JP7556222B2 - Call center system, information processing device, chat history display method, and chat history display program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a call center system, an information processing device, a chat history display method, and a chat history display program.

For example, a support system is known in which an operator terminal responds to inquiries about products or services from a user's user terminal, thereby assisting in the use of the product or service. The operator terminal has a chat operator terminal that responds via chat communication with the user terminal, and a voice operator terminal that responds via voice communication with the user terminal.

When a server that manages user terminals and operator terminals receives a chat inquiry from a user terminal, the server executes chat communication between the user terminal and the chat operator terminal. The server also stores the chat content between the user terminal and the chat operator terminal as a chat history in association with a user ID that identifies the user terminal.

When the server accepts an inquiry by voice telephone from a user terminal, it executes a call between the user terminal and the voice operator terminal. In addition, when the server accepts an inquiry by voice, it extracts the chat history corresponding to the user ID included in the voice call request, and transfers the extracted chat history to the voice operator terminal that responds by voice. As a result, the operator of the voice operator terminal can respond to the user by phone while viewing the user's chat history. In this system, a single server links the chat system for chat communication and the call system for phone calls.

JP 2007-072835 A

However, a typical call center system does not have a single server, but rather has an independent system configuration consisting of a call server that manages a call system that connects user terminals and voice operator terminals via a telephone network, and a chat server that manages a chat system that connects user terminals and chat operator terminals via a data communications network. In a system configuration in which the call system and chat system are independent, the mechanism for transferring chat history to the voice operator terminal when switching calls during a chat becomes complicated, making it difficult to link the call system and chat system.

On one aspect, the objective is to provide a call center system etc. that can link a chat system and a telephone system without requiring a complex mechanism.

The call center system of one aspect has a device operated by a customer, a chat server that chats with the device operated by the customer, and a call server that manages a call terminal that makes a call with the device operated by the customer. The chat server has a memory unit that stores a chat history between the device operated by the customer. The device operated by the customer has a call unit that transmits an identifier that identifies the chat history to the call server by a dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) signal when it detects a call instruction operation by the customer during a chat with the chat server. The call server has an acquisition unit that acquires an identifier from a DTMF signal received from the device operated by the customer, a management unit that stores a telephone management number corresponding to the identifier in the memory unit, and a control unit that notifies the identifier in response to an identifier acquisition request from a call terminal related to the telephone management number. The call terminal related to the telephone management number has an extraction unit that extracts a chat history corresponding to the identifier from a memory unit in the chat server, and a business processing unit that displays the chat history extracted by the extraction unit on an operation screen.

According to one aspect, by transmitting an identifier using a DTMF signal that can be transmitted over a telephone network, it is possible to link the chat system of the chat server with the call system of the call server without requiring a complex mechanism.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a call center system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a customer terminal. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a chat server. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the chat history DB. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a call server. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the management table. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication terminal. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen of a customer terminal during chat. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen of a call terminal. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing operation of the call center system during chat. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing operation of the call center system when the call button is operated during a chat. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing operation of the call center system when switching from chat to telephone call. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing operation of a customer terminal related to customer-side processing. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing operation of a customer terminal related to customer-side processing. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing operation of the chat server related to chat processing. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the chat server related to the acquisition process. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing operation of the call server related to the transfer process. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing operation of a call terminal related to a call process. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a computer that executes a chat history display program.

Below, examples of the call center system and the like disclosed in the present application are described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosed technology is not limited to each example. Furthermore, the examples shown below may be combined as appropriate to the extent that no contradictions arise.

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a call center system of this embodiment. The call center system 1 shown in Figure 1 has a customer terminal 2, a chat server 3, a call center in-house system 4, a data communication network 8, and a telephone network 9. The call center system 1 is a system in which an operator or the like responds to inquiries about products and services from the customer terminal 2 by chat or telephone. The customer terminal 2 is a device operated by a customer, such as a smartphone terminal or tablet terminal equipped with a chat communication function and a telephone function. The chat server 3 is an information processing device such as a computer that manages chats between the customer terminal 2. Although the chat server 3 and the telephone server 5 are exemplified as computers, they may be realized by a cloud and can be changed as appropriate. The data communication network 8 is a communication network for data communication. The telephone network 9 is a communication network for telephone calls.

The call center on-premise system 4 has a call server 5, multiple chat terminals 6, multiple call terminals 7, and an on-premise communication network 4A. The call server 5 is an information processing device such as a computer that manages the call terminals 7. The chat terminal 6 is a terminal device used by an operator who handles chats. The call terminal 7 is an information processing device such as a computer connected to a headset with a voice call function that is used by an operator who handles telephone calls. For convenience of explanation, the chat terminal 6 and the call terminal 7 are illustrated as being separately provided, but the chat terminal 6 and the call terminal 7 may be shared. The on-premise communication network 4A is a communication network that connects the call terminals 7 and the call server 5. The data communication network 8 connects the customer terminal 2, the chat server 3, the chat terminal 6, and the call terminal 7. The telephone network 9 connects the customer terminal 2 and the call server 5.

2 is a block diagram showing an example of a customer terminal 2. The customer terminal 2 shown in FIG. 2 has a data communication IF (Interface) 21, a telephone communication IF 22, an input IF 23, an output IF 24, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 25, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 26, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 27. The data communication IF 21 is an interface that manages data communication with the data communication network 8. The telephone communication IF 22 is an interface that manages telephone communication with the telephone network 9. The input IF 23 is an interface such as an operation button that issues commands and a microphone that picks up the customer's telephone voice. The output IF 24 is an interface such as a display unit that displays various information such as chat content and a speaker that outputs the other party's telephone voice as sound. The ROM 25 is an area that stores various programs and the like. The RAM 26 is an area that stores various information. The CPU 27 controls the entire customer terminal 2.

The CPU 27 has a chat communication unit 27A as a process function by reading the chat communication program in the ROM 25 onto the RAM 26 and executing the read chat communication program. The CPU 27 has a call unit 27B as a process function by reading the call program in the ROM 25 onto the RAM 26 and executing the read call program. The CPU 27 has a generation unit 27C as a process function by reading the generation program in the ROM 25 onto the RAM 26 and executing the read generation program.

The chat communication unit 27A connects to the chat server 3 and executes chat communication with the chat automatic response device 34 or the chat terminal 6. The call unit 27B connects to the automatic voice response device 55 in the call server 5 and executes a call with the call terminal 7. When the generation unit 27C detects a call switching operation during a chat, it generates KEY information that identifies the chat history during the chat. Note that this is not limited to a switching operation, and may be, for example, a call instruction operation by the customer, and can be changed as appropriate. The generation unit 27C generates KEY information as a character string that can be converted into a DTMF (Dual Tone Multiple Frequency) signal, which is a combination of the current date and time, the terminal-specific number of the customer terminal 2 related to the chat history, and a random number.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a chat server 3. The chat server 3 shown in Figure 3 has a data communication IF 31, an input IF 32, an output IF 33, an automatic chat response device 34, a ROM 35, a RAM 36, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 37, and a CPU 38. The data communication IF 31 is an interface that manages data communication with the data communication network 8. The input IF 32 is an interface such as an operation button that issues commands. The output IF 33 is an interface such as a display unit that displays various information such as chat content. The automatic chat response device 34 is an automatic response device such as a chatbot that automatically responds to chat inquiries from the customer terminal 2.

The ROM 35 is an area for storing various programs, etc. The RAM 36 is an area for storing various information. The HDD 37 is an area for storing various information. The CPU 38 controls the entire chat server 3. For ease of explanation, an example is shown in which the automatic chat response device 34 is located within the chat server 3, but it may be externally connected to the chat server 3 and can be changed as appropriate.

The HDD 37 has a chat history database (DB) 37A. The chat history DB 37A is a storage unit that stores chat histories with the customer terminal 2. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the chat history DB 37A. The chat history DB 37A shown in FIG. 4 stores a log ID 371, a session ID 372, an in-session ID 373, a chat content 374, a speaker 375, and a chat date and time 376 in association with each other. The log ID 371 is an ID that identifies a log for each chat. The session ID 372 is an ID that identifies a session. The in-session ID 373 is an ID that identifies a log for each chat in the same session. The chat content 374 is, for example, the content of the chat. The speaker 375 is, for example, information that identifies whether the chat utterance is from a chatbot, an operator, or a customer. The chat date and time 376 is, for example, the date and time of the chat utterance.

When the chat server 3 extracts the chat history between the customer and the chatbot (the chat automatic response device 34) shown in FIG. 4, it can extract the chat history corresponding to "aaaa" which identifies the session between the customer and the chatbot. When the chat server 3 extracts the chat history between the customer and the operator (the chat terminal 6) shown in FIG. 4, it can extract the chat history corresponding to "bbbb" which identifies the session between the customer and the operator. When the chat server 3 extracts the chat history from the chatbot shown in FIG. 4, after the operator responds to the customer, until the chat server 3 switches to a voice operator, it can extract the chat history with "cccc" which identifies these sessions.

The speech content 374 may include KEY information. As described above, KEY information is information that identifies the chat history of the customer terminal 2 that was switched during a chat with the customer terminal 2. When extracting a chat history from the chat history DB 37A, the call terminal 7 searches the chat history DB 37A for a chat history that corresponds to the session ID of the KEY information that identifies the chat history. The call terminal 7 extracts the chat history of the session ID obtained in the search result from the chat history DB 37A.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the call server 5. The call server 5 shown in Figure 5 has a telephone communication IF 51, an internal communication IF 52, an input IF 53, an output IF 54, an automatic voice response device 55, an ACD (Automatic Call Distributor) device 55A, a ROM 56, a RAM 57, a HDD 58, and a CPU 59. The telephone communication IF 51 is an interface that handles telephone communication with the telephone network 9. The internal communication IF 52 is an interface that handles communication with the internal communication network 4A. The input IF 53 is an interface such as an operation button that issues commands, etc. The output IF 54 is an interface such as a display unit that displays various information, etc.

The automatic voice response device 55 is a device that automatically responds to an incoming call from the customer terminal 2, receives KEY information that identifies the chat history, and transfers the process to the ACD device 55A. The ACD device 55A is a response device that selects an arbitrary call terminal 7 from multiple call terminals 7 and transfers an incoming call from the customer terminal 2 to the selected call terminal 7. The ROM 56 is an area for storing various programs, etc. The RAM 57 is an area for storing various information. The HDD 58 is an area for storing various information. The CPU 59 controls the entire call server 5. For ease of explanation, the automatic voice response device 55 is illustrated as being located within the call server 5, but it may be externally connected to the call server 5 and can be changed as appropriate.

The CPU 59 has an acquisition unit 59A as a process function by reading the acquisition program in the ROM 56 onto the RAM 57 and executing the read acquisition program. The CPU 59 has a management unit 59B as a process function by reading the extraction program in the ROM 56 onto the RAM 57 and executing the read extraction program. The CPU 59 has a control unit 59C as a process function by reading the control program in the ROM 56 onto the RAM 57 and executing the read control program.

HDD 58 has a management table 58A. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of management table 58A. Management table 58A shown in FIG. 6 manages telephone management numbers 581 and KEY information 582 in association with each other. Telephone management number 581 is a number that manages incoming telephone calls from customer terminal 2. KEY information 582 is a character string that identifies the chat history corresponding to customer terminal 2 of the telephone call. The character string is a character string that can be converted into a DTMF signal.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a call terminal 7. The call terminal 7 shown in FIG. 7 has a telephone communication IF 71, an internal communication IF 72, an input IF 73, an output IF 74, a ROM 75, a RAM 76, a HDD 77, and a CPU 78. The telephone communication IF 71 is an interface that handles telephone communication with the telephone network 9. The internal communication IF 72 is an interface that handles communication with the internal communication network 4A and also with the data communication network 8. The input IF 73 is an interface such as an operation button that issues commands, a microphone that collects the operator's voice, etc. The output IF 74 is an interface such as a display unit that displays various information, a speaker that outputs the other party's voice, etc.

The ROM 75 is an area for storing various programs, etc. The RAM 76 is an area for storing various information. The HDD 77 is an area for storing various information. The CPU 78 controls the entire call terminal 7.

The CPU 78 has a call unit 78A as a process function by reading the call program in the ROM 75 onto the RAM 76 and executing the read call program. The CPU 78 has an extraction unit 78B as a process function by reading the extraction program in the ROM 75 onto the RAM 76 and executing the read extraction program. The CPU 78 has a business processing unit 78C as a process function by reading the business program in the ROM 75 onto the RAM 76 and executing the read business program.

Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the screen of the customer terminal 2 during chat. The screen of the customer terminal 2 shown in Figure 8 has a chat content screen 24A, a chat input field 24B, a send button 24C, and a call button 24D. The chat content screen 24A displays the chat content on the customer's side and the chat content on the responding (operator) side in chronological order. The chat input field 24B is a field for inputting the chat content on the customer's side. The send button 24C is a button for sending the chat content entered in the chat input field 24B to the responding (operator) side. The call button 24D is a button for switching to a call during chat.

Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen of the call terminal 7. The screen of the call terminal 7 shown in Figure 9 has a business application screen 74A and a telephone function screen 74B. The business application screen 74A has customer information 741A and a chat history 742A. The customer information 741A has, for example, the customer name, the customer's purchase history, the customer's inquiry history, etc. The chat history 742A is a chat history that shows the content of the customer's chat before the call.

The telephone function screen 74B has status information 741B indicating the current status of the call terminal 7, an answer button 742B, a disconnect button 743B, a hold button 744B, and a transfer button 745B. The status information 741B is status information of the call terminal 7, such as incoming call, active call, or on hold. Furthermore, the status information 741B includes information on the incoming call number and whether or not there is a chat history. The answer button 742B is a button for answering an incoming call. The disconnect button 743B is a button for disconnecting a call. The hold button 744B is a button for putting a call on hold. The transfer button 745B is a button for transferring a call.

Next, the operation of the call center system 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing operation of the call center system 1 during chat. In FIG. 10, when the customer terminal 2 detects a chat start operation (step S1), it sends a chat start request to the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S2). The chat start operation is an operation for starting chat communication with the automatic chat response device 34. In response to the chat start request, the chat server 3 sends a chat start request to the automatic chat response device 34 (step S3).

The chat server 3 monitors chat communication between the customer terminal 2 and the chat automatic response device 34 (step S4) and sequentially stores the chat contents between the customer terminal 2 and the chat automatic response device 34 in the chat history DB 37A (step S5).

When the customer terminal 2 detects an operation to start a manned chat (step S6A), it sends a request to start a manned chat to the chat server 3 (step S6). When the chat server 3 detects a request to start a manned chat, it switches chat communication with the customer terminal 2 from the chat automatic response device 34 to the chat terminal 6 (step S7). The chat server 3 sends a request to start a manned chat to the chat terminal 6 via the data communication network 8 (step S8). The chat server 3 monitors the chat communication between the customer terminal 2 and the chat terminal 6 (step S9), and sequentially saves the chat contents between the customer terminal 2 and the chat terminal 6 in the chat history DB 37A (step S10).

Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing operation of the call center system 1 when the talk button is operated during a chat. In Figure 11, when the customer terminal 2 detects the operation of the talk button 24D during a chat with the chat automatic response device 34 or the chat terminal 6 (steps S11 and S12), it generates KEY information (step S13). The KEY information is a character string that can be converted into a DTMF signal that identifies the chat history for each session ID.

The customer terminal 2 sends the generated KEY information to the chat server 3 (step S14). When the chat server 3 receives the KEY information, it stores the KEY information in the chat history DB 37A (step S15). Note that the KEY information is stored with the same session ID as the chat of the customer terminal 2. Then, the customer terminal 2 and chat server 3 end the processing of the chat communication (step S16).

Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing operation of the call center system 1 when switching from chat to call. In Figure 12, when the customer terminal 2 ends the processing of chat communication in step S16, it makes a call to the automatic voice response device 55 in the call server 5 of the call center on-site system 4 via the telephone network 9 (step S17). The call is made by pressing the call button 24D in step S12. The automatic voice response device 55 in the call server 5 automatically responds to the incoming call (call) from the customer terminal 2 (step S18).

The customer terminal 2 converts the KEY information into a DTMF signal in response to a response signal from the automated voice response device 55, and transmits the converted DTMF signal to the call server 5 via the telephone network 9 (step S19). The management unit 59B in the call server 5 associates the telephone management number that identifies the call related to the incoming call from the customer terminal 2 with the KEY information from the DTMF signal and stores them in the management table 58A (step S20).

The ACD device 55A in the call server 5 transfers the call to the call terminal 7. The ACD device 55A then selects, from among the multiple call terminals 7, a call terminal 7 to which the call from the customer terminal 2 is to be transferred (step S20A). The ACD device 55A transfers the incoming call notification including the telephone management number to the selected call terminal 7 via the internal communication network 4A (step S21).

The call unit 78A in the call terminal 7 extracts the telephone management number from the incoming call notification and notifies the business processing unit 78C in the call terminal 7 of the extracted telephone management number (step S22). The business processing unit 78C sends a KEY acquisition request including the telephone management number to the call server 5 via the internal communication network 4A (step S23). The call server 5 extracts the telephone management number in the KEY acquisition request and extracts KEY information corresponding to the extracted telephone management number from the management table 58A. Then, the call server 5 sends the KEY information corresponding to the telephone management number to the business processing unit 78C of the call terminal 7 via the internal communication network 4A (step S24).

When the business processing unit 78C in the call terminal 7 receives the KEY information, it transmits a chat history acquisition request including the KEY information to the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S25). When the chat server 3 receives the chat history acquisition request, it acquires the chat history from the chat history DB 37A and transmits it to the business processing unit 78C in the call terminal 7 via the data communication network 8 (step S26). The business processing unit 78C extracts the chat history of the session ID corresponding to the KEY information from the history acquired from the chat server 3 (step S26A) and displays the chat history on a screen (step S27). As a result, the operator of the call terminal 7 can check the chat history of the customer to be served before the call and can serve the customer by phone. The call unit 78A in the call terminal 7 starts a call with the customer terminal 2 via the telephone network 9 (step S28).

Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the customer terminal 2 related to customer-side processing. In Figure 13, the customer terminal 2 determines whether or not a chat start operation has been detected (step S31). If the customer terminal 2 detects a chat start operation (step S31: Yes), it transmits a chat start request to the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S32).

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not a response signal to the chat start request is received from the chat server 3 (step S33). If the customer terminal 2 receives a response signal (step S33: Yes), it establishes communication with the chat automatic response device 34 via the chat server 3 (step S34).

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not an input operation of the inquiry content has been detected (step S35). If the customer terminal 2 detects an input operation of the inquiry content (step S35: Yes), it displays the inquiry content on the screen (step S36). Furthermore, the customer terminal 2 transmits the input inquiry content to the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S37). The chat server 3 transmits the received inquiry content to the automatic chat response device 34. The automatic chat response device 34 automatically selects a response content corresponding to the inquiry content and transmits the response content to the chat server 3. The chat server 3 then transmits the received response content to the customer terminal 2 via the data communication network 8.

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not the response content from the chat automatic response device 34 has been received from the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S38). If the customer terminal 2 has received the response content (step S38: Yes), it displays the response content on the screen (step S39). As a result, the customer can recognize the response content by looking at the response content displayed on the screen.

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not a button operation of the call button 24D has been detected (step S40). If the customer terminal 2 has not detected a button operation of the call button 24D (step S40: No), it determines whether or not a chat end operation has been detected (step S41). If the customer terminal 2 has not detected a chat end operation (step S41: No), it determines whether or not a manned chat start operation has been detected (step S42).

If the customer terminal 2 does not detect an operation to start a manned chat (step S42: No), it proceeds to step S35 to determine whether or not an input operation of the inquiry content has been detected. If the customer terminal 2 detects an operation to start a manned chat (step S42: Yes), it sends a request to start a manned chat to the chat server 3 (step S43).

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not a response signal to the request to start a manned chat has been received from the chat server 3 (step S44). If the customer terminal 2 receives a response signal to the request to start a manned chat (step S44; Yes), it establishes communication with the chat terminal 6 via the chat server 3 (step S45).

After establishing communication with the chat terminal 6, the customer terminal 2 determines whether or not an input operation of the inquiry content has been detected (step S46). If the customer terminal 2 detects an input operation of the inquiry content (step S46: Yes), the customer terminal 2 displays the inquiry content on the screen (step S47). Furthermore, the customer terminal 2 transmits the input inquiry content to the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S48). The chat server 3 transmits the received inquiry content to the chat terminal 6. The operator of the chat terminal 6 inputs a response content according to the inquiry content and transmits the response content to the chat server 3. The chat server 3 then transmits the received response content to the customer terminal 2 via the data communication network 8.

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not a response to the inquiry has been received from the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S49). If the customer terminal 2 has received the response (step S49: Yes), it displays the response on the screen (step S50). As a result, the customer can recognize the response by looking at the response displayed on the screen.

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not a button operation of the call button 24D has been detected (step S51). If the customer terminal 2 does not detect a button operation of the call button 24D (step S51: No), it determines whether or not a chat end operation has been detected (step S52). If the customer terminal 2 does not detect a chat end operation (step S52: No), it proceeds to step S46 to determine whether or not an input operation of the inquiry content has been detected.

When the customer terminal 2 detects a chat end operation (step S52: Yes), the customer terminal 2 transmits a chat communication end request to the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 to end the chat communication (step S53). Then, the customer terminal 2 ends the chat communication (step S54) and ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 13.

If the customer terminal 2 does not detect a chat start operation (step S31: No), the customer terminal 2 ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 13. If the customer terminal 2 does not receive a response signal from the chat server 3 (step S33: No), the customer terminal 2 proceeds to step S33 to determine whether or not a response signal has been received.

If the customer terminal 2 does not detect an input operation of the inquiry content (step S35: No), it proceeds to step S40 to determine whether or not it has detected a button operation of the call button 24D. If the customer terminal 2 does not receive a response content from the chat server 3 (step S38: No), it proceeds to step S38 to determine whether or not it has received a response content from the automatic chat response device 34.

When the customer terminal 2 detects a button operation of the call button 24D (step S40: Yes), the customer terminal 2 transitions to M1 shown in FIG. 14 in order to switch from chat to a call. When the customer terminal 2 detects a chat end operation (step S41: Yes), the customer terminal 2 transitions to step S53 in order to send a chat communication end request to the chat server 3.

If the customer terminal 2 does not receive a response signal from the chat server 3 (step S44: No), it proceeds to step S44 to determine whether or not a response signal has been received. If the customer terminal 2 does not detect an input operation of the inquiry content (step S46: No), it proceeds to step S51 to determine whether or not a button operation of the call button 24D has been detected. If the customer terminal 2 does not receive a response content from the chat server 3 (step S49: No), it proceeds to step S49 to determine whether or not a response content from the chat terminal 6 has been received. If the customer terminal 2 detects a button operation of the call button 24D (step S51: Yes), it proceeds to M1 shown in FIG. 14.

Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the customer terminal 2 related to customer-side processing. In M1 shown in Figure 14, the customer terminal 2 generates KEY information by concatenating the current date and time, the terminal unique number of the customer terminal 2, and a random number (step S61). The KEY information is an identifier for extracting the chat history of the session ID during the chat from the chat history DB 37A. The customer terminal 2 transmits the generated KEY information to the chat server 3 via the data communication network 8 (step S62). The customer terminal 2 ends the chat communication with the chat server 3 (step S63), and makes a call to the automatic voice response device 55 in the call server 5 via the telephone network 9 to start a call with an operator (step S64).

The customer terminal 2 determines whether or not a response signal has been received from the automatic voice response device 55 (step S65). If the customer terminal 2 receives a response signal from the automatic voice response device 55 (step S65: Yes), it converts the KEY information into a DTMF signal and transmits the converted DTMF signal to the automatic voice response device 55 of the call server 5 via the telephone network 9 (step S66). At this time, the automatic voice response device 55 stores the character string converted from the DTMF signal in the management table 58A in the HDD 58 of the call server 5, linking it with the telephone management number.

The customer terminal 2 is transferred by the ACD device 55A, establishes communication with the call terminal 7 (step S67), and starts a call with the call terminal 7 (step S68). The customer of the customer terminal 2 can make inquiries by phone with the operator of the call terminal 7. After starting the call, the customer terminal 2 determines whether or not it has detected a call disconnection operation (step S69). If the customer terminal 2 detects a call disconnection operation (step S69: Yes), it ends the call on the call terminal 7 (step S70) and ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 14.

If the customer terminal 2 does not receive a response signal from the automated voice response device 55 (step S65: No), it proceeds to step S65 to determine whether or not a response signal has been received from the automated voice response device 55. If the customer terminal 2 does not detect a call disconnection operation (step S69: No), it proceeds to step S69 to determine whether or not a call disconnection operation has been detected.

Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the chat server 3 related to chat processing. In Figure 15, the chat server 3 determines whether or not a chat start request has been received from the customer terminal 2 via the data communication network 8 (step S71). If the chat server 3 receives a chat start request (step S71: Yes), it establishes communication with the automatic chat response device 34 (step S72).

After establishing communication with the chat automatic response device 34, the chat server 3 transmits a response signal to the customer terminal 2 (step S73). The chat server 3 determines whether or not the inquiry content has been received from the customer terminal 2 (step S74).

When the chat server 3 receives the inquiry (step S74: Yes), it stores a chat history in the chat history DB 37A that associates the spoken content as the inquiry content, the session ID, the in-session ID, the speaker, and the date and time of the speech (step S75). The chat automatic response device 34 in the chat server 3 generates a response to the inquiry content (step S76) and transmits the response to the customer terminal 2 (step S77).

The chat server 3 associates the spoken content as the response content, the session ID, the in-session ID, the speaker, and the speech date and time, and stores the chat history in the chat history DB 37A (step S78). The chat server 3 determines whether or not a chat end request has been received from the customer terminal 2 (step S79). If the chat server 3 receives a chat end request from the customer terminal 2 (step S79: Yes), it ends the chat communication with the customer terminal 2 (step S80), and ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 15.

If the chat server 3 does not receive a chat end request from the customer terminal 2 (step S79: No), it determines whether or not it has received a manned chat start request from the customer terminal 2 (step S81). If the chat server 3 receives a manned chat start request (step S81: Yes), it establishes communication with the chat terminal 6 (step S82).

After establishing communication with the chat terminal 6, the chat server 3 transmits a response signal to the customer terminal 2 (step S83). The chat server 3 determines whether or not the inquiry content has been received from the customer terminal 2 (step S84).

When the chat server 3 receives the inquiry (step S84: Yes), it stores a chat history in the chat history DB 37A that associates the spoken content as the inquiry content, the session ID, the in-session ID, the speaker, and the date and time of the speech (step S85). The chat server 3 transfers the inquiry content to the chat terminal 6 (step S86). The chat server 3 determines whether or not it has received a response to the inquiry content from the chat terminal 6 (step S87). When the chat server 3 receives the response content (step S87: Yes), it transmits the response content to the customer terminal 2 (step S88).

The chat server 3 associates the spoken content as the response content, the session ID, the in-session ID, the speaker, and the speech date and time, and stores the chat history in the chat history DB 37A (step S89). The chat server 3 determines whether or not a chat end request has been received from the customer terminal 2 (step S90). If the chat server 3 receives a chat end request from the customer terminal 2 (step S90: Yes), it proceeds to step S80 to end the chat communication with the customer terminal 2.

If the chat server 3 has not received a chat end request from the customer terminal 2 (step S90: No), it determines whether or not it has received KEY information from the customer terminal 2 (step S91). If the chat server 3 has received KEY information (step S91: Yes), it stores the chat history in the chat history DB 37A by associating the utterance content, session ID, in-session ID, speaker, and utterance date and time as KEY information (step S92). Furthermore, the chat server 3 proceeds to step S80 (M2) to end the chat communication with the customer terminal 2.

If the chat server 3 does not receive KEY information from the customer terminal 2 (step S91: No), the chat server 3 proceeds to step S74 to determine whether or not it has received the contents of an inquiry from the customer terminal 2. If the chat server 3 does not receive a chat start request from the customer terminal 2 (step S71: No), the chat server 3 ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 15.

If the chat server 3 does not receive the inquiry from the customer terminal 2 (step S74: No), it proceeds to step S79 to determine whether or not a chat end request has been received from the customer terminal 2. If the chat server 3 does not receive the inquiry from the customer terminal 2 (step S84: No), it proceeds to step S90 to determine whether or not a chat end request has been received from the customer terminal 2.

The chat server 3 stores the chat content during a chat in the chat history DB 37A in association with the session ID. Furthermore, if the chat server 3 receives KEY information from the customer terminal 2 when the customer terminal 2 switches from chatting to a call, the chat server 3 stores the KEY information as chat content in the chat history DB 37A in association with the session ID. As a result, the chat server 3 stores the chat history including the KEY information in the chat history DB 37A, and can extract the chat history of the desired customer terminal 2.

Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the chat server 3 related to the acquisition process. In Figure 16, the chat server 3 judges whether or not a chat history acquisition request has been received from the call terminal 7 via the data communication network 8 (step S101). If the chat server 3 receives a chat history acquisition request (step S101: Yes), it transmits the chat history to the call terminal 7 (step S102) and ends the processing operation shown in Figure 16. The call terminal 7 displays the chat history received from the chat server 3 on a screen. As a result, the operator of the call terminal 7 can check the chat history of the customer terminal 2 before answering the call, and answer the customer of the customer terminal 2 by phone call. If the chat server 3 does not receive a chat history acquisition request (step S101: No), it ends the processing operation shown in Figure 16.

Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the call server 5 related to the forwarding process. In Figure 17, the call server 5 determines whether or not an incoming call has been detected from the customer terminal 2 (step S111). If the call server 5 detects an incoming call from the customer terminal 2 (step S111: Yes), the automatic voice response device 55 responds to the incoming call from the customer terminal 2 (step S112).

The automatic voice response device 55 in the call server 5 transmits a response signal to the customer terminal 2 via the telephone network 9 in response to the call from the customer terminal 2 (step S113). Furthermore, the call server 5 determines whether or not a DTMF signal has been received from the customer terminal 2 (step S114). If the call server 5 receives a DTMF signal from the customer terminal 2 (step S114: Yes), it extracts KEY information from the DTMF signal (step S115). As a result, the call server 5 can obtain the KEY information by a DTMF signal that can be transmitted via the telephone network 9, rather than the data communication network 8.

The call server 5 associates the extracted KEY information with the telephone management number of the customer terminal 2 and stores them in the management table 58A (step S116). The call server 5 selects a destination call terminal 7 to which the incoming call of the customer terminal 2 is to be transferred from among the multiple call terminals 7 (step S117). The call server 5 transfers the incoming call notification from the customer terminal 2 to the destination call terminal 7 (step S118). The incoming call notification includes the telephone management number that identifies the phone of the customer terminal 2.

The call server 5 determines whether or not a KEY acquisition request has been received from the call terminal 7 (step S119). If the call server 5 has received a KEY acquisition request from the call terminal 7 (step S119: Yes), it extracts the telephone management number from the KEY acquisition request (step S120).

The call server 5 extracts the KEY information corresponding to the extracted telephone management number from the management table 58A (step S121), notifies the destination call terminal 7 of the extracted KEY information (step S122), and ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 17. As a result, the destination call terminal 7 can obtain the KEY information corresponding to the telephone management number from the management table 58A in the call server 5.

When the call server 5 does not receive a DTMF signal from the customer terminal 2 (step S114: No), it selects a call terminal 7 to which the call is to be forwarded from among the multiple call terminals 7 and which corresponds to the incoming call to the customer terminal 2 (step S123). The call server 5 forwards the incoming call notification from the customer terminal 2 to the call terminal 7 to which the call is to be forwarded (step S124), and ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 17. In addition, when the call server 5 does not detect an incoming call from the customer terminal 2 (step S111: No), it ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 17.

Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the call terminal 7 related to call processing. In Figure 18, the call terminal 7 determines whether or not it has received an incoming call notification from the call server 5 (step S131). If the call terminal 7 has received an incoming call notification (step S131: Yes), it extracts the telephone management number from the incoming call notification (step S132).

The call terminal 7 sends a KEY acquisition request including the extracted telephone management number to the call server 5 (step S133). The call terminal 7 determines whether or not KEY information has been received from the call server 5 (step S134).

When the call terminal 7 receives KEY information from the call server 5 (step S134: Yes), it sends a chat history acquisition request to the chat server 3 (step S135). The call terminal 7 determines whether or not a chat history for a session ID corresponding to the KEY information exists in the chat history DB 37A (step S136A). When a chat history for a session ID corresponding to the KEY information exists (step S136A: Yes), the call terminal 7 searches the chat history for the session ID corresponding to the KEY information from the chat history DB 37A (step S136B).

The call terminal 7 displays the chat history related to the call of the customer terminal 2 that is the search result on the screen (step S137). As a result, the operator of the call terminal 7 can respond to the customer of the customer terminal 2 by phone call while checking the chat history of the customer terminal 2. The call terminal 7 starts communication with the customer terminal 2 related to the incoming call notification (step S138) and determines whether the end of the call with the customer terminal 2 has been detected (step S139).

When the call terminal 7 detects the end of the call with the customer terminal 2 (step S139: Yes), it ends communication with the customer terminal 2 (step S140) and ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 18. When the call terminal 7 does not receive an incoming call notification from the call server 5 (step S131: No), it ends the processing operation shown in FIG. 18.

If the call terminal 7 does not receive KEY information from the call server 5 (step S134: No), it proceeds to step S138 to start a call to the customer terminal 2 for the incoming call notification. If there is no chat history for the session ID corresponding to the KEY information (step S136A: No), the call terminal 7 proceeds to step S138 to start communication with the customer terminal 2 related to the incoming call notification. If the call terminal 7 does not detect the end of the call with the customer terminal 2 (step S139: No), it proceeds to step S139 to determine whether the end of the call with the customer terminal 2 has been detected.

In this embodiment, KEY information for identifying chat history is notified to the call server 5 by DTMF signal from the customer terminal 2 via the telephone network 9, and the call server 5 transmits the KEY information to the transfer destination call terminal 7. The call terminal 7 then extracts the chat history corresponding to the KEY information from the chat history DB 37A and displays the extracted chat history on a screen. As a result, because DTMF signals are used to notify the KEY information, the chat system of the chat server 3 and the call system of the call server 5 can be linked without providing a data communication interface to the existing call server 5, making it easy to introduce the chat system.

Moreover, the call terminal 7 displays the customer's chat history on the operation screen before the call. As a result, the operator of the call terminal 7 can shorten the call time by checking the chat history before answering the phone, enabling efficient work. Furthermore, the operator of the call terminal 7 can refer to the chat history after the call is answered, even in the case of a chat service for unspecified customers where an ID that identifies the customer cannot be obtained during the chatbot/chat operator's response. Moreover, the customer of the customer terminal 2 does not need to make the same inquiry multiple times, improving usability.

In this embodiment, the customer terminal 2 is connected to the data communication network 8 and the telephone network 9, and the customer terminal 2 transmits KEY information to the call server 5 via the telephone network 9 as a DTMF signal. However, when the customer terminal 2 connects to the data communication network 8 and the telephone network 9 via a virtual desktop, the server providing the virtual desktop becomes the "device operated by the customer." Therefore, the server providing the virtual desktop generates KEY information for the customer terminal 2 and transfers the KEY information to the call server 5 via the telephone network 9 as a DTMF signal.

In the above example, when the customer terminal 2 detects a button operation of the talk button 24D during a chat, it generates KEY information that combines the current date and time, the terminal-specific number, and a random number. However, the KEY information is not limited to the current date and time, the terminal-specific number, and the random number, and can be any one of them, or can be other identification information, i.e., an identifier that can identify the chat history, and can be changed as appropriate.

Although an example has been given of the case where the customer terminal 2 generates the KEY information, the chat server 3 may also generate the KEY information. In this case, when the chat server 3 generates the KEY information, the KEY information may be sent to the customer terminal 2, and this can be changed as appropriate.

Furthermore, each component of each part shown in the figure does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each part is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

Furthermore, the various processing functions performed by each device may be executed in whole or in part on a CPU (Central Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. Also, the various processing functions may be executed in whole or in part on a program that is analyzed and executed by a CPU, etc., or on hardware using wired logic.

The area for storing various information may be configured, for example, with ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory) such as SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory), or NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory).

The various processes described in this embodiment can be realized by having a processor, such as a CPU, in a computer execute a prepared program. An example of a computer 200 that executes a program having the same functions as those in the above embodiment will now be described. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a computer 200 that executes a history display program.

The computer 200 executing the history display program shown in FIG. 19 has a communication IF 210, an input device 220, an output device 230, a ROM 240, a RAM 250, a CPU 260, and a bus 270. The communication IF 210, the input device 220, the output device 230, the ROM 240, the RAM 250, and the CPU 260 are connected via the bus 270. The communication IF 210 manages communication between the device operated by the customer and the telephone network to which it is connected. The chat server has a storage unit that stores chat history with the device operated by the customer. The computer 200 is connected to an information processing device and can access the storage unit in the chat server. The information processing device acquires an identifier from a DTMF signal received from the device operated by the customer and stores a telephone management number corresponding to the identifier. Furthermore, the information processing device notifies the identifier in response to a request for acquiring the identifier from the computer 200 related to the telephone management number. The input device 220 is, for example, a headset for voice communication function and a keyboard for command input function. The output device 230 is, for example, a display device that displays an operation screen, etc.

The ROM 240 stores in advance a chat history display program that performs the same functions as the above embodiment. The ROM 240 stores an extraction program 240A and a business processing program 240B as a chat history display program. The chat history display program may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium, not in the ROM 240, but in a drive (not shown). The recording medium may be, for example, a portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD disk, or USB memory, or a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

Then, the CPU 260 reads the extraction program 240A from the ROM 240 and causes it to function as the extraction process 250A on the RAM 250. Furthermore, the CPU 260 reads the business processing program 240B from the ROM 240 and causes it to function as the business processing process 250B on the RAM 250.

The CPU 260 acquires from the information processing device an identifier obtained from the DTMF signal received from the device operated by the customer. The CPU 260 extracts from the storage unit a chat history corresponding to the identifier acquired from the information processing device. The CPU 260 displays the extracted chat history on the operation screen. As a result, because the identifier is acquired using the DTMF signal, cooperation between the chat system of the chat server and the call system of the computer 200 can be achieved.

Reference Signs List 1 Call center system 2 Customer terminal 3 Chat server 5 Call server 7 Call terminal 27B Call unit 27C Generation unit 37A Chat history DB
58A Management table 59A Acquisition unit 59B Management unit 59C Control unit 78B Extraction unit 78C Business processing unit

Claims (6)

A call center system having a device operated by a customer, a chat server for chatting between the device operated by the customer, and a call server for managing a call terminal for calling between the device operated by the customer,
The chat server,
a first storage unit that stores a chat history between the device operated by the customer and the customer for each identifier that identifies the chat history ;
The customer operated device comprises:
a call unit that, when detecting an operation of a call instruction by a customer during a chat with the chat server, transmits the identifier to the call server by a dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) signal;
The call server,
an acquisition unit that acquires the identifier from the DTMF signal received from a device operated by the customer;
a management unit that stores in a second storage unit a telephone management number that identifies a telephone call related to an incoming call from a device operated by the customer, the telephone management number corresponding to the identifier;
a control unit that notifies the identifier in response to a request for acquiring the identifier from a call terminal related to the telephone management number;
The telephone terminal associated with the telephone management number is
an extracting unit that extracts the chat history corresponding to the identifier from the first storage unit in the chat server;
and a processing unit that displays the chat history extracted by the extraction unit on an operation screen. An information processing device that is connected to a chat server for chatting with a device operated by a customer , and stores a chat history with the device operated by the customer for each identifier that identifies the chat history , and that is accessible to a storage unit provided in the chat server ,
an extracting unit that, when receiving an incoming call notification from a device operated by the customer, acquires from the chat server the identifier acquired from a dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) signal received from the device operated by the customer, and extracts from the storage unit the chat history corresponding to the identifier acquired from the chat server ;
a processing unit that displays the chat history extracted by the extraction unit on an operation screen;
a call section that starts a call with a device operated by the customer related to the incoming call notification while the chat history is displayed on an operation screen;
13. An information processing device comprising: The chat server ,
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identifier is obtained from the DTMF signal received from a customer terminal which is a device operated by the customer. The chat server ,
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the device operated by the customer is a customer terminal that communicates using a virtual desktop , the identifier is obtained from the DTMF signal received from a computer that provides the virtual desktop. A computer that is connected to a chat server for chatting with a device operated by a customer and stores a chat history with the device operated by the customer for each identifier that identifies the chat history , and that can access a storage unit provided in the chat server ,
When receiving an incoming call notification from a device operated by the customer, the identifier obtained from a dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) signal received from the device operated by the customer is obtained from the chat server , and the chat history corresponding to the identifier obtained from the chat server is extracted from the storage unit;
Displaying the extracted chat history on an operation screen;
a process of starting a call with a device operated by the customer related to the incoming call notification, while displaying the chat history on an operation screen; A computer that is connected to a chat server for chatting with a device operated by a customer and stores chat histories with the device operated by the customer for each identifier that identifies the chat history , the computer being capable of accessing a storage unit provided in the chat server ;
When receiving an incoming call notification from a device operated by the customer, the identifier obtained from a dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) signal received from the device operated by the customer is obtained from the chat server , and the chat history corresponding to the identifier obtained from the chat server is extracted from the storage unit;
Displaying the extracted chat history on an operation screen;
A chat history display program, characterized by executing a process of starting a call with a device operated by the customer related to the incoming call notification while displaying the chat history on an operation screen.

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