Method of generating test scripts using a voice-capable markup language

• US 7,590,542 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empirix Incorporated (Empirix Holdings I, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Empirix Incorporated (Empirix Holdings I, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hand, Wesley C. Jr., Williams, Douglas Carter, Seeley, Albert Robinson, Houh, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil; Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr; Leonard
• Application Number:
  US10/431,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20030212561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,323 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/24 with provision for checking the normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/323 for the arrangements providing the connection (test connection, test call, call simulation)
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

A method is disclosed for generating test scripts for testing an IVR from an IVR'"'"'s voice-capable markup language application. The test scripts can be generated directly from the voice-capable markup language application, from a product which provides a graphical representation of the IVR from the IVR'"'"'s voice-capable markup language application, or a grid can be used to represent the tags within the voice-capable markup language application and a test script generated from the grid. Additionally, a virtual telephone caller system is provided to test the IVR of a contact center, wherein the virtual telephone caller system operates with voice-capable markup language software scripts.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating at least one test script for testing a voice-capable mark-up language application, in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

identifying the voice-capable markup language application to be tested;

determining the tags of the voice-capable markup language application; and

producing a test script for testing said voice-capable markup language application from said tags of said voice-capable markup language application wherein said producing a test script comprises;

providing a grid, said grid having each tag of the voice-capable mark-up language application along a vertical axis and each tag of the voice-capable mark-up language application along a horizontal axis;

establishing a likelihood value in each cell of said grid, said likelihood value corresponding to a likelihood of the corresponding tag on the horizontal axis following the corresponding tag on the vertical axis; and

generating at least one test script in accordance with the likelihood value for each tag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice-capable markup language comprises one or more of voice extensible markup language (VXML), speech application language tags (SALT), and call control extensible markup language (CCML).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises parsing said voice-capable markup language application to identify relevant tags within said voice-capable markup language application.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said voice-capable markup language application comprises a voice-capable markup language Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said producing a test script comprises generating at least one test sequence for each tag and assembling said test sequences into said test script.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said generating at least one test sequence comprises generating test sequences including at least one of providing inputs to at least one of said tags and checking outputs from at least one of said tags.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said providing the inputs to the at least one of said tags comprises:

analyzing the voice-capable markup language application to find an externally referenced file;

retrieving the externally referenced file; and

analyzing the externally referenced file to determine an input to the at least one of said tags.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the externally referenced file comprises an audio file.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said providing the inputs to the at least one of said tags comprises:

analyzing the voice-capable markup language application to determine an expected voice input and a voice-recognized text input associated with a branch of the voice-capable markup language application; and

analyzing the expected voice input and the voice-recognized text input to determine an input to the at least one of said tags.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a library of utterances and phrases provides the output of the at least one of said tags.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein synthesized text-to-speech comprises the output of the at least one of said tags.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said producing a test script comprises:

providing an icon for each tag;

producing a call flow diagram incorporating each said icon; and

generating a test script from said call flow diagram.

13. The computer-implemented method for testing a contact center IVR system, in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

generating a voice-capable markup language test script associated with a software script generator, wherein said generating a voice-capable markup language test script comprises;

providing a grid, said grid having each tag of the voice-capable markup language application along a vertical axis and each tag of the voice-capable markup language application along a horizontal axis;

establish a likelihood value in each cell of said grid, said likelihood value corresponding to a likelihood of the corresponding tag on the horizontal axis following the corresponding tag on the vertical axis; and

generate at least one voice-capable markup language test script in accordance with the likelihood value for each tag;

generating a first software linkage to a voice-capable markup language test page, the voice-capable markup language test page within a test voice-capable markup language server, the generating in response to the voice-capable markup language test script;

generating audio signals with a voice-capable markup language browser, the generating in response to the first software linkage to the voice-capable markup language test page; and

converting the audio signals to telephone audio signals with a telephony Interface adapted to couple to the PSTN.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the voice-capable markup language comprises one or more of VXML, SALT, and CCML.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising generating a GUI and wherein said generating a voice-capable markup language test script further comprises generating a voice-capable markup language test script associated with said GUI.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving an IVR audio response with the telephony interface.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising converting the IVR audio response with the telephony interface to a response text.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising generating a second software linkage to a voice-capable markup language compare page, the second software linkage provided by the voice-capable markup language browser in response to the response text.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising generating a voice-capable markup language compare page with the test voice-capable markup language server, the generating in response to the second software call.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising comparing the voice-capable markup language test page to the voice-capable markup language compare page.

21. A computer readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon for for generating at least one test script for testing a voice-capable mark-up language application, the medium including instructions in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

identify the voice-capable markup language application to be tested;

determine the tags of the voice-capable markup language application; and

produce a test script for testing said voice-capable markup language application from said tags of said voice-capable markup language application, wherein said produce a test script comprises;

providing a grid, said grid having each tag of the voice-capable markup language application along a vertical axis and each tag of the voice-capable markup language application along a horizontal axis;

establishing a likelihood value in each cell of said grid, said likelihood value corresponding to a likelihood of the corresponding tag on the horizontal axis following the corresponding tag on the vertical axis; and

generating at least one test script in accordance with the likelihood value for each tag.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the voice-capable markup language comprises one or more of VXML, SALT, and CCML.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein said instructions for causing a processor to determine the tags of the voice-capable markup language application comprise instructions for causing a processor to parse said voice-capable markup language application to identify relevant tags within said voice-capable markup language application.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein said voice-capable markup language application comprises a voice-capable markup language Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein said instructions for causing a processor to produce a test script comprise instructions for causing a processor to generate at least one test sequence for each tag and instructions for causing a processor to assemble said test sequences into said test script.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein said instructions for causing a processor to generate at least one test sequence comprise instructions for causing a processor to generate test sequences including at least one of providing inputs to one of said tags and checking outputs from one of said tags.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein said instructions for causing a processor to produce a test script comprises instructions for causing a processor to:

provide an icon for each tag;

produce a call flow diagram incorporating each said icon; and

generate a test script from said call flow diagram.

28. A computer readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon for for generating at least one test script for testing a contact center IVR system, the medium including instructions in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

generate a voice-capable markup language test script associated with a software script generator wherein said generating a voice-capable markup language test script comprises;

providing a grid, said grid having each tag of the voice-capable markup language application along a vertical axis and each tag of the voice-capable markup language application along a horizontal axis;

establishing a likelihood value in each cell of said grid, said likelihood value corresponding to a likelihood of the corresponding tag on the horizontal axis following the corresponding tag on the vertical axis; and

generating at least one voice-capable markup language test script in accordance with the likelihood value for each tag;

generate a first software linkage to a voice-capable markup language test page, the voice-capable markup language test page within a test voice-capable markup language server in response to the voice-capable markup language test script;

generate audio signals with a voice-capable markup language browser in response to the first software linkage to the voice-capable markup language test page; and

convert the audio signals to telephone audio signals with a telephony interface adapted to couple to a PSTN.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 28 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to generating a GUI and wherein said instructions for causing a processor to generate a voice-capable markup language test script further comprises instructions for causing a processor to generate a voice-capable markup language test script associated with said GUI.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 28 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to receive an IVR audio response with the telephony interface.

31. The computer readable storage medium of claim 30 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to convert the IVR audio response with the telephony interface to a response text.

32. The computer readable storage medium of claim 28 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to generate a second software linkage to a voice-capable markup language compare page, the second software linkage provided by the voice-capable markup language browser in response to the response text.

33. The computer readable storage medium of claim 28 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to generate a voice-capable markup language compare page with the test voice-capable markup language server in response to the second software call.

34. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to compare the voice-capable markup language test page to the voice-capable markup language compare page.

35. The computer readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the voice-capable markup language comprises one or more of VXML, SALT, and CCML.