a further check on the verification process. Preferred embodiments would also include the means to access customer responses based on customer-specific information.

Claims

1. A system for performing independent verification, comprising:

a) a processor;

b) question generating unit, connected to the processor, configured to pose questions to a customer through a communications medium;

c) a customer data interface for receiving customer-specific information, wherein the question generating unit is configured to generate at least one question based on customer-specific information received through the customer data interface;

d) a response analysis unit, connected to the processor, configured to

analyze customer responses to questions by performing speech recognition on spoken customer responses; and

automatically generate an automated score for said customer responses;

e) a recording unit configured to record customer responses to questions wherein the system is configured to simultaneously record a customer'"'"'s spoken response and perform speech recognition on the spoken response to interpret the spoken response;

f) an operator interface configured to allow an operator to

review recorded customer responses; and

input an operator score for a series of recorded customer responses; and

g) a comparing unit for comparing an operator score of a series of customer responses to an automated score for the series of customer responses that was generated by die response analysis unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the question generating unit comprises a speech synthesis unit.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the question generating unit comprises an audio player for playing pre-recorded sounds.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to communicate with a customer over at least one communications medium selected from the group consisting of a telephone network, a local area computer network, a wide area computer network, a worldwide computer network, and a radio communications system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the response analysis unit is also configured to interpret DTMF tones.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein a customer response is given by pressing one or more keys on a computer keyboard, and wherein the response analysis unit is configured to determine what keys are pressed.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein a customer response is given by activating one or more buttons of a computer graphical pointing device, and wherein the response analysis unit is configured to interpret such responses.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to retrieve a series of customer responses that were recorded by the recording unit based on customer-specific information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to re-create a series of questions posed to a customer, and the customer'"'"'s responses to those questions, based on information recorded by the recording unit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to generate a transcript of questions posed to a customer and the customer'"'"'s responses to those questions, based, at least in part, on information stored by the recording unit.

11. A method of performing independent verification, comprising the steps of:

a. posing a question to a customer with an automated question generating unit;

b. recording a customer'"'"'s spoken response to the question;

c. analyzing the customer'"'"'s spoken response to the question with a response analysis unit using speech recognition techniques, wherein the recording step and the analyzing step are performed simultaneously;

d. automatically generating an automated score for a series of spoken customer responses based on said analyzing step;

e. playing at least one recorded spoken customer response for a live operator;

f. recording an operator score generated by the live operator based on the, at least, one recorded customer response;

g. comparing, said operator score to said automated by a comparing unit score; and

h. confirming the independent verification if the operator score corresponds with the automated score.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of at least one spoken customer response for further analysis if an operator score for the at least one spoken customer response does not match an automated score for the series of customer responses.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein step (a) comprises generating a question with a voice synthesis unit.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein step (a) comprises generating a question by playing pre-recorded sounds.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of receiving customer-specific information prior to performing step (a), and wherein step (a) comprises generating a question based on the received customer-specific information.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein step (c) comprises interpreting DTMF tones.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

a. determining whether to pose an additional question to the customer based on the results of the analyzing step; and

b. repeating steps (a)-(b) if the result of step (a) is to pose an additional question.

18. A system for performing independent verification, comprising:

a. a processor;

b. question generating unit, connected to the processor, configured to pose questions to a customer through a communications medium;

c. a response analysis unit, connected to the processor, configured to

analyze customer responses to questions that the customer enters via a customer computer; and

to automatically generate an automated score for a series of customer responses;

d. a recording unit configured to record customer responses to questions; and

e. an operator interface configured to allow an operator to

review recorded customer responses; and

input an operator score for a series of recorded customer responses; and

f. a comparing unit for comparing an operator score of a series of customer responses to an automated score for the series of customer responses that was generated by the response analysis unit

wherein said comparing unit confirms an independent verification if an operator score for a series of customer responses matches the automated score for the series of customer responses; and

wherein said comparing unit flags a series of customer responses for further analysis if an operator score for the series of customer responses does not match an automated score for the series of customer responses.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the question generating unit is configured to pose questions to a customer by causing the customer'"'"'s computer to present the questions.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the question generating unit is configured to pose questions to a customer by causing the customer'"'"'s computer to display the questions on a display screen of the customer'"'"'s computer.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the question generating unit is configured to pose questions to a customer by causing the customer'"'"'s computer to play the questions over speakers connected to the customer'"'"'s computer.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein a computer response is given by pressing one or more keys of a keyboard of the customer'"'"'s computer, and wherein the response analysis unit is configured to determine what keys are pressed.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein a customer response is given by activating one or more buttons of a graphical pointing device coupled to the customer'"'"'s computer, and wherein the response the response analysis unit is configured to interpret such a response.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein if the comparing unit flags a series of customer responses for further analysis, the response analysis unit is configured to re-analyze the series of customer responses and to generate a new automated score, and wherein the comparing unit is configured to compare the new automated score to the operator score.

25. A method of performing independent verification, comprising the steps of:

a. posing questions to a customer with an automated question generating unit by causing a customer'"'"'s computer to display the questions;

b. recording customer responses to the questions that the customer enters via the customer'"'"'s computer;

c. analyzing the customer responses to the questions that the customer enters via the customer'"'"'s computer;

d. generating an automated score for a series of spoken said customer responses;

e. causing a live operator to review said customer responses;

f. generating an operator score for the series of customer responses;

g. comparing said operator score to said automated score, by a comparing unit

h. confirming the independent verification if the operator score matches the automated score; and

i. flagging said series of customer responses for further analysis if the operator score for the series does not match the automated score.