JP2018170664A - Information processing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing device and a program are provided. A connection request unit for requesting a connection with an operator terminal to an automatic voice response device; a request reception unit for receiving an information provision request from the operator terminal after being connected to the operator terminal; and an automatic response unit that automatically responds to provide user information about the user to the operator terminal in response to the request. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many public institutions and companies have provided call centers for centrally processing calls received from users. The call center is provided with an automatic voice response device having an automatic voice response, a so-called IVR (Interactive Voice Response) function, and an automatic voice response is generally performed. For example, a call from a user is received by one telephone number, answered by an automatic voice response device, a call item is selected by a user operation, and an operator corresponding to the call item is connected. Has been done.

  Performing operations according to the voice guidance of such an automatic voice response apparatus may be burdensome for the user. Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, a user inputs a call request while confirming on the screen in advance, and in response to the user input, the callback management device inputs to the automatic voice response device (for call) Describes the technology to reduce the burden on the user by acting on behalf of

JP 2009-10478 A

  By the way, when a user makes an inquiry or the like to a call center, the operator often requests provision of various information (for example, personal information of the user) after being connected to the operator. Although there is a case where it is a burden on the user to transmit such information to the operator even though he / she wants to immediately talk to the operator regarding the call matter.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved information processing that can further reduce the burden on a user who uses a call center. An apparatus and a program are provided.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, a connection request unit that requests connection to an operator terminal from an automatic voice response device, and information is provided from the operator terminal after being connected to the operator terminal An information processing apparatus is provided that includes a request reception unit that receives a request and an automatic response unit that provides user information related to a user to the operator terminal by an automatic response in response to the information provision request.

  The request accepting unit may further accept a conversation request for requesting a conversation with the user from the operator terminal.

  The request reception unit may notify the user that the conversation is possible when the conversation request is received.

  The automatic response unit may provide the user information by a providing method according to the information providing request.

  The connection request unit may transmit a signal corresponding to a call request with an operator.

  The information processing apparatus may further include a display unit that displays a message selection screen for selecting the call message.

  The message selection screen may be a screen that displays a list of the call messages that can be accepted by the automatic voice response apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a function of requesting a computer to connect an operator terminal to an automatic voice response device, and after being connected to the operator terminal, the operator A program for realizing a function of receiving an information provision request from a terminal and a function of automatically providing user information related to a user to the operator terminal in response to the information provision request is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the burden on the user who uses the call center.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the information processing system 9 by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the user terminal 1 which concerns on the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the user information input screen G10 for inputting the user information regarding a user. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the call center selection screen G20 for selecting a call center, and the message selection screen G30 for selecting the call item. It is a table | surface which shows the hierarchical selection tree for making it select the call matter in the IVR function which the audio | voice automatic response apparatus 3 provides. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management server 2 which concerns on the embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the information regarding the IVR function which the audio | voice automatic response apparatus 3 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 250 which concerns on the embodiment provides. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the information regarding the IVR function which the audio | voice automatic response apparatus 3 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 250 which concerns on the embodiment provides. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the user information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 250 which concerns on the embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows a response | compatibility with the call center and IVR-ID which concern on the embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the information regarding the IVR function which the user terminal 1 extracted by the information extraction part 221 which concerns on the embodiment provides to the operator terminal 4. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of the information processing system 9 which concerns on the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the information processing system 9-2 which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the user terminal 1-2 which concerns on the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management server 2-2 which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of the information processing system 9-2 which concerns on the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the hardware structural example.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

  In the present specification and drawings, a plurality of components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different alphabets after the same reference numeral. For example, a plurality of configurations having substantially the same functional configuration are differentiated as necessary, such as a user terminal 1A and a user terminal 1B. However, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish each of a plurality of constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numerals are given. For example, when there is no need to distinguish between the user terminal 1A and the user terminal 1B, they are simply referred to as the user terminal 1.

<< 1. First Embodiment >>
<1-1. Background>
First, before describing the first embodiment of the present invention, the background that led to the creation of this embodiment will be described.

  Conventionally, a call center is provided with an automatic voice response device having an automatic voice response function (hereinafter also referred to as an IVR function or simply IVR), and an automatic voice response is performed. For example, a call from a user is received by one telephone number, and after first automatically responding by IVR, a connection is made to an operator corresponding to the call item selected by the user.

  The user selects a call item (inquiry content, etc.) by performing a button operation, for example, according to voice guidance by IVR. However, the user may forget the input operation or make an operation error after listening to the voice guidance. Further, when an operation error occurs, it is necessary to listen to the voice guidance again and perform the operation, which is a heavy burden on the user. Furthermore, if the voice guidance that is automatically played back is an unnecessary explanation or an explanation that has already been heard, the voice guidance may be a psychological burden on the user.

  In order to reduce the burden on the user as described above, as in Patent Document 1, the user inputs in advance while confirming on the screen about the call request, and inputs to the IVR according to the user's input. A technique in which a callback management device is substituted is considered.

  By the way, when a user makes an inquiry or the like to a call center, the operator often requests provision of various information (for example, personal information of the user) after being connected to the operator. Although there is a case where it is a burden on the user to transmit such information to the operator even though he / she wants to immediately talk to the operator regarding the call matter.

  Since the technique described in Patent Document 1 is a technique that substitutes input to the IVR, after a call item is selected and connected to an operator, a call between the user and the operator is performed as usual. Is called. Therefore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 cannot reduce the burden on the user related to transmitting information to the operator as described above.

  Moreover, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, after the callback management device completes the substitution of the input to the IVR and is connected to the operator, in order to execute the calling (call) processing to the user terminal, It is necessary to acquire connection establishment with an operator terminal as an event. For this reason, in order to use the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to modify an existing CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) system or the like on the call center side. Furthermore, since each call center needs to be repaired, it is difficult to increase the number of call centers that can be applied with the technique described in Patent Document 1.

  Furthermore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the hierarchical selection tree in IVR and the screen transition of the input screen are the same, but the selection tree in IVR is designed assuming selection using the screen. However, there was a risk that it would be redundant and difficult to understand.

  Therefore, the present inventor has come up with an embodiment of the present invention by focusing on the above circumstances. An information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention can further reduce the burden on a user who uses a call center by automatically responding to an information provision request from an operator. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the user can grasp an event that allows the user and the operator to talk, it is possible to increase the number of call centers that can be applied more easily without requiring any modification on the call center side. Is possible. Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, since a screen transition different from the selection tree in the IVR can be designed, a simpler or more understandable screen can be provided to the user. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation for realizing the above-described effects in the embodiment of the present invention will be sequentially described.

<1-2. Configuration>
In the following, first, the overall configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described, and then the configuration of the user terminal and the management server included in the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail. explain.

(Configuration of information processing system)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 9 includes a user terminal 1, a management server 2, an automatic voice response device 3, an operator terminal 4, a communication network 5, and a communication network 7.

  The user terminal 1 is a terminal that the user has, and may be various information processing apparatuses such as a smartphone, a PC (Personal Computer), and a tablet PC. The user terminal 1 according to the present embodiment acquires setting information for automatically communicating with the automatic voice response device 3 and the operator terminal 4 from the management server 2 via the communication network 5.

  In addition, the user terminal 1 according to the present embodiment is connected to the voice automatic response device 3 via the communication network 7 and performs voice communication with the voice automatic response device 3 or the operator terminal 4. The voice communication performed by the user terminal 1 includes not only a telephone call by the user but also automatic voice signal transmission by the user terminal 1 and an automatic response. For example, the user terminal 1 generates and transmits an audio signal to be input to the automatic voice response device 3. Further, the user terminal 1 provides an IVR function in communication with the operator terminal 4 and automatically responds to the operator by voice.

  In FIG. 1, three user terminals 1 </ b> A to 1 </ b> C are shown as user terminals 1, but the number of user terminals 1 is not limited to this example. For example, there may be as many user terminals 1 as the number of users. The detailed configuration of the user terminal 1 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The management server 2 according to the present embodiment provides setting information for the user terminal 1 to automatically communicate with the automatic voice response device 3 and the operator terminal 4 to the user terminal 1 via the communication network 5. . The detailed configuration of the management server 2 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The automatic voice response device 3 has a so-called IVR function, selects a responsible operator in accordance with a voice signal received from an external device via the communication network 7, and connects a line to the operator terminal 4 corresponding to the selected responsible operator. To do. For example, the automatic voice response device 3 connects the user terminal 1 and the operator terminal 4 corresponding to the selected operator in response to a connection request from the user terminal 1. In FIG. 1, three automatic voice response devices 3 </ b> A to 3 </ b> C are shown as the automatic voice response device 3, but the number of automatic voice response devices 3 is not limited to this example. May be.

  The operator terminal 4 is a communication terminal for an operator to make a call with a user, and is connected to the automatic voice response device 3. The operator terminal 4 may be a telephone, for example, or a PC to which a headset or the like is connected. The operator terminals 4 are connected to the communication network 7 via the corresponding automatic voice response devices 3. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which three operator terminals 4 are connected to one voice automatic response device 3, the number of operator terminals 4 connected to one voice automatic response device 3 is shown. However, the number of operators in the call center corresponding to each voice automatic response device 3 may exist.

  The communication network 5 is a wired or wireless transmission path for information transmitted from a device or system connected to the communication network 5. For example, the communication network 5 may include a public line network such as the Internet, a telephone line network, a satellite communication network, various LANs (Local Area Network) including Ethernet (registered trademark), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like. . The communication network 5 may include a dedicated line network such as an IP-VPN (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Network).

  The communication network 7 is a wired or wireless transmission path for information transmitted from an apparatus or system connected to the communication network 7. The communication network 7 according to the present embodiment enables at least voice signal communication. For example, the communication network 7 may include a telephone line network, a mobile phone network, a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network, and the like.

  Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the communication network 5 and the communication network 7 are separate communication networks, the communication network 5 and the communication network 7 may be connected to form an integrated communication network. .

  The overall configuration of the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment has been described above. According to the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment, the user terminal 1 automatically transmits a voice signal to be input to the IVR function of the voice automatic response device 3 based on the information provided from the management server 2. To do. Further, after the operator in charge is selected and the user terminal 1 and the operator terminal 4 are connected, the user terminal 1 provides an IVR function and automatically responds by voice to an information provision request from the operator. I do. With this configuration, the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment can further reduce the burden on the user who uses the call center.

  Below, the structure of the user terminal 1 and the management server 2 for implement | achieving said function is demonstrated in detail.

(User terminal configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the user terminal 1 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the user terminal 1 is an information processing apparatus including a communication unit 110, a control unit 120, a storage unit 150, a display unit 160, and an operation unit 170.

  The communication unit 110 is a communication interface that mediates communication between the user terminal 1 and other devices. The communication unit 110 supports an arbitrary wireless communication protocol or wired communication protocol. For example, the communication unit 110 communicates with other devices via the communication network 5 and the communication network 7 described with reference to FIG. Establish. The communication unit 110 transmits and receives information according to the control of the control unit 120.

  The control unit 120 controls each configuration of the user terminal 1. For example, the control unit 120 controls the communication unit 110 to acquire various types of information by receiving them from other devices, or to transmit various types of information to other devices. In addition, the control unit 120 controls display on the display unit 160 and causes the display unit 160 to display various screens.

  The control unit 120 according to the present embodiment also functions as an information acquisition request unit 121, a connection request unit 123, a request reception unit 125, and an automatic response unit 127, as illustrated in FIG.

  The information acquisition request unit 121 makes an acquisition request for acquiring setting information for automatically communicating with the voice automatic response device 3 and the operator terminal 4 from the management server 2. For example, the information acquisition request unit 121 may cause the management server 2 to transmit an information acquisition request. The setting information includes, for example, user information regarding the user, information regarding the IVR function provided by each voice automatic response device 3, and information regarding the IVR function provided by the user terminal 1 to the operator terminal 4.

  Further, the information acquisition request unit 121 may cause the management server 2 to transmit an information acquisition request so as to acquire information according to the user's operation via the operation unit 170 from the management server 2. For example, selection information corresponding to the user's operation may be transmitted as an information acquisition request. The information acquisition request unit 121 displays a selection screen such as a call center selection screen for selecting a call center and a message selection screen for selecting a call item on the display unit 160, and responds to a user operation. The selected information may be acquired. The screen displayed on the display unit 160 by the information acquisition request unit 121 may be, for example, a screen received from the management server 2 by the communication unit 110 or generated based on information received from the management server 2. It may be a screen. An example of information acquired from the management server 2 when the information acquisition request unit 121 makes an acquisition request and an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 160 will be described later.

  The connection request unit 123 requests the automatic voice response device 3 to connect to the operator terminal 4. Note that the connection request unit 123 includes a voice automatic corresponding to a call center according to information acquired from the management server 2 and a user operation input via the operation unit 170 among the plurality of voice automatic response devices 3. The response device 3 may be requested to connect with the operator terminal 4.

  For example, on the call center selection screen received via the communication unit 110 and displayed on the display unit 160, the user's operation may be input via the operation unit 170 to specify the call center. For example, the connection request unit 123 makes a call to the automatic voice response apparatus 3 corresponding to the specified call center, using the telephone number stored in the storage unit 150 in advance.

  Further, the connection request unit 123 generates a signal corresponding to the call request so that an appropriate operator in accordance with the call request with the operator is selected by the voice automatic response device 3, and the signal is voiced. You may make it transmit to the automatic response apparatus 3. FIG.

  The call request may be specified based on, for example, information acquired from the management server 2 and a user operation input via the operation unit 170. For example, even if a user's operation is input via the operation unit 170 on the message selection screen received via the communication unit 110 and displayed on the display unit 160, a call request with the operator is specified. Good.

  For example, the signal corresponding to the call request generated by the connection request unit 123 is a signal that can be accepted in the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response device 3, and for example, a voice indicating a number such as 0 to 9 or a symbol such as # The signal may be a DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) signal. The connection request unit 123 according to the present embodiment may generate a DTMF signal based on the call requirement and the setting information received from the management server 2.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically make a connection request so that an appropriate operator can be selected using the existing IVR function provided in the call center without requiring any modification on the call center side. .

  Further, the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response apparatus 3 generally has a hierarchical structure, and it may be necessary to transmit a DTMF signal a plurality of times in order to select a call item. Therefore, the connection request unit 123 may generate a plurality of DTMF signals and transmit the DTMF signals a plurality of times for one call request. The number of times the connection request unit 123 transmits the DTMF signal and the order of the DTMF signals to be transmitted can be specified based on the setting information, for example.

  Hereinafter, the flow of one or a plurality of DTMF signals transmitted by the connection request unit 123 may be referred to as a DTMF flow. In this specification, the DTMF flow is expressed as “1,2”, for example, and the DTMF flow “1,2” causes a DTMF signal indicating 1 to be transmitted and then a DTMF signal indicating 2 to be transmitted. Means that. Note that information on the DTMF flow corresponding to the call request may be received from the management server 2.

  Note that the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response device 3 may provide voice guidance before accepting a DTMF signal. Therefore, when the connection request unit 123 transmits the DTMF signal a plurality of times, the connection request unit 123 may provide a waiting time (wait time) between the transmissions of the DTMF signals. The waiting time can be specified based on, for example, a call request and setting information.

  In addition, depending on the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response device 3, a conversation with the operator is unnecessary, and an automatic response regarding a call item may be performed by the IVR function. In such a case, after sending the DTMF signal, the connection request unit 123 generates a conversationable event, and notifies the user that the conversation is possible (the automatic response regarding the call item is performed by the IVR function). You may let them. Information indicating whether or not a conversation with the operator is necessary may be included in the setting information.

  The request reception unit 125 and the automatic response unit 127 provide the IVR function to the operator terminal 1 after the user terminal 1 is connected to the operator terminal 4 included in the operator corresponding to the call request.

  The request receiving unit 125 receives an information provision request from the operator terminal 4 after the user terminal 1 is connected to the operator terminal 4. For example, the request reception unit 125 may receive a DTMF signal from the operator terminal 4 as an information provision request via the communication unit 110. The request receiving unit 125 may provide the automatic response unit 127 with the processing content corresponding to the DTMF signal received from the operator terminal 4.

  Further, the request receiving unit 125 may receive a conversation request (for example, a DTMF signal) for requesting a conversation with the user from the operator terminal 4. For example, when receiving a conversation request, the request reception unit 125 may generate a conversationable event to notify the user that conversation is possible. For example, the request reception unit 125 may notify the user that the conversation is possible by causing the display unit 160 to display a conversation possibility notification screen indicating that the conversation is possible. The request receiving unit 125 outputs a notification sound indicating that the user can talk with a speaker (not shown) together with the display of the conversation possible notification screen or instead of the conversation possible notification screen. The user may be notified that conversation is possible.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to notify the user that a conversation with the operator is possible without requiring any modification on the call center side.

  Note that, after the user is notified that the conversation is possible, the user performs a predetermined operation via the operation unit 170, for example, so that a call between the user and the operator is started.

  Further, the request receiving unit 125 may cause the operator terminal 4 to transmit voice guidance related to the IVR function. The voice guidance may be a voice signal recorded or generated in advance and stored in the storage unit 150, or may be a synthesized voice signal generated by the request reception unit 125 using a voice synthesis technique.

  The automatic response unit 127 provides user information related to the user by an automatic response in response to an information provision request (for example, a DTMF signal) received by the request reception unit 125. For example, the automatic response unit 127 may provide user information based on setting information provided from the management server 2.

  For example, the automatic response unit 127 may provide user information by transmitting a synthesized voice signal generated by a voice synthesis technique. An operator having the operator terminal 4 can acquire (obtain) user information by listening to the synthesized voice.

  Moreover, the automatic response part 127 may provide user information by transmitting a DTMF signal. In a call center, information that can be acquired only with numbers and symbols such as a PIN number and a package tracking number may be acquired by a DTMF signal. In such a case, the automatic response unit 127 outputs a DTMF signal. User information is provided by generating and sending. Note that the automatic response unit 127 may provide a standby time before transmitting the DTMF signal.

  Note that the automatic response unit 127 uses the providing method (for example, transmission of a synthesized voice signal or transmission of a DTMF signal) according to the information provision request received by the request reception unit 125, so that the user information ( For example, name, telephone number, etc.) may be provided.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically provide user information, and the burden on the user is further reduced.

  The function of the control unit 120 has been described above, but the function of the control unit 120 illustrated in FIG. 2 is an example and is not limited to the example. For example, the control unit 120 may have various functions for causing the user terminal 1 to function as a telephone. Also, some of the functions of the control unit 120 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be provided in another device (for example, the management server 2). Such an example will be described later as a second embodiment.

  The storage unit 150 stores programs and data used for the operation of the user terminal 1. The storage unit 150 may store information received from the management server 2 by the communication unit 110. In addition, although the example which receives user information from the management server 2 is described above, the user information may be stored in the storage unit 150 in advance.

  The display unit 160 performs display under the control of the control unit 120. As described above, the screen displayed by the display unit 160 may be, for example, a screen received from the management server 2 by the communication unit 110 or a screen generated based on information received from the management server 2. It may be. Hereinafter, examples of screens displayed by the display unit 160 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a user information input screen G10 for inputting user information regarding the user. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user information input screen G10 includes a name input field G11, a telephone number input field G12, a personal identification number input field G13, and a model name input field G14. The user information may be input in advance by using the user information input screen G10 shown in FIG. 3, for example, at the time of user registration.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a call center selection screen G20 for selecting a call center and a message selection screen G30 for selecting a call message. The call center selection screen G20 includes options G21 and G22 indicating a plurality of call centers that can be selected.

  When a call center is selected by a user operation on the call center selection screen G20, the display unit 160 displays a message selection screen G30. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, an example of screen transition in which the option G21 is selected is illustrated.

  The message selection screen G30 includes selectable call messages G31 to G37. Here, the message selection screen G30 may be a screen that displays a list of calls that can be accepted by the automatic voice response device 3, as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a table showing a hierarchical selection tree for selecting a call item in the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response apparatus 3.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response device 3, first, in accordance with the button selected in the first hierarchy, the contents (call matters) and contents that can be selected in the second hierarchy are handled. Voice guidance of buttons is performed. Here, if a message selection screen that causes the same screen transition as that of the selection tree is displayed, the user needs to perform an operation for selection twice before selecting a call message. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the message selection screen G30 for displaying a list of calls that can be accepted by the automatic voice response apparatus 3 is displayed, which is simpler and easier for the user to understand. It is possible to select a call item by the operation of, and the burden on the user is further reduced.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, only the second hierarchy is shown, but the number of IVR functions provided by the automatic voice response device 3 is not particularly limited. Therefore, the larger the number of hierarchies, the more efficient the message selection screen for displaying a list of call messages.

  The operation unit 170 receives a user operation and inputs it to the control unit 120. The operation unit 170 may be realized by a mouse, a keyboard, or the like, or may be realized by a touch panel display integrated with the display unit 160 or the like.

(Management server configuration)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management server 2 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the management server 2 is an information processing apparatus that includes a communication unit 210, a control unit 220, and a storage unit 250.

  The communication unit 210 is a communication interface that mediates communication between the management server 2 and other devices. The communication unit 210 supports an arbitrary wireless communication protocol or wired communication protocol, and establishes a communication connection with another device, for example, via the communication network 5 described with reference to FIG. 1 or directly. The communication unit 210 transmits and receives information according to the control of the control unit 220.

  The control unit 220 controls each configuration of the management server 2. For example, the control unit 220 controls the communication unit 210 to acquire various types of information by receiving them from other devices, or to transmit various types of information to other devices. For example, the control unit 220 may cause the user terminal 1 to transmit various screens such as a call center selection screen for selecting a call center and a message selection screen for selecting a call item.

  The control unit 220 also functions as an information extraction unit 221 as shown in FIG. The information extraction unit 221 receives setting information for the user terminal 1 to automatically exchange with the automatic voice response device 3 and the operator terminal 4 in response to the information acquisition request received from the user terminal 1 by the communication unit 210. Extracted from the storage unit 250. As described above, the setting information according to the present embodiment includes, for example, user information related to the user, information related to the IVR function provided by each voice automatic response device 3, and the user terminal 1 provided to the operator terminal 4. Information on the IVR function to be included. Further, as described above, the information acquisition request may include selection information corresponding to the user's operation.

  For example, the information extraction unit 221 may extract, as setting information, information related to the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response device 3 according to selection information related to selection of a call center and selection information related to selection of a call item. Good.

  For example, the information extraction unit 221 displays the DTMF flow and information indicating necessity of conversation with the operator according to the selection information related to the selection of the call center and the selection information related to the selection of the call item. May be extracted as information related to the IVR function provided by. FIG. 7 is a table showing an example of information related to the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response apparatus 3 stored in the storage unit 250.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the storage unit 250 stores the call center and business, the DTMF flow, and information indicating whether or not conversation with the operator is associated with each other. Each information can be extracted with reference to the table.

  As described above, when a plurality of DTMF signals are transmitted, it is desirable to provide a waiting time between the transmissions of the DTMF signals. Therefore, the information extraction unit 221 may extract the waiting time for each option in the IVR function provided by the voice automatic response device 3 from the storage unit 250 as information on the IVR function provided by the voice automatic response device 3. FIG. 8 is a table showing an example of standby time for each option in the IVR function provided by the voice automatic response device 3 corresponding to the call center stored in the storage unit 250.

  Further, the information extraction unit 221 extracts user information necessary for automatic response performed by the automatic response unit 127 of the user terminal 1 as setting information in accordance with selection information related to selection of the call center.

  FIG. 9 is a table showing an example of user information stored in the storage unit 250. As shown in FIG. 9, the user information may include common information that does not depend on the call center (information corresponding to item IDs 1 to 4) and information corresponding to the call center (information corresponding to item IDs 5 to 8). .

  Note that an identifier (IVR-ID) related to the IVR function provided by the user terminal 1 may be associated with the call center and stored in the storage unit 250. FIG. 10 is a table showing the correspondence between call centers and IVR-IDs. The information extraction unit 221 may extract information corresponding to the item ID corresponding to the IVR-ID specified based on the selection information with reference to the table shown in FIG. Note that the association between the IVR-ID and the information corresponding to the item ID can be performed by various known techniques, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  For example, when option G21 indicating “AA communication support center” is selected on the call center selection screen described with reference to FIG. 4, information corresponding to item IDs 1 to 7 is extracted as user information necessary for automatic response. Is done. Since the user information necessary for the automatic response performed by the automatic response unit 127 is information that the call center operator may request, the information extraction unit 221 performs extraction according to the selected call center as described above. Do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the storage unit 250 stores user information regarding a plurality of users. Therefore, the information extraction unit 221 specifies the user corresponding to the user terminal 1 using the user ID (identifier for identifying the user) shown in FIG. May be extracted. Note that the user ID of the user corresponding to the user terminal 1 may be acquired by a login operation or the like by the user using the user ID.

  Moreover, the information extraction part 221 may extract the information regarding the IVR function which the user terminal 1 provides to the operator terminal 4 as setting information according to the selection information concerning selection of a call center. FIG. 11 is a table showing an example of information related to the IVR function provided to the operator terminal 4 by the user terminal 1 extracted by the information extraction unit 221. The information extraction unit 221 may extract information associated with the IVR-ID from the storage unit 250 using the IVR-ID described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows information associated with IVR-ID = 1. In the example shown in FIG. 11, buttons 1 to 5 correspond to information provision requests, and button 0 corresponds to a conversation request.

  The setting information extracted by the information extraction unit 221 is transmitted to the user terminal 1 via the communication unit 210.

  The storage unit 250 stores programs and data used for the operation of the management server 2. For example, the storage unit 250 stores the information described with reference to FIGS.

<1-3. Operation>
FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, first, login processing from the user terminal 1 to the management server 2 is performed (S104).

  Subsequently, a call center selection screen for selecting a call center is transmitted from the management server 2 to the user terminal 1 (S108). Further, a call center selection screen is displayed on the user terminal 1, a selection operation is performed by the user (S112), and selection information related to the selection of the call center is transmitted to the management server 2 (S116).

  Subsequently, a message selection screen for selecting a call message is transmitted from the management server 2 to the user terminal 1 (S120). Further, a message selection screen is displayed on the user terminal 1, a selection operation is performed by the user (S124), and selection information related to selection of a call message is transmitted to the management server 2 (S128).

  Subsequently, the setting information is extracted by the information extraction unit 221 of the management server 2 and transmitted from the management server 2 to the user terminal 1 (S132). The connection request unit 123 of the user terminal 1 calls the automatic voice response device 3 corresponding to the call center selected in step S112 (S136), and the called automatic voice response device 3 responds to the call ( S140).

  Subsequently, the connection request unit 123 of the user terminal 1 generates a DTMF signal corresponding to the call requirement so that the operator in charge corresponding to the call requirement is selected (S144), and the DTMF signal is automatically voiced. The data is transmitted to the response device 3 (S148). The automatic voice response device 3 performs IVR processing according to the DTMF signal received from the user terminal 1 (S152). Note that the transmission of the DTMF signal may be performed a plurality of times.

  When the operator in charge is selected by the IVR process in step S152, the automatic voice response apparatus 3 switches the line established with the user terminal 1 to the operator terminal 4 corresponding to the operator in charge (S156). . By this switching, the connection between the user terminal 1 and the operator terminal 4 is established (S160).

  Subsequently, the IVR process for the operator terminal 4 is performed by the request receiving unit 125 and the automatic response unit 127 of the user terminal 1 (S164). In the example shown in FIG. 12, the request receiving unit 125 first transmits a voice signal related to voice guidance to the operator terminal 4 (S168). The voice guidance may be, for example, “1 if you want to hear the name of the user, 2 if you want to know your date of birth, and 3 if you want to know your PIN”. The operator inputs according to the voice guidance, and a DTMF signal corresponding to the operator's input is transmitted from the operator terminal 4 to the user terminal 1 (S172). Further, in response to the DTMF signal received from the operator terminal 4, the automatic response unit 127 of the user terminal 1 provides user information by an automatic response (S174). The provision of user information may be performed by transmission of a synthesized speech signal as described above, or may be performed by transmission of a DTMF signal.

  When the user terminal 1 receives a DTMF signal indicating a conversation request for requesting a conversation with the user from the operator terminal 4 (S176), the IVR process ends, and the request reception unit 125 of the user terminal 1 A possible event is generated (S180). Then, a ringing tone is transmitted from the user terminal 1 to the operator terminal 4 (S184). In addition, the request reception unit 125 notifies the user that the conversation is possible by outputting a conversation possible notification screen or a notification sound (S188).

  When the user who is notified that conversation is possible performs a predetermined operation, a call between the user and the operator is started (S192).

  The operation illustrated in FIG. 12 is an example, and the operation of the present embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, as described above, when the conversation with the operator is unnecessary and the automatic response regarding the call item is performed by the IVR function, the processes of steps S156 to S176 and S180 are skipped, and the process of step S188 is performed. Later, a call between the user terminal 1 and the automatic voice response device 3 may be started.

  In the above description, an example in which a call center selection screen or a business item selection screen is transmitted from the management server 2 to the user terminal 1 has been described. However, the present technology is not limited to this example, and information for generating each screen May be transmitted from the management server 2 to the user terminal 1, and each screen may be generated by the user terminal 1.

<1-4. Effect>
The configuration and operation of this embodiment have been described above. According to the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the burden on the user who uses the call center by automatically responding to the information provision request from the operator. Further, in the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment, since the user can grasp the event that allows the user and the operator to talk, the call center that can be applied more easily without requiring any modification on the call center side. Can be increased. Furthermore, in the information processing system 9 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to design a screen transition that is different from the selection tree in the IVR function provided by the automatic voice response device 3, so that a simpler and easier-to-understand screen can be provided to the user. Can be provided.

<< 2. Second Embodiment >>
The first embodiment according to the present invention has been described above. In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the user terminal automatically communicates with the voice automatic response device 3 and the operator terminal 4 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. Hereinafter, an example in which the management server automatically communicates with the voice automatic response device 3 and the operator terminal 4 will be described as a second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, portions similar to those of the first embodiment are omitted as appropriate, and differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

<2-1. Configuration>
(Configuration of information processing system)
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information processing system 9-2 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the information processing system 9-2 according to the present embodiment is compared with the information processing system 9 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. It differs in that the configuration of 2-2 and the management server 2-2 are connected to the communication network 7. Therefore, in the following, differences between the configuration of the user terminal 1-2 and the management server 2-2 from the configuration of the user terminal 1 and the management server 2 illustrated in FIG.

(User terminal configuration)
FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the user terminal 1-2 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the user terminal 1-2 is an information processing apparatus including a communication unit 110, a control unit 130, a storage unit 150, a display unit 160, and an operation unit 170. The configurations of the communication unit 110, the storage unit 150, the display unit 160, and the operation unit 170 are the same as the configurations of the communication unit 110, the storage unit 150, the display unit 160, and the operation unit 170 described with reference to FIG. Therefore, the description is omitted.

  The control unit 130 according to the present embodiment has various functions for causing the user terminal 1-2 to function as a telephone. In addition, the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment displays various screens similarly to the control unit 120 according to the first embodiment, and sends selection information based on user operations on each screen to the management server 2-2. Send it. In addition, the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment starts a call with the operator terminal 4 in response to a call from the management server 2-2.

After transmitting the selection information to the management server 2-2, the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment does not particularly need to perform communication or processing until it is called from the management server 2-2. The user can also use the user terminal 1-2 for other purposes, for example, until the user terminal 1-2 is called after performing an operation of selecting a call center and a call item. is there.

(Management server configuration)
FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management server 2-2 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the management server 2-2 is an information processing apparatus including a communication unit 210, a control unit 230, and a storage unit 250. Note that the configurations of the communication unit 210 and the storage unit 250 are the same as the configurations of the communication unit 210 and the storage unit 250 described with reference to FIG.

  The control unit 230 according to the present embodiment controls each configuration of the management server 2-2. For example, the control unit 230 controls the communication unit 210 to acquire various types of information by receiving them from other devices, or to transmit various types of information to other devices. For example, the control unit 230 displays various screens such as a call center selection screen for selecting a call center and a message selection screen for selecting a call item in the same manner as the control unit 230 according to the first embodiment. You may make it transmit to the terminal 1.

  Further, the control unit 230 according to the present embodiment also functions as an information extraction unit 231, a connection request unit 233, a request reception unit 235, and an automatic response unit 237 as illustrated in FIG.

  The function of the information extraction unit 231 is basically the same as the function of the information extraction unit 221 according to the first embodiment. However, the setting information extracted by the information extraction unit 231 may not be transmitted to the user terminal 1-2 and is provided to the connection request unit 233, the request reception unit 235, and the automatic response unit 237.

  The functions of the connection request unit 233 and the automatic response unit 237 are the same as the connection request unit 123 and the automatic response unit according to the first embodiment except that the setting information is provided from the information extraction unit 231 in the same device. This is the same as the function 127.

  The function of the request accepting unit 235 is that the request accepting according to the first embodiment is different in that the setting information is provided from the information extracting unit 231 in the same device and the operation when accepting the conversation request is different. Different from the function of the part 125. When receiving a conversation request from the operator terminal 4, the request reception unit 235 generates a conversationable event and calls the user terminal 1-2 to notify the user that conversation is possible. In addition, when the user terminal 1-2 responds to the call, the voice relay related to the call between the management server 2-2, the user terminal 1-2, and the operator terminal 4 is performed.

<2-2. Operation>
FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the information processing system 9-2 according to the present embodiment. The processes in steps S204 to S228 shown in FIG. 16 are the same as the processes in steps S104 to S128 described with reference to FIG.

  Subsequently, setting information is extracted by the information extraction unit 231 of the management server 2-2 (S232). The connection request unit 233 of the management server 2-2 calls the voice automatic response device 3 corresponding to the call center selected in step S212 (S236), and the called voice automatic response device 3 responds to the call. (S240).

  Subsequently, the connection request unit 233 of the management server 2-2 generates a DTMF signal corresponding to the call request so that a responsible operator corresponding to the call request is selected (S244), and the DTMF signal is voiced. It is transmitted to the automatic response device 3 (S248). The automatic voice response device 3 performs IVR processing according to the DTMF signal received from the management server 2-2 (S252). Note that the transmission of the DTMF signal may be performed a plurality of times.

  When the operator in charge is selected by the IVR process in step S252, the voice automatic response device 3 switches the line established with the management server 2-2 to the operator terminal 4 corresponding to the operator in charge (S256). ). By this switching, the connection between the management server 2-2 and the operator terminal 4 is established (S260).

  Subsequently, the IVR process for the operator terminal 4 is performed by the request receiving unit 235 and the automatic response unit 237 of the management server 2-2 (S264). In the example shown in FIG. 16, the request receiving unit 235 first transmits a voice signal related to voice guidance to the operator terminal 4 (S268). The operator inputs according to the voice guidance, and a DTMF signal corresponding to the operator's input is transmitted from the operator terminal 4 to the management server 2-2 (S272). Further, in response to the DTMF signal received from the operator terminal 4, the automatic response unit 237 of the management server 2-2 provides user information through an automatic response (S274).

  When the management server 2-2 receives a DTMF signal indicating a conversation request for a conversation with a user from the operator terminal 4 (S276), the IVR process is terminated, and the request reception unit 235 of the management server 2-2 A conversationable event is generated (S280). Then, a ringing tone is transmitted from the management server 2-2 to the operator terminal 4 (S284). In addition, the request reception unit 235 calls the user terminal 1-2 to notify the user that the conversation is possible (S288).

  Subsequently, when the user who is notified that conversation is possible performs a predetermined operation, the user terminal 1-2 responds to the call (S292), and the management server 2-2 starts voice relay ( S296). By starting the voice relay, a call is started between the user terminal 1-2 and the operator terminal 4 (S300).

<2-3. Effect>
The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above. According to the present embodiment, since the management server 2-2 automatically exchanges with the voice automatic response device 3 and the operator terminal 4, the load on the user terminal 1-2 is reduced. Further, the user can use the user terminal 1-2 for other purposes until the user terminal 1-2 is called after performing an operation of selecting a call center and a call item. .

<< 3. Hardware configuration >>
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Information processing such as information acquisition request processing, connection request processing, request reception processing, automatic response processing, and information extraction processing described above is performed by software and hardware of user terminals 1 and 1-2 and management servers 2 and 2-2. It is realized by cooperation with. Hereinafter, a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 1000 will be described as a hardware configuration example of the user terminals 1 and 1-2 and the management servers 2 and 2-2 that are information processing apparatuses according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 17, the information processing apparatus 1000 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003, an input device 1004, and an output device 1005. A storage apparatus 1006 and a communication apparatus 1007.

  The CPU 1001 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls the overall operation in the information processing apparatus 1000 according to various programs. Further, the CPU 1001 may be a microprocessor. The ROM 1002 stores programs used by the CPU 1001 and calculation parameters. The RAM 1003 temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 1001, parameters that change as appropriate during the execution, and the like. These are connected to each other by a host bus including a CPU bus. Mainly, the functions of the control units 120, 130, 220, 230, and the like are realized by the cooperation of the CPU 1001, the ROM 1002, the RAM 1003, and the software.

  The input device 1004 includes input means for a user to input information, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, button, microphone, switch, and lever, and an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on the input by the user and outputs the input signal to the CPU 1001 Etc. A user of the information processing apparatus 1000 can input various data and instruct a processing operation to the information processing apparatus 1000 by operating the input device 1004. The input device 1004 corresponds to the operation unit 170.

  The output device 1005 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an OLED device, and a lamp. Furthermore, the output device 1005 includes an audio output device such as a speaker and headphones. For example, the display device displays a captured image or a generated image. On the other hand, the audio output device converts audio data or the like into audio and outputs it. Note that the output device 1005 corresponds to the display unit 160.

  The storage device 1006 is a device for storing data. The storage device 1006 may include a storage medium, a recording device that records data on the storage medium, a reading device that reads data from the storage medium, a deletion device that deletes data recorded on the storage medium, and the like. The storage device 1006 stores programs executed by the CPU 1001 and various data. The storage device 1006 corresponds to the storage units 150 and 250.

  The communication device 1007 is a communication interface configured with, for example, a communication device for connecting to a communication network. Further, the communication device 1007 may include a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) compatible communication device, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) compatible communication device, a wire communication device that performs wired communication, or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication device. Note that the communication device 1007 corresponds to the communication units 110 and 210.

<< 4. Conclusion >>
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the burden on the user who uses the call center.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, each step in the above embodiment does not necessarily have to be processed in time series in the order described as a sequence diagram. For example, each step in the processing of the above embodiment may be processed in an order different from the order described as the sequence diagram or may be processed in parallel.

  Moreover, according to the said embodiment, in order to make hardwares, such as CPU1001, ROM1002, and RAM1003, show the function similar to each structure of the user terminal 1, 1-2, management server 2, 2-2 mentioned above. The computer program can also be provided. A recording medium on which the computer program is recorded is also provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 User terminal 2 Management server 3 Voice automatic response device 4 Operator terminal 5 Communication network 7 Communication network 9 Information processing system 110 Communication part 120 Control part 121 Information acquisition request part 123 Connection request part 125 Request reception part 127 Automatic response part 150 Storage Unit 160 display unit 170 operation unit 210 communication unit 220 control unit 221 information extraction unit 230 control unit 231 information extraction unit 233 connection request unit 235 request reception unit 237 automatic response unit 250 storage unit

Claims (8)

A connection request unit for requesting the automatic voice response device to connect to the operator terminal;
After being connected to the operator terminal, a request receiving unit that receives an information provision request from the operator terminal;
In response to the information provision request, an automatic response unit that provides user information regarding the user to the operator terminal by an automatic response;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request reception unit further receives a conversation request for requesting a conversation with the user from the operator terminal.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the request reception unit notifies the user that a conversation is possible when the conversation request is received.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the automatic response unit provides the user information by a providing method corresponding to the information providing request.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection request unit transmits a signal corresponding to a call request with an operator.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a display unit that displays a message selection screen for selecting the call message.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the message selection screen is a screen that displays a list of the call messages that can be received by the automatic voice response apparatus. On the computer,
A function that requests the automatic voice response device to connect to the operator terminal;
A function of accepting an information provision request from the operator terminal after being connected to the operator terminal;
In response to the information provision request, a function of providing user information related to a user to the operator terminal by an automatic response;
A program to realize

Images