Personalizing computerized customer service

• US 8,335,300 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hughes, Nathan Raymond, Rao, Nishant Srinath, Uretsky, Michelle Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/285,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/67.1, 379/88.05, 379/88.06, 379/201.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/266.01, 379/266.04, 704/8, 704/9, 705/42, 705/7.14, 706/46, 706/50, 709/203, 709/220, 709/231, 715/205, 715/700, 717/173, 235/375, 455/445, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 379/88.05
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/56 Natural language generation

Abstract

A method for improving user satisfaction with automated response computer driven systems is provided. In one embodiment the automated computer system utilizes a Web browser accessing at least a Web site. In another embodiment, the automated computer system is a telephonic response system with voice recognition and generation capability. In each embodiment the user is first prompted to provide indications of user language usage preferences which are then analyzed and stored in a user profile. Thereafter, subsequent information from the automated system is modified in accordance with the stored user profile before presentation to the user.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing user satisfaction with a telephonic response system comprising a computer, said method comprising:

said computer querying a user at a telephone to determine preferred voice qualities while the computer is engaged in telephone communication with the user via the telephone;

said computer receiving, from the user at the telephone, responses to said querying;

said computer determining from the responses received from the user, using voice recognition functions of the telephonic response system, the preferred voice qualities; and

said computer storing, in a user profile of the user located in a database accessible to the computer, the preferred voice qualities determined from the responses received from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

after said storing, said computer accessing the stored preferred voice qualities;

after said accessing, said computer modifying responses to the user to be presented to the user, said modifying comprising generating the modified responses, using voice generation functions of the telephonic response system, such that voice qualities in the generated modified responses match the accessed preferred voice qualities; and

said computer providing the modified responses to the user at the telephone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing the preferred voice qualities comprises storing voice qualities comprising pacing of speech expressed as a time rate of speech text, volume of speech expressed as speech loudness, and gender of speech expressed as male or female, and wherein the method comprises determining the gender of speech from a range of sound wave frequency of the responses received from the user to said querying.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

after said storing, said computer accessing the stored preferred voice qualities;

after said accessing, said computer modifying responses to the user to be presented to the user, said modifying comprising generating the modified responses, using voice generation functions of the telephonic response system, such that voice qualities in the generated modified responses match the accessed preferred voice qualities; and

said computer providing the modified responses to the user at the telephone.

5. A telephonic response system, said telephonic response system comprising a computer, said computer configured to perform a method for enhancing user satisfaction with the telephonic response system, said method comprising:

said computer querying a user at a telephone to determine preferred voice qualities while the computer is engaged in telephone communication with the user via the telephone;

said computer receiving, from the user at the telephone, responses to said querying;

said computer determining from the responses received from the user, using voice recognition functions of the telephonic response system, the preferred voice qualities; and

said computer storing, in a user profile of the user located in a database accessible to the computer, the preferred voice qualities determined from the responses received from the user.

6. The telephonic response system of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

after said storing, said computer accessing the stored preferred voice qualities;

after said accessing, said computer modifying responses to the user to be presented to the user, said modifying comprising generating the modified responses, using voice generation functions of the telephonic response system, such that voice qualities in the generated modified responses match the accessed preferred voice qualities; and

said computer providing the modified responses to the user at the telephone.

7. The telephonic response system of claim 5, wherein said storing the preferred voice qualities comprises storing voice qualities comprising pacing of speech expressed as a time rate of speech text, volume of speech expressed as speech loudness, and gender of speech expressed as male or female, and wherein the method comprises determining the gender of speech from a range of sound wave frequency of the responses received from the user to said querying.

8. The telephonic response system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

after said storing, said computer accessing the stored preferred voice qualities;

after said ascertaining, said computer modifying responses to the user to be presented to the user, said modifying comprising generating the modified responses, using voice generation functions of the telephonic response system, such that voice qualities in the generated modified responses match the preferred voice qualities; and

said computer providing the modified responses to the user at the telephone.