JP7707573B2 - Processing device, processing method, program, and processing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing device, a processing method, a program, and a processing system.

In recent years, there has been active development of technology related to telework contact centers. In telework contact center operations, it is important to ensure security for operators. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a call center system with enhanced security. According to Patent Document 1, the system uses GPS location information installed in the business terminal used by the operator to determine whether the business terminal is located in a pre-registered location, thereby judging whether the operator is available to perform work.

Patent No. 5271806

However, according to conventional technologies such as the invention of Patent Document 1, whether an operator can perform work is determined based only on the operator's location information, so security cannot be said to be sufficiently strengthened. For example, when an operator works from home, confidential information handled in the course of work may be leaked to third parties such as family members. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in conventional technologies. On the other hand, not all inquiries from customers require a high level of security. For this reason, it is desirable to perform as many tasks as possible that can be undertaken at a security level that current operators can guarantee, and to make effective use of limited human resources at contact centers.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to improve the security of operations in telework-type contact centers and to improve operational efficiency of operations.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a processing device comprising: a first processing unit that generates a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator in telework; and a second processing unit that connects a customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device when the first security level is higher than or equal to a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device.

The present invention also provides a processing method characterized in that a processing device executes a first step of generating a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator in telework, and a second step of connecting the customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device if the first security level is equal to or higher than a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device.

The present invention also provides a program for causing a computer serving as a processing device to function as a first processing unit that generates a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator in telework, and as a second processing unit that connects a customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device when the first security level is equal to or higher than a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device.

The present invention also provides a processing system comprising an operator environment management device that generates a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator in telework, and a call control device that connects a customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device when the first security level is equal to or higher than a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device.

The present invention can improve the security of operations in a telework contact center and improve operational efficiency.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a contact center system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of a call control device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the operator environment management device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an operator terminal. FIG. 11 is a data structure diagram of operator environment information. FIG. 11 is a data structure diagram of operator security information. FIG. 11 is a data structure diagram of incoming call security information. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram for updating operator security information (part 1). FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram of updating operator security information (part 2). FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a distribution sequence of an incoming call.

[overview]
In this embodiment, a security-conscious call distribution method in a contact center operated by telecommuting will be described. The contact center system of this embodiment detects the security level of the space in which telecommuting operators work, and distributes to the operators incoming calls that match the security level that the operators can guarantee, thereby achieving both security and operational efficiency in a telecommuting contact center.

[composition]
(Contact Center System 10)
1, the contact center system 10 of the present embodiment includes a network device 20, a gateway device 30, a call control device 40, and an operator environment management device 50. The contact center system 10 can be constructed, for example, as an IP network using the network device 20, but is not limited to this. The network device 20, the gateway device 30, the call control device 40, and the operator environment management device 50 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other.
The contact center system 10 is a specific example of a "processing system" in the claims.

The network device 20 is, for example, but not limited to, a router, a switch, or a wireless access point. The network device 20 is communicatively connected to a plurality of operator terminals 60. Thus, the gateway device 30, the call control device 40, and the operator environment management device 50 can be communicatively connected to the operator terminals 60.

The gateway device 30 is a device that relays communication between devices with different protocols. For example, in a telephone system, the gateway device 30 can be a gateway between IP and a public telephone network. Also, in a system that exchanges text-based data such as chat, the gateway device 30 can be a gateway between the Internet and an intranet. The gateway device 30 is connected to be able to communicate with the customer device 11. The customer device 11 is a device used by a customer who uses the contact center service. The customer device 11 can be, for example, a PC, a telephone, or a smartphone, but is not limited to these.

The network device 20, the gateway device 30, the call control device 40, the operator environment management device 50, and the operator terminal 60 are configured as a computer having a CPU (Central Processing unit), memory, a storage means (storage unit, storage device) such as a hard disk, and a network interface. Various functions of this computer are realized by the CPU executing programs loaded into the memory.

The call control device 40 is a device that processes incoming calls from the gateway device 30 and outgoing call instructions from the operator terminal 60. The call control device 40 can manage the start and end of calls between customers and operators.

The operator environment management device 50 is a device that manages the environment of operators who work at a contact center while working from home. For example, the operator environment management device 50 can manage pre-registered operator work scheduled location information, current operator terminal location information, operator spatial information using a camera, and operator spatial information using voice (details will be described later).

The operator terminal 60 is a device used by an operator to perform contact center operations. For example, the operator terminal 60 can be, but is not limited to, a mobile PC, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a dedicated IP terminal. The operator terminal 60 has a voice acquisition/playback function, a video input function using a camera or the like, an operator face recognition function, a number of people counting function within the camera video, and a voice identification function (details will be described later). In addition, the operator terminal 60 is communicably connected to, for example, a microphone speaker, a headset, or a telephone, enabling conversations between the operator and the customer.

The call control device 40 and the operator environment management device 50 are specific devices constituting the "processing device" in the claims.
Moreover, the operator and the operator terminal 60 are specific examples of a "first operator" and a "first operator terminal" in the claims, respectively.

(Call control device 40)
2, the call control device 40 includes an information communication unit 41, a call processing unit 42, and an incoming call security level determination unit 43. The call control device 40 also stores incoming call security information 90 (details of which will be described later).
The information communication unit 41 is an interface for the call control device 40 to communicate with the gateway device 30, the operator environment management device 50, and the operator terminal 60.

The call processing unit 42 performs initiation and termination processing of telephone calls between the gateway device 30 and the operator terminal 60. In addition, the call processing unit 42 communicates with the incoming call security level determination unit 43 and the operator environment management device 50 during call allocation, and determines to which operator the incoming call should be allocated.
The incoming call security level determination unit 43 determines the incoming call security level for an incoming call from a customer. The details of the incoming call security level will be described later.
The call processing unit 42 and the incoming call security level determination unit 43 are examples of specific functional units constituting the "second processing unit" in the claims.

(Operator Environment Control Device 50)
As shown in FIG. 3, the operator environment management device 50 includes an information communication unit 51, an operator security level determination unit 52, and an operator security level storage unit 53.
The operator security level determination unit 52 is a specific example of a "first processing unit" in the claims.
The information communication unit 51 is an interface for the operator environment management device 50 to communicate with the call control device 40 and the operator terminal 60 .

The operator security level determination unit 52 determines the operator security level based on information about the current operator notified from the operator terminal 60. The operator security level will be described in detail later.
The operator security level storage unit 53 stores information identifying the operator, information on the operator's scheduled work location, information on the operator's current environment, and the judgment result of the operator security level judgment unit 52 as operator security information 80 (details will be described later).

(Operator terminal 60)
4, the operator terminal 60 includes an information communication unit 61, a position information acquisition unit 62, a video input unit 63, a face determination unit 64, an in-video number of people determination unit 65, an audio input unit 66, and an in-audio number of people determination unit 67. The operator terminal 60 can also generate operator environment information 70 (details of which will be described later).
The information communication unit 61 is an interface for the operator terminal 60 to communicate with the call control device 40 and the operator environment management device 50 .

The location information acquisition unit 62 acquires the current location information of the operator terminal 60 using a GPS or the like.
The video input unit 63 inputs video from an arbitrary video input device such as a camera. The video input device may be built into the operator terminal 60 or may be externally attached to the operator terminal 60.

The face determination unit 64 determines whether or not an operator is present in the image acquired from the image input unit 63. The face determination unit 64 has a function of authenticating a person's face and can determine the face of the operator. The face image of the operator is stored in the operator terminal 60 or a device capable of communicating with the operator terminal 60.
The in-image number of people determination unit 65 determines how many people are included in the image acquired from the image input unit 63. The in-image number of people determination unit 65 has a person identification function, and can identify a person even if only part of the person is shown.

The voice input unit 66 inputs voice from an arbitrary voice input device such as a microphone. The voice input device may be built into the operator terminal 60 or may be externally attached to the operator terminal 60.
The number of people in the voice determining unit 67 determines how many voices are included in the voice acquired from the voice input unit 66. The number of people in the voice determining unit 67 has a person identification function and can distinguish the voices of the people from those of other people.
The operator terminal 60 includes an output unit that outputs sound information such as the operator's voice, text information replied via chat, and video information for showing images and videos to customers, etc. The output unit for sound information can be, for example, a speaker, but is not limited to this.

(Operator Environment Information 70)
The operator environment information 70 is information that indicates the environment (for example, the operator's home) in which the operator performs the work of the contact center (where the operator terminal 60 is operated). The operator environment information 70 is information that is generated by the operator terminal 60 and notified to the operator environment management device 50. The operator environment information 70 is used by the operator security level determination unit 52 of the operator environment management device 50 to determine the operator security level.
The operator environment information 70 is a specific example of "environment information" in the claims.

As shown in FIG. 5, the operator environment information 70 includes the data of an "operator identifier", "position information", an "operator presence flag", "number of people in video", and "number of people in audio".
The "operator identifier" is information that uniquely identifies an operator.
The "location information" is the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 62 of the operator terminal 60.
The “operator presence flag” is a true/false value indicating whether an operator is present in the video input by the video input unit 63 (true) or not (false) as determined by face authentication by the face determination unit 64 of the operator terminal 60 .
The "number of people in the video" is the number of people included in the video input by the video input unit 63, as determined by the number of people in the video determination unit 65 of the operator terminal 60. Note that in this embodiment, the operator himself is counted as being included in the number of people in the video, but it is also possible not to count him/her.
The "number of people in the voice" is the number of people included in the voice input by the voice input unit 66, as determined by the number of people in the voice determination unit 67 of the operator terminal 60. Note that in this embodiment, the operator himself is counted as being included in the number of people in the voice, but it is also possible not to count him/her.

(Operator Security Information 80)
The operator security information 80 is information that indicates the current security level of the environment that the operator is in. The operator security information 80 is generated by the operator security level determination unit 52 of the operator environment management device 50 and stored in the operator security level storage unit 53.

As shown in FIG. 6, the operator security information 80 includes the following data: "operator identifier", "operator work schedule location information", "current operator environment information", "update date and time", and "operator security level".
The "operator identifier" is information that uniquely identifies an operator.
The "operator task scheduled location information" is information indicating a location where an operator plans to perform a task using the operator terminal 60. The operator task scheduled location information is registered in advance before the operator performs a task.
The “current operator environment information” is the latest operator environment information 70 notified from the operator terminal 60 .
The “update date and time” is the date and time when the operator environment information 70 was last acquired from the operator terminal 60 .
The "operator security level" is the degree of security that an operator can guarantee. The operator security level is a numerical value calculated based on the operator's scheduled work location information and the current operator environment information. For example, the operator security level can be set to 0 to 3 as follows.
The operator security level is a specific example of "information on a first security level" in the claims.

0: The operator is not visible in the image from the camera or the like (the operator presence flag in the operator environment information 70 is false), or the operator environment information 70 is old (the update date and time of the operator security information 80 is earlier than the specified timing)
1: The operator is not present at the preregistered location (the difference between the operator's scheduled work location information in the operator security information 80 and the location information in the operator environment information 70 is equal to or greater than a certain value)
2: A person other than the operator is captured in the image of a camera or the like (the number of people in the image of the operator environment information 70 is greater than 1), or the voices of multiple people are input via a microphone or the like (the number of people in the audio of the operator environment information 70 is greater than 1)
3: None of the above (operator is in a secure environment)

When the operator security level is 0, there is a high possibility that the operator is not performing any duties in the first place. It is not appropriate to have an operator in such a state handle confidential information. Furthermore, the operator naturally cannot make voice calls. Furthermore, the operator naturally cannot chat. Therefore, the operator's security level is set to the lowest, and the call processing unit 42 does not, in principle, distribute incoming calls to the operator terminal 60 of that operator.

When the operator security level is 1, it indicates that the operator is performing their duties, but the tasks they can perform are significantly limited (for example, because the operator is in a space with extremely poor sound insulation or visibility). It is not appropriate to have an operator in this state handle confidential information. Also, if they make a voice call, there is a possibility that the conversation will be overheard by those around them, and from the perspective of noise prevention, it is preferable for the operator not to make voice calls. However, it can be said that the operator can handle inquiries by chat that do not handle confidential information (for example, general explanations of products for sale or services provided, general information).

When the operator security level is 2, it indicates that the operator is working at the scheduled location, but there is a third party in the same space as the operator who has no obligation to maintain confidentiality. It is not appropriate to have an operator in this state handle confidential information. However, if the inquiry is made via chat, which does not handle confidential information, the operator can respond. Also, if the inquiry is made via voice call, which does not handle confidential information, the operator can respond.

When the operator security level is 3, the operator is capable of handling normal incoming call operations that may involve handling confidential information.

(Incoming call security information 90)
The incoming call security information 90 is information that defines a security level for an incoming call. The incoming call security information 90 is stored in the call control device 40, for example, before the contact center operation is started. The incoming call security level determination unit 43 of the call control device 40 can use the incoming call security information 90 as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 7, the incoming call security information 90 includes data on "reason for incoming call" and "incoming call security level."
The "reason for an incoming call" is information that distinguishes the subject of the incoming call (for example, in the case of banking services, the subject can be distinguished between checking a deposit balance and inquiring about a stolen or lost cash card). The reason for an incoming call can be defined in advance, for example, by a system administrator before the contact center system 10 goes into operation. The reason for an incoming call can be detected by the call processing unit 42 of the call control device 40 from the incoming call. Specifically, it can be detected by an IVR (Interactive Voice Response), a dial-in number, a voice bot, or a chat bot. These are specific examples of communication between a customer device and an operator terminal 60.

The "incoming call security level" is the degree of security required for the reason for the incoming call. The possible values of the incoming call security level can be the same as the operator security level in the operator security information 80, and in this embodiment, they are the same. However, they may be different. The incoming call security level can also be determined based on the communication between the customer device and the operator terminal 60.
The incoming call security level is a specific example of "information on a second security level" in the claims.

[process]
As a process of this embodiment, updating of the operator security information 80 will be described.
8, first, the operator terminal 60 transmits the current operator environment information 70 to the operator security level determination unit 52 of the operator environment management device 50 (step s11). Here, the timing of transmitting the operator environment information 70 may be, for example, when there is a change in the location information, the presence or absence of the operator, the number of people in the video, or the number of people in the audio detected by the operator terminal 60. Alternatively, it may be at regular intervals.

Next, the operator security level determination unit 52 reads out the operator work planned location information of the operator security information 80 from the operator security level storage unit 53 (step s12). Next, the operator security level determination unit 52 calculates the operator security level using the location information of the received operator environment information 70 and the operator work planned location information of the read operator security information 80 (step s13).

Next, the operator security level determination unit 52 updates the operator security information 80 and stores it in the operator security level storage unit 53 (step s14). Specifically, the operator security level determination unit 52 updates the current operator environment information of the operator security information 80 to the received operator environment information 70. The operator security level determination unit 52 also updates the update date and time of the operator security information 80 to the reception date and time of the operator environment information 70. The operator security level determination unit 52 also updates the operator security level of the operator security information 80 to the calculated operator security level. The operator security level determination unit 52 stores the updated operator security information 80 in the operator security level storage unit 53.

The operator environment management device 50 may notify a supervisor terminal used by a supervisor of the contact center of the change in the operator security level and display the change on the screen of the supervisor terminal. Also, the operator security level change history may be stored in an arbitrary storage device. Also, the transition of the operator security level may be compiled as history information.
This is the end of the description of the processing in FIG.

In addition to the update of operator security information 80 described in FIG. 8, there is also an update shown in FIG. 9. The process in FIG. 9 is a process for periodically updating operator security information 80.

As shown in FIG. 9, when a certain period of time has elapsed without receiving operator environment information 70 from the operator terminal 60 for a target operator, the operator security level determination unit 52 of the operator environment management device 50 sets the operator security level of the operator security information 80 to 0 (step s21).

Next, the operator security level determination unit 52 updates the operator security information 80 and stores it in the operator security level storage unit 53 (step s22). Specifically, the operator security level determination unit 52 also updates the update date and time of the operator security information 80 to a date and time after a certain period of time has elapsed. The operator security level determination unit 52 also updates the operator security level of the operator security information 80 to 0. The operator security level determination unit 52 stores the updated operator security information 80 in the operator security level storage unit 53.

According to the process in FIG. 9, if a certain period of time has passed since the last update of the operator environment information 70, the operator environment information 70 is deemed to be too old and therefore invalid, and it is determined that the operator is not currently in a secure environment. Therefore, by processing so as not to distribute incoming calls to the above operator, the security of the work of a telecommuting contact center can be ensured.

As a processing example of this embodiment, distribution of incoming calls will be described.
10, when an incoming call is received from a customer (customer device 11), the gateway device 30 notifies the call processing unit 42 of the call control device 40 of the incoming call (step s31). The call processing unit 42, which has received the incoming call, requests the incoming call security level determination unit 43 to determine the incoming call security level (step s32). At this time, the call processing unit 42 detects the reason for the incoming call and outputs it to the incoming call security level determination unit 43.

Next, the incoming call security level determination unit 43 refers to the incoming call security information 90 to determine the incoming call security level of the incoming call and returns it to the call processing unit 42 (step s33). After acquiring the incoming call security level, the call processing unit 42 searches the operator security information 80 stored in the operator security level storage unit 53 of the operator environment management device 50 (step s34). In addition, the call processing unit 42 acquires a list of operators whose operator security level is equal to or higher than the incoming call security level (operators whose operator security level is acceptable in relation to the incoming call security level) from the operator security information 80 (step s35).

The call processor 42, which has acquired the list of operators, selects an operator from the list to notify of an incoming call according to a predetermined algorithm. The call processor 42 also distributes the incoming call to the selected operator (step s36). The predetermined algorithm may be, for example, an algorithm that randomly selects one of the target multiple operators. It may also be an algorithm that preferentially selects an operator from the target multiple operators who has been with the last customer for a long time.
This is the end of the description of the processing in FIG.

[summary]
According to this embodiment, it is possible to determine the security level of the space in which the operator is working by using the operator's location information, the presence or absence of the operator determined by video and audio input, and the number of people other than the operator. Also, by evaluating the incoming call security level and the operator's work environment as the incoming call security level and the operator security level, it is possible to appropriately allocate incoming calls to operators in environments where it is difficult to guarantee a high level of security.
Therefore, it is possible to improve the security of operations in a telecommuting contact center and to improve the operational efficiency of operations.

[Modification]
(a) The present invention is not limited to telecommuting, but can also be applied to, for example, working in a satellite office, a coffee shop, etc. More generally, the present invention can be applied to teleworking in a place different from the workplace.
(b) In the present embodiment, the truth or falsehood of the operator presence flag is determined by face authentication of the operator. However, for example, the truth or falsehood of the operator presence flag may be determined by voiceprint authentication or fingerprint authentication of the operator.
(c) In this embodiment, the call control device 40 and the operator environment management device 50 have been described as separate devices. However, for example, a single device may be configured that has the functions of the call control device 40 and the operator environment management device 50. Such a device is a specific example of the "processing device" in the claims. Also, a program that causes a computer to function as such a device may be configured.
(d) Means that can be realized in software can be realized in hardware, and means that can be realized in hardware can be realized in software.

10. Contact Center System
11 Customer equipment
20 Network Equipment
30 Gateway Device
40 Call Control Device
41 Ministry of Information and Communications
42 Call Processing Unit
43 Incoming call security level determination unit
50 Operator Environmental Control Device
51 Ministry of Information and Communications
52 Operator Security Level Judgment Department
53 Operator security level memory section
60 Operator terminals
61 Ministry of Information and Communications
62 Location information acquisition unit
63 Video input section
64 Face detection section
65 Number of people in the video detection unit
66 Audio input section
67 Number of people in the voice
70 Operator Environment Information
80 Operator Security Information
90 Incoming call security information

Claims (8)

a first processing unit that generates a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator of a telework;
and a second processing unit that connects the customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device when the first security level is equal to or greater than a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the state indicated by the first security level is that the video input unit of the first operator device does not show the first operator, or that the environmental information has not been updated for a certain period of time or more. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the state indicated by the first security level is that the difference between the location information of the first operator as the environmental information and the location information where the first operator is scheduled to perform work is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the state indicated by the first security level is that a video input unit provided in the first operator device has captured images of multiple people, or that a voice input unit provided in the first operator device has captured the voices of multiple people. The processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the telework is working from home. The processing device comprises:
A first step of generating a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator of a telework;
and if the first security level is equal to or greater than a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device, performing a second step of connecting the customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device. A computer as a processing device
a first processing unit that generates a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator in a telework;
A program for functioning as a second processing unit that connects the customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device when the first security level is equal to or higher than a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device. an operator environment management device that generates a first security level based on environmental information when a first operator device is operated by a first operator of a telework;
and a call control device that connects the customer device and the first operator device for communication between the customer device and the first operator device if the first security level is equal to or greater than a second security level based on communication between the customer device and the first operator device.