Third party coaching for agents in a communication system

• US 7,151,826 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Electronics Commerce Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Shambaugh, Craig R., Dezonno, Anthony J., Sumner, Roger A., Beckstrom, Robert P., Michelson, Mark J., Power, Mark J., Hodson, Jeffrey D., Bonifazi, Carlo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bing Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/259,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20040062363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.07, 379/265.02, 379/309, 379/265.06
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• 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

The method and apparatus improve transactions in a communication system, such as a communication system having an automatic call distributor. In one embodiment, an assessment is performed in substantially real time of respective stress levels of at least one of a caller and an agent in a call transaction. A third party is engaged in the transaction when at least one of the stress levels of the caller and the agent exceeds a threshold. This third party may include, for example, a virtual party or an automated input source. The third party may engage in the background of the transaction or in the foreground of the transaction, thus communicating either only with the agent or with both the caller and the agent, respectively. The respective stress levels of at least one of the caller and agent may be assessed by methods which include, but are not limited to; analyzing a respective voice signal of at least one of the caller and the agent, converting a respective voice signal of least one of the caller and the agent to text and analyzing the text and/or analyzing a physical stress level of the agent. The apparatus implements the method.

Claims

1. A method for improving transactions in a communication system, comprising the steps of:

determining a base line norm of one or more voice based stress indicators for at least a first one of first and second parties in a transaction in the communication system and determining a base line norm for one or more physical stress indicators for the second party from within a controlled environment;

dynamically comparing at least one measured stress indicator of at least one of the first and second parties to a corresponding base line norm of said base line norms; and

engaging a third party into the transaction when a difference between the at least one measured stress indicator of at least one of the first and second parties and said at least one corresponding base line norm exceeds a threshold deviation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third party is a virtual party.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third party is an automated input source.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the physical stress level indicator is facial movement.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the difference between stress levels is a percent deviation from stress levels of an immediately preceding time period.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining whether the third party communicates only with one of the first and second parties, or both parties.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the physical stress level indicator is at least one of eye movement and pressure exerted by fingers on the keyboard.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assessing of respective stress levels of at least one of the first and second parties is conducted substantially in real-time.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing of respective stress levels to the base line norm of at least one of the first and second parties is conducted by at least one of;

analyzing a respective voice signal of at least one of the first and second parties, converting a respective voice signal of at least one of the first and second parties to text and analyzing the text, and analyzing a physical stress level of at least the second parties.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication system is in an automatic call distribution system and wherein the steps of comparing stress levels to the base line norm further comprise assessing in substantially real-time respective stress levels of at least one of a caller and an agent in a call transaction in an automatic call distribution system.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the comparing of respective stress levels to the base line norm of at least one of the callers and the agent is conducted by at least one of;

analyzing a respective voice signal of at least one of the callers and the agent, converting a respective voice signal of at least one of the callers and the agent to text and analyzing the text, and analyzing a physical stress level of the agent.

12. A computer program product embedded in a computer readable medium for use in a communication system, comprising:

a computer readable media containing computer program code comprising;

assessment computer program code that determines a base line norm of one or more voice based stress line indicators for at least a first one of first and second parties in a transaction in the communication system and determining a baseline norm for one or more physical stress indicators for the second party within a controlled environment;

assessment computer code that dynamically compares at least one measured indicator of at least one of the first and second parties to at least one corresponding baseline norm of said base line norms; and

engagement computer program code that engages a third party into the transaction when a difference between the at least one measured stress indicator of the first and second parties and the at least one corresponding base line norm exceeds a predetermined threshold deviation.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the physical stress level indicator is at least one of facial movement and a change in body-function.

14. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the difference between stress levels is a percent deviation from stress levels of an immediately preceding time period.

15. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the assessing of respective stress levels of at least one of the first and second parties is conducted substantially in real-time.

16. A computer readable medium having encoded therein software for use in a communication system to perform the method comprising:

determining in substantially real-time, a base line norm of one or more respective voice based stress indicators for a caller and physical stress indicators for an agent in a call transaction in the communication system and wherein the one or more base line norms of the agent are determined in a controlled environment;

assessing in substantially real-time, respective stress indicators of each of a said caller and said agent; and

engaging a third party into the transaction when a difference between at least one of the stress indicators of at least one of the caller and the agent and said at least one corresponding base line norm of base line norms exceeds a threshold deviation.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein the third party is a virtual party.

18. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein the physical stress level indicator is change in body function.

19. An apparatus that improves transactions in a communication system, comprising:

means for determining a base line norm of one or more stress voice based indicators for at least a first one of first and second parties in a transaction in the communication system and for determining a base line norm for one or more physical stress indicators for the second party, wherein the one or more base line norms of said one of the first and second parties is determined in a controlled environment;

dynamically comparing one ore more measured stress indicators of at least one of the first and second parties to one or more corresponding base line norms of said base line norms; and

engaging a third party into the transaction when a difference between the one or more measured stress indicators of at least one of the first and second parties and the one or more corresponding base line norms exceeds a threshold deviation.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the third party is a means for providing a virtual party.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the third party is a means for providing an automated input.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the physical stress level indicator is facial movement.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the means for assessing respective stress levels of at least one of the first and second parties is conducted substantially in real-time.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the means for comparing of respective stress levels to the base line norm of at least one of the first and second parties further comprise at least one of,

means for analyzing a respective voice signal of at least one of the first and second parties, means for converting a respective voice signal of at least one of the first and second parties to text and, and means for analyzing a physical stress level of at least the second party.

25. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the communication system includes an automatic call distribution system, further comprising:

automatic call transaction between a caller and an agent in the automatic call distribution system;

means for comparing in substantially real-time respective stress levels of each of the caller and the agent to the base line norm in the call transaction; and

means for engaging a third party into the transaction when at least one of the stress levels of the caller and the agent exceeds a threshold deviation from said base line norm.

26. An apparatus that improves transactions in an automatic call distribution system, comprising:

a call establishing module that establishes a call transaction between a caller and an agent in the automatic call distribution system;

a memory module to store base line norms of stress level indicators obtained from the agent and the caller, where the base line norm of the agent is at least a physical stress indicator determined in a controlled environment;

a stress assessor operatively connected to the call transaction, to assess in substantially real-time respective stress levels of each of the caller and the agent in the call transaction based, in part, upon an analysis against key words, combinations of words and sentence structure; and

a controller, operatively connected to the stress assessor, to engage a third party into the transaction when a difference between at least one of the stress levels of the caller and the agent and a corresponding base line norm of said base line norms exceeds a threshold.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the third party is a virtual party.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the third party is an automated input source.

29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the stress physical level indicator is facial movement.

30. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the stress physical level indicator is change in body function.

31. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the stress assessor determines respective stress levels of the caller and the agent by at least one of;

analyzing a respective voice signal of each of the caller and the agent, converting a respective voice signal of at least one of the caller and the agent to text and analyzing the text, and analyzing a physical stress level of the agent.