Customer service system, method, and software program product for responding to queries using natural language understanding
US8391464B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 24, 2010 |
| Grant date | Mar 5, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 18, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2203/558
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention uses natural language understanding to increase the ability of a customer service system to respond to a user's query in an automated manner. A customer service system receives a query from a user and offers the user the option of having the system contact the user at a later time with an answer. If the user accepts the offer, the customer service system processes the query offline, including providing the query to a natural language understanding interpreter. The system uses the natural language understanding interpretation to determine if the user's query is in a database of frequently-asked queries. For each query in the database of frequently-asked queries, there is a predetermined response protocol. If the user's query substantially matches a query in the database, the IVR system contacts the user with an automated response in accordance with the predetermined response protocol for the query.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.