Interactive telephony trainer and exerciser
View Patent ↗A telephony trainer and exerciser allows a user of the telephony system to practice and train using the telephony system and its various features. The telephony trainer and exerciser system provides at least one automated responder, and more preferably, a plurality of automated responders that can be called by the user, thereby allowing the user to practice different operating features of the telephony system. Using a recognizer agent, the automated responders are able to distinguish between commands given by the user and similar statements given by another automated responder. The trainer and exerciser system optionally includes a correlator agent to provide an audio and/or written transcript of the practice session. A coaching feature is also optionally provided to assist a user in operating the trainer and exerciser and/or the telephony system.
1. A method of a user practicing a telephony system feature on a telephony system, comprising:
receiving, at a first computer automated responder interconnected to the telephony system, a request to initiate a first telecommunication session;
receiving, at a second computer automated responder interconnected to the telephony system, a request to initiate a second telecommunication session, wherein the first and second telecommunication sessions are conference together in a common telecommunication session;
receiving, at the first and second computer automated responder, a token instruction directed to at least one of the first and second computer automated responders, where the token instruction is given within the common telecommunication session;
determining, at the first computer automated responder, whether the token instruction originated from the second computer automated responder or the user;
in response to determining whether the token instruction originated from the second computer automated responder or the user, applying the following rules at the first computer automated responder;
when the token instruction originated from the user, determining whether the token instruction is directed to the first computer automated responder and, in response to determining that the token instruction is directed to the first computer automated responder, the first computer automated responder taking an action specified by the token instruction; and
when the token instruction originated from the second computer automated responder, not taking the action specified by the token instruction.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one of: (a) providing a recording of the common telecommunication session, and (b) providing a transcript of the common telecommunication session.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the recording and the transcript is provided by a correlator agent interconnected to the telephony system, the correlator agent storing information provided by the user and the first and second computer automated responders.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising receiving instruction from a coaching agent, the coaching agent comprising software monitoring at least a portion of the user's interaction with the telephony system.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising practicing telephony system features selected from the group consisting of conference calls, whisper calls, private sub-conference calls, dropping, adding, muting, transferring, forwarding, answering, and holding.
6. A method of a user practicing a telephony system feature on a telephony system, comprising:
conferencing together in a communication session at least first and second computer automated responders and a user via a telephony system, wherein the first and second computer automated responders distinguish whether a token instruction transmitted during the communication session is provided by the user or the other of the first and second computer automated responders, wherein the first computer automated responder applies the following rules in response to determining whether the token instruction is provided by the user or the second computer automated responder: (1) when the token instruction originated from the user, determining whether the token instruction is directed to the first computer automated responder and, in response to determining that the token instruction is directed to the first computer automated responder, the first computer automated responder taking an action specified by the token instruction; and (2) when the token instruction originated from the second computer automated responder, the first automated responder not taking the action specified by the token instruction, further wherein the first and second computer automated responders communicate with a correlator agent interconnected to the telephony system, the correlator agent compiling information provided by the user and the first and second computer automated responders; and
the correlator agent providing the compiled information to the user after an end of the communication session.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising reviewing the compiled information by listening to a recording of the practice session.
8. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising reviewing the compiled information by reading a transcript of the practice session.
9. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising providing a token instruction to at least one of the first and second computer automated responders, wherein the first and second computer automated responders distinguish between the token instruction provided by the user, and the same token instruction provided by the other of the first and second computer automated responders.
10. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising receiving instruction from a coaching agent, the coaching agent comprising software monitoring at least a portion of the user's interaction with the telephony system.
11. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising practicing telephony system features selected from the group consisting of conference calls, whisper calls, private sub-conference calls, dropping, adding, muting, transferring, forwarding, answering, and holding.
12. A telephony trainer and exerciser system for allowing a user to practice features of a telephony system, the telephony trainer and exerciser accessed by the user using an access node interconnected to the telephony system, the trainer and exerciser system comprising:
a plurality of automated responders in communication with the telephony system and available for conferencing into a communication session by the user using the access node; and
for each of the plurality of automated responders, a recognizer agent for distinguishing a token instruction as being one of a voiced user command and a voiced statement of at least one of said plurality of automated responders, wherein the voiced user command and the voiced statement are each transmitted during a common communication session in which a first and second automated responder are conferenced with the user using the access node, wherein the first computer automated responder applies the following rules in response to distinguishing whether the token instruction is provided by the user or the second computer automated responder: (1) when the token instruction originated from the user, determining whether the token instruction is directed to the first computer automated responder and, in response to determining that the token instruction is directed to the first computer automated responder, the first computer automated responder taking an action specified by the token instruction; and (2) when the token instruction originated from the second computer automated responder, the first automated responder not taking the action specified by the token instruction.
13. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one of said plurality of responders will perform a first function for a first token instruction provided by the user, and wherein the at least one of said plurality of responders will not perform the first function for the same first token instruction provided by at least a second of said plurality of responders.
14. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the access node comprises a softphone on a personal computer.
15. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the recognizer agent comprises software running on a server interconnected to the telephony system.
16. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one of said plurality of automated responders and a second the plurality of automated responders are located on different servers.
17. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the different servers are located at different geographic locations.
18. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the recognizer agent comprises software running on computer interconnected to the telephony system.
19. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the access node comprises a phone interconnected to the telephony system.
20. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , further comprising a correlator agent in communication with the plurality of responders, wherein the correlator agent assembles a transcript of a practice session conducted between the user and at least one of the plurality of responders.
21. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , further comprising a coaching agent in communication with the access node of the user, the coaching agent providing at least a first instruction to the user for using the telephony system.
22. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the user practices a conference call by contacting at least two of the plurality of responders.
23. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 22 , wherein the user practices a whisper function having a first responder of the plurality of responders conduct a whisper call to at least one of the user or second responder of the plurality of responders.
24. The telephony trainer and exerciser system of claim 12 , wherein the user practices telephony system features selected from the group consisting of conference calls, whisper calls, private sub-conference calls, dropping, adding, muting, transferring, forwarding, answering, and holding.
25. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the token instruction is a voiced instruction and the first computer automated responder employs voice recognition to determine whether the token instruction originated from the second computer automated responder or the user.
26. The method as claimed in claim 25 , wherein the first computer automated responder responds to the token instruction according to the following:
(a) if the token instruction is an exact match to a predetermined voice command, it is determined that the token instruction originated from the second computer automated responder, and if the token instruction is a near match to the predetermined voice command, it is determined that the token instruction originated from the user; and
(b) using voice recognition to process the token instruction using at least one of matching words, timing, pitch, and duration of sounds.
27. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the token instruction is directed to both the first and second computer automated responders, and wherein in response the token instruction, the first automated computer responder transmits a first voiced message, and following the first voiced message, the second automated computer responder transmits a second voiced message after a predetermined back-off interval has expired.