Patent ID: 8396715

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: identifying possible outcomes for at least one step in a speech application having a plurality of user configurable speech application parameters and assigning a cost for each possible outcome in terms of expected dialog turns, wherein identifying possible outcomes for the at least one step in the speech application comprises developing a cost matrix for the at least one step, wherein the cost matrix includes a probability and associated cost for each of the possible outcomes for the at least one step, the associated cost comprising a floating cost, the floating cost comprising a situation when a first dialog-turn is wasted requiring a user to initiate another dialog-turn, the floating cost comprising a large number when the user is rejected a first time, starts over, and there is a high possibility that the user will be rejected a next time, the floating cost comprising a small number when the user is rejected the first time, starts over, and there is a high possibility that the user will not be rejected the next time; accessing recognition results and corresponding confidence scores for the at least one step in the speech application; associating each recognition result and corresponding confidence score with one of the possible outcomes based on at least one application parameter from the plurality of user configurable speech application parameters configured by the user; calculating a cost for the at least one step based on the association of each recognition result and corresponding confidence score with one of the possible outcomes and the cost for each possible outcome; and adjusting, using a processor of the computer, the at least one parameter from the plurality of user configurable speech application parameters configured by the user to reduce the cost for the at least one step.