Method selecting actions or phases for an agent by analyzing conversation content and emotional inflection

• US 6,959,080 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Electronics Commerce Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Shambaugh, Craig R., Dezonno, Anthony J., Power, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US10/259,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20040062364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.2, 379/88.14, 379/88.13, 379/265.07, 379/88.01, 379/265.01, 379/266.07, 379/88.19, 704/231, 704/270, 709/202, 705/10, 706/231
• US Class Current: 379/265.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for accepting a call by an automatic call distributor and for automatic call handling of the call. The apparatus for automatic call handling has: a call receiving system that outputs at least one voice signal; a text voice converter having an input for the at least one voice signal, the text voice converter converting the voice signal to a text stream and providing the text stream on an output thereof; an emotion detector having an input for the at least one voice signal, the emotion detector detecting at least one emotional state in the voice signal and producing at least one tag indicator indicative thereof on an output of the emotion detector; and a scripting engine having inputs for the text stream and the at least one tag indicator, the scripting engine providing on an output thereof at least one response based on the text stream and on the at least one tag indicator. The method and apparatus provides the agents with scripts that are based on not only the content of the call from a caller, but that are also based upon the emotional state of the caller. As a result, there is a decrease in call duration, which decreases the cost of operating a call center. This decrease in the cost is a result in the amount of time an agent spends based on the agent'"'"'s hourly rate and the costs associated with time usage of inbound phone lines or trunk lines.

Claims

1. A method of automatic call handling using a plurality of previously prepared scripts that follow a predetermined format and a predetermined story line during presentation, such method comprising:

receiving a voice signal;

converting the voice signal to a text stream;

detecting at least one emotional state in the voice signal and producing at least one tag signal indicative thereof;

determining a response under the predetermined format and predetermined story line from the text stream and the at least one tag indicator, said determined response further comprising a script of the plurality of previously prepared scripts wherein each script of the plurality of scripts contains a listing of next scripts along with a condition for selecting a particular next script and wherein the determining step further comprises determining the next script by matching the condition of one of the plurality of scripts with a content of the text stream and at least one tag indicator.

2. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises combining the test stream and the at least one tag indicator into a data stream, and thereafter determining a response from the data stream.

3. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises feeding back the data stream, and converting the data stream to a text stream and detecting at least one emotional state in the data stream.

4. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 1, wherein the steps of converting and detecting are performed concurrently.

5. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 2, wherein the response is at least one script of a plurality of scripts.

6. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 5, wherein the voice signal is received from a caller, wherein the scripts are stored in test formats, and wherein the at least one script is converted from text to voice, and thereafter forwarded to the caller.

7. An apparatus for automatic call handling using a plurality of previously prepared scripts that follow a predetermined format and a predetermined story line during presentation, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a voice signal;

means for converting the voice signal to a text stream;

means for detecting at least one emotional state in the voice signal and producing at least one tag signal indicative thereof; and

means for determining a response under the predetermined format and the predetermined story line from the text stream and the at least one tag indicator said determined response further comprising a script of the plurality of previously prepared scripts wherein each script of the plurality of scripts contains a listing of next scripts along with a condition for selecting a particular next script and wherein the determining step further comprises determining the next script by matching the condition of one of the plurality of scripts with a content of the text stream and at least one tag indicator.

8. The apparatus for automatic call handling according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for combining the test stream and the at least one tag indicator into a data stream, a response being determined from the data stream.

9. The apparatus for call handling according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for feeding back the data stream to the means for converting the data stream to a text stream and to the means for detecting at least one emotional state in the data stream.

10. The apparatus for automatic call handling according to claim 7, wherein the response is at least one script of a plurality of scripts.

11. The apparatus for automatic call handling according to claim 10, wherein the voice signal is received from a caller, wherein the scripts are stored in text formats, and wherein the apparatus further comprises means for converting the at least one script from text to voice, which is forwarded to the caller.

12. An apparatus for automatic call handling using a plurality of previously prepared scripts that follow a predetermined format and a predetermined story line during presentation, the apparatus comprising:

call receiving system that outputs at least one voice signal;

text to voice converter having an input for the at least one voice signal, the text to voice converter converting the voice signal to a text stream and providing the text stream on an output thereof;

emotion detector having an input of the at least one voice signal, the emotion detector detecting at least one emotional state in the voice signal and producing at least one tag signal indicative thereof on an output thereof; and

scripting engine having inputs for the text stream and the at least one tag indicator, the scripting engine providing on an output thereof at least one response based on the text stream, the predetermined story line and the at least one tag said scripting engine further comprising the plurality of previously prepared scripts wherein each script of the plurality of scripts contains a listing of next scripts along with a condition for selecting a particular next script and wherein the provided response further comprises the next script determined by matching the condition of one of the plurality of scripts with a content of the text stream and at least one tag indicator.

13. The apparatus for automatic call handling according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus further comprises a combiner for combining the text stream and the at least one tag indicator into a data stream, a response being determined from the data stream.

14. The apparatus for automatic call handling according to claim 13, wherein the apparatus further comprises a feed back path for feeding back the data stream to the voice to text converter and to the emotion detector.

15. The apparatus for automatic call handling according to claim 12, wherein the response is at least one script of a plurality of scripts.

16. The apparatus for automatic call handling according to claim 12, wherein the voice signal is received from a caller, wherein the scripts are stored in text formats, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a test to voice converter that converts the at least one script from text to voice, which is forwarded to the caller.

17. A computer program product embedded in a computer readable medium allowing agent response using a plurality of previously prepared scripts that follow a predetermined format and a predetermined story line to an emotional state of caller in an automatic call distributor, comprising:

a computer readable media containing code segments comprising;

a combining computer program code segment that receives a voice signal;

a combining computer program code segment that converts the voice signal to a text stream;

a combining computer program code segment that detects at least one emotional state in the voice signal and produces at least one tag signal indicative thereof; and

a combining computer program code segment that determines a response under the predetermined format and the predetermined story line from the text stream and the at least one tag indicator, said determined response further comprising a script of the plurality of previously prepared scripts wherein each script of the plurality of scripts contains a listing of next scripts along with a condition for selecting a particular next script and wherein the determination of the next script further comprises determining the next script by matching the condition of one of the plurality of previously prepared scripts with a content of the text stream and at least one tag indicator.

18. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 17, wherein the response is at least one script of a plurality of scripts.

19. A method of automatic call handling using a plurality of previously prepared scripts that follow a predetermined format and a predetermined story line during presentation, the method comprising:

receiving a call having a voice signal;

combining the voice signal with a feedback signal to produce a combined signal;

converting the combined signal to a text stream;

detecting predetermined parameters in the combined signal and producing at least one tag indicator signal indicative thereof; and

embedding the at least one tag indicator in the text stream, and determining a response under the predetermined format and the story line from the text stream and the tag indicator, the text stream with embedded tag indicator being utilized as the feedback signal, said determined response further comprising a script of the plurality of previously prepared scripts wherein each script of the plurality of scripts contains a listing of next scripts along with a condition for selecting a particular next script and wherein the determining step further comprises determining the next script by matching the condition of one of the plurality of previously prepared scripts with a content of the text stream and at least one tag indicator.

20. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 19, wherein the response is at least one script of a plurality of scripts.

21. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 20, wherein the scripts are stored in text formats, and wherein the at least one script is converted from text to voice, and thereafter forwarded to the caller.

22. A method of automatic call handling using a plurality of previously prepared scripts that follow a predetermined format and a predetermined story line during presentation, the method comprising:

receiving a call from a caller, the call having a plurality of segments, each of the segments having at least a voice signal;

analyzing, for each segment, audio information in a respective voice signal for determining a current emotional state of the caller and forming at least one tag indicator indicative of the current emotional state of the caller;

converting the respective voice signal of the call to a text stream; and

determining a current course of action from the text stream and the at least one tag indicator, said determined course of action further comprising selecting a script of the plurality of previously prepared scripts that follows the predetermined story line wherein each script of the plurality of scripts contains a listing of next scripts along with a condition for selecting a particular next script and wherein the determining step further comprises determining the next script by matching the condition of one of the plurality of previously prepared scripts with a content of the text stream and at least one tag indicator.

23. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 22, wherein the course of action is at least one script of a plurality of scripts.

24. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 23, wherein the scripts are stored in text formats, and wherein the at least on script is converted from text to voice, and thereafter forwarded to the caller.

25. A method of automatic call handling allowing agent response to emotional state of caller in an automatic call distributor using a plurality of previously prepared scripts that follow a predetermined format and a predetermined story line, the method comprising:

receiving a call from a caller;

analyzing audio information in the call for determining an emotional state of the caller and forming a tag indicative of the emotional state of the caller;

converting a voice signal of the call to a text stream;

scripting a response based on the text stream and the tag;

embedding the tag in the text stream and outputting a feedback signal composed of the text stream with the embedded tag;

combining the feedback signal with the voice signal; and

providing the response to the caller, wherein said provided response further comprising a script of the plurality of previously prepared scripts that follows the predetermined story line, wherein each script of the plurality of scripts contains a listing of next scripts along with a condition for selecting a particular next script and wherein the scripting step further comprises determining the next script by matching the condition of one of the plurality of previously prepared scripts with a content of the text stream and at least one tag indicator.

26. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 25, wherein the response is at least one script of a plurality of scripts.

27. The method of automatic call handling according to claim 26, wherein the scripts are stored in text formats, and wherein the at least one script is converted from text to voice, and thereafter forwarded to the caller.