Patent Application
20200365147
This disclosure generally relates to the field of language interpretation. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a computerized system that provides spoken-language interpretation via an audio-based device.
A variety of service providers (e.g., banks, insurance companies, etc.) typically allow a user to obtain account information by placing a telephone call to a service center associated with the service provider, and speaking with a live customer care agent. Yet, having a live customer care agent available to assist a customer with various questions/tasks, ranging from simple to complex, can lead to the service provider having to expend significant resources.
As a result, service providers have attempted to develop automated systems to curtail human resource expenditures. However, conventional automated systems have been typically developed for operational use with one particular human spoken-language (e.g., English). For instance, a user speaking a language other than English, which is referred to herein as a limited English proficiency user (“LEP”), may call a service provider whose automated system is only capable of providing a service in English. As a result, for even the most rudimentary tasks regarding a user's account, a server provider typically had to connect the LEP to an English-speaking customer care agent and a human language interpreter to provide language interpretation for the service requested by the LEP. In other words, rather than using the cost-effective automated system, the service provider had to make two human resource expenditures for the LEP telephone call: a customer service agent expenditure and a language interpreter expenditure.
To help alleviate the foregoing, service providers sometimes have an additional commonly-spoken language built into their automated system platforms. For example, some English-speaking service providers have added an option in their automated systems for Spanish speakers; yet, such an addition is a change to infrastructure that is often time-intensive and resource-intensive. As a result, many service providers build in, at most, one additional language into their automated system platforms, leaving the vast majority of languages spoken throughout the world unaccounted for by automated systems.
Thus, conventional automated systems are not utilized in an optimal manner by service providers that provide services to users speaking a variety of different human-spoken languages.
A configuration is implemented to establish, with a processor, an interactive voice response system (“IVR”) that is operable in a first human-spoken language. Further, the configuration receives, with the processor, a communication request through a designated communication channel for a second human-spoken language. The second human-spoken language is distinct from the first human-spoken language. Moreover, the configuration generates, with the processor, a simulated IVR that provides a service in the second human-spoken language. The simulated IVR routes a request in the second human-spoken language to a machine interpreter that translates the request into the first human-spoken language. The translated request is provided to the IVR to process the request in the first human-spoken language. Further, the processed request is translated by the machine interpreter for output by the simulated IVR as the service in the second human-spoken language.
In one embodiment, the configuration is implemented via computer executable instructions that are stored on a computer readable device. In another embodiment, the configuration is implemented as a process. In yet another embodiment, the configuration may be implemented via a system that utilizes the processor, which may be specialized for generating the simulated IVR.
The above-mentioned features of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and in which:
A configuration is provided for simulating an IVR for language interpretation. In essence, the configuration augments an existing IVR that is configured to provide a service in a first human-spoken language to provide the appearance of a distinct IVR that provides the service in a second human-spoken language. In other words, the configuration simulates an IVR in the second human-spoken language so that an LEP perceives that he or she is interacting with an IVR in his or her human-spoken language, even though an actual IVR in the second human-spoken language has not been physically implemented by the service provider. The configuration improves the functioning of a computer by alleviating resource allocations for physical computerized implementations capable of servicing a variety of different spoken languages; rather, the configuration augments an existing computerized implementation with a computerized language interpretation configuration that performs the foregoing simulation.
However, the user 104 in the foregoing example may speak Polish, not English, and is therefore unable to communicate effectively with the first language IVR 102. Further, the customer care system 101may not have instant, or any, access to a Polish language interpreter. Even if the customer care system 101 had access to a Polish language interpreter, providing such access to the customer 104 would probably be a significant human resource expenditure for a service that would not necessitate human involvement (e.g., balance information) if the user 104 spoke English.
To obviate the need of obtaining a human language interpreter for a non-human necessitated service, or the need for significant changes to infrastructure to accommodate all other commonly spoken languages other than English, the simulated IVR configuration 100 has a second language simulated IVR 103. When the user 104 places a telephone call to the customer care system 101, the second language simulated IVR 103 appears to the user 104 to be an IVR that is communicating in his or her native language (e.g., Polish). Yet, in actuality, the second language simulated IVR 103 is not an IVR; rather, the second language simulated IVR 103 is a system that relies on communication, via a machine interpreter 107, with the existing first language IVR 102 of the customer care system 101 to provide the service. In other words, the first language IVR 102 continues to maintain service functionality (e.g., processing requests for non-human necessitated services, retrieving account information from an accounts database 108, etc.), whereas the second language simulated IVR 103 may not have any such service functionality by itself. In essence the second language simulated IVR 103 is a thin IVR that relies on the first language IVR 102 for robust functionality. As a result, the second language simulated IVR 103 reduces the computational complexity of the customer care system 101, which would otherwise have to build out full IVRs in multiple languages that each required significant processing power and storage space.
In one embodiment, the second language spoken by the user 104 is identified by the user 104 calling a dedicated communication channel, such as a dedicated telephone number (e.g., a one eight hundred telephone number). As a result, the customer care system 101 may determine which second language simulated IVR 103 should be utilized to provide the service to the user 104. In other words, the customer care system 101 may have, or be in communication with, multiple second language simulated IVRs 103, each corresponding to a different second language (e.g., Polish, German, French, etc.). Furthermore, a dedicated communication channel may be generated for each of the second languages. Accordingly, the customer care system 101 may identify the second language spoken by the user 104 according to the dedicated communication channel used to communicate with the customer care system 101, thereby determining which second language simulated IVR 103 should be selected. Alternatively, the same second language simulated IVR 103 may adapt to the identified second language to provide a service in that second language.
In one embodiment, the second language simulated IVR 103 is located within the customer care system 101. In an alternative embodiment, the second language simulated IVR 103 is remotely located from the customer care system 101 but is accessible by the customer care system 101 via a network 106.
After identifying the second language (e.g., Polish) and assigning the second language simulated IVR 103 to the telephone call, the customer care system 101 may begin the workflow by prompting the user 104 for account information (e.g., account number, telephone number, etc.) that identifies the user 104 to the customer care system 101; such prompts may be presented in the second language to the user 104. Other types of prompts (e.g., service requested) may also be presented throughout the workflow. In other words, the workflow occurring during a communication may involve a series of prompts to the user 104 and replies by the second language simulated IVR 103. For example, as illustrated in
From the perspective of the user 104, a telephone call was placed via the dedicated communication channel, and a voice prompt in the second language (e.g., Polish) is automatically presented to the user 104. In other words, the user 104 is provided with the appearance of a Polish IVR providing prompts and responses. (Although the second language simulated IVR 103 may provide prompts, receive responses, and provide services in an audio-only format, a video format may also be utilized.)
Further,
Upon receiving the response in the first language, the first language IVR 102 provides a service, as illustrated in
Although
Although the dedicated communication channel illustrated in
Accordingly,
The processor 301 may be a specialized processor that utilizes the IVR simulation code 305 to generate the second language simulated IVR 103 illustrated in
Moreover, in one embodiment, imagery may be displayed on the mobile computing device 105 to correspond to the second language simulated IVR 103. The imagery may be manipulated in a variety of ways to personalize the second language simulated IVR 103. For example,
Further, at a process block 503, the process 500 generates, with the processor 301, the simulated IVR system 103, that provides a service in the second human-spoken language. The simulated IVR system 103 routes a request in the second human-spoken language to the machine interpreter 107 that translates the request into the first human-spoken language. The translated request is provided to the IVR system to process the request in the first human-spoken language. The processed request is translated by the machine interpreter 107 for output by the simulated IVR system 103 as the service in the second human-spoken language.
In one embodiment, the language interpretation service provided for herein may be implemented via a voice-based communication. In another embodiment, the language interpretation service provided for herein may be implemented via a text-based communication (e.g., a chat session). In yet another embodiment, the language interpretation service provided for herein may be implemented via an image-based communication (e.g., for sign language detection via image capture rather than audio capture). Finally, the language interpretation service may implement a combination of the foregoing types of communication.
A computer is herein intended to include any device that has a general, multi-purpose or single purpose processor as described above. For example, a computer may be a PC, laptop computer, set top box, cell phone, smartphone, tablet device, smart wearable device, portable media player, video player, etc.
It is understood that the apparatuses described herein may also be applied in other types of apparatuses. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various adaptations and modifications of the embodiments of the apparatuses described herein may be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the present computer apparatuses. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the present apparatuses may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
