System, method and software for a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix

• US 8,498,384 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushey, Robert R., Martin, John M., Knott, Benjamin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US13/633,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20130028406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.01, 704/200, 704/251
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/197 Probabilistic grammars, e.g. word n-grams
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1215 where a cable TV network is used as an access to the PSTN/ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1255 where the switching fabric and the switching logic are decomposed such as in Media Gateway Control

Abstract

A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Claims

1. A method for routing a call, the method comprising:

prompting a caller to convey a request;

searching an utterance from the caller for actions and objects;

responsive to the searching detecting an action-object pair in the utterance;

identifying a routing destination based upon the action-object pair detected; and

routing the caller to the routing destination; and

responsive to the searching detecting an action and failing to detect an action-object pair in the utterance;

querying an action-object matrix to identify objects related to the action detected; and

prompting the caller to select an identified related object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the searching failing to detect an action-object pair, initiating a disambiguation dialog with the caller.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a statistical language modeling speech recognition utility to detect at least one action-object pair in the action-object matrix.

4. A system for routing a call, the system comprising:

a processor having access to a computer readable medium storing program instructions, executable by the processor, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, perform operations comprising;

searching a caller utterance for an action and an object;

responsive to identifying the action and the object;

identifying a task to be performed based on a plurality of action-object pairs including an action-object pair corresponding to the action identified and the object identified; and

directing the caller to a service center agent selected based on the task identified;

responsive to identifying the object, but not identifying the action;

identifying, from a task matrix, a set of actions related to the object identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected action from the set of actions; and

responsive to identifying the action, but not identifying the object;

identifying from the task matrix a set of objects related to the action identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected object from the set of objects.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the method includes:

responsive to the caller indicating the selected action, locating the service center agent based on the selected action and the object identified.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the method includes providing automated assistance to the caller.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the method includes providing technician assistance to the caller.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein directing the caller to the service center agent includes:

determining a routing destination for the service center agent from a look-up table containing service center agent routing destinations.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the operations include:

indicating a task to the caller; and

prompting the caller to confirm the task indicated as the task identified.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the searching of the caller utterance includes:

identifying at least one of the action, the object, and the action-object pair with a statistical language modeling speech recognition utility.

11. A tangible computer-readable medium including stored program instructions, executable by a processor, the program instructions, when executed by the processor, performing operations comprising:

searching a natural language utterance associated with a natural language caller request for an action and an object;

responsive to identifying the action and the object;

identifying, from a task matrix that includes action-object pairs, a task to be performed; and

directing the caller to a service center agent based on the task;

responsive to identifying the object, but not identifying the action;

identifying, from the task matrix, a set of actions related to the object identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected action; and

responsive to identifying the action, but not identifying the object;

identifying, from the task matrix, a set of objects related to the action identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected object from the set of objects.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method includes:

responsive to the caller indicating the selected action, locating the service center agent based on an action-object pair, in the task matrix, corresponding to the selected action and the object identified.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method includes providing automated assistance to the caller.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method includes providing technician assistance to the caller.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein directing the caller to the service center agent includes:

determining a routing destination using a look-up table containing service center agent routing destinations.