Abstract: A method of designing a customer interface for a service center, such as an automated speech recognition (ASR) self-service center. Customer activity to an existing service center is monitored, providing customer model, which includes a collection of customer tasks. These tasks are assigned to action-object pairs, which are further assigned to routing destinations. Dialog modules are designed, based on the customer model data, including disambiguation dialogs.

Abstract: A system, method and software for implementing an automated call routing application in a speech enabled call center environment are provided. In operation, the invention provides for the identification of a call center transaction selection from a natural language user utterance and the invocation of one or more scripts operable to route the user to a call center service agent configured to service the selected transaction. In the event a transaction selection cannot be readily identified or can only be partially identified, the invention provides for the initiation of a dialog module or script directed to eliciting a discernable transaction selection and/or the presentation of one or more menus from which the user may select an available call center transaction.

Abstract: A method of designing a customer interface for a service center, such as an automated speech recognition (ASR) self-service center. Customer activity to an existing service center is monitored, providing customer model, which includes a collection of customer tasks. These tasks are assigned to action-object pairs, which are further assigned to routing destinations. Dialog modules are designed, based on the customer model data, including disambiguation dialogs.

Abstract: A system and method for automated customer feedback allows for automatically collecting and analyzing customer feedback data regarding customer satisfaction and customer task completion with respect to self-service applications and live agents. When contacting a customer service center, customers provide one or more customer tasks. The customers are routed within the customer service center based on the customer task and/or one or more customer characteristics. While interacting with the customer service center, the customers are automatically asked one or more specific survey questions relating to the customers' interaction with the customer service center and the customers' satisfaction levels. The customers provide one or more survey responses to the survey questions. The survey responses are recorded and analyzed in order to modify and update the customer service center and the survey questions in order to increase customer satisfaction and increase customer task completion.

Abstract: A method of designing a customer interface for a service center, such as an automated speech recognition (ASR) self-service center. Customer activity to an existing service center is monitored, providing customer model, which includes a collection of customer tasks. These tasks are assigned to action-object pairs, which are further assigned to routing destinations. Dialog modules are designed, based on the customer model data, including disambiguation dialogs.

Abstract: A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Abstract: A system and method for automated customer feedback allows for automatically collecting and analyzing customer feedback data regarding customer satisfaction and customer task completion with respect to self-service applications and live agents. When contacting a customer service center, customers provide one or more customer tasks. The customers are routed within the customer service center based on the customer task and/or one or more customer characteristics. While interacting with the customer service center, the customers are automatically asked one or more specific survey questions relating to the customers' interaction with the customer service center and the customers' satisfaction levels. The customers provide one or more survey responses to the survey questions. The survey responses are recorded and analyzed in order to modify and update the customer service center and the survey questions in order to increase customer satisfaction and increase customer task completion.

Abstract: A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Abstract: A system and method for providing customer activities while in queue allows for one or more customers to interact with one or more customer activities while waiting to speak with a live agent. The customers engage the customer activities while holding in a queue where the customer activities reduce the boredom, frustration, and perceived hold duration associated with holding to speak to a live agent. The customers are offered one or more options of the customer activities to interact with and the system and method monitors the customers' selections and interaction with the customer activities. As agents become available, each customer is transferred to an agent along with information regarding the customer's interaction with a selected customer activity. Upon completion of the interaction between the agent and the customer, the customer has the option to return to the selected customer activity and continue interacting with the selected customer activity.

Abstract: A method of accessing content at a speech-enabled automated system is disclosed and comprises receiving a verbal input at an interactive voice response system. The interactive voice response system can include one or more table-driven state tables, in which action-objects are embedded. Further, the method can include retrieving content from an information store, wherein the content is associated with the verbal input. The information store is logically external to the interactive voice response system.

Abstract: A system for managing recognition errors in a multiple dialog state environment incorporates an error management module. The error management module includes error counters and error set points associated with the system globally as well as associated with specific dialog states. User interaction within the system may then be managed based upon the status of the error counters in relation to the error set points.

Abstract: A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Abstract: A system, method and software for implementing an automated call routing application in a speech enabled call center environment are provided. In operation, the invention provides for the identification of a call center transaction selection from a natural language user utterance and the invocation of one or more scripts operable to route the user to a call center service agent configured to service the selected transaction. In the event a transaction selection cannot be readily identified or can only be partially identified, the invention provides for the initiation of a dialog module or script directed to eliciting a discernable transaction selection and/or the presentation of one or more menus from which the user may select an available call center transaction.

Abstract: A method of designing a customer interface for a service center, such as an automated speech recognition (ASR) self-service center. Customer activity to an existing service center is monitored, providing customer model, which includes a collection of customer tasks. These tasks are assigned to action-object pairs, which are further assigned to routing destinations. Dialog modules are designed, based on the customer model data, including disambiguation dialogs.

Abstract: A system and method for providing customer activities while in queue allows for one or more customers to interact with one or more customer activities while waiting to speak with a live agent. The customers engage the customer activities while holding in a queue where the customer activities reduce the boredom, frustration, and perceived hold duration associated with holding to speak to a live agent. The customers are offered one or more options of the customer activities to interact with and the system and method monitors the customers' selections and interaction with the customer activities. As agents become available, each customer is transferred to an agent along with information regarding the customer's interaction with a selected customer activity. Upon completion of the interaction between the agent and the customer, the customer has the option to return to the selected customer activity and continue interacting with the selected customer activity.

Abstract: A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Abstract: A system and method for providing customer activities while in queue allows for one or more customers to interact with one or more customer activities while waiting to speak with a live agent. The customers engage the customer activities while holding in a queue where the customer activities reduce the boredom, frustration, and perceived hold duration associated with holding to speak to a live agent. The customers are offered one or more options of the customer activities to interact with and the system and method monitors the customers' selections and interaction with the customer activities. As agents become available, each customer is transferred to an agent along with information regarding the customer's interaction with a selected customer activity. Upon completion of the interaction between the agent and the customer, the customer has the option to return to the selected customer activity and continue interacting with the selected customer activity.

Abstract: A system, method and software are described for facilitating transitions between speech-enabled applications employing action-object matrices. In an exemplary embodiment, an automatic call router determines a service agent destination by identifying an action-object combination included in a user utterance. In addition to forwarding the user to the service agent destination, the automatic call router sends one or more aspects of the user utterance to the service agent for use therewith. The service agent may then use aspects of the forwarded information to request further information from the user or to begin performance of a user desired transaction.

Abstract: A method, software and system of developing personalities for interactive and/or automated call center applications are provided. According to teachings of the present invention, sample population questionnaires and interviews may be used to identify key personality traits. The impact of the identified key personality traits are then empirically determined. Based on the empirical determination of the key personality traits' impact on customer satisfaction, a plurality of personality profiles may be generated for evaluation. A plurality of application types and voice talents may then be employed to evaluate the impact of each personality profile on customer satisfaction, for different user populations and different types of automated systems. The personality traits for each automated system are preferably rated and reviewed to ensure a system accurately represents the identified key personality traits.

Abstract: An interface is provided by creating prompts for the interface. The prompts represent tasks to be accomplished by a user and are obtained based on user input. The prompts are grouped according to relationships, obtained from the user input, among the tasks. The interface is updated based on user feedback. Each of the prompts is designated using user terminology obtained from the user input.