What is claimed is:
1. A system for performing independent verification, comprising:
a processor;
a question generating unit, connected to the processor, for posing questions to a customer through a communications medium;
a response analysis unit, connected to the processor, configured to analyze customer responses to questions; and
a recording unit configured to record customer responses to questions.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the question generating unit comprises a speech synthesis unit.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the question generating unit comprises an audio player for playing pre-recorded sounds.
4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a customer data interface for receiving customer-specific information, wherein the question generating unit is configured to generate at least one question based on customer-specific information received through the customer data interface.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to communicate with a customer over at least one communications medium selected from the group consisting of a telephone network, a local area computer network, a wide area computer network, a worldwide computer network, and a radio communications system.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the response analysis unit is configured to interpret DTMF tones.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the response analysis unit is configured to perform voice recognition to interpret oral responses.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is configured to simultaneously record a customer’s oral response and perform voice recognition on the oral response to interpret the oral response.
9. The system of claim 5, wherein a customer response is given by pressing one or more keys on a computer keyboard, and wherein the response analysis unit is configured to determine what keys are pressed.
10. The system of claim 5, wherein a customer response is given by activating one or more buttons of a computer graphical pointing device, and wherein the response analysis unit is configured interpret such responses.
11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an operator interface configured to allow an operator to review recorded customer responses.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operator interface allows an operator to input an operator score for a series of recorded customer responses.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the response analysis unit is configured to automatically generate an automated score for a series of customer responses.
14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a comparing unit for comparing an operator score of a series of customer responses to an automated score for the series of customer responses.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the comparing unit confirms an independent verification if an operator score for a series of customer responses matches an automated score for the series of customer responses.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the comparing unit flags a series of customer responses for further analysis if an operator score for the series of customer responses does not match an automated score for the series of customer responses.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein if the comparing unit flags a series of customer responses for further analysis, the response analysis unit re-analyzes the series of customer responses and generates a new automated score, and wherein the comparing unit is configured to compare the new automated score to an operator score for the series of customer responses.
18. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to retrieve a series of customer responses that were recorded by the recording unit based on customer-specific information.
19. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to re-create a series of questions posed to a customer, and the customer’s responses to those questions, based on information recorded by the recording unit.
20. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to generate a transcript of questions posed to a customer and the customer’s responses to those questions based, at least in part, on information stored by the recording unit.
21. A method of performing independent verification, comprising the steps of:
a) posing a question to a customer with an automated question generating unit;
b) recording the customer’s response to the question; and
c) analyzing the customer’s response to the question with a response analysis unit.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein step (c) is performed simultaneously with step (b).
23. The method of claim 21, wherein step (a) comprises generating a question with a voice synthesis unit.
24. The method of claim 21, wherein step (a) comprises generating a question by playing pre-recorded sounds.
25. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of receiving customer-specific information prior to performing step (a), and wherein step (a) comprises generating a question based on the received customer-specific information.
26. The method of claim 21, wherein step (c) comprises interpreting DTMF tones.
27. The method of claim 21, wherein step (c) comprises performing voice recognition to interpret a customer’s oral response to a question.
28. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of automatically generating an automated score of at least one customer response.
29. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:
playing at least one recorded customer response for a live operator; and
recording an operator score generated by the live operator based on the at least one recorded customer response.
30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of automatically generating and recording an automated score for at least one customer response.
31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the steps of:
comparing an operator score for at least one customer response to an automated score for the at least one customer response;
confirming the independent verification if the operator score corresponds with the automated score; and
flagging the at least one customer response if the operator score does not correspond with the automated score.
32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the steps of:
re-analyzing and automatically generating and recording a new automated score for any flagged customer responses; and
comparing an operator score for any flagged customer responses to the new automated score.
33. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:
d) determining whether to pose an additional question to the customer; and
e) repeating steps (a)-(d) if the result of step (d) is to pose an additional question.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein the determination made in step (d) is based, in part, on an analysis of a previous customer response.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An automated apparatus for treating microscope slides, comprising:
a slide support assembly comprising a plurality of slide support elements, each of which is sized to support a microscope slide thereon, and wherein each slide support element is movable horizontally independently of each other slide support element and wherein said horizontal movement is in a single back and forth direction; and
a treatment chamber able to contain microscope slides disposed on the slide support elements of the slide support assembly; and
wherein each slide support element has a separate heating element corresponding thereto and wherein each heating element of the plurality of slide support elements is separately controllable by a microprocessor.
2. The automated apparatus of claim 1 wherein the horizontal movement of the slide support element is a sliding movement.
3. An automated apparatus for treating microscope slides, comprising:
a slide support assembly comprising a plurality of slide support elements, each of which is sized to support a single microscope slide thereon, and wherein each slide support element is movable horizontally independently of each other slide support element and wherein said horizontal movement is in a single back and forth direction; and
a treatment chamber able to contain microscope slides disposed on the slide support elements of the slide support assembly; and
wherein each slide support element has a separate heating element incorporated therein and which is movable therewith and wherein each heating element of the plurality of slide support elements is separately controllable by a microprocessor.
4. The automated apparatus of claim 3 wherein the horizontal movement of the slide support element is a sliding movement.
5. An automated apparatus for treating microscope slides, comprising:
a slide support assembly comprising a plurality of slide support elements, each of which is sized to support a microscope slide thereon, and wherein each slide support element is movable horizontally independently of each other slide support element and wherein said horizontal movement is in a single back and forth direction; and
a plurality of reagent dispensers; and
wherein each slide support element has a separate heating element corresponding thereto and wherein each heating element of the plurality of slide support elements is separately controllable by a microprocessor.
6. The automated apparatus of claim 5 wherein the horizontal movement of the slide support element is a sliding movement.
7. The automated apparatus of claim 5 wherein the reagent dispensers of the apparatus are positioned above the slide support elements.
8. An automated apparatus for treating microscope slides, comprising:
a slide support assembly comprising a plurality of slide support elements, each of which is sized to support a single microscope slide thereon, and wherein each slide support element is movable horizontally independently of each other slide support element and wherein said horizontal movement is in a single back and forth direction; and
a plurality of reagent dispensers; and
wherein each slide support element has a separate heating element incorporated therein and which is movable therewith and wherein each heating element of the plurality of slide support elements is separately controllable by a microprocessor.
9. The automated apparatus of claim 8 wherein the horizontal movement of the slide support element is a sliding movement.
10. The automated apparatus of claim 8 wherein the reagent dispensers of the apparatus are positioned above the slide support elements.