JP7588884B2 - Business Telephone System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a business telephone system .

Patent Document 1 describes IP telephone software and a system for call centers that can easily provide a function for supervisors to intercept voice calls. Typically, as described in Patent Document 1, IP telephone software and systems for call centers are designed so that a designated supervisor intercepts and supervises the voice of a call between a telephone operator and a customer as necessary, thereby providing support to the telephone operator. Calls between telephone operators and customers are made using IP telephones that use the Internet Protocol. Thus, up until now, telephone systems for call centers that can provide a function for supervisors to intercept voice calls have used IP telephones.

JP 2006-279102 A

Generally, mobile phones, including smartphones, have better call quality than IP phones and are more convenient for call center operations. However, as shown in Patent Document 1, IP phones have been used up until now, and there has been no system that allows telephone operators to use mobile phones, including smartphones.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a business-dedicated telephone system that enables the use of mobile phones, including smartphones, instead of IP telephones for business purposes such as in call centers.

The business-only telephone system of the present invention comprises a plurality of cables connected to a plurality of business-only mobile phones, a first program for at least one first control device connected to the plurality of business-only mobile phones via the plurality of cables, and a second program for a second control device for a supervisor capable of communicating with the first control device and checking the audio of business calls made using the business-only mobile phones, wherein the first program acquires audio of business telephone conversations using the plurality of business-only mobile phones via the cables and transmits the acquired plurality of audio to the second control device, and the second program is capable of outputting the plurality of audio received from the first control device, causes a display unit provided in the second control device to display information indicating a business-only mobile phone among the plurality of business-only mobile phones that is currently in conversation, and makes it possible to select a business-only mobile phone from which audio is to be output among the business-only mobile phones currently in conversation via an input unit provided in the second control device.
Another business-only telephone system of the present invention comprises a plurality of cables connected to a plurality of business-only mobile phones, at least one first control device connected to the plurality of business-only mobile phones via the plurality of cables, and a second control device for a supervisor capable of communicating with the first control device and monitoring the audio of business calls made using the business-only mobile phones, wherein the first control device acquires the audio of business telephone conversations using the plurality of business-only mobile phones via the cables and transmits the acquired plurality of audio to the second control device, and the second control device is capable of outputting the plurality of audio received from the first control device, and a display unit provided in the second control device displays information indicating the business-only mobile phone in the middle of a conversation among the plurality of business-only mobile phones, and a business-only mobile phone from which audio is to be output can be selected from the business-only mobile phones in the middle of a conversation via an input unit provided in the second control device.

The present invention provides a business-dedicated telephone system and a method for receiving voice from a business-dedicated telephone that allows the use of mobile phones, including smartphones, instead of IP telephones for business purposes such as in call centers.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a business-dedicated telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a business-dedicated telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the front and back of a business-dedicated mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a supervisor computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the business-dedicated telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Outline of business telephone system 1>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The configurations, methods, flows, etc. described below are examples for the purpose of explanation, and can be modified as appropriate according to the specifications of the system, program, computer, cable, etc. In the following, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding elements in all drawings, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

First, a business-dedicated telephone system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a general business-dedicated telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a business-dedicated telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The business-dedicated telephone system 1 comprises at least a business-dedicated mobile phone 10, a cable 20, an operator computer 30, a supervisor computer 40, and a server 50.

The business mobile phone 10 may be a general smartphone, and is a mobile phone that is generally available on the market. In other words, the business mobile phone 10 includes a call unit 11 and is a general mobile phone used for business purposes (not a mobile phone made exclusively for business purposes). When making a voice call via the call unit 11, the call can be made using a telephone number starting with "090", "080", or "070".

That is, the business mobile phone 10 can use, for example, 3G (W-CDMA), 4G, or 5G lines to make voice calls using the CS domain (Circuit Switched). Unlike voice calls using the Internet Protocol with IP telephones, such calls occupy a portion of the line to exchange voice data, so the voice quality can be said to be good.

In fact, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications defines landline phones as Class A, mobile phones as Class B, and IP phones as Class C. The business mobile phone 10 has a jack for outputting voice during a call to the cable 20. A business call is made using the call unit 11 (call function) of the business mobile phone 10, and the operator converses with the caller.

The cable 20 may be any wired cable compatible with the business mobile phone 10, and has a plug 21 at one of its two ends. For example, it may be a 3.5 mm phone plug (stereo mini plug) or a mini plug. When the plug 21 is inserted into the socket of the business mobile phone 10, the voice of the call is sent to the operator computer 30 via the cable 20. Naturally, the other end of the cable 20 is also a plug, and when that plug is inserted into the socket of the operator computer 30, it is connected to the operator computer 30.

It is not necessary to connect the business mobile phone 10 and the operator computer 30 with a single cable 20; multiple cables 20 may be used, or electronic devices or other devices other than cables may be used. For example, the cable 20 includes a 4-pole 3.5 mm branch cable with one plug 21 and two jacks, and the plug 21 of the cable 20 is inserted into the socket of the business mobile phone 10. One of the two jacks is connected to headphones or earphones used by the operator.

The other is connected to a 3.5 mm to XLR conversion cable. The XLR plug of this 3.5 mm to XLR conversion cable is connected to an interface such as an audio interface. This interface may then be connected to the operator's computer 30 via a USB cable, for example, via a USB port. In this case, the operator's computer 30 also has a USB port.

As such, it is important that the connection between the business mobile phone 10 and the operator computer 30 is achieved by wire rather than wirelessly, and the wired connection method does not have to be achieved by a single cable, but may include multiple cables, an audio interface, etc. Also, the cable 20 may include an electric wire, a cord, etc.

An audio interface is a device that converts analog audio signals from a microphone or musical instrument into digital form and outputs the digital signal to a computer via cable 20. In this embodiment, the audio interface may function as part of cable 20 that transmits business call audio signals (such as the operator's voice picked up by a microphone and the caller's voice received by phone) from business-only mobile phone 10 to operator computer 30.

The operator's computer 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a transmission/reception unit 33. The operator's computer 30 is used by an operator who makes a call, and transmits the voice received via the transmission/reception unit 33 and the communication network to the server 50. The communication network may be either wired or wireless, and an example of wired communication is Ethernet (registered trademark). Examples of wireless communication are Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), LTE, 4G, and 5G. Of course, the data may be sent directly to the supervisor's computer 40 without going through the server 50 or the like. The data may also be sent indirectly to the supervisor's computer 40 via not only the server 50 but also other devices.

The operator's computer 30 is a control device, and may be an electronic device such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. The storage unit 32 includes a memory. The storage unit 32 stores necessary software and programs, and the control unit 31 executes the software and programs. The storage unit 32 may also store a history of past conversations conducted via the corresponding business-only mobile phone 10.

The supervisor computer 40 is used by a supervisor who can check in real time the audio of business calls made using the business-only mobile phone 10. The supervisor computer 40 outputs the audio received from the operator computer 30 via the transceiver unit 45.

Specifically, the audio can be output from the speaker of the supervisor's computer 40, or can be output from headphones or earphones by connecting them to the supervisor's computer 40. "Output" here means that the supervisor can check the audio of the call made via the business-only mobile phone 10 by listening to it. The audio can also be converted into text and displayed on the display unit 42 so that the supervisor can "see" the audio and check it, or it can be output in some other way.

The supervisor's computer 40 is equipped with an input unit 41 and a display unit 42, and the supervisor can select the audio to be output via the input unit 41 and the display unit 42. Details will be described later. The input unit 41 may be a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The display unit may be a display, etc. It may also be a touch panel having the functions of the input unit 41 and the display unit 42.

The supervisor computer 40 includes a control unit 43, a storage unit 44, and a transmission/reception unit 45. The supervisor computer 40 is a control device, and may be an electronic device such as a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. The storage unit 44 includes a memory. The storage unit 44 stores necessary software and programs, and the control unit 43 executes the software and programs.

The server 50 includes a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a transmission/reception unit 53. The server 50 stores voice-related information received from the operator computer 30 via the transmission/reception unit 53 and the communication network, and transmits the voice-related information to the supervisor computer 40 via the communication network. In FIG. 1, there is one operator computer 30 and one supervisor computer 40 in the business-dedicated telephone system 1, but there may be multiple of each.

That is, the voice of one or more operator computers 30 may be output to one or more supervisor computers 40. The control unit 51 controls which operator computer 30's voice is sent to which supervisor computer 40. The server 50 may store at least a portion of the received voice in the memory unit 52, but it does not have to store the voice.

The communication network may be either wired or wireless. An example of wired communication is Ethernet (registered trademark). Examples of wireless communication are Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), LTE, 4G, and 5G. The server 50 may be a cloud server.

<About using mobile phones for business telephone systems>
In the present invention, the business dedicated mobile phone 10 including a smartphone is used in the business dedicated telephone system 1 because, as described above, the call quality is better than that of an IP telephone. Also, since mobile phones (including smartphones) are widely used and mass-produced, many of them are low-priced, making it possible to reduce costs. In other words, instead of using a telephone dedicated to the business dedicated telephone system 1 like an IP telephone, a general mobile phone is used as the business dedicated mobile phone 10, which is inexpensive and easy to obtain. Therefore, it is highly convenient.

The voice calls made on the business-only mobile phone 10 mentioned above (voice calls that are different from the voice call method used on IP phones) must comply with the Radio Law. Based on the Radio Law, in order to enable voice calls made on the business-only mobile phone 10 to be output on the supervisor computer 40 as shown in FIG. 1, it is important that conversations made through the business-only mobile phone 10 are limited to business-related calls (business calls).

Furthermore, the supervisor using the supervisor computer 40 must be engaged in the same business as the operator using the business mobile phone 10. In other words, it is important that the supervisor using the supervisor computer 40 and the operator using the business mobile phone 10 are parties in the business, with calls limited to business-related matters.

It is advisable that the business-only mobile phone 10 be limited to the business space in which it is intended to be used. The business space in which it is intended to be used is a room or space in a company for business calls, or a room or space in an operator's home for business calls when the operator works from home. In this case, it is desirable to manage the business-only mobile phone 10 so that it is prohibited from being taken out of the business space in which it is intended to be used.

These measures allow the business mobile phone 10 to be used for business purposes only, preventing it from being used for private purposes. In other words, it prevents supervisors from accidentally listening in on private conversations between operators. As a result, it becomes possible to use a regular mobile phone as a business mobile phone 10 while still complying with the Radio Law.

As a further innovation, as shown in Figure 3, it is a good idea to display letters or marks on the back of the business mobile phone 10 so that it is clear that it is for business use or that it is not allowed to be taken out, for example by attaching a sticker 12 such as "For business use, not allowed to be taken out." Figure 3 shows the front and back of a business mobile phone according to one embodiment of the present invention, with (a) showing the front side and (b) showing the back side. In this way, it is good to make it clear that the business mobile phone 10 is for business use only. Note that such a display may be on the front or back of the business mobile phone 10, or anywhere else.

Also, because a regular mobile phone is used as the business mobile phone 10, a telephone dedicated to the business telephone system 1 is not used. Although wired and wireless methods are generally considered as means for transmitting the voice of a call on the business mobile phone 10 to the operator computer 30, a wired method is selected in this embodiment.

This is because if wireless communication is used, there is a possibility that telephone conversations conducted via the business-only mobile phone 10 may be intercepted by persons other than the parties to the business. Therefore, in this embodiment, a wired connection is always used. As an example, FIG. 1 uses a cable 20, but wired communication means other than the cable 20 may also be used.

<About the display unit of the supervisor's computer>
Next, the display unit 42 of the supervisor's computer 40 will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the supervisor's computer in one embodiment of the present invention. At this time, the business-dedicated telephone system 1 includes at least seven business-dedicated mobile phones 10, numbered No. 1 to No. 7.

The display unit 42 displays at least the number or ID of the business dedicated mobile phone 10 currently in conversation. In the example of FIG. 4, three of the business dedicated mobile phones 10, No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5, are currently in conversation among No. 1 to No. 7. The display unit 42 displays selection buttons 46 representing No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5, respectively. This allows the supervisor to select one of the business dedicated mobile phones 10 No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 that are currently in conversation via the input unit 41, and to select which business dedicated mobile phone 10's conversation voice is to be output.

The business-dedicated mobile phone 10 to be selected may be one or more. The conversation voice of the business-dedicated mobile phone 10 of the selected ID is output. The display unit 42 may also display not only whether each operator is on a call, but also whether they are on standby, in post-processing, away from their desk, or offline.

The display unit 42 displays at least the numbers and IDs of the business mobile phones 10 of the operators who are on duty that day or at that time. In the example of FIG. 3, six operators are currently on duty using each of the six mobile phones No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7 out of the six mobile phones No. 1 to No. 7. At this time, the display unit 42 displays on-duty buttons 47 representing No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7, respectively.

It can be seen that the operator using business mobile phone 10 No. 4 is not in the office at the time, is on a holiday, or is off duty, and is therefore not on the job. Operators (No. 3, No. 6, No. 7) who are on duty but using business mobile phones 10 with IDs that are not currently on a call are either on break or not currently on a call. The supervisor can select No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, No. 6, or No. 7 that are currently on a call via input unit 41, and can view the current situation and status of the operator using the business mobile phone 10 with the selected ID.

<How to receive voice messages from business-only telephones>
Next, a method for receiving voice from a business telephone system will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the business telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The following operation not only shows a method for receiving voice executed by the business telephone system 1, but also shows the processing procedure of software and programs that can be executed by the operator computer 30 and supervisor computer 40 of the business telephone system 1. The order of these processes is not limited to the order shown in Fig. 5. In other words, the order may be changed as long as there is no constraint, such as a relationship in which a certain step utilizes the result of the previous step.

First, an operator using at least one of the one or more business-only mobile phones 10 included in the business-only telephone system 1 starts a call using the business-only mobile phone 10 (ST1). The voice of this call is received by the operator computer 30 via the cable 20 (ST2). If the cable 20 is already connecting the business-only mobile phone 10 and the operator computer 30, ST1 is performed and ST2 is performed at the same time.

Next, the operator computer 30 transmits the received voice via the communication network to the server 50, and the server 50 stores the received voice (ST3). At this time, the server 50 does not necessarily have to store all of the received voice. In this embodiment, the supervisor basically checks the business telephone conversation in real time, but the stored voice can be checked at any time. The server 50 then transmits the received voice to a pre-designated supervisor computer 40.

Next, in the supervisor's computer 40, the business mobile phone 10 that is making the call that the supervisor wants to output (listen to) is selected (ST4). ST4 may be omitted if there is only one business mobile phone 10 that can output voice within the business telephone system 1, or if the business mobile phone 10 that will output has been determined in advance. As described above, ST4 is performed via at least the input unit 41 and display unit 42 of the supervisor's computer 40. The voice of the selected business mobile phone 10 is then sent from the server 50 to the supervisor's computer 40 (ST5).

The supervisor's computer 40 then outputs the received voice (ST6). In other words, the supervisor can check the content of the voice in real time. At this time, in ST4, the voice from the business-only mobile phone 10 that has not been selected may also be sent to the supervisor's computer 40.

The business telephone system 1 in this embodiment includes a cable 20 connected to a business mobile phone 10, an operator computer 30 as a first control device connected to the business mobile phone 10 via the cable 20, and a supervisor computer 40 as a second control device capable of communicating with the operator computer 30. The operator computer 30 acquires the audio of business telephone conversations using the business mobile phone 10 via the cable 20 and transmits the acquired audio to the supervisor computer 40, which can output the audio received from the operator computer 30. This allows mobile phones, including smartphones, to be used for business purposes such as in call centers, rather than IP phones.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the business-only mobile phone 10 is prohibited from being taken out of the business space in which it is intended to be used. This makes it possible to more reliably manage the business-only mobile phone 10 as a mobile phone for business purposes such as in a call center, and to use mobile phones, including smartphones, instead of IP phones.

The business telephone system 1 also includes a cable 20 connected to the business mobile phone 10, a first program for an operator computer 30, which is a first control device connected to the business mobile phone 10 via the cable 20, and a second program for a supervisor computer 40 capable of communicating with the operator computer 30. The first program acquires the audio of a business telephone conversation using the business mobile phone 10 via the cable 20 and transmits the acquired audio to the supervisor computer 40, and the second program is capable of outputting the audio received from the operator computer 30. This allows mobile phones, including smartphones, to be used for business purposes such as in call centers, rather than IP phones.

The business telephone system 1 also includes a plurality of cables 20 connected to a plurality of business mobile phones 10, a first program for at least one operator computer 30 connected to the plurality of business mobile phones 10 via the plurality of cables 20, and a second program for a supervisor computer 40 capable of communicating with the operator computer 30. The first program acquires the voices of business telephone conversations using the plurality of business mobile phones 10 via the cable 20 and transmits the acquired plurality of voices to the supervisor computer 40. The second program enables the output of the plurality of voices received from the operator computer 30, causes the display unit 42 of the supervisor computer 40 to display information indicating the business mobile phone 10 in conversation among the plurality of business mobile phones 10, and enables the selection of the business mobile phone 10 that outputs the voice among the business mobile phones 10 in conversation via the input unit 41 of the supervisor computer 40. This allows the use of mobile phones, including smartphones, instead of IP telephones for business purposes such as call centers.

In addition, in the method of receiving voice from a business telephone in this embodiment, a first program for an operator computer 30 connected to a business mobile phone 10 acquires the voice of a business telephone conversation using the business mobile phone 10 via a cable 20 and transmits the acquired voice to a supervisor computer 40, and a second program for the supervisor computer 40 capable of communicating with the operator computer 30 outputs the voice received from the operator computer 30. This makes it possible to use mobile phones, including smartphones, instead of IP telephones for business purposes such as in call centers.

Note that "capable of communication" in "supervisor computer 40 capable of communicating with operator computer 30" may mean capable of direct communication or indirect communication via another device, etc.

We provide a business-only telephone system and a method for receiving voice from a business-only telephone that allows the use of mobile phones, including smartphones, instead of IP telephones for business purposes such as in call centers.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Business-dedicated telephone system 10 Business-dedicated mobile phone 11 Communication unit 12 Seal 20 Cable 21 Plug 30 Operator computer 31 Control unit 32 Storage unit 33 Transmitting/receiving unit 40 Supervisor computer 41 Input unit 42 Display unit 43 Control unit 44 Storage unit 45 Transmitting/receiving unit 46 Selection button 47 On-duty button 50 Server 51 Control unit 52 Storage unit 53 Transmitting/receiving unit

Claims (4)

Multiple cables connected to multiple business-only mobile phones;
a first program for at least one first control device connected to the plurality of business-dedicated mobile phones via the plurality of cables;
a second program for a second control device for a supervisor that is capable of communicating with the first control device and that checks the voice of a business call made using the business-dedicated mobile phone;
the first program acquires, via the cable, voices of business telephone conversations using the plurality of business-dedicated mobile phones, and transmits the acquired voices to the second control device;
The second program is
The plurality of sounds received from the first control device can be output,
displaying information indicating a business dedicated mobile phone currently in conversation among the plurality of business dedicated mobile phones on a display unit provided in the second control device;
A business dedicated telephone system in which a business dedicated mobile phone that outputs voice can be selected from among the business dedicated mobile phones during a conversation via an input unit provided in the second control device. The business-only telephone system of claim 1, wherein the first program transmits the voice to the second control device via a server. Multiple cables connected to multiple business-only mobile phones;
At least one first control device connected to the plurality of business-dedicated mobile phones via the plurality of cables;
a second control device for a supervisor that is capable of communicating with the first control device and that confirms the voice of a business call made using the business-dedicated mobile phone;
the first control device acquires, via the cable, voices of business telephone conversations using the plurality of business-dedicated mobile phones, and transmits the acquired voices to the second control device;
The second control device includes:
The plurality of sounds received from the first control device can be output,
displaying information indicating a business dedicated mobile phone currently in conversation among the plurality of business dedicated mobile phones on a display unit provided in the second control device;
A business dedicated telephone system in which a business dedicated mobile phone that outputs voice can be selected from among the business dedicated mobile phones during a conversation via an input unit provided in the second control device. 4. The business-dedicated telephone system according to claim 3 , wherein the first control device transmits the voice to the second control device via a server.

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