System and method for the automatic selection of interfaces

• US 8,139,755 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concentrix CVG Customer Management Delaware LLC (Synnex Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Convergys Corporation
• Inventors: Akula, Vasudeva Rao, Issar, Sunil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Joseph J
• Application Number:
  US12/055,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.18, 379/32.01, 379/265.08, 379/265.09, 709/270.1
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/251 where a voice mode or a visual mode can be used interchangeably
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

The automatic selection of interfaces can result in the optimization of interaction between entities. Such selection of interfaces can be applied specifically in the context of interactive voice response systems, and can allow the interface presented to a caller to be optimized based on factors including the caller'"'"'s usage of the system.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for selecting an interface presented to a caller during an interaction between the caller and an interactive voice response system, wherein the computer executable instructions comprise:

(a) one or more detection modules operable to determine one or more outputs associated with the interaction, wherein at least one of the detection modules comprises a usage detection module operable to;

i) determine whether the caller has a below average user level;

ii) determine whether the caller has an average user level;

iii) determine whether the caller has an advanced user level; and

iv) output a user level value corresponding to the determined user level for the caller;

(b) a selection logic operable to select one of a plurality of available interfaces; and

(c) an interface selection engine in communication with the one or more detection modules and the selection logic, wherein the interface selection engine is operable to switch the interface presented to the caller to the one of the plurality of available interfaces based on the one or more outputs provided by the detection modules and the selection logic;

wherein;

(A) the selection logic is operable to repeatedly select one of the plurality of available interfaces at least once during the interaction;

(B) the interface selection engine is operable to repeatedly switch the interface presented to the caller to one of the plurality of available interfaces at least once during the interaction;

(C) initially switching the interface presented to the caller to one of the plurality of available interfaces comprises switching the interface presented to the caller from a first interface to a second interface;

(D) a repeated selection of one of the plurality of available interfaces comprises selecting a third interface from the plurality of available interfaces;

(E) a repeated switching the interface presented to the caller to one of the plurality of available interfaces comprises switching from the second interface to the third interface automatically during the interaction; and

(F) the first interface, the second interface and the third interface are each interfaces to the interactive voice response system.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more detection modules further comprise a security detection module, wherein the security detection module is operable to determine whether to employ an interface having increased security.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the interface selection engine communicates with the one or more detection modules and the selection logic during the interaction and automatically switches the interface in real time to the one of the plurality of available interfaces.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user level is determined by comparing the time to reach a specified marker during the interaction, with the time to reach the specified marker during one or more previous interactions.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user level is determined by comparing the time spent on one or more dialogs within a call script during the interaction, with the time spent on one or more dialogs within the call script during one or more previous interactions.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user level is determined by comparing the number of failures during the interaction, with the number of failures during one or more previous interactions.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user level is determined by comparing the response of the caller to a benchmark.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the benchmark involves the caller providing one or more unspecified commands.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the benchmark involves the caller providing one or more terse responses.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user level is determined based on members selected from the group consisting of a time to reach a specified marker during the interaction, a time spent on one or more dialogs within a call script during the interaction, a number of failures during the interaction, one or more unspecified commands provided by the caller, one or more terse responses provided by the caller, and combinations thereof.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the interaction is between a user and a multimodal interface system, wherein the multimodal interface system is operable to interact using at least one of visual, touch, or voice interfaces.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein:

a) the usage detection module has only one output;

b) the output of the usage detection module has only three states, the three states consisting of average, below average, and advanced;

c) the selection logic selects a robust interface if the output of the usage detection module is below average;

d) the selection logic selects a standard interface if the output of the usage detection module is average; and

e) the selection logic selects a specialized interface if the output of the usage detection module is advanced.

13. A system for automatically switching an interface associated with an interactive voice response system comprising:

(a) an interface selection engine;

(b) a selection logic; and

(c) a usage detection module, wherein the usage detection module produces one or more outputs relating to a caller'"'"'s usage that are accepted by the interface selection engine, wherein the usage detection module comprises a user level output having an average user level state, a below average user level state, and an advanced user level state;

wherein the interface selection engine comprises a software module operable to select one of a plurality of available interfaces according to the one or more outputs and the selection logic, wherein the selection logic selects;

(a) a robust interface when the usage detection module indicates the below average user level state;

(b) a specialized interface when the usage detection module indicates the advanced user level state; and

(c) a standard interface when the usage detection module indicates the average user level state; and

wherein the interface selection engine automatically switches the interface to the one of the plurality of available interfaces selected;

wherein;

(A) the system is operable to repeatedly select one of the plurality of available interfaces at least once during an interaction with the interactive voice response system;

(B) the system is operable to repeatedly automatically switch the interface to one of the plurality of available interfaces at least once during the interaction;

(C) initially automatically switching the interface to one of the plurality of available interfaces comprises automatically switching the interface from a first interface to a second interface;

(D) a repeated selection of one of the plurality of available interfaces comprises selecting a third interface from the plurality of available interfaces;

(E) a repeated automatically switching the interface to one of the plurality of available interfaces comprises switching from the second interface to the third interface during the interaction; and

(F) the first interface, the second interface and the third interface are each interfaces to the interactive voice response system which are presented to a caller during the interaction.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the user level is determined based on members selected from the group consisting of a time to reach a specified marker during the interaction, a time spent on one or more dialogs within a call script during the interaction, a number of failures during the interaction, one or more unspecified commands provided by the caller, one or more terse responses provided by the caller, and combinations thereof.

15. The system according to claim 13 operable with a multimodal interface system.

16. A method in a computer system for selecting an interface presented to a caller during an interaction between the caller and an interactive voice response system, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

(a) determining one or more outputs associated with the interaction, wherein the one or more outputs include a usage level;

(b) selecting one of a plurality of available interfaces according to the one or more outputs associated with the interaction; and

(c) switching the interface presented to the caller to the one of the plurality of available interfaces selected, wherein the switching occurs automatically during the interaction, and is based on the one or more outputs; and

wherein;

(i) steps (a) through (c) are repeated at least once during the interaction;

(ii) initial step (c) comprises switching the interface presented to the caller from a first interface to a second interface;

(iii) repeated step (b) comprises selecting a third interface from the plurality of available interfaces; and

(iv) repeated step (c) comprises switching from the second interface to the third interface automatically during the interaction

(v) the first interface, the second interface and the third interface are each interfaces to the interactive voice response system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the available interfaces include:

(a) a standard interface; and

(b) a specialized interface.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the available interfaces further include a robust interface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the user level is determined based on members selected from the group consisting of a time to reach a specified marker during the interaction, a time spent on one or more dialogs within a call script during the interaction, a number of failures during the interaction, one or more unspecified commands provided by the caller, one or more terse responses provided by the caller, and combinations thereof.