RU2788321C1 - System for providing end-user communication with a service provider using a virtual assistant - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technology.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to an automated system for searching and notifying the user about services. A system of communication between the end user and the service provider using a virtual assistant, containing at least one mobile application server with pre-installed software that performs the operation of the mobile application itself, and containing: a mobile application module, a filtering module, a calling module, a pre-registration module, a personal data processing module, a service provider interface module, a service provider module, a module for configuring dialog scripts for vendor and databases. The calling module is made in the form of a virtual assistant that carries out a direct dialogue using interconnected modules: Asterisk PBX telephone exchange, AudioSocket bidirectional audio transmission module, speech recognition module, speech synthesis module, silence detection module, dialog module; dialog script configuration module connected by two-way communication with the database of dialog scripts; report provision module.

EFFECT: invention is aimed at expanding the functionality of the virtual assistant by performing the specified scenarios of interaction with the supplier in the absence of an established connection with the user’s electronic device.

5 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to an automated system for searching and alerting a user about services that require prior appointment and/or booking and/or a service provider via a data network.

From the prior art, a search system and method for automatically providing content for goods and/or services via a data network is known (RU 2 706 473 C1, G06Q 30/02, G06F 17/00, published on 11/19/2019). The system comprises: the first computing device of the first user, containing the first user module; the second computing device of the second user, containing the second user module; a remote server containing a server module and a database; wherein the server module contains: a communication module, a data conversion module, a database, a search module configured to search for the content of goods and/or services in the mentioned database and to automatically provide the content of goods and/or services in accordance with the search priority attributes, and also notifying the user in case of finding the content of goods and/or services corresponding to the search priority attributes, where said search for the content of goods and/or services occurs at certain time intervals specified by the system or the first user module.

The disadvantage of this invention should be considered the impossibility of automatically setting the parameters and the call schedule.

From the prior art, a voice robotic system for interaction with a user's electronic device is known (patent RU 2724600, IPC G10L 15/22, G06F 40/20), which contains a module for automatically starting a connection with the user's electronic device, configured to interact with the IVR system to provide connection with the user's electronic device. Moreover, the system contains a module for reporting on the interaction of the voice robotic question-answer system with the IVR system, configured to fill the report with data obtained during the interaction of the voice robotic question-answer system with the IVR system in the absence of an established connection between the system and the user's electronic device.

The disadvantage of this invention should be considered the impossibility of automatically setting the parameters and the call schedule.

The technical task of the invention is to expand the functionality of the interaction between the user and the service provider through a mobile application by means of a virtual assistant.

The technical result of the invention is directed to the execution by the system of specified scripts with the provision of reports in the absence of an established connection with the user's electronic device (smartphone, tablet, computer), as well as providing customization of scripts and a call schedule for the service provider.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the communication system of the end user with the service provider using a virtual assistant, containing at least one mobile application server with pre-installed software that operates the mobile application itself, and containing:

a mobile application module associated with the filtering module, which is configured to select search criteria, both the provider and the service itself, and through two-way communication it is connected to the call module and databases: categories/subjects of the record; service providers; frequently asked questions; and is also configured to select service providers by location radius, and/or geolocation of the user's electronic device, and/or selected specific geolocation;

at the same time, the calling module is made in the form of a virtual assistant, carrying out a direct dialogue using interconnected modules: Asterisk PBX telephone exchange, AudioSocket bidirectional audio transmission module, speech recognition module, speech synthesis module, silence detection module, dialogue module; a dialog script customization module in two-way communication with the dialog script database; reporting module;

a pre-recording module associated with the call module and configured to generate a report from the call module, as well as confirming the action according to the generated report;

a module for processing personal data, made in the form of a separate web page with an indication of the field for marking the consent to the processing of personal data, if required by one or another provider;

service provider's interface module located on the provider's data processing server, which includes the ability to set the required interval for receiving incoming calls, select one or another category of services provided;

service provider module associated with an external system located on the data processing server of an external system that integrates a service provider located on some other platform or site

a provider-specific dialog script customization module associated with a dialog script database loaded with dialog options; wherein the dialog script customization module for the provider is connected to the provider interface module, in which the service provider can independently change the dialog settings according to its specifics.

In a particular case of execution, the database of categories/subjects of the record is made as a set of services united in meaning into general categories and subcategories.

In a particular case of execution, the database of service providers is made in the form of a list, integrated from an external system.

In a particular case of execution, the database of frequently asked questions is made in the form of a generated list of the most popular questions from users for the provision of any service.

In a particular case of execution, the external system is made in the form of a 2GIS platform.

In the context of this application should be understood by the following terms:

script - dialogue script for the virtual assistant, which is a set of scripts (what question and how the virtual assistant will answer);

search criteria - this is a condition (restriction) imposed on the general flow of available information, it is a "filter" that limits the general flow of information to the desired limits, set by the user himself.

In the context of this application, the search criteria are: service providers, type of service, location, time interval for receiving the service;

record categories - a set of services united by meaning into general categories and subcategories, for example, beauty, health, repair, car, other services. It should be noted that the services presented, united in categories, are of such a nature that they require an appointment in advance or are limited in time for the provision of services (hereinafter referred to as services).

service providers - companies, organizations of various types of legal property, as well as individuals, individual entrepreneurs providing services

frequently asked questions - the most popular questions from users for the provision of any service, for example, make an appointment with a doctor, dentist, beauty salon, etc., wash a car, plaster walls

virtual assistant - a voice robotic question-answer system, which is a voice robot.

PBX Asterisk is a telephone exchange that makes a call from a virtual assistant with a person on the other end or the same virtual assistant.

AudioSocket is a bidirectional audio protocol that redirects an audio stream to other modules for further work with it, for example, a speech synthesis and silence detection module.

The presence in the system of modules located on the server of the mobile application, as well as the presence of two-way communication of all servers among themselves, provides the ability to execute user-defined search scenarios with the provision of reports in the absence of an established connection with the electronic device. The user, having marked in the mobile application the necessary and sufficient search scenarios for him, can engage in any other business (make calls, watch movies, view content on the Internet, etc.), receiving reports with search results as a result.

The presence in the system of a call module, made in the form of a virtual assistant, due to built-in databases and built-in modules, provides a complete replacement of a living person when calling selected service providers. That is, a virtual assistant can respond to any remark.

The presence of a connection between the calling module and the reporting module allows the user to monitor / receive notifications about the work done by the virtual assistant, and autonomously. That is, the user can set a command to call, build a certain time frame, after which the user will receive notifications in the form of a report on the work of the virtual assistant.

The presence in the system of two-way communication between the calling and filtering modules allows the user to change and configure filters, as well as set modified calling parameters for the virtual assistant. Moreover, the virtual assistant will work regardless of the user's activity or inactivity in the mobile application.

The essence of the invention is illustrated by graphic material, where in Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the operation of the system, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the calling module.

The communication system of the end consumer with the service provider using a virtual assistant contains a mobile application server 1 with pre-installed software that operates the mobile application 2 itself.

The mobile application server 1 contains the following modules: the mobile application module 2 associated with the filtering module 3, which is connected by two-way communication with the calling module 4 and databases: categories/subjects of the record 5; service providers 6; frequently asked questions 7; and is also configured to select service providers by location radius, and/or geolocation of the user's electronic device, and/or selected specific geolocation;

Calling module 4 is designed as a virtual assistant that performs direct dialogue using interconnected modules: Asterisk 4.1 PBX telephone exchange, AudioSocket 4.2 bidirectional audio module, 4.3 silence detection module, 4.4 speech recognition module, 4.5 dialog module, speech synthesis module 4.6, ; a dialogue scripts customization module 8.1, connected in two-way communication with a database of dialogue scripts 8; reporting module 4.8.

The pre-recording module 5 is connected to the call module 4 and is configured to generate a report from the call module 4, and also confirms the action according to the generated report.

The personal data processing module 6 is made in the form of a separate web page with an indication of the field for marking the consent to the processing of personal data, if required by a particular supplier.

The service provider's interface module is located on the provider's data processing server and is configured to set the required interval for receiving incoming calls, to select one or another category of services provided.

A service provider module associated with an external system, in particular, it can be the 2GIS platform https://2gis.ru/chelyabinsk, and located on the data processing server of an external system that integrates a service provider located on some other platform or site.

A provider-specific dialog script customization module, linked to a dialog script database into which dialog options are loaded; wherein the dialog script customization module for the provider is connected to the provider interface module, in which the service provider can independently change the dialog settings according to its specifics.

Example 1. System operation upon request from a user in a mobile application.

1. there is a need for the user to make an appointment for the provision of services to such a service provider, where a preliminary appointment is required, or the entry is limited in time

2. the user enters the mobile application, where the interface is displayed in the form of fields to fill in, where the actions of the filtering module will be implemented

3. In the filtering module, the user can select the following:

– the radius of location of service providers in km from a specific geolocation, which can be the address of residence, work, etc.

– a specific organization that can be selected from the database of service providers, which receives information from an external system, for example, 2GIS

– query option for the selected entry category, from the existing connected database of entry categories (or selects from a list of frequently asked questions - for example, “make an appointment/service/haircut/…”, which also receives information from the database of frequently asked questions)

– pre-record time frame (a range or multiple date ranges and a range of time of day for each date range)

– the user specifies whether to call everyone or until the first answer. If “sign up” is selected, calling everyone will be unavailable.

– It also sets the deadline by date/time when the call should be terminated.

After that, the information from the filtering module enters the calling module (Fig. 2), where the virtual assistant begins to perform the user's task, and the user can exit the application, as well as use the phone for various other purposes.

An example of the work of a virtual assistant in the call module.

The virtual assistant in the calling module 4 sends data from the filtering module 3 to the Asterisk 4.1 PBX telephone exchange module. Then the voice stream is transferred from module 4. PBX Asterisk to module 4.2 with AudioSocket.

Next, a phrase is expected from the operator of the organization where the virtual assistant will call, for example, "make an appointment for a haircut at 17.30". With the help of the silence detection module 4.3, the moment of the end of the phrase is determined, after which the silence detection module 4.3 sends the voiced phrase by the operator to the speech recognition module 4.4. The speech recognition module 4.4 translates it into text and sends it to the dialog module 4.5. The dialog module 4.5 saves the recognized text of the user's phrase to the database 8 of the virtual assistant and determines the topic of the appeal using the topic classifier and takes from the database 8 the data that needs to be voiced within the script for a specific topic, beforehand, through the dialog loading module 4.8, the necessary dialogs are loaded.

In the case of the topic "make an appointment with a hairdresser for a men's haircut", the user will hear a phrase with the option to make an appointment with a hairdresser for a men's haircut. The response is sent in the voice channel from dialog module 6 to module 3 with AudioSocket via speech synthesis module 4.6, which converts the response text into audio. Further, from module 4.3 with AudioSocket, the voice stream is transmitted to module 4.2 of Asterisk PBX and played back to the user's device. Next, a response from the user is expected.

Subsequent processing of all responses from the operator occurs according to a similar scenario for processing the first phrase. In the current example, if the operator answers that there is time to sign up for a men's haircut, then the system will generate this information for the final provision to the user. In the event that an exact time request is specified, for example, then information is announced that it is possible to sign up, or the client has already been recorded and the conversation will end. Module 4.2 PBX Asterisk will end the call.

After the end of the call by the virtual assistant, the data is sent to the reporting module 4.8, in which a report on the work done by the virtual assistant is generated, which is displayed in the mobile application interface in the form of notifications (if the user is not active in this application).

If the user is satisfied with the report of the virtual assistant, then the user presses the sign up button, after which this signal is sent back to the calling module 4 and the virtual assistant records the user at his request.

Also, after selecting the “sign up ...” button, the user is asked for personal and necessary information for recording: full name, date of birth, address (depending on the category of services) and consent to the processing, storage and transfer of personal data to third parties - such actions are performed by module 6 processing of personal data, made in the form of a separate window

It should be noted that calling with the help of a virtual assistant occurs regardless of what the user is doing at that moment, that is, calling takes place in the background.

At the same time, the user does not waste his time recording to any service provider.

Example 2: System settings that a service provider can make.

Service providers 10 integrated from an external system 11 located on the data processing server of the external system 12, for example from 2GIS, have their own interface - the interface of the service provider 9, also located on the provider's own data processing server 14, which requires registration in order to Potential clients can sign up for it. At the same time, service providers have the opportunity to customize call scenarios according to the specifics of their services, for example, if there is free time for an appointment at a discount or to a new specialist, or if some kind of promotion begins. This customization takes place in the service provider interface module 9 via the provider dialog script customization module 13 . Implementation of the variability of settings is possible with the help of a connected database of 15 dialogue scripts.

Also, in the interface of the service provider 9, you can set up "cold calls" with the help of a virtual assistant already from the provider to attract new customers or build a customer base.

In doing so, the service provider can increase its loyalty to its competitors. For example, after selecting a record category by a user-client, a certain provider will be top 1 among its competitors, this service is monetized.

Also, the service provider can set the time when pre-recording (calling) should be performed, as well as select the days when the call will not be available to client users if the service provider has a day off.

At the same time, the supplier receives additional customers, and the presence of a virtual assistant provides the ability to set up scripts and call schedules.

The proposed system solves the problem of expanding the functionality of interaction between the user and the service provider through a mobile application through a virtual assistant.

The system executes the specified scenarios with reporting in the absence of an established connection with the user's electronic device (smartphone, tablet, computer), and also provides settings for the scenarios and call schedule for the service provider.

Claims (11)

1. The system for communication between the end consumer and the service provider using a virtual assistant, characterized in that it contains at least one mobile application server with pre-installed software that operates the mobile application itself, and contains a mobile application module associated with the filtering module, which is made with the ability to select search criteria, both the supplier and the service itself, and through two-way communication it is connected to the call module and databases: categories/subjects of the record; service providers; frequently asked questions; and is also configured to select service providers by location radius, and/or geolocation of the user's electronic device, and/or selected specific geolocation; at the same time, the calling module is made in the form of a virtual assistant, carrying out a direct dialogue using interconnected modules: Asterisk PBX telephone exchange, AudioSocket bidirectional audio transmission module, speech recognition module, speech synthesis module, silence detection module, dialogue module; a dialog script customization module in two-way communication with the dialog script database; reporting module; a pre-recording module associated with the call module and configured to generate a report from the call module, as well as confirming the action according to the generated report; a module for processing personal data, made in the form of a separate web page with an indication of the field for marking the consent to the processing of personal data, if required by one or another provider; service provider's interface module located on the provider's data processing server, which includes the ability to set the required interval for receiving incoming calls, select one or another category of services provided; a service provider module associated with an external system located on a data processing server of an external system that integrates a service provider located on some other platform or site; a provider-specific dialog script customization module associated with a dialog script database loaded with dialog options; wherein the dialog script customization module for the provider is connected to the provider interface module, in which the service provider can independently change the dialog settings according to its specifics. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the database of categories/subjects of the record is made as a set of services united in meaning into general categories and subcategories. 3. The system according to claim. 1, characterized in that the database of service providers is made in the form of a list and integrated from an external system. 4. The system according to claim. 1, characterized in that the database of frequently asked questions is made in the form of a generated list of the most popular questions from users for the provision of any service. 5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the external system is made in the form of a 2GIS platform.

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