Heuristic interactive voice response system

• US 20050074113A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Catalystweb LLC
• Original Assignee: Catalystweb LLC
• Inventors: Evans, Dagny, Mathew, Boban, John, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/930,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20050074113A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.20
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A method is described comprising: providing a first interactive voice response (“IVR”) menu structure usable over a telephony communication channel by one or more users; evaluating usage patterns of the IVR menu structure by a first of the one or more users; automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of first user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce a second IVR menu structure; and employing the second IVR menu structure in a subsequent IVR session with the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) menu structure usable over a telephony communication channel by one or more users;

evaluating usage patterns of the IVR menu structure by a first of the one or more users;

automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of first user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce a second IVR menu structure; and

employing the second IVR menu structure in a subsequent IVR session with the first user.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein evaluating usage comprises determining how frequently the user accesses menu items in the menu structure and wherein automatically modifying comprises adjusting the position of the menu items based on the evaluated frequency of usage.

3. The method as in claim 2 wherein menu items which are accessed relatively more frequently are placed ahead of menu items which are accessed relatively less frequently within the second IVR menu structure.

4. The method as in claim 2 wherein menu items which are accessed less than a specified threshold amount are hidden from the second IVR menu structure.

5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

evaluating content associated with one or more menu items of the menu structure; and

automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of the content associated with the one or more menu items as well as the evaluation of first user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce the second IVR menu structure.

6. The method as in claim 5 wherein the evaluation of the content comprises determining whether content with certain specified characteristics and/or associated with one or more menu items exists.

7. The method as in claim 6 wherein content associated with a first menu item comprises email messages.

8. The method as in claim 7 wherein content associated with a second menu item comprises fax messages.

9. The method as in claim 8 wherein content associated with a third menu item comprises voicemail messages.

10. The method as in claim 9 wherein content associated with a fourth menu item comprises text messages.

11. The method as in claim 10 wherein content associated with a fifth menu item comprises video messages.

12. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

evaluating usage patterns of the IVR menu structure by a second of the one or more users;

automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of second user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce a third IVR menu structure; and

employing the third IVR menu structure in a subsequent IVR session with the second user.

13. A method comprising:

providing a first interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) menu structure usable over a telephony communication channel by one or more users;

evaluating content associated with one or more menu items of the menu structure;

automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of the content associated with the one or more menu items; and

establishing a new IVR session to the first user employing the second IVR menu structure.

14. The method as in claim 13 wherein evaluating content comprises determining whether content with certain specified characteristics and associated with the one or more menu items exists and wherein automatically modifying comprises adjusting the relative position of the menu items based on whether or not such content exists.

15. The method as in claim 14 wherein menu items which contain content with certain specified characteristics and are placed ahead of menu items which do not contain such content.

16. The method as in claim 14 wherein menu items which do not contain content with certain specified characteristics are hidden from the second IVR menu structure.

17. The method as in claim 14 wherein content associated with a first menu item comprises email messages.

18. The method as in claim 17 wherein content associated with a second menu item comprises fax messages.

19. The method as in claim 18 wherein content associated with a third menu item comprises voicemail messages.

20. A machine-readable medium having program code stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the operations of:

providing a first interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) menu structure usable over a telephony communication channel by one or more users;

evaluating usage patterns of the IVR menu structure by a first of the one or more users;

automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of first user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce a second IVR menu structure; and

employing the second IVR menu structure in a subsequent IVR session with the first user.

21. The machine-readable medium as in claim 20 wherein evaluating comprises determining how frequently the user accesses menu items in the menu structure and wherein automatically modifying comprises adjusting the position of the menu items based on the evaluated frequency of usage.

22. The machine-readable medium as in claim 20 wherein menu items which are accessed relatively more frequently are placed ahead of menu items which are accessed relatively less frequently within the second IVR menu structure.

23. The machine-readable medium as in claim 20 wherein menu items which are accessed less than a specified threshold amount are hidden from the second IVR menu structure.

24. The machine-readable medium as in claim 20 comprising additional program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of:

evaluating content associated with one or more menu items of the menu structure; and

automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of the content associated with the one or more menu items as well as the evaluation of first user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce the second IVR menu structure.

25. The machine-readable medium as in claim 24 wherein the evaluation of the content comprises determining whether content with certain specified characteristics and associated with the one or more menu items exists.

26. The machine-readable medium as in claim 24 wherein content associated with a first menu item comprises email messages.

27. The machine-readable medium as in claim 26 wherein content associated with a second menu item comprises fax messages.

28. The machine-readable medium as in claim 27 wherein content associated with a third menu item comprises voicemail messages.

29. The machine-readable medium as in claim 28 wherein content associated with a fourth menu item comprises text messages.

30. The machine-readable medium as in claim 29 wherein content associated with a fifth menu item comprises video messages.

31. The machine-readable medium as in claim 20 comprising additional program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of:

evaluating usage patterns of the IVR menu structure by a second of the one or more users;

automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of second user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce a third IVR menu structure; and

employing the third IVR menu structure in a subsequent IVR session with the second user.

32. A system comprising:

means for providing a first interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) menu structure usable over a telephony communication channel by one or more users;

means for evaluating usage patterns of the IVR menu structure by a first of the one or more users;

means for automatically modifying the first IVR menu structure based on the evaluation of first user'"'"'s usage patterns to produce a second IVR menu structure; and

means for employing the second IVR menu structure in a subsequent IVR session with the first user.