Management system for using speech analytics to enhance contact center agent conformance

• US 9,473,634 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Noble Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Ouimette, Jason P., Blackwell, Jennifer L., Koster, Karl H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Al Aubaidi, Rasha
• Application Number:
  US14/880,542
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/266.07, 37926501-2661
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

A call center compliance system is used to ensure that agents adhere to call center policies and applicable regulations when handling calls. A call handler processing a call between an agent and a remote party bridges on a speech analytics component. A keyword set is used by the speech analytics component to analyze the remote party'"'"'s or the agent'"'"'s speech. If a keyword is detected, an event notification is provided from the speech analytics component to the call handler. A logic script executing in the call handler defines what actions are to occur in response to receiving the event notification. The call handler can provide information to the agent, record a violation, or await further event notifications. In one embodiment, detection of a first keyword in a first keyword set spoken by a remote party causes the agent'"'"'s speech to be monitored using a second keyword set.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring compliance by an agent of a contact center on a call to a remote party comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a first event notification from a speech analytics component indicating detection of a first keyword from a first keyword set in speech associated with the call from the remote party;

start a timer after receipt of the first event notification;

receive a second event notification from the speech analytics component after receiving the first event notification, the second event notification indicating detection of a second keyword from a second keyword set in speech associated with the call from the agent; and

perform an action in response to determining the second event notification is not received prior to expiry of the timer, wherein the action comprises displaying a visual indication on a display of a computer terminal used by the agent informing the agent of a non-compliant response.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a third event notification from the speech analytics component indicating detection of a third keyword from the second keyword set in speech from the agent, wherein the third event notification is received after expiry of the timer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a second timer is started after the expiry of the timer, and the processor is further configured to stop the second timer upon receipt of the third event notification.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the action comprises recording an indication of non-compliance in a compliance file associated with the agent.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the action further comprises recording at least a portion of audio of the call.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual indication is an icon.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

present text-based information regarding a compliance policy in response to the agent selecting the icon.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first keyword is associated with the remote party requesting a telephone number associated with the remote party be placed in a do-not-call database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the visual indication comprises text instructing the agent to confirm the telephone number associated with the remote party.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

update an agent compliance score based on failure to receive the second event notification prior to expiry of the timer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

cause the agent compliance score to be displayed on the display of the computer terminal used by the agent.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first keyword set reflects indication of a reassigned telephone number and the action further comprises prompting the agent to disposition the reassigned telephone number as a reassigned number.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first keyword set is a group comprising “

do”

, “

not”

, and “

call”

, and the visual indication comprises text telling the agent to confirm a telephone number associated with the remote party.

14. A computer-readable non-transitory medium storing instructions that when executed by an integrated circuit microprocessor in a call handler, cause the microprocessor to:

process a first event notification received from a speech analytics component, the first event notification signifying detection by the speech analytics component of a first keyword from a first keyword set in speech uttered by a remote party during a conversation with an agent on a call in a call center;

start a timer after receiving the first event notification;

determine the timer has expired;

determine a second event notification from the speech analytics component is not received prior to the timer having expired, wherein the second event notification signifies detection of a second keyword from a second keyword set in speech uttered by the agent; and

cause a visual indicator to be displayed on a screen of a computer used by the agent in response to expiry of the timer, the visual indicator representing a compliance status of the agent for the call.

15. The computer-readable non-transitory medium of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator is an icon and the instructions further cause the microprocessor to:

present information to the agent on the screen of the computer regarding a compliance policy in response to the agent selecting the icon.

16. The computer-readable non-transitory medium of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator is an icon and the instructions further cause the microprocessor to:

start a second timer in conjunction with causing the visual indicator to be displayed on the screen; and

cause the icon to be removed from the screen upon expiry of the second timer.

17. The computer-readable non-transitory medium of claim 14, wherein the first keyword is associated with the remote party requesting inclusion of a telephone number on a do-not-call list and the visual indicator instructs the agent to verbally confirm the telephone number with the remote party.

18. The computer-readable non-transitory medium of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator is an icon and the instructions further cause the microprocessor to:

display text-based information regarding the compliance status in response to the agent selecting the icon.

19. The computer-readable non-transitory medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the microprocessor to:

update an agent compliance score based on failure to receive the second event notification prior to expiry of the timer.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the microprocessor to:

display the agent compliance score on the screen of the computer used by the agent.