Method, software and system for developing interactive call center agent personas

• US 7,512,545 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2004
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushey, Robert R., Andrews, Stephanie, Knott, Benjamin A., Martin, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/766,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20050169453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 434/350, 379/265.01, 704/275, 704/240, 706/12, 725/46, 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

A method, software and system of developing personalities for interactive and/or automated call center applications are provided. According to teachings of the present invention, sample population questionnaires and interviews may be used to identify key personality traits. The impact of the identified key personality traits are then empirically determined. Based on the empirical determination of the key personality traits'"'"' impact on customer satisfaction, a plurality of personality profiles may be generated for evaluation. A plurality of application types and voice talents may then be employed to evaluate the impact of each personality profile on customer satisfaction, for different user populations and different types of automated systems. The personality traits for each automated system are preferably rated and reviewed to ensure a system accurately represents the identified key personality traits. The various voice talents may also be evaluated to identify those traits best at conveying a desired personality.

Claims

1. A method for developing an automated speech recognition application persona, comprising:

identifying personality traits key to customer satisfaction;

assigning values to the identified personality traits;

defining a plurality of personality profiles based on the assigned values;

evaluating measurable customer satisfaction effects associated with each personality profile;

rating the personality profiles regarding their ability to represent key personality traits in one or more selected automated systems wherein the rating includes eliciting sample population feedback following sample population utilization of the personality profiles;

varying one or more characteristics of the personality profiles; and

evaluating the varied personality profile characteristics to identify characteristics most capable of conveying preferred personality traits.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning empirical weightings to the identified personality traits using regression analysis.

3. A method of claim 2, further comprising performing a one-way analysis of variance for each identified personality trait.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing the regression analysis on the identified personality traits to determine a relationship between the identified personality traits.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the personality traits key to customer satisfaction using interviews with a sample population.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying personality traits key to customer satisfaction using questionnaires with a sample population.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying an application in which a personality profile is to be used to rate the ability of the personality profile to represent the key personality traits of customer satisfaction.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying characteristics of a test population used to rate the personality profiles regarding an ability to represent the key personality traits in one or more automated systems and in evaluating the varied personality profile characteristics to identify the characteristics most capable of conveying preferred personality traits.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying one or more verbal characteristics of each personality profile to identify characteristics most capable of conveying preferred personality traits.

10. A system for developing customer service applications, comprising:

at least one processor;

memory operably associated with the processor; and

a program of instructions storable in the memory and executable by the processor, the program of instructions operable to elicit key personality traits from a sample population, order the key personality traits according to customer satisfaction relevance, create one or more customer service application personality profiles based on the ordered personality traits, evaluate the customer service application personality profiles for a customer satisfaction level determination, and modify one or more aspects of each customer service application personality profile not in accordance with a desired level of customer satisfaction wherein the instructions operable to evaluate include instructions operable to elicit sample population feedback following sample population utilization of the personality profiles.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising the program of instructions operable to conduct at least one of a sample population interview and a sample population questionnaire to elicit key personality traits from the sample population.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising the program of instruction operable to perform at least one of an analysis of variance and a regression analysis on the key personality traits to order the key personality traits.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising the program of instructions operable to modify verbal characteristics of each personality profile to bring the personality profile into accordance with the desired level of customer satisfaction.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising the program of instructions operable to modify the personality profiles in accordance with an associated automated customer service application operating environment to achieve the desired level of customer satisfaction.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising the program of instructions operable to vary operational aspects of the associated automated customer service application to achieve the desired level of customer satisfaction.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising the program of instructions operable to vary one or more goals of the automated customer service application to achieve the desired level of customer satisfaction.

17. A method for managing an automated speech for developing an automated speech recognition application persona, comprising:

identifying a set of personality traits;

assigning a set of weighting values to the set of identified personality traits to define a personality profile;

defining a set of personality profiles based on the assigned values; and

rating the personality profiles based on their respective ability to a predetermined level of customer satisfaction in one or more selected automated systems wherein the rating includes eliciting sample population feedback following sample population utilization of the personality profiles;

varying one or more characteristics of the personality profiles; and

evaluating the varied personality profile characteristics to identify characteristics most capable of conveying preferred personality traits.