Caller identifying method, program, and apparatus and recording medium

• US 7,035,388 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2002
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kurosaki, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US10/267,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20030228007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.05, 379/142.06, 379/142.07, 379/9.02, 379/9.03, 379/207.15, 379/208.01, 379/214.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/266.01, 379/88.11, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/93.23, 379/88.01, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/142.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition 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

Abstract

A caller number received from an exchange machine by a telephone coordination server (CTI server) is noticed to a customer database to search for caller information. When pieces of caller information are acquired from the customer database by the telephone coordination server, the exchange machine is connected to a voice automatic response device (IVR device) to acquire predetermined voice data by telephone communication with a caller, and the voice data is compared with voice data included in the caller information by a voice recognition server to generate caller candidate information having priority levels. On the basis of caller candidate information, caller information of a first candidate is displayed on an operator client, candidate names of second and subsequent candidates are displayed as a list, and an operation of selecting a candidate in the displayed list is caused to change the caller information being displayed at the present into caller information of a selected candidate.

Claims

1. A caller identifying method for a system including:

an exchange machine which can receive a caller number;

a telephone coordination server which coordinates with the exchange machine;

a voice automatic response device which automatically responds with voice;

a voice recognition device having a voice recognition function;

a customer database which registers a plurality of pieces of caller information for a caller number and registers caller voice data for each piece of caller information; and

an operator client which is used in voice response of an operator, comprising;

a caller searching step of notifying a customer database of a caller number received from an exchange machine by the server to search for caller information;

a voice recognition step of, when pieces of caller information are acquired by the server in the searching operation of the customer database, connecting the exchange machine to a voice automatic response device to acquire predetermined voice data by telephone communication with the caller and comparing the voice data with voice data included in the caller information by a voice recognition device to cause the customer database to generate caller candidate information having priority levels; and

a caller display step of displaying caller information of a first candidate on the operator client on the basis of the generated caller candidate information, displaying candidate names of second and subsequent candidates as a list, and causing an operation of selecting a candidate in the displayed list to change the caller information being displayed at the present into caller information of a selected candidate.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the customer database registers at least customer names, caller numbers, voice data, and customer attribute data in units of customers, and

on the basis of the caller candidate information from the customer database, the caller display step displays the customer name and the customer attribute data of the first candidate on the display screen, and displays a list of the customer names of the second and subsequent candidates in the order of the candidates at a part of the display screen.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the voice recognition step performs a guidance of the same voice response as that of the voice data of the caller information to a caller by the voice automatic response device to acquire the voice data of the caller.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the customer database registers the speech data of a customer name as the voice data of a customer, and the voice recognition step performs a guidance of a voice input of the name of a caller by the voice automatic response device to acquire the speech data of the caller name.

5. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer and comprising program causing the computer to execute:

a caller searching step of notifying a customer database of a caller number received from an exchange machine to search for caller information, said customer database registering a plurality of pieces of caller information for a caller number and registering caller voice data for each piece of caller information;

a voice recognition step of, when pieces of caller information are acquired in the searching operation of the customer database, connecting the exchange machine to a voice automatic response device to acquire predetermined voice data by telephone communication with the caller and comparing the voice data with voice data included in the caller information by a voice recognition device to cause the customer database to generate caller candidate information having priority levels; and

a caller display step of displaying caller information of a first candidate on the operator client on the basis of the caller candidate information, displaying candidate names of second and subsequent candidates as a list, and causing an operation of selecting a candidate in the list to change the caller information being displayed at the present into caller information of a selected candidate with the operator client storing custom information comprising a single or more pieces of caller information including voice data for a single caller number is registered and which is searched; and

an operator client which is used in voice response of an operator.

6. A storage according to claim 5, wherein the customer database registers at least customer names, caller numbers, voice data, and customer attribute data in units of customers, and

on the basis of the customer database, the caller display step displays the customer name and the customer attribute data of the first candidate on the display screen, and displays a list of the customer names of the second and subsequent candidates in the order of the candidates at a part of the display screen.

7. A storage according to claim 5, wherein the voice recognition step performs a guidance of the same voice response as that of the voice data of the caller information to a caller by the voice automatic response device to acquire the voice data of the caller.

8. A storage according to claim 7, wherein the customer database registers the pronouncing data of a customer name as the voice data of a customer, and the voice recognition step performs a guidance of a voice input of the name of a caller by the voice automatic response device to acquire the pronouncing data of the caller name.

9. A telephone coordination server apparatus of a system including:

an exchange machine which can receive a caller number;

a voice automatic response device which automatically responds with voice;

a voice recognition device having a voice recognition function;

a customer database in which customer information is registered and which searches for the customer information, registers a plurality of pieces of caller information for a caller number, and registers caller voice data for each piece of caller information; and

an operator client which is used in voice response of an operator, comprising;

a caller search designation unit which notifies the customer database of a caller number received from the exchange machine to search for caller information;

a voice recognition designation unit which, when pieces of caller information are acquired in the searching operation of the customer database, connects the exchange machine to the voice automatic response device to acquire predetermined voice data by telephone communication with a caller and which compares the voice data with voice data included in the caller information by the voice recognition device to cause the customer database to generate caller candidate information having priority levels; and

a caller display designation unit which displays caller information of a first candidate on an operator client on the basis of the generated caller candidate information, which displays candidate names of second and subsequent candidates as a list, and which causes an operation of selecting a candidate in the displayed list to change the caller information being displayed at the present into caller information of a selected candidate with the operator client storing custom information comprising a single or more pieces of caller information including voice data for a single caller number is registered and which is searched; and

an operator client which is used in voice response of an operator.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the customer database registers at least customer names, caller numbers, voice data, and customer attribute data in units of customers, and on the basis of the customer database, the caller display designation unit displays the customer name and the customer attribute data of the first candidate on the display screen, and displays a list of the customer names of the second and subsequent candidates in the order of the candidates at a part of the display screen.

11. A server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the voice recognition designation step performs a guidance of the same voice response as that of the voice data of the caller information to a caller by the voice automatic response device to acquire the voice data of the caller.

12. A server apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the customer database registers the pronouncing data of a customer name as the voice data of a customer, and the voice recognition designation unit performs a guidance of a voice input of the name of a caller by the voice automatic response device to acquire the speech data of the caller name.