JP7566255B2 - Sales Support System - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a sales support system.

Non-face-to-face communication tools in business include telephone, email, SNS (Social Networking Service), and SMS (Short Message Service). Of these, telephone allows direct dialogue with customers and also makes it easy to convey emotions. Email allows communication with customers at their convenience and allows the transmission of various files, so a large amount of information can be transmitted. SNS has a large number of users, making it an easy-to-use communication tool. With SMS, short messages can be sent as long as you know the customer's mobile phone number.

JP 2019-114054 A

However, customers often do not answer calls from unknown callers. As for email, the number of customers who leave their emails unread has increased due to the increase in advertising emails as smartphones have become more widespread. Furthermore, with SNS, you cannot contact customers without the other person's permission, for example by becoming "friends." With SMS, communication fees are often incurred every time you send an SMS.

As such, traditional communication tools were not ideal for customers or salespeople, as they made it difficult to contact or communicate with customers and resulted in one-way sales activities.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide technology suitable for sales activities.

One aspect of the present invention is a sales support system that includes a customer terminal, a sales terminal, and a management device that provides a chat service between the customer terminal and the sales terminal, the management device including a transmission unit that transmits a different URL for each customer terminal using a short message service, and a service providing unit that provides a chat service using the web browser of the customer terminal when the customer terminal accesses the URL transmitted by the transmission unit.

This invention makes it possible to provide technology that is ideal for sales activities.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing the system configuration of a sales support system 1. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a management server 100. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a customer database. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a URL database. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a log database. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of an other person determination database. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a rules form database. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a FAQ database. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an operator terminal 200. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a customer terminal 400. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various functions on a chat screen. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various functions on a chat screen. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a process up to displaying a chat screen. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the process up to the completion of an application for a financial product. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the process of sending an SMS by an IVR.

Hereinafter, specific configuration examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The sales support system according to the present invention is a system for communication between salespeople and customers. In the following description, an embodiment will be described in which the sales support system according to the present invention is applied to a system for communication between operators of a financial institution and their customers, as an example.

Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram showing the system configuration of the sales support system 1. The sales support system 1 includes a management server 100, one or more operator terminals 200_1 to 200_n (n is an integer of 1 or more), a chatbot 300, and one or more customer terminals 400_1 to 400_m (m is an integer of 1 or more). Hereinafter, when there is no particular distinction between the operator terminals 200_1 to 200_n, any one of them will be referred to as the operator terminal 200. When there is no particular distinction between the customer terminals 400_1 to 400_m, any one of them will be referred to as the customer terminal 400. Although only one chatbot 300 is illustrated, there may be multiple chatbots 300, and the chatbots 300 may be provided on the cloud. The management server 100 is an example of a management device. The operator terminal 200 is an example of a sales terminal.

The network 500 is composed of a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and a mobile phone line. The management server 100 and the customer terminal 400 can communicate at least via a mobile phone line. The management server 100 and the operator terminal 200 can communicate via a LAN or a WAN.

The operator terminal 200 is a terminal operated by an operator who sells to customers. The operator terminal 200 is, for example, an information processing device such as a personal computer. The chatbot 300 is a computer incorporating artificial intelligence. The chatbot 300 runs a program that mimics human conversations. By registering simple questions and frequently asked questions in this program, the chatbot 300 can answer those questions. In addition to answering questions, the chatbot may also be configured to conduct surveys of customers. When operating the chatbot 300, the purpose and goals of the chatbot 300 are clearly defined, and need information is collected and an operation manager is selected. In this way, the chatbot 300 can be operated in an optimal manner.

The customer terminal 400 is a terminal of a customer who is the target of the above-mentioned sales. The customer terminal 400 is, for example, a smartphone or a feature phone. In this embodiment, a smartphone is used as an example of the customer terminal 400. The management server 100 provides a chat service between the operator terminal 200 or the chatbot 300 and the customer terminal 400. The management server 100 is also an information processing device such as a server.

2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 100. The management server 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, auxiliary storage device, etc., which are connected by a bus, and functions as a device including a communication unit 110, a customer information storage unit 141, a log storage unit 143, a stranger judgment storage unit 144, and a control unit 120 by executing a management program. All or part of the functions of the communication unit 110, the customer information storage unit 141, the log storage unit 143, the stranger judgment storage unit 144, and the control unit 120 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The management program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, or a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. The management program may be transmitted via a telecommunication line.

The communication unit 110 is a network interface. The communication unit 110 communicates with the operator terminal 200 and the customer terminal 400 via the network 500.

The customer information storage unit 141 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The customer information storage unit 141 stores a customer database. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of a customer database. The customer database is configured with a customer identifier, telephone number, delivery, password, and person in charge.

The customer identifier is an identifier for uniquely identifying a customer. The phone number is the customer's phone number. The phone number may be any phone number that supports SMS (Short Message Service). Delivery indicates whether the customer has permitted information delivery using SMS. If the customer has permitted delivery, OK is displayed, and if not, NG is displayed. In the case of Figure 3, customers corresponding to customer identifiers USER01 and USER02 have permitted delivery, but a customer corresponding to customer identifier USER03 has not permitted delivery. In the following description, "short message" refers to a message sent using SMS.

The password is a character string used to authenticate that the customer is a legitimate user. The customer's date of birth, postal code, etc. may be used as the password to improve the identity of the customer at the time of authentication. The person in charge is an identifier that uniquely identifies the operator in charge of the customer. If no person in charge has been assigned, NULL is used instead of the operator's identifier.

The customer database can be generated from a spreadsheet file or a CSV file uploaded from the operator terminal 200. The spreadsheet file or CSV file stores the customer's telephone number and, if necessary, the password.

The issued URL storage unit 142 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The issued URL storage unit 142 stores a URL database. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a URL database. The URL database is configured with a customer identifier, a URL, and a deadline. In this embodiment, a different URL is issued for each customer. As a result, the customer terminal 400 that accesses the issued URL is highly likely to be a genuine customer using that customer terminal, and therefore unauthorized access can be prevented compared to when the same URL is issued.

The URL in the URL database is the URL issued to the customer corresponding to the customer identifier. The expiration date indicates the expiration date (YYYYMMDD) of the URL. When the expiration date arrives, the issued URL becomes invalid. Note that the domain of the URL can also be specified by the person conducting business (in this embodiment, a financial institution).

The log storage unit 143 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The log storage unit 143 stores logs showing interactions between the operator and the customer. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a log database. The log database is configured with a customer identifier and logs. A log is a file that compiles together text showing interactions between the operator and the customer, files submitted by the customer to the operator, files provided by the operator to the customer, and so on.

The other person determination storage unit 144 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The other person determination storage unit 144 stores a other person determination database. The other person determination database is a database for determining whether a current customer and a past customer are different people.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the other person determination database. The other person determination database is composed of telephone numbers and the validity of the telephone numbers for each month from one month ago to 24 months ago. The validity of the telephone number indicates whether or not there is a contract for the telephone number. In Figure 6, "◯" indicates that there is a contract for the telephone number, and "×" indicates that there is no contract for the telephone number. Figure 6 shows the validity of the telephone number for each month from one month ago to 24 months ago as an example, but is not limited to this. For example, it could be one month ago to 36 months ago, or one month ago to 12 months ago, but it is preferable to use as long a period as possible in order to increase the accuracy of the determination results for determining whether or not the person is a stranger, as described below.

The method for determining whether a telephone number is a stranger based on whether or not a telephone number has been contracted will be explained below. A cancelled telephone number will not be assigned to another user for a while. Therefore, in the case of a pattern in which a contract is valid for a period S followed by an invalid period T, and then a valid period U again (hereinafter also referred to as an "other person pattern"), it is highly likely that the subscriber for period S and the subscriber for period U are different people. In FIG. 6, telephone number 090xxxxzz corresponds to the other person pattern. The management server 100 determines that a telephone number is a stranger when the validity shown in the other person determination database corresponds to the other person pattern.

The management server 100 updates the other person determination database, for example, once a month. At the time of updating, if the distribution of the customer database corresponding to a telephone number newly determined to be a stranger pattern is OK, the distribution may be updated to NG. As will be described later, the other person determination database is also used to determine the creditworthiness of customers.

The terms and conditions form storage unit 145 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The terms and conditions form storage unit 145 stores a terms and conditions form database. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of the terms and conditions form database. The terms and conditions form database is configured with document names, terms and conditions, and forms. The terms and conditions are files that describe the terms of use of financial products and the like. These terms and conditions are displayed on the customer terminal 400 when explaining financial products. The forms store files that indicate input forms for customers to enter information required for applying for financial products and the like. For example, when applying for a card loan, P03.pdf is referenced as the terms and conditions, and F03.html is referenced as the form.

In this way, by storing the form in advance, if the customer expresses an intention to enter into a contract, the operator can immediately send the terms and conditions on the chat screen or display the form, allowing the customer to apply easily and stress-free. Note that the form can be created by the sales person, so a form suitable for each company can be prepared. In addition, when the form is displayed, the information required for the form from the information about the customer stored in the management server 100 or the like may be automatically entered and displayed.

The FAQ storage unit 146 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The FAQ storage unit 146 stores an FAQ database. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of an FAQ database. An FAQ is configured with questions and answers. For example, answer A1 corresponds to question Q1. The questions and answers are provided with tags (not shown) that are used in searches.

The terms and conditions storage unit 147 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The terms and conditions storage unit 147 stores a database that describes the terms and conditions of each financial product.

The control unit 120 in FIG. 2 controls the operation of each unit of the management server 100. The control unit 120 is executed by a device equipped with a processor such as a CPU and RAM, for example. By executing the management program, the control unit 120 functions as a display control unit 121, an authentication unit 122, a translation unit 123, an input judgment unit 124, a reminder notification unit 125, an other person judgment unit 126, a URL generation unit 127, an OCR unit 128, a credit judgment unit 129, a response support unit 130, a gift issuing unit 131, and an IVR unit 132.

The display control unit 121 controls the overall screens displayed on the customer terminal 400 and the operator terminal 200. The authentication unit 122 refers to the password in the customer database and authenticates that the customer is a legitimate user. The translation unit 123 translates between the language selected by the customer and Japanese. By translating into languages other than Japanese, mainly for dealing with foreign residents, the translation unit 123 can improve business opportunities and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, an existing automatic translation function may be used as the translation unit 123. Also, during translation, the customer terminal 400 may display "Automatic translation in progress." Note that the languages that can be translated may be English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Vietnamese, Burmese, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.

The input determination unit 124 determines whether or not the operator is performing an input operation on the operator terminal 200. When it is determined that the operator is performing an input operation, the control unit 120 causes the customer terminal 400 to display content indicating that the operator is performing an input operation.

The reminder notification unit 125 notifies the customer terminal 400 of a message prompting the customer to input information when a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes) has elapsed since the customer terminal 400 requested the customer to input information. This allows the customer to resume chatting more quickly, even if the customer forgets to see the operator's message due to a mistake on the part of the customer, as compared to a case in which a message prompting the customer to input information is not sent.

The other-person determination unit 126 determines whether a current customer and a past customer are different people by referring to the other-person determination database. The URL generation unit 127 generates a different URL for each customer and issues the generated URL. The issued URL is stored in the URL database.

The OCR unit 128 acquires text data from image data. As described above, the customer can submit a file. For example, the customer submits an image file that includes character strings such as an address from a driver's license or income certificate, and the OCR unit 128 acquires the address, etc. as text data from the image file. The acquired address, etc. are automatically entered into the above-mentioned form.

The credit judgment unit 129 refers to the other person judgment database and evaluates the creditworthiness of the customer. In the other person judgment database, the credit judgment unit 129 evaluates that the longer the period during which the customer's contract has been valid, the higher the creditworthiness. The evaluation result is displayed on the operator terminal 200. The response support unit 130 supports the operator's response. Specifically, the response support unit 130 searches the FAQ database for words contained in the input contents of the customer or operator, and displays FAQs related to the input contents on the operator terminal 200. The gift issuing unit 131 issues an electronic gift to the customer in response to an instruction from the operator terminal 200. This electronic gift may be used, for example, as an incentive to the chat screen. By using the electronic gift as an incentive to the chat screen, casual contact from customers will increase, and the gift can further improve customer satisfaction.

The IVR unit 132 provides an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) function. In response to an incoming call from a customer, the IVR unit 132 sorts the customer's question, connects the call to an appropriate operator, and sends an SMS to the customer terminal 400.

Figure 9 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the operator terminal 200. The operator terminal 200 includes a CPU, memory, auxiliary storage device, etc., which are connected via a bus, and functions as a device including a communication unit 210, an input unit 211, a display unit 212, and a control unit 220 by executing a sales-side program.

The communication unit 210 is a network interface. The communication unit 210 communicates with the management server 100 via the network 500. The input unit 211 is configured using input devices such as a touch panel, a mouse, and a keyboard. The input unit 211 may be an interface for connecting the input device to the operator terminal 200. In this case, the input unit 211 generates input data (e.g., instruction information indicating instructions to the operator terminal 200) from an input signal input at the input device, and inputs the input data to the operator terminal 200.

The display unit 212 is an output device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, a liquid crystal display, or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display unit 212 may be an interface for connecting an output device to the operator terminal 200. In this case, the display unit 212 generates a video signal from the video data and outputs the video signal to a video output device connected to the display unit 212.

All or part of the functions of the communication unit 210 and the control unit 120 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The sales-side program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. The sales-side program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

The control unit 220 in FIG. 9 controls the operation of each unit of the operator terminal 200. The control unit 220 is executed by a device equipped with a processor such as a CPU and a RAM. The control unit 220 executes the sales-side program to function as a display control unit 221, a button input unit 222, an input determination unit 223, an allocation unit 224, and a log viewing unit 225.

The display control unit 121 controls the overall screen to be displayed on the display unit 212. The button input unit 222 accepts input of buttons to be displayed on the customer terminal 400. The input judgment unit 223 judges whether the operator is operating the input unit 211. The judgment result by the input judgment unit 223 is notified to the management server 100. The assignment unit 224 assigns a person in charge to each user. For example, a person who manages the operators assigns a person in charge to each user by the assignment unit 224. The identifier of the assigned operator is reflected in the person in charge in the customer database described in FIG. 3. When a user identifier is specified, the log viewing unit 225 refers to the log database described in FIG. 5 and displays the log of the user corresponding to the specified user identifier on the display unit 212. The log viewing unit 225 may output the contents of the log as a spreadsheet file or a file in CSV format.

The operator terminal 200 can communicate with multiple customer terminals 400 simultaneously. Thus, one operator can communicate with multiple customers simultaneously. For example, when the communication tool is a telephone, one operator can only handle one customer, so the number of incoming calls increases temporarily, and the call volume becomes too high, resulting in lost opportunities and complaints. In addition, due to various circumstances, the call center may not be fully staffed with operators, and sufficient operators may not be secured. Even in such cases, this embodiment allows one operator to communicate with multiple customers simultaneously, which can reduce lost opportunities and complaints, and can also flexibly respond to cases where sufficient operators cannot be secured.

Next, a specific example of the screen will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the screen of the customer terminal 400. FIG. 10(A) is a diagram showing an SMS screen. The management server 100 first sends a short message to the customer terminal 400 in order to start a chat between the customer and the operator. As a result, a message 501 is displayed on the customer terminal 400. The management server 100 has two types of timing for sending the short message: immediately upon receiving an instruction from the operator, and when a date and time specified by the operator arrives. The destination of the short message can be one or multiple destinations. If multiple destinations are specified, the short message is sent to multiple destinations at once. Even if the operator receives an inquiry call from a customer, the operator can use the chat screen to respond by sending a short message from the operator terminal 200 to the customer terminal.

Message 501 indicates that the message is about a financial product and that the information will be conveyed via chat. Also displayed is URL 502. The URL displayed here is the URL generated by URL generation unit 127. When the customer taps URL 502, the customer terminal 400 accesses the URL, and the identity verification screen shown in FIG. 10 (B) is displayed.

The identity verification screen is displayed by a web browser that is installed as standard on the customer terminal 400. The chat services provided thereafter are also controlled by the management server 100 as services using the web browser.

The identity verification screen displays a password input area 503, a login button 504, a language selection menu 505, and a stop distribution button 506. The password input area 503 is an area where the customer enters a password. The login button 504 is a button where the customer requests to log in. After entering the correct password, the customer taps the login button 504, and the chat screen shown in FIG. 10 (C) is displayed.

The language selection menu 505 is a pull-down menu with which the customer selects a language. On the customer terminal 400, messages from the operator and the like are displayed in the language selected by the language selection menu 505. The delivery stop button 506 is a button with which the customer requests the stop of delivery of short messages in order to comply with the Specified Commercial Electronic Mail Act. When the delivery stop button 506 is tapped, the screen switches to an end screen (not shown). In addition, the management server 100 updates the delivery in the user database corresponding to the user who tapped the delivery stop button 506 to NG. Note that when the delivery stop button 506 is tapped, a screen may be displayed to reconfirm the stop.

The chat screen shown in FIG. 10(C) displays a company display area 510, a message display area 511, an operator icon 512, an emoticon button 513, a message input area 514, and an input button 515. The company display area 510 indicates which company's chat screen this is. In the case of FIG. 10(C), a character string is displayed in the company display area 510, but a logo mark or the like can also be displayed.

The message display area 511 is an area where messages are displayed. The message display area 511 is also displayed together with an operator icon representing an operator or a customer icon representing a customer. On the chat screen displayed on the customer terminal 400, the operator icon is displayed on the right, and the customer icon is displayed on the left.

The message 511 display area has a speech bubble to indicate whether the message was issued by a customer or an operator. An operator icon 512 indicates that the message in the message display area 511 was issued by an operator.

Emoji button 513 is a button that allows the customer to input an emoji. When emoji button 513 is tapped, a screen (not shown) for inputting an emoji is displayed. Message input area 514 is an area where the customer inputs a message. Input button 515 is a button that allows the customer to input a character string. When input button 515 is tapped, a software keyboard (not shown) for inputting a character string is displayed. In addition, the chat screen is scrollable, and the customer can scroll to view past conversations.

Figures 11 and 12 are diagrams showing various functions on the chat screen. Figure 11 (A) is a diagram showing the read function. In Figure 11 (A), a read button 520 is displayed. The read button 520 is displayed for each message from the operator. When a customer taps the read button 520, a message is displayed on the operator terminal 200 indicating that the corresponding message has been read by the customer. Note that the operator can select whether or not to use the read function depending on their settings.

Figure 11 (B) is a diagram showing the image file transmission function. In Figure 11 (B), an image 521 showing a driver's license is displayed. This image 521 is an image that has been photographed by the customer terminal 400 and transmitted by the customer terminal 400. The operator can also transmit images. In addition, the OCR unit 128 of the management server 100 obtains text data from an image that includes a character string, such as a driver's license.

Fig. 11(C) is a diagram showing the PDF (Portable Document Format) file transmission function. In Fig. 11(C), an image 522 showing a PDF file is displayed. This PDF file is a PDF file sent by the operator. A customer can also send an image. By using this file transmission function, the operator can send a PDF file containing, for example, the terms stored in the terms storage unit 147 to a customer. The customer can open and view the sent PDF file.

Fig. 12 (A) is a diagram showing the button display function. In Fig. 12 (A), an Agree button 530 is displayed. This Agree button 530 is a button displayed by the operator. The operator can input the button using the button input unit 222 described in Fig. 9. Buttons that can be displayed using the button display function are not limited to the Agree button 530. The button display function is used, for example, when getting a customer to agree to a contract or application via chat. The fact that the customer has pressed the button is stored as a log in the log storage unit 143.

Figure 12 (B) is a diagram showing the input display function. In Figure 12 (B), "Inputting..." is displayed along with the operator's icon. In this way, by displaying that the operator is inputting data, the stress that customers experience while waiting can be reduced. When a customer is inputting data, "Inputting..." is displayed along with the customer's icon.

Next, the processing flow of the management server 100, the operator terminal 200, and the customer terminal 400 will be described. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the processing from performing authentication and the like to displaying the chat screen. As an example, FIG. 13 shows the processing when the operator terminal 200 chats with one customer terminal 400.

The operator terminal 200 launches an SMS sending screen (not shown) in response to an operation by the operator (step S101). The SMS sending screen is a screen on which the operator performs operations related to sending short messages. The operator terminal 200 transmits a customer list information request to the management server 100 in response to an operation by the operator (step S102). The customer list information request is a message requesting customer list information for specifying a customer to which a short message is to be sent.

When the management server 100 receives the customer list information request, it refers to the customer database to obtain the customer list information (step S102). Here, the management server 100 obtains, as customer list information, the customer identifiers and telephone numbers of customers whose personnel in the customer database correspond to the identifier of the operator operating the operator terminal 200 and for whom delivery is OK.

The management server 100 transmits the acquired customer list information to the operator terminal 200 as a customer list information response (step S104). The operator terminal 200 displays the customer list based on the customer list information (step S105). When the operator selects a destination (step S106), the operator terminal 200 transmits an SMS transmission request to the management server 100 (step S107). The SMS transmission request is a message requesting the transmission of a short message to the destination selected by the operator.

The management server 100 issues a URL using the URL generation unit 127 (step S108). The issued URL is stored in the URL database. The management server 100 sends a short message (step S109). The customer terminal 400 displays an SMS screen (step S110). As a result, the message 501 and URL 502 described in FIG. 10(A) are displayed on the customer terminal 400.

When the URL is tapped by the customer (step S111), the customer terminal 400 sends an HTTP request to the management server 100 (step S112). Thereafter, the management server 100 and the customer terminal 400 communicate according to HTTP. In addition, the management server 100 and the customer terminal 400 are connected via SSL (Secure Socket Layer)/TLS (Transport Layer Security).

The management server 100, which has received the http request, sends a display notification to the customer terminal 400 instructing it to display an identity verification screen (step S113). The customer terminal 400 displays the identity verification screen described in FIG. 10 (B) (step S114). When the customer enters a password and taps the login button 504, the customer terminal 400 sends an authentication notification to the management server 100 (step S116). This authentication notification is a message requesting the management server 100 to perform authentication using the entered password.

The management server 100 performs authentication processing using the authentication unit 122 (step S117). If the authentication is successful, the management server 100 sends a display notification to the customer terminal 400 instructing the customer terminal 400 to display a chat screen (step S118). The customer terminal 400 displays the chat screen described in FIG. 10 (C) (step S120).

The management server 100 sends a display notification to the operator terminal 200 to instruct the operator terminal 200 to display the chat screen (step S119). The operator terminal 200 displays the chat screen (step S121). After this, the operator and the customer can communicate two-way via chat.

In step S117, the management server 100 may set a limit on the number of times a password may be re-entered due to an incorrect password, or may set a limit on the time required to re-enter the password.

Figure 14 is a sequence diagram showing the process up to the completion of an application for a financial product. An application screen corresponding to the financial product is selected by the operator at the operator terminal 200 (step S201). The operator terminal 200 transmits an application screen display notification to the management server 100 (step S202). The application screen display notification is a message specifying a document name and requesting that the input form corresponding to the document name be displayed on the customer terminal 400.

The management server 100 retrieves an input form corresponding to the specified document name from the agreement form database (step S203). The management server 100 sends a display notification to the customer terminal 400 instructing the customer to display the retrieved input form (step S204). The customer terminal 400 displays the input form (step S205). The customer terminal 400 photographs the customer's driver's license (step S206) and retrieves the license image (step S207).

The customer terminal 400 uploads the acquired license image to the management server 100 (step S208). The management server 100 performs OCR processing on the license image using the OCR unit 128 to acquire text data (step S209). The management server 100 sends a display notification to the customer terminal 400, instructing the customer terminal 400 to display a completed form in which text indicating an address, etc. has been entered using the acquired text data (step S210). The customer terminal 400 displays the completed form (step S212). The management server 100 sends a display notification to the operator terminal 200, instructing the operator terminal 200 to display the completed form (step S211). The operator terminal 200 displays the completed form (step S213).

The button input unit 222 of the operator terminal 200 accepts input of the Agree button as a button to be displayed on the customer terminal 400 (step S214). The operator terminal 200 sends a button display notification to the management server 100 (step S215). The button display notification is a message requesting the display of the button for which input has been accepted. The management server 100 sends a display notification to the customer terminal 400 instructing it to display the Agree button (step S216).

The customer terminal 400 displays the consent button (step S217). When the customer taps the consent button (step S218), the customer terminal 400 sends a button tap notification to the management server 100 (step S219). The management server 100 records in a log that the consent button has been tapped (step S220). This completes the application.

The management server 100 sends a display notification to the customer terminal 400 to instruct it to display an application completion screen (step S221). The customer terminal 400 displays the application completion screen (step S223). The management server 100 sends a display notification to the operator terminal 200 to instruct it to display an application completion screen (step S222). The operator terminal 200 displays the application completion screen (step S224).

Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing the process up to sending an SMS by IVR. The customer terminal 400 accepts an operation to call the IVR telephone number (step S301). It is assumed that the customer terminal 400 has telephone number notification settings configured. The customer terminal 400 calls the input IVR telephone number (step S302). The management server 302 connects the telephone to the IVR unit 132. The IVR unit 132 provides voice guidance and distributes the call according to push tones.

At the customer terminal 400, the chat screen is selected, and a push tone is sent to display the chat screen (step S303). The IVR unit 132 sends a voice to the customer terminal 400 indicating that the display of the chat screen has been accepted and that the call will be disconnected, and then disconnects the telephone line (step S304).

The management server 100 issues a URL using the URL generation unit 127 (step S305). The issued URL is stored in the URL database. The management server 100 sends a short message (step S306). Thereafter, the same processing as that from step S110 onwards in FIG. 13 is carried out. Note that the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 15 is based on the premise that the call is from a customer registered in the customer database shown in FIG. 3. In the case of a customer not registered in the customer database, the page indicated by the URL sent by SMS in step S306 is a page for new customer registration.

According to this embodiment, in addition to push-type sales using SMS, it is possible to exchange image files and document files, which are not possible with SMS, and it is also possible to provide an input form for entering into a contract and to confirm the customer's intention by using an agreement button. Therefore, interested customers can be guided to the chat screen by SMS push notification. It is then possible to enter into a contract.

In addition, because operators can check the contents of the input form, the time required for returning documents due to incomplete documents can be reduced, and communication loss can also be reduced, resulting in a shorter time required to reach a contract.

In this embodiment, image files and the like are recorded together in a log, but for example, a dedicated storage box for storing files (JPEG, HEIC, PDF, etc.) may be provided on the management server 100, another file server, or a cloud. In this case, a limit may be set on the number of files or storage size that can be stored in the storage box.

The advantages to customers in the above-mentioned embodiment will be explained. First, communication via a chat screen is less stressful for customers than telephone. In addition, customers can easily make inquiries even when they are on the move or in a place where many people gather. Furthermore, waiting times due to overcrowding, as occurs with telephone calls, are less likely to occur. In addition, images of driver's licenses, etc. can be taken with a smartphone and sent, so misunderstandings with the operator and any questions the customer may have can be immediately checked, reducing communication loss.

Next, the advantages of salespeople will be explained. As mentioned above, communication via chat screens is less stressful for customers, so an increase in customer inquiries can create sales opportunities. In addition, communication via chat screens is less stressful for operators than telephone calls, so the burden on operators can be reduced. Also, if an operator has a telework environment, such as at home, they can respond to customers without going to the call center. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11(C), a PDF file containing the terms and conditions required for the contract can be sent to the customer, so the burden on operators can be reduced. In addition, since customers can scroll to view past exchanges, customers will not ask the same questions repeatedly, so operators will not be asked the same questions over and over again. As mentioned above, one operator can communicate with multiple customers at the same time, so there is no need to secure as many operators as with telephone calls, and labor costs can be reduced.

In this way, this embodiment can provide technology that is ideal for customers and salespeople.

In the above embodiment, a financial institution has been used as an example of a salesperson. Below, application examples to other industries will be described. First, an application example to a mail-order company that sells to unearth dormant customers will be described. Sales promotion to dormant customers is carried out by email, SMS, and outbound, but customers are becoming accustomed to these and are feeling saturated, and purchase rates and unit prices are falling. Therefore, by sending the above-mentioned short messages to dormant customers and conducting sales via chat screen only to interested customers, the operating costs of the call center can be significantly reduced. In addition, while approaching a large number of customers by SMS, it is possible to pinpoint guidance to only interested customers, improving efficiency.

Next, assuming that the salesperson is a distribution company, an example of application of this to an NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey conducted by the distribution company will be described. NPS surveys that quantify trust in a company are conducted by postcard or email, but the response rate is low and the compilation is cumbersome. In this case, a short message is sent to the customer, and the NPS survey is conducted by the chatbot 300. Free word questions that the chatbot 300 cannot answer are answered by an operator on the spot using the operator terminal 200, which can further improve trust in the company.

Next, let us consider a real estate company as the sales entity and explain an example of application to rental applications. When applying to move into a rental property, it is necessary to submit documents related to personal information and have important matters explained in person and have them stamped, but some customers do not want to meet in person at the store. In such cases, the real estate company sends a short message, and the customer takes a photo of the documents related to personal information on the chat screen and sends it. This type of work can be done by the customer while they are on the move, etc. In addition, the real estate company sends the important matters explanation and contract as a PDF file on the chat screen to the customer. The customer then sends the contract with a stamp on it at a later date to the real estate company. In this way, a contract can be made without meeting in person.

As a method of operating the chatbot 300, for example, when a customer requests a chat using the chatbot 300, the customer may be handled by the chatbot 300 instead of the operator terminal 200. Also, during late night hours, the chatbot 300 may be the only one to respond to customers.

As described above, this embodiment can provide technology that is ideal for sales activities.

The functions of the management server 100 and the operator terminal 200 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing the functions may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in the recording medium may be read into the computer system and executed to realize the functions. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may include a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and a medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is the server or client in such a case. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program may be a program for realizing part of the above-mentioned functions, or may be a program that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention.

100... Management server, 110... Communication unit, 120... Control unit, 121... Display control unit, 122... Authentication unit, 123... Translation unit, 123... This translation unit, 124... Input judgment unit, 125... Remind notification unit, 126... Other person judgment unit, 127... Generation unit, 128... OCR unit, 129... Credit judgment unit, 130... Response support unit, 131... Gift issuing unit, 141... Customer information storage unit, 142... Issued URL storage unit, 143... Log recording memory unit, 144...other person judgment memory unit, 145...rule form memory unit, 146...FAQ memory unit, 147...rule memory unit, 200...operator terminal, 210...communication unit, 211...input unit, 212...display unit, 220...control unit, 221...display control unit, 222...button input unit, 223...input judgment unit, 224...allocation unit, 225...log viewing unit, 300...chatbot, 400...customer terminal, 500...network

Claims (1)

A sales support system comprising a customer terminal, a sales terminal, and a management device for providing a chat service between the customer terminal and the sales terminal,
The management device includes:
A sending unit that sends a different URL for each of the customer terminals using a short message service;
a service providing unit that provides a chat service using a web browser of the customer terminal when the customer terminal accesses the URL transmitted by the transmission unit;
a judgment unit that judges that the longer the period during which the contract for the telephone number of the current user of the customer terminal is valid, the higher the creditworthiness of the user, and transmits the judgment result to the sales terminal;
A sales support system equipped with

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