Customer service system, method, and software program product for responding to queries using natural language understanding
First Claim
1. A method, performed by an IVR system, for responding to users'"'"' queries while minimizing agent cost, the method comprising:
- receiving a call from a user at an IVR system;
receiving a request from the user to speak with a live agent;
queuing the user for a live agent;
prompting the user to state a query;
recording the user'"'"'s speech input for the query;
providing the user'"'"'s query to a natural language understanding interpreter;
receiving a natural language interpretation result;
using the natural language interpretation result, determining if the user'"'"'s query matches a query in a database that includes frequently-asked queries and corresponding response protocols;
in response to the user'"'"'s query matching a query in the database, providing an automated response to the user in accordance with a predetermined response protocol for the query and asking the user if the user still desires to speak with a live agent;
in response to the user'"'"'s query not matching a query in the database or in response to the user indicating that the user still desires to speak with a live agent, transferring the user to a live agent;
in response to the user being transferred to a live agent and after the live agent provides the user with a response to the user'"'"'s query, prompting the user for feedback on the live agent'"'"'s response, grading the live agent'"'"'s response based on the user'"'"'s feedback, and storing the live agent'"'"'s response in association with the grade; and
selecting a new response protocol for the query based at least in part on the grades associated with live agents'"'"' responses to the query.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention uses natural language understanding to increase the ability of a customer service system to respond to a user'"'"'s query in an automated manner. A customer service system receives a query from a user and offers the user the option of having the system contact the user at a later time with an answer. If the user accepts the offer, the customer service system processes the query offline, including providing the query to a natural language understanding interpreter. The system uses the natural language understanding interpretation to determine if the user'"'"'s query is in a database of frequently-asked queries. For each query in the database of frequently-asked queries, there is a predetermined response protocol. If the user'"'"'s query substantially matches a query in the database, the IVR system contacts the user with an automated response in accordance with the predetermined response protocol for the query.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method, performed by an IVR system, for responding to users'"'"' queries while minimizing agent cost, the method comprising:
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receiving a call from a user at an IVR system; receiving a request from the user to speak with a live agent; queuing the user for a live agent; prompting the user to state a query; recording the user'"'"'s speech input for the query; providing the user'"'"'s query to a natural language understanding interpreter; receiving a natural language interpretation result; using the natural language interpretation result, determining if the user'"'"'s query matches a query in a database that includes frequently-asked queries and corresponding response protocols; in response to the user'"'"'s query matching a query in the database, providing an automated response to the user in accordance with a predetermined response protocol for the query and asking the user if the user still desires to speak with a live agent; in response to the user'"'"'s query not matching a query in the database or in response to the user indicating that the user still desires to speak with a live agent, transferring the user to a live agent; in response to the user being transferred to a live agent and after the live agent provides the user with a response to the user'"'"'s query, prompting the user for feedback on the live agent'"'"'s response, grading the live agent'"'"'s response based on the user'"'"'s feedback, and storing the live agent'"'"'s response in association with the grade; and selecting a new response protocol for the query based at least in part on the grades associated with live agents'"'"' responses to the query. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and comprising code, that, when executed by a computer system, enables the computer system to perform the following method:
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receiving a call from a user at an IVR system; receiving a request from the user to speak with a live agent; queuing the user for a live agent; prompting the user to state a query; recording the user'"'"'s speech input for the query; providing the user'"'"'s query to a natural language understanding interpreter; receiving a natural language interpretation result; using the natural language interpretation result, determining if the user'"'"'s query matches a query in a database that includes frequently-asked queries and corresponding response protocols; in response the user'"'"'s query matching a query in the database, providing an automated response to the user in accordance with a predetermined response protocol for the query and asking the user if the user still desires to speak with a live agent; in response to the user'"'"'s query not matching a query in the database or in response to the user indicating that the user still desires to speak with a live agent, transferring the user to a live agent; in response to the user being transferred to a live agent and after the live agent provides the user with a response to the user'"'"'s query, prompting the user for feedback on the live agent'"'"'s response, grading the live agent'"'"'s response based on the user'"'"'s feedback, and storing the live agent'"'"'s response in association with the grade; and selecting a new response protocol for the query based at least in part on the grades associated with live agents'"'"' responses to the query. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification