Intelligent interactive voice response system

• US 8,369,495 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Mallenahally Channakeshava, Girish
• Primary Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US12/560,954
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.03, 379/88.23, 379/201.02, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/219, 455/466
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/556 Statistical analysis and interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

An interactive voice response system takes into account current and/or historical call data in determining navigation logic for a specific call.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of using an interactive voice response system to route a call to a target menu option, the method being performed by a computing apparatus and comprising:

receiving a current call from a current caller;

identifying a profile associated with the current caller and an initial navigation menu for the current call;

determining a preferred navigation menu to implement for the current call, the preferred navigation menu comprising call menu options of the initial navigation menu that can be selected by the current caller and rearranged into a different sequence and renumbered compared to the initial navigation menu, the rearrangement and renumbering being based at least in part upon current call data and historical call data associated with the profile, the historical call data comprising data gathered during another call of at least one other caller within the same geographic area as the current caller and data indicating how the at least one other caller navigated the initial navigation menu; and

implementing the preferred navigation menu for the current call, wherein the preferred navigation menu includes navigation logic to route the current call to the target menu option via the interactive voice response system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the historical call data further comprises data gathered during a previous call from the current caller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the historical call data further comprises menu selection data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the preferred navigation menu further comprises implementing a forced menu option ahead of other menu options.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

gathering new call data from the current call, and

adding the new call data to the profile during the current call to update the historical call data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering location data.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering customized menu options.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering calendar data.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering biometric data.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering menu selection data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the current call data comprises calendar data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the current call data comprises a location associated with the current caller.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the current call data comprises a phone number associated with the current caller.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the current call data comprises menu selection data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the profile further comprises matching biometric data from the current caller to biometric data in the profile.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the preferred navigation menu is further based on historical call data associated with another profile of the at least one other caller that is linked to the current caller profile.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a location of the current caller, and wherein implementing the preferred navigation menu is further based at least in part upon the location of the current caller.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the target menu option in the initial navigation menu is renumbered to be a different numbered menu option in the preferred navigation menu.

19. The method of claim 17, the location being a GPS-based location of the current caller, the rearrangement and renumbering of the initial navigation menu being based at least in part upon the GPS-based location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein identifying the GPS-based location of the current caller comprises identifying a zip code associated with the current caller.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein identifying the GPS-based location of the current caller comprises determining the current caller is within a relevant geographic area.

22. The method of claim 1, the historical call data further comprising respective historical data gathered from a plurality of other calls from respective other callers indicating how respective other callers navigated the initial navigation menu.

23. The method of claim 1, the historical data further comprising data of at least one other profile of at least one other caller that is linked to the profile of the current caller for whom the preferred navigation menu is determined.

24. The method of claim 23, the at least one other profile comprising a profile of a friend of the current caller including data indicating how the current caller'"'"'s friend navigated the initial navigation menu.

25. The method of claim 24, the current caller selecting the at least one other profile of the friend.

26. The method of claim 23, the at least one other profile comprising a profile of a family member of the current caller including data indicating how the current caller'"'"'s family member navigated the initial navigation menu.

27. The method of claim 25, the current caller selecting the at least one other profile of the family member.

28. The method of claim 23, the at least one other profile comprising a profile of another caller linked to or with which the current caller has a relationship and identified based at least in part upon the location of the other caller, the at least one other profile comprising data indicating how the other caller with which the current caller has the relationship navigated the initial navigation menu.

29. The method of claim 23, the at least one other profile comprising a profile of a business associated with the current caller.

30. The method of claim 1, the current call data comprising menu selection data.

31. The method of claim 1, identifying the profile further comprising matching biometric data from the current caller to biometric data in the profile.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the preferred navigation menu is further based on historical call data associated with another profile of the at least one other caller that is linked to the current caller profile.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a location of the current caller, and wherein implementing the preferred navigation menu is further based upon the location of the current caller.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the target menu option in the initial navigation menu is renumbered to be a different numbered menu option in the preferred navigation menu.

35. The method of claim 33, the location being a GPS-based location of the current caller, the rearrangement and renumbering of the initial navigation menu being based at least in part upon the GPS-based location.

36. The method of claim 35, identifying the GPS-based location of the current caller comprising identifying a zip code associated with the current caller.

37. The method of claim 35, identifying the GPS-based location of the current caller comprising determining the current caller is within a relevant geographic area.

38. A computer-implemented method of using an interactive voice response system to route a call to a target menu option, the method being performed by a computing apparatus and comprising:

receiving a current call from a current caller;

identifying a profile associated with the current caller and an initial navigation menu for the current call;

determining a preferred navigation menu to implement for the current call, the preferred navigation menu comprising call menu options of the initial navigation menu that can be selected by the current caller and rearranged into a different sequence and renumbered compared to the initial navigation menu, the rearrangement and renumbering being based at least in part upon current call data and historical call data associated with a profile of the current caller, the historical call data comprising data gathered during another call of at least one other caller with which the current caller has a relationship based at least in part upon a location of the at least one other caller and data of at least one other profile of the at least one other caller that is linked to the current caller profile, the at least one other profile comprising data indicating how the at least one other caller navigated the initial navigation menu; and

implementing the preferred navigation menu for the current call, wherein the preferred navigation menu includes navigation logic to route the current call to the target menu option via the interactive voice response system.

39. The method of claim 38, the at least one other profile comprising a profile of a business associated with the current caller.

40. The method of claim 39, the historical call data further comprising data gathered during a previous call from the current caller.

41. The method of claim 40, the historical call data further comprising menu selection data.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein implementing the preferred navigation menu further comprises implementing a forced menu option ahead of other menu options.

43. The method of claim 39, further comprising gathering new call data from the current call, and adding the new call data to the current caller profile during the current call to update the historical call data.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering location data.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering customized menu options.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering calendar data.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering biometric data.

48. The method of claim 43, wherein gathering new call data further comprises gathering menu selection data.

49. The method of claim 39, wherein the current call data comprises calendar data.

50. The method of claim 39, the current call data comprising a location associated with the current caller.

51. The method of claim 39, the current call data comprising a phone number associated with the current caller.

52. The method of claim 39, the at least one other profile comprising a profile of a friend of the current caller including data indicating how the current caller'"'"'s friend navigated the initial navigation menu.

53. The method of claim 52, the current caller selecting the at least one other profile of the friend.

54. The method of claim 38, the at least one other profile comprising a profile of a family member of the current caller including data indicating how the current caller'"'"'s family member navigated the initial navigation menu.

55. The method of claim 54, the current caller selecting the at least one other profile of the family member.