Automatic detection, summarization and reporting of business intelligence highlights from automated dialog systems

• US 8,589,172 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alonso, Tirso M., Douglas, Shona, Rahim, Mazin G., Stern, Benjamin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOZNIAK, JAMES S
• Application Number:
  US13/305,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 704/251, 704/270.1, 704/270, 704/275, 379/88.01
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system for reporting data from a spoken dialog service is disclosed. The method comprises extracting data regarding user dialogs using a dialog logging module in the spoken dialog service, analyzing the data to identify trends and reporting the trends. The data may be presented in a visual form for easier consumption. The method may also relate to identifying data within the control or outside the control of a service provider that is used to adjust the spoken dialog service to maximize customer retention.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data associated with a dialog between a human and a non-human automated spoken dialog service of a service provider, the data being associated with a geographic area;

analyzing, via a processor, the data to identify trends for the geographic area, to yield identified trends;

comparing the identified trends for the geographic area with an average in a wider geographic area containing the geographic area, to yield a comparison;

generating top trends headlines based on the identified trends and the comparison which exceed a threshold value;

identifying event data for the geographic area affecting operations of the service provider and outside a control of the service provider, the event data being one of weather data and natural disaster data; and

modifying the non-human automated spoken dialog service based on the top trends headlines and the event data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying further comprises modifying the non-human automated spoken dialog service within the geographic area based on the top trends headlines.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the data further comprises analyzing a time-sequence associated with the data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified trends relate to user patterns within the geographic area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting the top trends headlines.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein reporting the top trends headlines further comprises presenting to a user an option to drill down into the analyzed data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the option to drill down into the analyzed data further comprises presenting the user with an option to hear user dialogs.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device having instructions stored for controlling the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving data associated with a dialog between a human and a non-human automated spoken dialog service of a service provider, the data being associated with a geographic area;

analyzing the data to identify trends for the geographic area to yield identified trends;

comparing the identified trends for the geographic area with an average in a wider geographic area containing the geographic area, to yield a comparison;

generating top trends headlines based on the identified trends and the comparison which exceed a threshold value;

identifying event data for the geographic area affecting operations of the service provider and outside a control of the service provider, the event data being one of weather data and natural disaster data; and

modifying the non-human automated spoken dialog service based on the top trends headlines and the event data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the modifying further comprises modifying the non-human automated spoken dialog service within the geographic area based on the top trends headlines.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein analyzing the data further comprises analyzing a time-sequence associated with the data.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the identified trends relate to user patterns within the geographic area.

12. The system of claim 8, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising reporting the top trends headlines.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein reporting the top trends headlines further comprises presenting to a user an option to drill down into the analyzed data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the option to drill down into the analyzed data further comprises presenting the user with an option to hear user dialogs.

15. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving data associated with a dialog between a human and a non-human automated spoken dialog service of a service provider, the data being associated with a geographic area;

analyzing the data to identify trends for the geographic area to yield identified trends;

comparing the identified trends for the geographic area with an average in a wider geographic area containing the geographic area, to yield a comparison;

generating top trends headlines based on the identified trends and the comparison which exceed a threshold value;

identifying event data for the geographic area affecting operations of the service provider and outside a control of the service provider, the event data being one of weather data and natural disaster data; and

modifying the non-human automated spoken dialog service based on the top trends headlines and the event data.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the modifying further comprises modifying the non-human automated spoken dialog service within the geographic area based on the top trends headlines.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein analyzing the data further comprises analyzing a time-sequence associated with the data.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the identified trends relate to user patterns within the geographic area.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising reporting the top trends headlines.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein reporting the top trends headlines further comprises presenting to a user an option to drill down into the analyzed data.