Method and apparatus for generating automatic greetings in a call center

• US 6,925,166 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2000
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Chan, Norman C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Foster, Roland
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US09/482,969
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 379/80, 379/100.05, 379/207.08, 379/69, 379/88.22, 379/205.01, 379/61.1, 379/265.22, 379/88, 379/265.7, 379/266.8, 379/72, 379/87, 379/88.01, 379/265.02, 379/201, 704/200
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2027 Live party detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends

Abstract

A call center includes a message playback unit for playing back a prerecorded greeting during an outgoing call while a call classifier unit within the call center processes an audible signal received from a remote party location. A call processing unit places a call to a remote party location via a communication network to attempt to elicit a desired response from the remote party. The call classifier then processes an audible signal received from the remote party location to determine whether or not the call was answered by a live party. The prerecorded greeting is then played while the call classifier is simultaneously processing the audible signal. If the call classifier determines that the call was answered by a live party, the call processing unit completes a talk path between the remote party location and a local agent at the call center who handles the remainder of the call. The call processing unit will normally wait until the greeting has ended to complete the talk path. If the call classifier determines that the call was not answered by a live party, the call processing unit will terminate the call.

Claims

1. A method for use in managing outgoing calls in a call center, comprising:

initiating a call to a first party from the call center via a communication medium, wherein, before the call is answered, a first agent of the call center has been selected to service the call;

monitoring said communication medium for signals received from a called location associated with said first party after said step of initiating a call;

detecting an initial audible signal received from the fist party location via said communication medium, wherein the initial audible signal is the first signal detected on the communication medium after said call is answered;

initiating processing of said initial audible signal in a call classifier to determine a characteristic of said initial audible signal, said step of initiating processing includes initiating processing that will analyze whether said initial audible signal was generated by a live party; and

playing a prerecorded greeting over said communication medium during said call, said prerecorded greeting being played during a time period when said call classifier is processing said initial audible signal, wherein the analysis whether said initial audible signal was generated by a live party is the initial call classifier analysis made during the call, and wherein the prerecorded greeting is recorded in the voice of the first agent.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said step of playing a prerecorded greeting includes detecting a period of silence on said communication medium and initiating playback of said prerecorded greeting in response thereto.

3. The method in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

when said call classifier determines that said initial audible signal was generated by a live party at the first party location, establishing a talk path between the live party and an agent at the call center after playback of said prerecorded greeting has ended.

4. The method in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

when said call classifier determines that said initial audible signal was not generated by a live party at the first party location, terminating the call.

5. The method in claim 1, wherein:

said communication medium includes a local loop associated with a telephone network.

6. The method in claim 1, wherein:

said step of initiating a call includes dialing a telephone number associated with said first party and said initial audible signal is received from the location associated with the first party during said call.

21. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the call to the first party is the initial call made by the call center to the first party.

24. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the first agent is in a pool of multiple agents associated with the call center, wherein the greeting is a personal greeting, and wherein each agent in the pool of agents has a corresponding prerecorded greeting recorded in the respective agents'"'"' own voice and further comprising:

selecting a second agent, different from the first agent, in the pool of agents to service a second call to a second party location, different from the first party location, over the communication medium; and

playing a second prerecorded greeting corresponding to the second agent during call classification of a second initial audible signal received from the second party location during the second call.

7. A method for use in managing an outgoing call comprising the steps of:

placing an outgoing call from a call center to a remote party location over a communication network, wherein, before the placing step, a first agent of the call center has been selected to handle the outgoing call when the call is answered by a live party at the remote party location;

processing an initial signal received from said remote party location during said call to determine a source type of said initial signal, wherein the processed signal is the first signal detected from the remote party location after said call is answered;

playing a prerecorded greeting to said remote party location during said step of processing, wherein said step of playing a prerecorded message includes detecting a period of silence after receipt of said initial signal and initiating playback of said prerecorded greeting in response thereto, and wherein the prerecorded greeting is recorded in the voice of the first agent; and

after said prerecorded greeting has ended, establishing a talk path between the first agent and the remote party location when it is determined that said initial signal is a voice signal that was generated by the live party during the call, and wherein the determination whether the initial signal is a voice signal that was generated by the live party during the call is the initial such determination made during the call.

8. The method claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of:

terminating the call when it is determined that said initial signal was not generated by the live party during the call.

9. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said step of placing an outgoing call includes dialing a telephone number associated with a remote party and said initial signal processed in the processing step is the initial audible signal received during said call.

10. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said communication network includes a public switched telephone network.

11. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said step of processing a signal includes using a call classifier to determine whether the initial signal was generated by a live party during the call.

12. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said step of establishing a talk path includes passing control of said call to said first agent for a remainder of the call.

22. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein the outgoing call to the remote party location is the initial call made to the remote party location.

25. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein the first agent is in a pool of multiple agents associated with the call center, wherein the greeting is a personal greeting, and wherein each agent in the pool of agents has a corresponding prerecorded greeting recorded in the respective agents'"'"' own voice and further comprising:

selecting a second agent, different from the first agent, in the pool of agents to service a second call to a second party location, different from the remote party location, over the communication network; and

playing a second prerecorded greeting corresponding to the second agent during call classification of a second initial audible signal received from the second party location during the second call.

13. A system for use within a call center, comprising:

a call processing unit operable to place a call to a remote party location via a communication network, wherein, before the call is placed, a first agent is assigned to service the call if the call is answered by a live party at the remote party location;

a call classifier unit operable to determine when said call is answered, detect an audible signal from the remote party location, and analyze a first detected audible signal received from said remote party location to determine whether said first detected audible signal originated from the live party during the call, and wherein the first detected signal is the first signal detected by the call classifier unit after said call is answered;

a message playback unit operable to play back a prerecorded message to said remote party location while said call classifier unit is analyzing said first detected audible signal, wherein the prerecorded message is recorded in the voice of the first agent; and

a switch unit operable to establish a talk path between a local agent position and said remote party location when it is determined by said call classifier unit that said first detected audible signal originated from the live party during the call, and wherein the determination whether the first detected audible signal is a voice signal that was generated by the live party during the call is the initial such determination made during the call.

14. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said message playback unit plays back said prerecorded message in response to detection of a period of silence during said call.

15. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said external communication network includes a public switched telephone network and said first detected signal is received during said call.

16. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said external communication network includes at least one of the following;

a satellite communication network, an optical fiber communication network, a local area network, a wide area network, a municipal area network, a private branch exchange network, an Internet network, and a terrestrial wireless network.

17. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said call processing unit includes means for terminating said call when it is determined by said call classifier unit that said first detected signal did not originate from the live party during the call.

18. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said call processing unit and said switch unit are implemented within a common digital processor.

19. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said call processing unit and said message playback unit are implemented within a common digital processor.

20. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said call classifier unit is part of a pool of call classifier units; and

said call processing unit is operable to assign call classifier units from said pool of call classifier units to individuals calls being supported by the call center.

23. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein the call to the remote party location is the initial call made by the call center to the remote party location.

26. The system claimed in claim 13, wherein the first agent is in a pool of multiple agents associated with the call center, wherein the message is a personal greeting, wherein each agent in the pool of agents has a corresponding prerecorded message recorded in the respective agents'"'"' own voice, wherein the call center is operable to select a second agent, different from the first agent, in the pool of agents to service a second call to a second party location, different from the remote party location, over the communication network, and wherein the message playback unit is operable to play back a second prerecorded message, different from the prerecorded message played back to the remote party location, corresponding to the second agent during call classification of a second initial audible signal, different from the initial audible signal from the remote party location, received from the second party location during the second call.