Intelligent Agent for Service Session Question Handling

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In traditional service environments, service representatives are limited to discussing topics within their expertise, leading to inefficiencies and customer frustration when handling side questions that fall outside their specialty, requiring re-routing and excessive resource allocation.

Innovation Solution

An intelligent agent monitors service sessions, identifies questions that can be answered based on available data, and autonomously generates and presents answers, allowing service representatives to focus on primary topics while handling secondary inquiries.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If service representatives handle all customer inquiries including side questions, then service completeness improves, but service representative workload and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice completenessVSAvoidservice representative workload

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments customer service interactions into primary topics (handled by service representatives) and secondary/side questions (automatically handled by the intelligent agent). This segmentation allows service representatives to focus on complex issues while the agent handles routine information retrieval, reducing workload without compromising service completeness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An intelligent agent is introduced as an intermediary between the customer and service representative. The agent autonomously monitors communications, identifies side questions, retrieves information from data sources, and presents answers to customers, thereby offloading routine tasks from service representatives while maintaining comprehensive service coverage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If service representatives are re-routed to handle side questions, then service accuracy improves, but service session duration increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice accuracyVSAvoidservice session duration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The intelligent agent performs preliminary actions by proactively monitoring communications during service sessions, identifying side questions in real-time, and autonomously retrieving information before service representatives would need to be re-routed. This preliminary handling of side questions maintains service accuracy while preventing time loss from re-routing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service for side questions through the intelligent agent, which independently identifies questions, searches data sources, and provides answers without requiring service representative intervention or re-routing. This maintains accurate information delivery while significantly reducing the time spent on side questions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If multiple service representatives are allocated to handle different topics, then service expertise improves, but resource expenditure increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice expertiseVSAvoidresource expenditure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The intelligent agent serves as a universal resource that can handle any type of side question across different service topics without requiring specialized knowledge or additional service representatives. This multi-functional agent maintains service expertise for complex issues while reducing resource expenditure by automating routine information retrieval for all topic areas

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Productivity

If service representatives focus only on primary topics, then service efficiency improves, but service completeness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice efficiencyVSAvoidservice completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments service responsibilities so service representatives focus exclusively on primary topics and complex issues requiring human judgment, while the intelligent agent segments and handles side questions and information retrieval tasks. This segmentation maintains service efficiency by reducing representative workload while preserving service completeness through the agent's autonomous handling of additional inquiries

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11776546B1Intelligent agent for interactive service environments

Publication Date: 2023.10.03 UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (USAA)

AI summary

Techniques are described for providing information during a service session, using an intelligent agent. The intelligent agent executes as a process to monitor communications exchanged during a service session between an individual and a service representative (SR) within a service environment. The agent analyzes the communications to identify questions or other topics that are posed by the individual during the service session. The agent retrieves stored data related to such questions or other topics, and generates a message to address each question or other topic. The message is injected into the service session to be presented to the individual, to supplement the conversation that is taking place between the SR and the individual. In some implementations, the agent monitors the communications, generates the message, and/or injects the message into the service session at least partly autonomously of any explicit action taken by the SR.