JP7280816B2 - Recurring pricing platform and subscription business promotion method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recurring pricing platform and a subscription business promotion method for managing customers of services provided at a flat rate.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, subscription-type services in which a usage fee is fixed within a preset period are becoming popular. As a subscription-type service, there is known a form in which the usage fee for the service within a certain period of time is provided at a fixed rate regardless of the number of times the service is used, such as the provision of content or the provision of goods. As an example of a subscription-type service, for example, Patent Literature 1 is known.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for providing content distribution by a subscription service. Also, as a subscription-type service, there is known a service that provides not only distribution but also subscriptions to books and magazines, use of clothing, etc., for a fixed monthly fee.

WO2008/072284

Businesses that provide subscription services need to continue their business by acquiring new members and maintaining the number of members. However, the conventional example described above has a problem that a technique for continuing the subscription service is not disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to allow subscription service customers to continue using the service.

The present invention is a recurring pricing platform in which a computer having a processor and a memory manages customers who use a subscription service, and usage history information for accumulating a history of usage of the subscription service for each customer. , contribution information for accumulating contribution when contributing to the subscription service for each customer; and a customer management unit for reading the usage history information and the contribution information and calculating a good customer index for each customer. and a billing management unit that determines a usage fee for each predetermined period of the subscription service for each customer, wherein the billing management unit sets a fixed fee for each predetermined period according to the good customer index. The reduced amount is calculated as the usage fee for the predetermined period.

Therefore, the present invention calculates a good customer index CPP according to the customer's history of use of the subscription service and the degree of contribution, and changes (decreases) the usage fee according to the value of the good customer index CPP. can encourage In addition, when an existing customer enrolls a new customer, the cost of acquiring the new customer can be reduced by giving benefits to both the existing customer and the new customer.

The details of at least one implementation of the subject matter disclosed in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become apparent from the following disclosure, drawings, and claims.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of functions of a recurring pricing platform that manages subscription service customers. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a recurring server that manages services, showing an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of contribution information. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of inquiry information. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of community participation information. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of questionnaire information. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of customer characteristic information. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of utilization information. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of an action point. It is a figure which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of CPP information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of billing processing from admission of a new customer performed by the recurring server; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of new customer enrollment processing performed by the recurring server. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of support processing; 4 is a flow chart showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of CPP information update processing. It is a flowchart which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example of a charging process. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of solicitation of new customers and billing status;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing an example of functions of a customer management system for managing subscription-type services (hereinafter referred to as subscription services).

A subscription site 1 is provided with a recurring server 10 that provides various functions. The recurring server 10 is connected to a client terminal 50 operated by a member using the subscription service and a settlement server 60 operated by the settlement period.

The recurring server 10 provides subscription services (F1) to members using client terminals 50, provides support (F2) for responding to inquiries from members, and holds dialogues and events between members. Operation of the community (F3) and billing processing for members (F4) are performed.

The billing information generated in the billing process (F4) is transmitted to the settlement server 60, and the settlement agency operating the settlement server 60 collects usage fees from each member and notifies the subscription site 1 of the settlement information.

The subscription service in this embodiment provides a service within a preset period (for example, one month) at a fixed charge (monthly charge) within predetermined usage conditions. Examples of subscription services may include unlimited use of books, viewing of content, use of goods, use of facilities, and the like. Further, an example of a subscription service can include provision of services and goods up to a predetermined number of times of use (upper limit of use).

The recurring server 10 calculates the evaluation value of the customer as described later and changes the monthly charge according to the evaluation value in order to encourage the customer (or member) who uses the subscription service to continue using the service. In the recurring server 10 of the present embodiment, as an example of evaluation values for evaluating customers, as will be described later, an example of using a good customer index (hereinafter referred to as CPP: Customer Promotion Point) is shown, but is limited to this. isn't it.

In addition, the recurring server 10 supports active support activities in order to suppress customer cancellations. Then, the recurring server 10 reduces the cost of acquiring new customers by providing a system in which the customer himself/herself newly enrolls a new customer.

This embodiment shows an example in which the subscription site 1 provides a subscription service (F1) that can be used for a predetermined monthly fee, and also provides a pay-as-you-go optional service.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the recurring server 10 that manages subscription services. The recurring server 10 is a computer including a processor 11 , a memory 12 , a communication interface 13 , an input/output device 14 and a storage device 15 .

The recurring server 10 is connected to the network 80 via the communication interface 13 and communicates with the client terminal 50 , the support terminal 70 or the settlement server 60 . The input/output device 14 includes an input device including a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, etc., and an output device including a display and a projector.

In the memory 12, a CPP management unit 21, a subscription provision unit 22, a support management unit 23, a community management unit 24, a contract management unit 25, and a billing management unit 26 are loaded as programs and executed by the processor 11. .

The CPP management unit 21 functions as a customer management unit that calculates a good customer index CPP for each customer and updates the CPP information 41 in the CPP database 40 according to the subscription service usage history. The subscription providing unit 22 provides subscription services to customers or client terminals 50 .

The support management unit 23 receives inquiries and requests from customers of the subscription site 1 and supports the operation of the subscription service. The community management unit 24 manages communities provided by the subscription site 1 to customers (client terminals 50). The community in this embodiment is a service for transmitting messages between customers using the subscription service and providing events to customers.

The contract management unit 25 manages the contract status of subscription services used by customers. The billing management unit 26 manages billing of usage fees to customers who use the subscription service and the settlement status. In this embodiment, an example of providing a pay-as-you-go optional service in addition to a fixed-rate subscription service is shown.

The processor 11 operates as a functional unit that provides a predetermined function by executing processing according to the program of each functional unit. For example, the processor 11 functions as the CPP management unit 21 by executing processing according to a CPP management program. The same is true for other programs. Furthermore, the processor 11 also operates as a functional unit that provides functions of multiple processes executed by each program. Computers and computer systems are devices and systems that include these functional units.

The storage device 15 stores a contract information database 31 , a usage database 32 , a customer information database 33 , a charging database 34 , a community database 35 , a support database 36 and a CPP database 40 .

The contract information database 31 stores information related to contracts such as a customer's member number (customer ID), joining date and time, number of renewals, and withdrawal date and time. In this embodiment, the contract period is set to one month, and the contract is automatically renewed every month until the member withdraws, and the contract management unit 25 recalculates the number of times the contract information database 31 is updated.

The usage database 32 stores the usage history of the subscription service for each customer. The history of use can include the types of services and goods used, the time of use, the amount of use, and the like. In addition to the subscription service, the usage database 32 may store usage history of pay-as-you-go services.

The customer information database 33 stores customer information. The customer information database 33 is composed of customer identifiers (customer IDs), contact information, personal information including profiles and the like.

The billing database 34 stores billing information for each customer. Billing information includes billing and payment histories, fixed charges for subscription services currently in use, unit prices for pay-as-you-go services, and the like.

The community database 35 stores information used in the community provided by the subscription site 1. FIG. The support database 36 stores information used for support such as inquiries and requests from customers.

As will be described later, the CPP database 40 stores CPP information 41 that stores a good customer index CPP for each customer, and usage history information and contribution information for calculating the good customer index CPP for each customer.

Usage history information for calculating the good customer index CPP includes contribution information 42, inquiry information 43, community participation information 44, questionnaire information 45, customer characteristic information 46, usage information 47, and action points. 48 included.

The usage history information should include at least the usage information 47 . In addition to the usage information 47, the usage history information is the accuracy of the CPP information 41 calculated by adding any of the inquiry information 43, the community participation information 44, the questionnaire information 45, and the customer characteristic information 46. can be improved. Also, the usage history information is not limited to the above, and can be appropriately set according to the form of the subscription service.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contribution information 42. As shown in FIG. The contribution information 42 is included in the CPP database 40 and generated for each customer. One table of contribution information 42 is associated with one customer ID (identifier).

The contribution information 42 includes an inviting member number 421, an admission date and time 422, a withdrawal date and time 423, and a set value 424 in one entry.

Invited member number 421 stores the member number of a new customer solicited by the customer of the subscription service. The admission date and time 422 stores the date and time when a new customer joined. The withdrawal date and time 423 stores the date and time when the new customer withdraws. If the contract of the new customer is continuing, "NULL" is set in the withdrawal date and time 423. FIG. The setting value 424 stores a value corresponding to the degree of contribution of a new customer to membership. Also, the final entry of the contribution information 42 stores the total value of the set values 424 .

In this embodiment, an example in which one table of contribution information 42 is associated with one customer ID (identifier) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, customer ID and total fields may be added to the contribution level information 42 of FIG. 3 to manage contributions of multiple customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the inquiry information 43. As shown in FIG. The inquiry information 43 is generated for each customer based on information acquired from the support database 36. FIG. One table of inquiry information 43 is associated with one customer ID (identifier).

The inquiry information 43 includes date and time 431, division 432, number of days 433, index 434, and set value 435 in one entry.

The date and time 431 stores the date and time when the customer made an inquiry to the subscription site 1 . The category 432 stores the category of support received by the subscription site 1 . In the illustrated example, examples of "inquiry" and "contract change" are shown as categories of support.

The number of days 433 stores the number of days required to complete the support. Index 434 stores the index for the query. Inquiries are a place where customers can frankly ask about their expectations and requests for services, and they are a valuable element in obtaining points for improving service content. Therefore, the index is set by the support contact person based on the viewpoint of whether the content of the inquiry contributes to the improvement of the service. The setting value 435 stores the value set by the subscription site 1 for the inquiry. Also, the final entry of the inquiry information 43 stores the total value of the set values 435 .

In this embodiment, an example in which one table of contribution information 42 is associated with one customer ID (identifier) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, customer ID and total fields may be added to the inquiry information 43 of FIG. 4 to manage inquiries for multiple customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the community participation information 44. As shown in FIG. Community participation information 44 is generated for each customer based on information acquired from community database 35 . One table of the community participation information 44 is associated with one customer ID (identifier).

Community participation information 44 includes date and time 441, division 442, index 443, and set value 444 in one entry.

The date and time 441 stores the date and time when the customer performed an activity in the community. Section 442 stores a section of activities that the customer has performed in the community. Examples of the section 442 include posting of “account creation” and “comment”. Index 443 stores an index for community participation. Communities are a valuable element for observing customer attitudes towards service usage. Therefore, the index is set by the community manager for the content posted by the customer. The setting value 444 stores a value set by the subscription site 1 for participation in the community. Also, the final entry of the community participation information 44 stores the total value of the set values 444 .

In this embodiment, an example in which one table of the community participation information 44 is associated with one customer ID (identifier) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, customer ID and total fields may be added to the community participation information 44 of FIG. 5 to manage community participation contents of multiple customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the questionnaire information 45. As shown in FIG. The questionnaire information 45 is generated for each customer based on information from the support terminal 70 and the support database 36, and the like. One table of the questionnaire information 45 is associated with one customer ID (identifier). Questionnaire information 45 includes date and time 451, division 452, and setting value 453 in one entry.

The date and time 451 stores the date and time when the customer answered the questionnaire. Section 452 stores an identifier that identifies a questionnaire. The setting value 453 stores the evaluation value assigned to the answer to the questionnaire. Also, the final entry of the questionnaire information 45 stores the total value of the set values 453 .

In this embodiment, an example in which one table of the questionnaire information 45 is associated with one customer ID (identifier) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, customer ID and total fields may be added to the questionnaire information 45 of FIG. 6 to manage questionnaire responses of multiple customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the customer characteristic information 46. As shown in FIG. Customer characteristic information 46 is generated for each customer based on information acquired from customer information database 33 . One table of the customer characteristic information 46 is associated with one customer ID (identifier). The customer characteristic information 46 includes age 461, sex 462, residential area 463, and set value 464 in one entry.

The age 461 stores the age group of the customer. The gender 462 stores the gender of the customer. The residence area 463 stores the location of the customer. The setting value 464 stores the evaluation value given to the customer.

It should be noted that the customer characteristic information 46 is information used for calculating the good customer index CPP, so information that leads to individual identification is not necessary. For example, the residential area 463 does not include house numbers and the like up to the municipality level. Also, the final entry of the customer characteristic information 46 stores the total value of the set values 464 .

In this embodiment, an example in which one table of the customer characteristic information 46 is associated with one customer ID (identifier) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, customer ID and total fields may be added to the customer characteristic information 46 of FIG. 7 to manage customer characteristics of multiple customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the usage information 47. As shown in FIG. The usage information 47 is generated for each customer based on information acquired from the usage database 32 . One table of the usage information 47 is associated with one customer ID (identifier).

The usage information 47 includes a date and time 471, a usage location 472, a usage classification 473, and a set value 474 in one entry.

The date and time 471 stores the date and time when the use ended (or started). The place of use 472 stores information on the place where the subscription service was used. The usage category 473 is set with frequency of usage such as "normal", "excessive", and "scarce". The setting value 474 stores the evaluation value given by the subscription site 1 to the usage. Also, the final entry of the usage information 47 stores the total value of the setting values 474 .

In this embodiment, one table of the usage information 47 is associated with one customer ID (identifier), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a customer ID and a total field may be added to the usage information 47 of FIG. 8 to manage usage details of a plurality of customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of action points 48. As shown in FIG. Action points 48 are generated based on information obtained from preset data sources. One table of action points 48 is associated with one customer ID (identifier).

The action point 48 is an index used when calculating the good customer index CPP, and has items and setting values that can be arbitrarily set for each subscription site 1 . In this embodiment, as an example of the action point 48, an example of using environment information when using a subscription service is shown.

The action point 48 of this embodiment includes items 1 (481) to 4 (484) and a setting value 485 in one entry. Item 1 (481) stores the date and time when the use of the subscription service was started. Item 2 (482) stores the weather when the use of the subscription service was started.

Item 3 (383) stores the temperature at the start of use of the subscription service. Item 4 (384) stores the degree of congestion of a given space when the use of the subscription service is started. The setting value 485 stores the evaluation value set by the subscription site 1 . Also, the final entry of the contribution information 42 stores the total value of the set values 484 .

In this embodiment, an example in which one table of action points 48 is associated with one customer ID (identifier) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a customer ID and a total field may be added to the action point 48 in FIG. 9 to manage the contents of actions for a plurality of customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the CPP information 41. As shown in FIG. CPP information 41 is included in the CPP database 40 and generated for each customer. One table of the CPP information 41 is associated with one customer ID (identifier).

The CPP information 41 includes the number of updates 411, inquiries 412, community participation 413, questionnaire responses 414, membership contribution 415, customer characteristics 416, usage 417, action points 418, and a total of 419. Include in entry. One table of the CPP information 41 is associated with one customer, and is associated with the customer information database 33 by a customer ID (identifier) such as a membership number.

The entry of the CPP information 41 has a setting value entry that stores the acquired value, a weight entry that is preset in each field, and a score entry that stores a value obtained by multiplying the setting value by the weight.

The renewal count 411 stores the renewal count of the contract acquired from the contract information database 31 . The inquiry 412 stores the total value of the setting values 435 acquired from the inquiry information 43 .

The community participation 413 stores the total value of the set values 444 acquired from the community participation information 44 .

The questionnaire response 414 stores the total value of the setting values 453 acquired from the questionnaire information 45 . The membership contribution 415 stores the total value of the setting values 424 acquired from the contribution information 42 . The customer characteristic 416 stores the sum of the set values 464 acquired from the customer characteristic information 46 .

The usage status 417 stores the total value of the setting values 474 acquired from the usage information 47 . The action point 418 stores the total value of the setting values 485 acquired from the action point 48 .

The total 419 stores the total value of each field for each of the score entry and the setting value entry.

In this embodiment, an example in which one table of the CPP information 41 is associated with one customer ID (identifier) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, customer ID and total fields may be added to the CPP information 41 of FIG. 10 to manage the contents of the good customer index CPP of multiple customer IDs in one table.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a new customer enrollment process performed by the CPP management unit 21 of the recurring server 10. As shown in FIG.

The recurring server 10 accepts membership of a new customer from a client terminal 50 operated by an existing customer (S1). As will be described later, the membership process involves concluding a contract with a new customer, giving the new customer a membership number, and starting to use the subscription service.

The recurring server 10 generates (or updates) the contribution level information 42 for existing customers who have solicited new customers, adds new customer information, and corresponds the set value 424 of the contribution level information 42 to the contribution level. A predetermined value (10 points in FIG. 3) is given (S2).

In this embodiment, as will be described later, when an existing customer solicits a new customer, the fixed fee for a predetermined period is reduced by a predetermined amount. For example, if one person is solicited, one month's flat fee is free. Alternatively, one month's flat rate is halved.

Also, for the new customer solicited, the entry value of the setting value of the solicited customer's CPP information 41 is given to the new customer's CPP information 41, and the subscription service is started.

As a result, the cost required for recruiting customers can be reduced by giving benefits to both existing customers who are recruiting new members and new customers who are solicited.

The recurring server 10 calculates the good customer index CPP of each customer at a predetermined timing (for example, at the end of every month) and updates the CPP information 41 (S3). The recurring server 10 reads data from each database (31-36) and updates the contribution information 42-action point 48 of the CPP database 40. FIG.

Then, the recurring server 10 stores the total value of the contribution information 42 to the action point 48 in the setting value of the CPP information 41 in the setting value of the number of updates 411 to the action point 418, and multiplies the setting value by the weight. is stored in the score, and the sum of the scores, 419, is taken as the good customer index CPP.

The CPP information 41 changes according to activities such as updates of customer community participation information 44 and contribution information 42 due to solicitation of new customers, use of support (answers to inquiries and questionnaires), and the like. The recurring server 10 analyzes the CPP information 41 of each customer (S4), reduces the flat fee according to the total 419 values of the score entries in the CPP information 41, and resets the monthly fee (S5).

For example, the recurring server 10

Monthly fee = Fixed fee - Good customer index CPP

Calculate the monthly fee to be charged in the following month. As described above, when a new customer is solicited, the fixed charge for a predetermined period (for example, one month) is changed to free (or a predetermined rate). Also, in the above, an example is shown in which an amount corresponding to the good customer index CPP is deducted from the fixed charge, but the present invention is not limited to this. The fixed charge should be reduced (changed) as the good customer index CPP increases. However, the monthly charge will not be reduced below the preset minimum charge.

If the customer is using a pay-as-you-go optional service in addition to the fixed-rate subscription service, the pay-as-you-go usage fee can be added to the monthly charge. Also, an amount corresponding to the good customer index CPP may be subtracted from the pay-as-you-go usage fee.

Next, the recurring server 10 refers to the billing database 34 (S6), and if there is an unpaid monthly fee, it is added to the monthly fee to calculate billing information including the amount billed for the next month and the details of use. Store in the database 34 (S7).

Then, on a predetermined date, the recurring server 10 transmits billing information for each customer to the settlement server 60 and requests collection of the usage fee (S8).

As described above, the recurring server 10 calculates the good customer index CPP is calculated at a predetermined cycle (for example, every month). Then, the recurring server 10 subtracts an amount corresponding to the good customer index CPP from the fixed fee for a predetermined period, generates billing information for each predetermined period, and bills the customer to continue using the subscription service. can promote

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a new customer admission process performed by the CPP management unit 21. As shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, an existing customer A invites a new customer B to become a member. The existing customer A uses the client terminal 50-A, and the new customer B uses the client terminal 50-B.

First, the customer A, who has obtained the consent of the customer B, notifies the recurring server 10 of the subscription site 1 from the client terminal 50-A that the new customer B wishes to become a member (S11).

When the recurring server 10 receives the notification of the membership request from the client terminal 50-A, the recurring server 10 executes a confirmation process of asking the client terminal 50-B used by the customer B whether or not the contract can be concluded (S11).

When the client terminal 50-B receives the inquiry as to whether or not the contract is possible, the customer B transmits a notification of acceptance of the contract to the recurring server 10 (S12). When the recurring server 10 receives the acceptance of the contract of the customer B from the client terminal 50-B, the recurring server 10 performs the membership process for the new customer (S13).

The recurring server 10 registers the personal information of the new customer B in the customer information database 33, assigns a new customer ID (membership number), and registers the contract details linked to the customer ID in the contract information database 31. .

Next, the recurring server 10 acquires necessary information for the CPP database 40 from among the information on the new customer B, and adds the information on the customer B to various information in the CPP database 40 . The recurring server 10 adds an entry for customer B to the CPP information 41 in the CPP database 40 . Then, the recurring server 10 copies the setting values of the existing customer A's CPP information 41 to the new customer B's CPP information 41 (S14). As a result, the solicited customer B can receive a flat-rate discount with the good customer index CPP of the existing customer A.

The recurring server 10 notifies the client terminal 50-B of the customer ID (membership number) assigned to the customer B (S15), and the client terminal 50-B starts using the subscription service by the customer B (S16). ).

Then, the recurring server 10 adds a new entry to the contribution level information 42 of the existing customer A who has solicited the new customer, sets the information of the customer B, and sets a predetermined value corresponding to the contribution level to the set value 424 . (S17). The recurring server 10 updates the CPP information 41 of the customer A (S18), and as a benefit of acquiring a new customer, the recurring server 10 updates the billing information of the customer A in the billing database 34 in order to free (reduce) the flat fee for one month. is updated (S19).

As the existing customer A is added to the contribution degree information 42, the good customer index CPP is further increased, and the discount rate of the flat rate charge for the next month and thereafter is increased, and the flat rate charge for the next month is free. It will be possible to receive benefits to

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of support processing. The illustrated example shows an example in which the support terminal 70 activates the support management unit 23 to perform support processing. This support process is carried out at predetermined intervals or the like in order to prevent customers who use the subscription service infrequently from withdrawing from the service.

A person in charge using the support terminal 70 requests the recurring server 10 for information on customers whose good customer index CPP is equal to or less than a predetermined value (S21). In this support process, in order to extract customers who are likely to withdraw from the membership, customers whose total score value of 419 in the CPP information 41 is equal to or less than a predetermined value are extracted. It should be noted that the extraction of customers who are likely to withdraw from membership is not limited to a total score of 419, and customers whose usage status 417 score value is equal to or less than a predetermined value may be extracted. Customers whose sum of field scores is equal to or less than a predetermined value may be extracted.

In response to a request from the support terminal 70 , the recurring server 10 reads from the CPP database 40 the information of the customer whose score value in the specified field (item) of the CPP information 41 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and (S22). The recurring server 10 acquires contact information (e.g., e-mail address) and the like from the customer information database 33 based on the customer ID of the customer extracted from the CPP information 41 and transmits the information to the support terminal 70 .

When the support terminal 70 acquires the information of the customer who uses the subscription service infrequently, the support terminal 70 carries out retention (existing customer maintenance) activity (S23). As an example of retention activities, sending messages encouraging the use of subscription services, such as introducing events and services by e-mail.

The customer inquires about the item that shows interest in the retention activity from the support terminal 70 (S24). The person in charge of operating the support terminal 70 responds to the inquiry (S25).

When receiving an inquiry from a customer, the person in charge of operating the support terminal 70 adds an entry to the inquiry information 43 to update the inquiry information 43 (S26). The person in charge of operating the support terminal 70 retrieves the inquiry information 43 from the customer ID that received the inquiry, and writes the date and time 431 when the inquiry was received, the classification of the inquiry 432, the number of days 433 required for the response, and the like. Note that the index 434 and the set value 435 may be set by the recurring server 10 .

Then, the recurring server 10 updates the CPP information 41 of the customer ID with the update of the inquiry information 43 as a trigger (S27).

As described above, by extracting customers who use the subscription service infrequently based on the CPP information 41 and implementing proactive retention activities using the support terminal 70, it is possible to suppress withdrawal of existing customers.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of update processing of the CPP information 41 performed by the CPP management unit 21. As shown in FIG. The updating process of the CPP information 41 is executed at preset timing such as timing when any one of the contribution information 42 to the action point 48 is updated, or at a predetermined cycle (every month end).

The CPP management unit 21 refers to the contract information database 31 to extract the ID of the customer currently under contract, acquires the number of renewals of the customer under contract, and stores it in the entry of the setting value of the number of renewals 411 of the CPP information 41. (S31).

The CPP management unit 21 extracts the inquiry information 43 corresponding to the customer ID currently under contract, acquires the sum of the setting values 435 of the inquiry information 43 of the corresponding customer, and calculates the setting value of the inquiry 412 of the CPP information 41. Store in the entry (S32).

The CPP management unit 21 extracts the community participation information 44 corresponding to the customer ID currently under contract, acquires the sum of the set values 444 of the community participation information 44 of the corresponding customer, and calculates the community participation 413 of the CPP information 41. It is stored in the entry of the setting value (S33).

The CPP management unit 21 extracts the questionnaire information 45 corresponding to the current contracted customer ID, acquires the total of the set values 453 of the corresponding customer's questionnaire information 45, and obtains the set values of the questionnaire answers 414 of the CPP information 41. (S34).

The CPP management unit 21 extracts the contribution information 42 corresponding to the customer ID currently under contract, acquires the total setting value 424 of the contribution information 42 of the corresponding customer, and obtains the membership contribution 415 of the CPP information 41. is stored in the entry of the setting value of (S35).

The CPP management unit 21 extracts the customer characteristic information 467 corresponding to the current contracted customer ID, acquires the sum of the set values 464 of the customer characteristic information 46 of the corresponding customer, and converts the customer characteristic 416 of the CPP information 41 into It is stored in the setting value entry (S36).

The CPP management unit 21 extracts the usage information 47 corresponding to the customer ID currently under contract, acquires the sum of the setting values 474 of the usage information 47 of the corresponding customer, and obtains the setting value of the usage status 417 of the CPP information 41. (S37).

The CPP management unit 21 extracts the action point 48 corresponding to the customer ID currently under contract, acquires the total setting value 485 of the action point 48 of the corresponding customer, and obtains the setting value of the action point 418 of the CPP information 41. (S38).

For each customer's CPP information 41, the CPP management unit 21 multiplies the weight set in advance in each field of the number of updates 411 to action point 418 by the stored set value to calculate a score.

Then, the CPP management unit 21 sets the total score of each field of the number of updates 411 to the action point 418 to 419 (S39), and sets the value of the total 419 as the good customer index CPP (S40).

The processing of steps S31 to S40 is repeated for all customers currently under contract, and the CPP information 41 of each customer is updated based on the values of the contribution degree information 42 to action points 48 in the CPP database 40. FIG.

As described above, the CPP information 41 is generated according to the customer's relationship with the subscription site 1, such as the customer's usage of the subscription service, the customer's participation in the community, and the customer's inquiry and questionnaire response. A total of 419 is calculated and can be used as a good customer index CPP.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of billing processing performed by the billing management unit 26. As shown in FIG. The billing process is executed at preset timing such as a predetermined cycle (every month end).

The billing management unit 26 acquires a customer ID with a contract to be billed from the contract information database 31, and obtains billing information for each customer ID from the billing database 34 (S41). Next, the billing management unit 26 acquires the total 419 from the score entry of the CPP information 41 of the billing target customer ID and sets it as a good customer index CPP (S42).

Next, the billing management unit 26 determines whether or not there is a pay-as-you-go service in the billing information of the target customer ID (S43). to step S47.

In step S44, the billing management unit 26 acquires the metered unit price of the service used by the customer from the billing information, and calculates the metered unit price according to the good customer index CPP. The unit price per volume is, for example, unit price per volume = basic unit weight per unit - good customer index CPP
can be calculated from

In the above example, an amount corresponding to the good customer index CPP is deducted. However, it is not limited to this. Also, the volume unit price is not reduced below the preset lower limit unit price.

Next, the billing management unit 26 acquires the usage amount of the pay-as-you-go service of the customer from the usage database 32 (S45), and calculates the pay-as-you-go fee by multiplying the usage amount by the above-mentioned unit price (S46).

In step S47, the monthly charge corresponding to the good customer index CPP is calculated as described above, and if there is a metered charge, the charge amount is calculated by adding the metered charge to the monthly charge. The billing management unit 26 then transmits the billed amount calculated for each customer to the settlement server 60 and requests collection of the usage fee (S48).

The processing of steps S41 to S48 is repeated for the billing target customer, and the billed amount is calculated according to the value of the good customer index CPP (total 419) of the CPP information 41. FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of solicitation of new customers and billing status. In the illustrated example, customer A joins the subscription service in mid-April and withdraws in mid-September. In addition, customer A invites customer B to become a member in the middle of June.

Also, the recurring server 10 renews the contract at the beginning of each month, and the CPP management unit 21 renews the good customer index CPP according to the increase in the number of renewals.

Customer A, who joined in April, renews the contract at the beginning of each month, thereby increasing the good customer index CPP every month. As a result, the monthly charge for customer A is reduced according to the good customer index CPP, and as the customer continues to use the subscription service, the charge is finally reduced to the minimum charge.

Customer A invited customer B to join the subscription service in mid-June. The recurring server 10 gives the good customer index CPP of the customer A at the time of enrollment to the customer B who is a new enrollment. The customer B can receive the same monthly fee reduction service as the customer A from the beginning of membership.

The existing customer A who invited the customer B is given a degree of contribution to new membership, and the good customer index CPP increases according to the degree of contribution. Furthermore, the existing customer A can obtain the privilege of free monthly charge for one month as a bonus for the new membership of the customer B.

As described above, the recurring server 10 of the present embodiment accumulates history information of usage of the subscription service for each customer and history information of activities in the community provided by the subscription site 1, and stores this history information. to calculate a good customer index CPP, and reduce the usage fee (flat rate) of the subscription service for a predetermined period according to the value of the good customer index CPP, giving benefits to each customer and encouraging continued use. can.

In addition, by monitoring the excellent customer index CPP and the score (usage history) of the CPP information 41 for calculating the excellent customer index CPP, customers who use the subscription service little or who do little activity on the subscription site 1 can be extracted, and retention of existing customers can be promoted by implementing retention activities for these customers.

In addition, in the recurring server 10, when an existing customer enrolls a new customer, the existing customer is given a first privilege (addition of contribution or reduction of the fixed fee), and the new customer is given a second privilege. By providing the privilege of (giving a good customer index CPP), it is possible to promote the acquisition of new customers by existing customers, and the subscription site 1 can reduce the cost of acquiring new customers.

In the above-described embodiment, the CPP management unit 21 adds the degree of contribution to the contribution degree information 42 of the existing customer who enrolled the new customer to increase the good customer index CPP. is reduced (free or half-price), the privilege given to the invited existing customer (first privilege) may be either addition of contribution or reduction of fixed fee.

In the above embodiment, the contract information database 31, the usage database 32, the customer information database 33, the billing database 34, the community database 35, and the support database 36 are held in the recurring server 10. Although shown, it is not limited to this. The contract information database 31 to the support database 36 may be held by a computer outside the recurring server 10. FIG.

Further, the existing subscription site 1 may be added with a recurring server 10 that calculates the CPP information 41 for each customer and reduces the flat fee according to the good customer index CPP.
<Conclusion>

As described above, the recurring pricing platform of the above embodiment can be configured as follows.

(1) A computer (recurring server 10) having a processor (11) and a memory (12) is a recurring pricing platform that manages customers who use a subscription service. Usage history information (inquiry information 43, community participation information 44, questionnaire information 45, customer characteristic information 46, usage information 47) that accumulates the history of using a customer management unit (CPP a management unit 21), and a billing management unit (26) that determines a usage fee for each predetermined period of the subscription service for each customer, and the billing management unit (26) A recurring pricing platform characterized by calculating an amount obtained by subtracting a fixed charge according to the good customer index CPP as the usage charge for the predetermined period.

With the above configuration, a good customer index CPP can be calculated according to the customer's usage history and contribution to the subscription service, and continued use can be encouraged by reducing the usage fee according to the value of the good customer index CPP. .

(2) In the recurring pricing platform according to (1) above, when the customer management unit (21) receives a notification that an existing customer has enrolled a new customer, the existing customer receives the first A recurring pricing platform characterized by giving a privilege (addition of contribution level information 42 or reduction of fixed fee) and giving a second privilege (addition of good customer index CPP) to the new customer.

With the above configuration, when an existing customer enrolls a new customer, the benefits are given to both the existing customer and the new customer, making it possible to reduce the acquisition cost of the new customer.

(3) The recurring pricing platform according to (2) above, wherein the first benefit is a predetermined contribution added to the contribution information of the existing customer or a fixed fee for the predetermined period A recurring pricing base, wherein the second privilege is at least one of reducing the amount by an amount, and wherein the second privilege is to give the new customer a good customer index of the existing customer who enrolled the new customer.

With the above configuration, when an existing customer recruits a new customer, the contribution is added to the existing customer, and the good customer index CPP is added to the new customer, thereby reducing the acquisition cost of new customers. becomes possible.

(4) The recurring pricing platform according to (1) above, wherein, among the customers of the subscription service, customers whose good customer index CPP is a predetermined value or less are extracted, and the extracted customers are targeted for retention. A recurring pricing platform, further comprising a support management unit (23) for outputting.

With the above configuration, by monitoring the good customer index CPP and the score (history of use) of the CPP information 41 for calculating the good customer index CPP, customers who use the subscription service less often and activities on the subscription site 1 are reduced. A small number of customers can be extracted, and by implementing proactive retention (support) activities for these customers, it is possible to promote retention of existing customers.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above embodiments are described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. In addition, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, addition, deletion, or replacement of other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be applied singly or in combination.

Further, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing them in an integrated circuit. Further, each of the above configurations, functions, etc. may be realized by software by a processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in recording devices such as memories, hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

Further, the control lines and information lines indicate those considered necessary for explanation, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily indicated on the product. In practice, it may be considered that almost all configurations are interconnected.

1 subscription site 10 recurring server 11 processor 12 memory 13 communication interface 14 input/output device 15 storage device 21 CPP management unit 22 subscription provision unit 23 support management unit 24 community management unit 25 contract management unit 26 billing management unit 31 contract information Database 32 Usage database 33 Customer information database 34 Accounting database 35 Community database 36 Support database 40 CPP database 41 CPP information 42 Contribution information 43 Inquiry information 44 Community participation information 45 Questionnaire information 46 Customer characteristic information 47 Usage information 48 Action points 50 Client Terminal 60 Payment server

Claims (4)

A processor and a computer having a memory are a recurring pricing platform that manages customers who use the subscription service,
Usage history information for accumulating a history of usage of the subscription service for each customer;
Contribution level information for accumulating a contribution level when each customer contributes to the subscription service;
a customer management unit that reads the usage history information and the contribution information and calculates a good customer index for each customer;
a billing management unit that determines a usage fee for each predetermined period of the subscription service for each of the customers,
The billing management unit calculates an amount obtained by subtracting the fixed fee for each predetermined period according to the good customer index as the usage fee for the predetermined period ,
When the customer management unit receives a notification that an existing customer has enrolled a new customer, the customer management unit gives the existing customer a first privilege and gives the new customer a second privilege,
The first privilege is at least one of adding a predetermined degree of contribution to the contribution degree information of the existing customer or reducing the fixed fee for the predetermined period by a predetermined amount,
The recurring pricing platform , wherein the second privilege is to give to the new customer a good customer index of an existing customer who enrolled the new customer. A processor and a computer having a memory are a recurring pricing platform that manages customers who use the subscription service,
Usage history information for accumulating a history of usage of the subscription service for each customer;
Contribution level information for accumulating a contribution level when each customer contributes to the subscription service;
a customer management unit that reads the usage history information and the contribution information and calculates a good customer index for each customer;
a billing management unit that determines a usage fee for each predetermined period of the subscription service for each of the customers,
The billing management unit calculates an amount obtained by subtracting the fixed fee for each predetermined period according to the good customer index as the usage fee for the predetermined period,
A recurring pricing platform, further comprising a support management unit that extracts customers whose good customer index is equal to or less than a predetermined value among customers of the subscription service and outputs the extracted customers as retention targets. A subscription business promotion method for managing customers using a subscription service with a computer having a processor and a memory,
a first step in which the computer accumulates a history of using the subscription service for each customer in usage history information;
a second step of accumulating, in contribution degree information, a degree of contribution when the computer contributes to the subscription service for each of the customers;
a third step in which the computer reads the usage history information and the contribution information and calculates a good customer index for each customer;
a fourth step in which the computer determines a usage fee for each predetermined period of the subscription service for each customer,
the fourth step calculates an amount obtained by subtracting the fixed fee for each predetermined period according to the good customer index as the usage fee for the predetermined period;
In the third step, when an existing customer receives a notification that a new customer has joined, a first benefit is given to the existing customer, a second privilege is given to the new customer,
The first privilege is at least one of adding a predetermined degree of contribution to the contribution degree information of the existing customer or reducing the fixed fee for the predetermined period by a predetermined amount,
A method for promoting a subscription business, wherein the second privilege is to give a good customer index of an existing customer who has enrolled the new customer to the new customer. A subscription business promotion method for managing customers using a subscription service with a computer having a processor and a memory,
a first step in which the computer accumulates a history of using the subscription service for each customer in usage history information;
a second step of accumulating, in contribution degree information, a degree of contribution when the computer contributes to the subscription service for each of the customers;
a third step in which the computer reads the usage history information and the contribution information and calculates a good customer index for each customer;
a fourth step in which the computer determines a usage fee for each predetermined period of the subscription service for each customer,
the fourth step calculates an amount obtained by subtracting the fixed fee for each predetermined period according to the good customer index as the usage fee for the predetermined period;
The computer further comprises a fifth step of extracting, from among the customers of the subscription service, customers whose good customer index is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and outputting the extracted customers as objects of support. Subscription business promotion method.

Images