Attendance Voice Response System

Abstract

This invention provides an attendance voice response system, comprising a status integration processing module, a call event receiving module, a voice content selection module, and a voice response control module. The status integration processing module receives attendance data from an external attendance system and extension correspondence data from an external employee address book, establishing a correspondence between employee attendance status and extensions to generate extension status correspondence data. When a call event occurs, the voice content selection module selects the corresponding voice content data based on extension identification data and pre-set judgment conditions, and the voice response control module transmits the voice content data to an external communication device for playback.

Description

Attendance Voice Response System Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a voice response system, and more particularly to a voice response system for attendance where attendance status information can be appropriately used during a call. Prior Technology

[0002] With the expansion of financial institutions' business and the widespread adoption of information systems, most business units have implemented attendance management systems to record employee attendance, leave, business trips, or other absences. This attendance data is typically stored in a centralized attendance system and maintained and updated by human resources or relevant management departments. On the other hand, financial institutions' business units generally have office telephone extension systems for customers or internal staff to contact specific employees. However, current communication equipment typically only performs basic call forwarding or voicemail functions and cannot directly access real-time attendance status information from the attendance system. Therefore, when a customer calls an employee's extension, if the employee is on leave, on business trip, or otherwise unavailable, the caller often needs to manually transfer the call or repeatedly dial other extensions to obtain contact information, increasing the complexity of the communication process. Furthermore, attendance systems and communication equipment are often independent systems, and there may not be a direct data integration mechanism between them. Although attendance status data exists in the information system, it is not reflected in the voice response process in real time.

[0003] Based on the above situation, how to make attendance status information appropriately used during calls within the existing attendance system and communication equipment architecture is a direction that can be further improved in this technical field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, one aspect of this invention is to provide an attendance voice response system, comprising a plurality of hardware modules consisting of a plurality of hardware circuits. These hardware modules include a status integration processing module, a call event receiving module, a voice content selection module, and a voice response control module. The status integration processing module is configured to receive attendance data from an external attendance system and extension correspondence data from an external employee address book, and based on the attendance data and the extension correspondence data, establish a correspondence between the attendance status of at least one employee and at least one corresponding extension, thereby generating and outputting extension status correspondence data. The call event receiving module is configured to receive call event data from an external communication device, and after obtaining corresponding extension identification data from the call event data, output it. The voice content selection module connects the status integration processing module and the call event receiving module, and is configured to receive the extension status correspondence data and the extension identification data, and after selecting corresponding voice content data based on at least one judgment condition, output it. The voice response control module is connected to the voice content selection module and is configured to receive the voice content data and generate a voice response control command to transmit the voice content data to the external communication device for playback.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the status data of the extension unit generated by the status integration processing module includes an indication that an employee is on leave or on business trip.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one judgment condition is based on the comparison result of the extension identification data and the extension status corresponding data.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the attendance voice response system further includes an automatic voice response database connected to the voice content selection module for storing multiple preset voice data, the multiple preset voice data including general voice data and employee personal voice data, and the voice content selection module selects the voice content data from the automatic voice response database.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the external communication device is an office telephone extension system.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the selection action of the voice content selection module is triggered when the attendance status corresponding to the extension identification data meets a triggering condition preset by a manager.

[0010] With the configuration of the above modules, this new invention can select and play the corresponding voice content data during a call based on the attendance data and extension correspondence data within the existing attendance system and communication equipment architecture.

[0011] The above description is intended to provide a simplified summary of the present invention to enable the reader to have a basic understanding of it. This description is not a complete overview of the present invention, and it is not intended to identify key / critical elements of the embodiments or define the scope of the invention. After referring to the following embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand the basic spirit and other novel objectives of the present invention, as well as the technical means and implementation aspects employed. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0012] To make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the accompanying drawings are described below.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the functional architecture of a errand voice response system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing voice response during work hours according to an embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0015] Based on the above, an attendance voice response system is provided. This attendance voice response system can establish a correspondence between employee attendance status and extension number based on attendance data provided by an external attendance system and extension number correspondence data provided by an external employee address book. Upon receiving call event data, it selects the corresponding voice content data based on extension number identification data and pre-set judgment conditions, and transmits the voice content data to an external communication device for playback. In the following description, an exemplary structure and an exemplary execution method of the above-described attendance voice response system will be introduced. For ease of understanding of the embodiments, numerous technical details will be provided below. Of course, not all embodiments require these technical details. Furthermore, some well-known structures or components will only be shown schematically in the accompanying drawings to appropriately simplify the content of the drawings.

[0016] To provide a more detailed and complete description of the present invention, the following illustrative description focuses on the implementation aspects and specific embodiments of the present invention; however, this is not the only embodiment of the present invention. The features and module configurations disclosed in the embodiments can be appropriately adjusted or replaced according to actual needs without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0017] For ease of description, the machine, device, or system described below is divided into multiple modules according to their functions. It should be understood that the function of each module can be implemented by one or more hardware devices or processing devices, or can be integrated into the same device, and is not limited to the physical configuration shown in the figures. The configuration and implementation of each module can be appropriately adjusted according to actual application requirements, and is not limited to the configuration shown in the figures of this invention.

[0018] Please refer to Figure 1, which shows a system architecture diagram of an attendance voice response system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the attendance voice response system 100 can be connected to an external attendance system 200, an external employee address book 300, and an external communication device 400. The attendance voice response system 100 includes a status integration processing module 110, a call event receiving module 120, a voice content selection module 130, a voice response control module 140, and an automatic voice response database 150.

[0019] The status integration processing module 110 is configured to receive attendance data from an external attendance system 200 and extension correspondence data from an external employee address book 300. The attendance data may contain attendance status information for at least one employee, such as leave, business trip, or other attendance type information; the extension correspondence data may contain correspondence information between employees and extension numbers. Based on the attendance data and the extension correspondence data, the status integration processing module 110 establishes a correspondence between employee attendance status and corresponding extensions to generate extension status correspondence data. This extension status correspondence data can be used to indicate the current attendance status of the employee corresponding to a specific extension.

[0020] In one embodiment, the attendance data may include fields such as employee identification information, attendance type information, attendance start time, and attendance end time; the extension number correspondence data may include correspondence data between employee identification information and corresponding extension numbers. The status integration processing module 110 can organize the above data into a correspondence data structure for subsequent module calls.

[0021] In one embodiment, the extension status data can be stored in a memory unit and the corresponding relationship can be adjusted synchronously according to the update of attendance data. The update method can be periodic or updated when attendance data changes, but is not limited to a specific update form. For example, the periodic update can be to retrieve the latest attendance data from the external attendance system at preset time intervals (e.g., every thirty minutes, every hour, or a specific time period each day) and update the extension status data accordingly. In the case of updating when attendance data changes, when the attendance status of an employee in the external attendance system changes, the status integration processing module can receive the change notification immediately or nearly immediately and update the corresponding extension status data accordingly. However, this invention is not limited to the specific update time interval or update triggering method described above.

[0022] The call event receiving module 120 is configured to receive call event data from one of the external communication devices 400. This call event data may include the call time, call source information, and called extension information. The call event receiving module 120 retrieves the corresponding extension identification data from the call event data and outputs the extension identification data to the voice content selection module 130.

[0023] The voice content selection module 130 is connected to the status integration processing module 110 and the call event receiving module 120, and is configured to receive extension status corresponding data and extension identification data. The voice content selection module 130 selects corresponding voice content data based on at least one judgment condition. In one embodiment, the judgment condition may be whether the attendance status corresponding to the extension identification data meets a trigger condition preset by the manager. This trigger condition may include, for example, the employee being on leave, on a business trip, or other attendance status specified by the manager that requires a voice response.

[0024] In one embodiment, the at least one judgment condition may include a judgment of a single absence status, or it may include a combination of multiple conditions. For example, it may be set to play a first voice content material when the employee is on leave, and a second voice content material when the employee is on a business trip.

[0025] In one embodiment, the administrator can set the correspondence between the triggering conditions and the voice content through an existing management interface. This setting may include specifying specific voice content data corresponding to specific attendance states, and can be adjusted according to actual management needs.

[0026] In another embodiment, the triggering condition can also be set to whether to start the voice response process according to management needs. For example, the voice content selection program can be started only for specific work types, and not for other work types.

[0027] In one embodiment, the comparison between the extension identification data and the extension status corresponding data can be achieved by querying the corresponding data structure to obtain the current attendance status of the extension. This comparison method can be a direct comparison of the extension number, employee identification information, or other identifiable data fields. However, this invention is not limited to comparison methods for specific data fields.

[0028] The voice response control module 140 is connected to the voice content selection module 130 and is configured to receive voice content data and generate voice response control commands. The voice response control module 140 transmits the voice content data to an external communication device 400 for playback, allowing the caller to hear the corresponding voice response content.

[0029] In one embodiment, the external communication device 400 may be an office telephone extension system, a business branch exchange (PBX) device, or other communication device with call reception and voice playback functions. However, this invention is not limited to a specific type of communication device; any device capable of receiving call event data and playing voice content data is applicable.

[0030] In one embodiment, the attendance voice response system 100 further includes an automatic voice response database 150. The automatic voice response database 150 is connected to the voice content selection module 130 and is used to store multiple preset voice data. These preset voice data may include general voice data and employee-specific voice data. The voice content selection module 130 can select corresponding voice content data from the automatic voice response database 150 based on judgment conditions and transmit it to the voice response control module 140.

[0031] In one embodiment, the voice content data may be pre-recorded voice files, which can be categorized and stored according to employee identity or attendance status. The voice files may be in digital audio formats, such as WAV, MP3, or other audio encoding formats that can be decoded and played by external communication devices or related equipment. The sampling rate, bit depth, and encoding method of the voice files can be configured according to the specifications supported by the actual communication equipment; however, this invention is not limited to specific audio formats or encoding parameters.

[0032] In another embodiment, the voice content data may also include preset voice-text content, which is converted into voice playback format by an external communication device or related device. However, this invention is not limited to a specific voice data generation method.

[0033] In one embodiment, when a caller dials a specific extension, if the employee corresponding to that extension is on leave or on business, the voice content selection module 130 selects the corresponding voice content based on the employee's absence status, and the voice response control module 140 transmits it to the external communication device 400 for playback. If the employee is not in the absence status set by the triggering conditions, the existing call flow can be maintained. For example, if the employee is in a normal on-call state, the external communication device can connect or transfer the call according to its existing call processing procedure without triggering the voice content selection action of the voice content selection module. In other words, when the absence voice response system determines that the employee corresponding to the extension does not meet the set triggering conditions, it can choose not to intervene in the subsequent processing flow of the call event, allowing the call event to be processed according to the original communication path.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 2, which shows a flowchart of a attendance voice response method according to an embodiment of the present invention. This attendance voice response method can be executed by an attendance voice response system 100, and its process includes the following steps.

[0035] In step S210, the status integration processing module 110 receives attendance data from the external attendance system 200 and extension correspondence data from the external employee address book 300.

[0036] In step S220, the status integration processing module 110 establishes the correspondence between the employee's attendance status and the corresponding extension based on the attendance data and the extension correspondence data, so as to generate and output the extension status correspondence data.

[0037] In step S230, the call event receiving module 120 receives call event data from one of the external communication devices 400.

[0038] In step S240, the call event receiving module 120 obtains the corresponding extension identification data from the call event data and outputs the extension identification data.

[0039] In step S250, the voice content selection module 130 receives extension status corresponding data and extension identification data.

[0040] In step S260, the voice content selection module 130 selects corresponding voice content data based on at least one judgment condition, and outputs the corresponding voice content data after selecting it from the automatic voice response database 150. In one embodiment, the judgment condition may be whether the attendance status corresponding to the extension identification data meets a trigger condition preset by the manager.

[0041] In an embodiment that includes an automatic voice response database 150, the voice content selection module 130 can select corresponding voice content data from the automatic voice response database 150.

[0042] In step S270, the voice response control module 140 receives voice content data and generates a voice response control command.

[0043] In step S280, the voice response control module 140 transmits the voice content data to the external communication device 400 for playback.

[0044] Compared to the traditional method of requiring manual setting of voice responses or relying on the built-in functions of individual telephone devices, this new method establishes a correspondence between attendance data and extension corresponding data through a status integration processing module, and selects the corresponding voice content data according to the correspondence when a call event occurs, so that the voice response content corresponds to the employee's attendance status.

[0045] Furthermore, this new invention, through the configuration of a voice content selection module and a voice response control module, enables the selection and playback of voice content to be uniformly processed at the system level, without the need for separate settings on each extension device, thereby providing a centralized management architecture for attendance voice response.

[0046] Furthermore, in embodiments that include an automatic voice response database, multiple preset voice data can be stored, including general voice data and employee personal voice data, so that the voice response content can be selected according to the attendance status.

[0047] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

[0048] 100: Attendance Voice Response System

[0049] 110: State Integration Processing Module

[0050] 120: Call Event Receiving Module

[0051] 130: Voice Content Selection Module

[0052] 140: Voice response control module

[0053] 150: Automatic Voice Response Database

[0054] 200: External Attendance System

[0055] 300: External Employee Contact List

[0056] 400: External Communication Equipment

[0057] S210-S280: Steps

Claims

1. An attendance voice response system, comprising a plurality of hardware modules consisting of a plurality of hardware circuits, the hardware modules comprising: a status integration processing module configured to receive attendance data from an external attendance system and extension correspondence data from an external employee address book, and based on the attendance data and the extension correspondence data, establish a correspondence between an attendance status of at least one employee and a corresponding extension of at least one extension, so as to generate and output extension status correspondence data; and a call event receiving module configured to receive call event data from an external communication device, and after obtaining corresponding extension identification data from the call event data, output it. A voice content selection module, connected to the status integration processing module and the call event receiving module, is configured to receive extension status corresponding data and extension identification data, and select one of the corresponding voice content data based on at least one judgment condition and output it; and a voice reply control module, connected to the voice content selection module, is configured to receive the voice content data and generate a voice reply control command to transmit the voice content data to the external communication device for playback.

2. The attendance voice response system as described in Request 1, wherein the status data of the extension generated by the status integration processing module includes an indication that an employee is in the attendance status of being on leave or on business trip.

3. The attendance voice response system as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one judgment condition is based on the comparison result of the extension identification data and the extension status corresponding data.

4. The attendance voice response system as described in claim 1 further includes an automatic voice response database connected to the voice content selection module for storing multiple preset voice data, the multiple preset voice data including general voice data and employee personal voice data, and the voice content selection module selects the voice content data from the automatic voice response database.

5. The attendance voice response system as described in claim 1, wherein the external communication device is an office telephone extension system.

6. The attendance voice response system as described in claim 1, wherein the selection action of the voice content selection module is triggered when the attendance status corresponding to the extension identification data meets a trigger condition preset by a manager.

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