Automatic supervisor intervention for calls in call center based upon video and/or speech analytics of calls

• US 9,031,222 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wolfeld, Jeffrey, Vadlakonda, Vijetha, Mithbaokar, Vaishali, Rehor, Kenneth G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoque, Nafiz E
• Application Number:
  US13/206,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20130039483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.09
• US Class Current: 379/265.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/174 Facial expression recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2038 Call context notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

A method, a system and computer readable storage media facilitate establishing a plurality of simultaneously occurring communication sessions between call agent devices and customer devices at a call center communication system. Each communication session is monitored to determine a priority score associated with each communication session, where each priority score provides an indication of a potential problem associated with the corresponding communication session. An indication of the priority score associated with each communication session is provided to a supervisor device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a plurality of simultaneously occurring communication sessions between call agent devices and customer devices at a call center communication system;

monitoring each communication session to determine a priority score associated with each communication session, wherein each priority score is determined based upon at least one scoring algorithm that utilizes information obtained from the monitoring of each communication session such that each priority score provides an indication of a potential problem associated with the corresponding communication session; and

providing an indication of the priority score associated with each communication session to a supervisor device, wherein an indication of the priority score associated with each communication session is provided to the supervisor device via a display, the display including a plurality of windows with each window being associated with a corresponding communication session, and each window further including the priority score associated with the corresponding communication session;

wherein at least one window further includes a picture-in-picture video image that includes images of a call agent and a customer associated with the corresponding communication session, and the monitoring of the corresponding communication session to determine a priority score includes monitoring the video image in the at least one window to identify changes in facial expressions of the call agent or the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically providing supervisor access to a communication session between a call agent and a customer and having a priority score that exceeds a predetermined value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of each communication session comprises monitoring audio and video stream components associated with each communication session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the priority score for each window comprises a numerical value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing supervisor access to a communication session between a call agent and a customer by selecting a window of the display utilizing the supervisor device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to selecting a window of the display utilizing the supervisor device, displaying a larger version of the selected window comprising a video image of at least one of the customer and the call agent on the display and outputting an audio stream component of the communication session between call agent and customer to the supervisor device.

7. A system comprising:

a plurality of call agent devices, each call agent device configured to engage in a communication session with a customer device via a communication network;

a supervisor device configured to monitor communication, wherein the supervisor device includes a display; and

an automatic call distributor comprising a processor configured with logic to execute and control operations for;

establishing a plurality of simultaneously occurring communication sessions between call agent devices and customer devices;

monitoring each communication session to determine a priority score associated with each communication session, wherein each priority score is determined based upon at least one scoring algorithm that utilizes information obtained from the monitoring of each communication session such that each priority score provides an indication of a potential problem associated with the corresponding communication session; and

providing an indication of the priority score associated with each communication session to the supervisor device;

wherein the processor is configured to;

provide an indication of the priority score associated with each communication session to the display of the supervisor device such that the display includes a plurality of windows with each window being associated with a corresponding communication session, and each window further including the priority score associated with the corresponding communication session; and

provide a picture-in-picture video image in at least one window that includes images of a call agent and a customer associated with the corresponding communication session, such that the monitoring of the corresponding communication session to determine a priority score includes monitoring the video image in the at least one window to identify changes in facial expressions of the call agent or the customer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured with logic to automatically provide supervisor access to a communication session between a call agent and a customer and having a priority score that exceeds a predetermined value.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each call agent device is configured to conduct a communication session with a corresponding customer device that includes audio and video stream components, and the processor is configured to monitor the audio and video stream components associated with each communication session.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the indication of the priority score for each window comprises a numerical value.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to provide supervisor access to a communication session between a call agent and a customer by selecting a window of the display utilizing the supervisor device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein, in response to selection of a window of the display utilizing the supervisor device, the processor is configured to display a larger version of the selected window comprising a video image of at least one of the customer and the call agent on the display and output an audio stream component of the communication session between call agent and customer to the supervisor device.

13. One or more computer readable storage devices encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

establish a plurality of simultaneously occurring communication sessions between call agent devices and customer devices at a call center communication system;

monitor each communication session to determine a priority score associated with each communication session, wherein each priority score is determined based upon at least one scoring algorithm that utilizes information obtained from the monitoring of each communication session such that each priority score provides an indication of a potential problem associated with the corresponding communication session; and

provide an indication of the priority score associated with each communication session to a supervisor device, wherein an indication of the priority score associated with each communication session is provided at a display of the supervisor device such that the display includes a plurality of windows with each window being associated with a corresponding communication session, and each window further including the priority score associated with the corresponding communication session;

wherein at least one window further includes a picture-in-picture video image that includes images of a call agent and a customer associated with the corresponding communication session, and the monitoring of the corresponding communication session to determine a priority score includes monitoring the video image in the at least one window to identify changes in facial expressions of the call agent or the customer.

14. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 13, and further comprising instructions that are operable to automatically provide supervisor access to a communication session between a call agent and a customer and having a priority score that exceeds a predetermined value.

15. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the monitoring of each communication session comprises monitoring audio and video stream components associated with each communication session.

16. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the indication of the priority score for each window comprises a numerical value.

17. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 13, and further comprising instructions that are operable to control operations of the supervisor device so as to provide supervisor access to a communication session between a call agent and a customer by selecting a window of the display utilizing the supervisor device.

18. The one or more computer readable storage devices of claim 17, and further comprising instructions that are operable to control operations of the supervisor device such that, in response to selection of a window of the display utilizing the supervisor device, a larger version of the selected window comprising a video image of at least one of the customer and the call agent is displayed and an audio stream component of the communication session between call agent and customer is output by the supervisor device.