Method for designing an automated speech recognition (ASR) interface for a customer call center

• US 8,315,360 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushey, Robert R., Knott, Benjamin A., Martin, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Simon
• Application Number:
  US12/326,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20090074158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/265.1, 379/265.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.14, 704/270, 704/275
• US Class Current: 379/88.03
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/183 using context dependencies, e.g. language models
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• 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 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

A method of designing a customer interface for a service center, such as an automated speech recognition (ASR) self-service center. Customer activity to an existing service center is monitored, providing customer model, which includes a collection of customer tasks. These tasks are assigned to action-object pairs, which are further assigned to routing destinations. Dialog modules are designed, based on the customer model data, including disambiguation dialogs.

Claims

1. A system for implementing a customer interface for an automated speech recognition (ASR) call center, comprising:

a host ASR process configured to control and pass tasks to other ASR processes; and

a dialog process configured to interact with callers, the dialog process having access to a database configured to store messages and instructions played to callers,

wherein the system is configured to;

collect data for a customer model, the customer model comprising at least recorded opening statements of callers to a call center;

create a task model comprising a set of action-object pairs, based on the recorded opening statements;

create a business rules model, representing routing destinations for calls;

link the customer model to the task model, such that the opening statements are assigning to action-object pairs;

link the task model to the business rules model, such that each action-object pair is assigned to a routing destination;

create an action-object frequency table, based on the results of the step of linking the customer model to the task model; and

design an interface module for each action object pair in substantially the order of the frequency table, from higher frequency action-object pairs to lower frequency action-object pairs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer interface is for a how-to-use call center application, and the operation to link the task model to the business rules model comprises and operation to link action-object pairs to the how-to-use call center destination.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one dialog module is activated in response to a direct routing decision.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one dialog module is activated in response to a clarification routing decision.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one dialog module is operable to transfer a caller to one of two routing destinations.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one dialog module is a disambiguation dialog module operable to present the customer with choices.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising persona data used to determine language alternatives in said design of said interface module.

8. A system for implementing a customer interface for a self-service call center application, comprising:

a host self-service process configured to control and pass tasks to other self-service processes; and

a dialog process configured to interact with callers and to access a database configured to store messages and instructions played to callers,

wherein the system is configured to;

record opening statements of callers during visits to an existing service center, thereby creating a customer model representing customer tasks;

create a task model comprising a set of action-object pairs, based on the customer model;

create a business rules model, representing routing destinations for calls;

link the customer model to the task model, such that the opening statements are assigning to action-object pairs;

link the task model to the business rules model, such that each action-object pair is assigned to a routing destination;

create an action-object frequency table, based on the results of the step of linking the customer model to the task model; and

design an interface module for each action object pair, wherein the operation to design is performed in substantially the order of the frequency table, from higher frequency action-object pairs to lower frequency action-object pairs.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the self-service call application is implemented in an automated speech recognition (ASR) call center.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the ASR call center is an how-to-use ASR call center, and wherein the operation to link the task model to the business rules model comprises an operation to link action-object pairs to the how-to-use call center destination.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the self-service call application implemented in a web-based self-service center.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a dialog module is activated in response to a direct routing decision.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein a dialog module is activated in response to a clarification routing decision.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the dialog module is operable to transfer the customer to one of two routing destinations.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the dialog module is a disambiguation dialog module operable to present the customer with choices.

16. The system of claim 8, further configured to collect customer persona data during customer visits to the existing service center.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the persona data is used to determine language alternatives.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the customer model data is collected during visits to a call center.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the customer model data is collected during visits to a web site via the Internet.

20. A system for implementing a customer interface for an automated speech recognition (ASR) call center, comprising:

a host ASR process configured to control and pass tasks to other ASR processes; and

a dialog process configured to interact with callers and to access a database configured to store messages and instructions played to callers,

wherein the system is configured to;

define a set of action-object pairs based on opening statements of callers to a call center;

assign each action-object pair is assigned to a routing destination;

create an action-object frequency table indicative of the relative frequency of each action-object pair; and

design an interface module for each action object pair, wherein the operation to design is performed in substantially the order of the frequency table, from higher frequency action-object pairs to lower frequency action-object pairs, and wherein the operation to design is based on the persona data.