Contact center speech analytics system having multiple speech analytics engines

• US 9,299,343 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Noble Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Koster, Karl H., Haggerty, Christopher S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US14/661,676
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.08, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 379/265.14, 379/266.01, 379/266.02, 379/266.03, 379/266.04, 379/266.05, 379/266.06, 379/266.07, 379/266.08, 379/266.09, 379/266.1, 704/235, 704/265.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1815 Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/63 for estimating an emotional state
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• 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 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and computer-program products for providing a plurality of speech analytics engines in a speech analytics module for detecting semantic and non-semantic speech characteristics in the audio of a call involving an agent in a contact center and a remote party. The speech analytics module generates event notification messages reporting the detected semantic and non-semantic speech characteristics and these messages are sent to an event handler module that forwards the messages to one or more application specific modules. In turn, the application specific modules provide functionality based on the semantic and non-semantic speech characteristics detected during the call such as, for example, causing information to be presented on the screen of a computer used by the agent during the call.

Claims

1. A method for providing speech-related characteristics of speech audio during a call involving a first party and a second party, comprising:

bridging in a speech analytics system (“

SAS”

) to the call, wherein the SAS receives the speech audio from at least one of the first party and the second party;

analyzing the speech audio by the SAS to ascertain a semantic speech characteristic of the speech audio, the semantic speech characteristic indicating a meaning of speech or uttered word made by at least one of the first party and the second party;

analyzing the speech audio by the SAS to ascertain a non-semantic speech characteristic of the speech audio, the non-semantic speech characteristic being pertinent to at least one of the first party and the second party or delivery of the speech by at least one of the first party and the second party that does not directly indicate the meaning of the speech or the uttered word made by at least one of the first party and the second party;

determining by the SAS to provide a first indicator to a first application specific module (“

ASM”

) based on ascertaining the semantic speech characteristic, the first ASM configured to perform functionality for a first particular application; and

determining by the SAS not to provide the first indicator to a second ASM, the second ASM configured to perform functionality for a second particular application in which the first particular application is different than the second particular application.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining by the SAS to provide a second indicator to the second ASM based on ascertaining the non-semantic speech characteristic; and

determining by the SAS not to provide the second indicator to the first ASM.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

providing the first indicator to the first ASM and the second indicator to the second ASM;

performing the functionality for the first particular application by the first ASM in response to receiving the first indicator; and

performing the functionality for the second particular application by the second ASM in response to receiving the second indicator.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

generating a call instance data structure for the call in the first ASM in response to receiving an identifier of the call prior to receiving the first indicator, wherein the call instance data structure stores the identifier of the call and the identifier of the call is received along with the first indicator.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining by the SAS to provide a third indicator to a third ASM based on ascertaining both the semantic speech characteristic and the non-semantic speech characteristic, the third ASM configured to perform functionality for a third particular application in which the third particular application is different than the first particular application and the second particular application.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the second indicator to the second ASM along with a confidence value identifying a level of confidence for ascertaining the non-semantic speech characteristic of the speech audio.

7. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

memory storing a speech analytics module (SAM), a first application specific module (ASM) configured to perform functionality for a first particular application, and a second ASM configured to perform functionality for a second particular application that is different from the first particular application, wherein

the one or more computer processors execute the SAM to

receive speech audio of a call involving a first party and a second party,

analyze the speech audio to ascertain a semantic speech characteristic and a non-semantic speech characteristic in the speech audio, the semantic speech characteristic indicating a meaning of speech or uttered word made by at least one of the first party and the second party and the non-semantic speech characteristic being pertinent to at least one of the first party and the second party or delivery of the speech by at least one of the first party and the second party that does not directly indicate the meaning of the speech or the uttered word made by at least one of the first party and the second party,

determine to provide a first indicator to the first ASM based on ascertaining the semantic speech characteristic, and

determine not to provide the first indicator to the second ASM.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the one or more computer processors execute the SAM to

determine to provide a second indicator to the second ASM based on ascertaining the non-semantic speech characteristic, and

determine not to provide the second indicator to the first ASM.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein

the one or more computer processors execute the first ASM to

receive the first indicator, and

perform the functionality for the first particular application in response to receiving the first indicator, and

the one or more computer processors execute the second ASM to:

receive the second indicator, and

perform the functionality for the second particular application in response to receiving the second indicator.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more computer processors execute the first ASM to

generate a call instance data structure for the call in response to receiving an identifier for the call prior to receiving the first indicator, the call instance data structure configured to store the identifier of the call and the identifier of the call is received along with the first indicator.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more computer processors execute the SAM to

determine to provide a third indicator to a third ASM based on ascertaining both the semantic speech characteristic and the non-semantic speech characteristic, the third ASM configured to perform functionality for a third particular application in which the third particular application is different than the first particular application and the second particular application.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more computer processors execute the SAM to

provide the second indicator to the second ASM along with a confidence value identifying a level of confidence for ascertaining the non-semantic speech characteristic of the speech audio.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed cause at least one computer processor to:

receive an indication of an establishment of a call between a first party and a second party;

receive speech audio associated with the call;

process the speech audio to ascertain a semantic speech characteristic and a non-semantic speech characteristic in the speech audio, the semantic speech characteristic indicating a meaning of speech or uttered word made by at least one of the first party and the second party and the non-semantic speech characteristic being pertinent to at least one of the first party and the second party or delivery of the speech by at least one of the first party and the second party that does not directly indicate the meaning of the speech or the uttered word made by at least one of the first party and the second party;

determine to provide a first indicator to a first application specific module (“

ASM”

) based on ascertaining the semantic speech characteristic, the first ASM configured to perform functionality for a first particular application; and

determine not to provide the first indicator to a second ASM, the second ASM configured to perform functionality for a second particular application that is different from the first particular application.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions when executed further cause the at least one computer processor to:

determine to provide a second indicator to the second ASM based on ascertaining the non-semantic speech characteristic; and

determine not to provide the second indicator to the first ASM.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions when executed further cause the at least one computer processor to:

determine to provide a third indicator to a third ASM based on ascertaining both the semantic speech characteristic and the non-semantic speech characteristic, the third ASM configured to perform functionality for a third particular application in which the third particular application is different than the first particular application and the second particular application.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions when executed further cause the at least one computer processor to:

provide the second indicator to the second ASM along with a confidence value identifying a level of confidence for ascertaining the non-semantic speech characteristic of the speech audio.