Interactive Voice Response Map for Navigation Time Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are frustrating for users due to lengthy menus, unnecessary marketing messages, and obscure paths to speaking with agents, leading to increased navigation time and user dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
An interactive voice response mapping system (IVRMS) that communicates with the queuing party's calling system to extract navigational information, build an IVR map, and provide a visual editing interface for correcting and updating the map, ensuring it remains synchronized with changes and accessible across various phone types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If companies add more marketing messages and options to IVR menus, then advertising value and service coverage are improved, but user navigation time and frustration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing users with an IVR map before they actually navigate the IVR system. Users can review the menu structure, available options, and navigation paths in advance through the visual map interface, allowing them to plan their navigation route and avoid unnecessary exploration, thus reducing navigation time while preserving full service coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy (IVR map) of the actual IVR system structure. This map replicates the menu hierarchy, node connections, and available paths in a visual format that users can review beforehand. The copy allows users to understand the system layout without experiencing the time-consuming actual navigation, effectively decoupling information gathering from navigation execution
2Extent of automation
If companies make the path to agents more obscure, then agent protection and workload management are improved, but user satisfaction and ease of access deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary tool (IVR map) that mediates between the user and the IVR system. The map reveals the actual navigation path to agents without requiring system changes, allowing users to plan their route in advance. This maintains the automated IVR structure while improving user awareness and reducing frustration, effectively decoupling path obscurity from user dissatisfaction
3Adaptability or versatility
If IVR menus are made longer with more options, then service comprehensiveness is improved, but user memory load and navigation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent allows users to perform preliminary review of the complete IVR structure through the visual map before actual navigation. Users can see all available options and understand the menu hierarchy in advance, reducing the cognitive load during actual navigation. This enables comprehensive service menus to be maintained while reducing perceived complexity through advance information provision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the IVR menu structure from an auditory/sequential dimension to a visual/spatial dimension through the map interface. The map displays the menu hierarchy and navigation paths in a visual layout that users can scan and comprehend more efficiently than through sequential audio prompts, reducing navigation complexity while maintaining service comprehensiveness
Data Source
AI summary
Interactive voice response mapping used in a transaction between a waiting party and a queuing party includes the queuing party having a queuing calling system (QCS), and communications with the QCS to extract navigational information from the QCS and generating an IVR map. An editor corrects mistakes and removes text that is not relevant to navigational information. Audio communications from the QCS is processed and converted to text or graphical representation. The audio communications from the QCS is compared with an existing IVR map to validate and/or modify the existing IVR map.