Noble Systems Corporation

Marcin Pycko

Karl H Koster

Jason P Ouimette

Christopher S Haggerty

James K Noble, Jr

Chad Hitchcock

Ruby Amastha Fields

Various embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and computer program products for handling an audio path failure and/or non-conformant QoS for a call between a contact center agent and remote party. Specifically, an audio path is established to a first telephony device being used by the agent and a call is bridged onto the audio path so that audio can be streamed back-and-forth between the first telephony device and a second telephony device being used by the party. Accordingly, various embodiments of the invention involve monitoring the audio path to detect an audio path failure and/or non-conformant QoS for the audio and bridging the call onto a second audio path when a failure or non-conformant QoS is detected so that the call is not disconnected from the second telephony device and a third device (e.g., IVR) can stream audio over the second audio path to the second telephony device.

Handling audio path failure and poor quality of service for voice calls in a contact center

An architecture and process flow for a contact center that receives payments prevents the agent from hearing sensitive financial information during the payment transaction. During a call with a remote party, the agent determines an appropriate time to bridge on a bank card payment processing system to receive and process a payment. Audio of the call to the agent is then interrupted so as to avoid the agent hearing any sensitive financial information provided by the remote party. Various status indications may be displayed to the agent so that the agent is able to monitor the progression of the payment transaction without hearing the contents of the call. When the payment transaction has completed the agent audio to be restored and the display indications related to the payment transaction are removed.

Controlling a secure audio bridge during a payment transaction

A speech analytics system monitors speech from a remote party and/or agent to determine when a whisper is to be provided to the agent. A whisper is aural information that may assist the agent at certain opportune times. The whisper may be verbal or non-verbal in nature. A whisper bridge is used that allows the whisper to be heard by the agent, but not by the remote party. In one embodiment, the speech analytics system may cause visual-based agent information to be provided to the computer used by the agent, and monitor the agent's speech to ascertain if an expected speech response to the whisper was provided by the agent. If not, the speech analytics system may cause the whisper to be provided to the agent, as a form of reminder.

Using a speech analytics system to control whisper audio

In one embodiment, a secure mechanism operates in conjunction with a three-way bridge in a contact center to protect against inadvertent exposure of sensitive information provided during a call. During the call, an agent may bridge on an interactive voice response system ('IVR') onto the call prompting the party to enter sensitive information, such as a credit card account number, to effect a payment. The information may be provided by the party using dual-tone multiple frequency ('DTMF') tones or speech. The IVR may provide a confirmatory announcement indicating the sensitive information received. A switch may be controlled by the IVR so that any sensitive information expected from the party or provided by the IVR in a confirmatory announcement is not presented to the agent or to a recording system. In this manner, the IVR suppresses the exposure of sensitive information to the agent and/or a recording system.

Protecting sensitive information provided by a party to a contact center

An architecture and process flow for a contact center that receives payments prevents the agent from hearing sensitive financial information during the payment transaction. During a call with a remote party, the agent determines an appropriate time to bridge on a bank card payment processing system to receive and process a payment. Audio of the call to the agent is then interrupted so as to avoid the agent hearing any sensitive financial information provided by the remote party. A speech analytics system ('SAS') is bridged onto the call and monitors the payment transaction. The SAS provides status indications displayed to the agent so that the agent is able to monitor the progression of the payment transaction without hearing the contents of the call. The SAS determines when the payment transaction has completed and causes the agent audio to be restored.

Using a speech analytics system to control a secure audio bridge during a payment transaction

A call to a wireless number can be originated by a contact center while enforcing various compliance requirements. A dialer and PBX cooperate to originate the call to the wireless number. The dialer selects the next eligible number in the calling list that should be dialed by an agent. Account information provided by the dialer is displayed on the agent's computer, and a call is placed to the agent's phone by the dialer, wherein the call uses the selected number as the ANI. The call is shortly terminated by the dialer, so that it is not answered by the agent. The agent can then redial that number or invoke a callback function to originate the call to the selected number. A PBX handing the call may inform the dialer of the call origination. The dialer may thus monitor the status of the call without actually originating the call.

Providing compliance enforcement for manually dialed wireless numbers in a contact center using callback functionality

A secure three-way bridge in a SIP-based processing switch protects sensitive information provided by a party during a call with an agent in a contact center. During the call, the agent may bridge an interactive voice response system ('IVR') onto the call using the secure three-way bridge so that the party can enter sensitive information, such as a credit card account, to the IVR. The information is provided by the party using dual-tone multiple frequency ('DTMF') tones that are presented in an unmodified form to the IVR, but modified and then presented to the agent, so that the agent is unable to discern the sensitive information provided by the party. Other embodiments may accomplish similar capabilities by application of components outside of the bridging structure. Further, recording systems may record the call comprising the modified audio, thus protecting the sensitive information from subsequent detection upon review of the recording.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Marcin Pycko