JP7730059B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

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

A person (user) wishing to use a service can reserve a service via a network, for example by accessing a service reservation page, such as the homepage of an individual or store providing the service. An example of technology related to service reservations via a network is the technology described in Patent Document 1.

The technology in Patent Document 1 accepts reservation-related information entered by a user of a mobile device who is authorized to log in to the reservation processing system, following operational instructions from the user. Logging in to the reservation processing system is performed via a uniform resource locator (URL) issued by accepting the phone number entered by the mobile device user. After logging in to the system, the reservation application process is executed, and reservation-related information is stored in association with the mobile device's phone number.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-157010

Conventional network-based service reservations, including the technology described in Patent Document 1 above, require users to individually input information such as the desired service provider and the date and time of service provision, making service reservations time-consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program for making a service reservation using a network with a simpler operation.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a setting unit that sets reservation access information for a service provided by a service source based on the identification information of the service source; a display control unit that, when access is made through the reservation access information, displays a reservation page that specifies the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information; and a reservation acceptance unit that accepts reservations for a service provided by the service source for a specified available reservation date and time in response to a user's selection of an available reservation date and time displayed on the reservation page.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a user can use the access information to access a reservation page for a service provided by a service provider and specify one of the available reservation dates and times displayed on the reservation page, thereby reserving a service provided by the service provider for the specified date and time. This makes it possible to reserve a service with simpler operations.

1 is a diagram showing a communication system including an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a service reservation page. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating functions of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of service registration information. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of reservation status management information. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of reservation history information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a service reservation is accepted. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that recommends an alternative service. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of setting reservation access information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of a user making a service reservation (part 1). FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow of a user making a service reservation (part 2).

<<About service reservations using this invention>>
A service reservation using the present invention (hereinafter referred to as a service reservation according to the present invention) will be outlined below. A service reservation according to the present invention is made by a person who wishes to use a service via a network such as the Internet or a mobile communication line.

In this invention, a "service" refers to a service (labor) provided by a service provider for a user, and is available at a specified location. The location where the service is provided may be a store or facility, and specific examples include beauty salons, esthetic salons, fitness clubs, cultural schools, cram schools, hospitals, medical clinics, and other facilities.

Service provision sources are human or material resources (so-called resources) that provide services at the service provision location. Specific examples include store staff, space for providing services (seats, etc.), and specialized equipment and machines used to provide special services.

During the period of service usage, the service provider is time-bound. For this reason, when using a service, a person wishing to use the service operates their own terminal (strictly speaking, a user terminal, described below) to make a service reservation. Specifically, they access the reservation page for the desired service and enter the information necessary to reserve the service. Information necessary for a reservation includes, for example, the location of the service, the service provider, the type of service (menu), and the reservation date and time. According to the present invention, the effort required to enter these items can be simplified, making it easier to reserve a service from a service provider at a desired date and time.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved from the embodiment described below without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

Furthermore, the screen examples referenced in the following explanation are merely examples, and the screen configuration, displayed information, and GUI (Graphical User Interface) can be freely designed and modified according to system design specifications and user preferences.

Furthermore, in the following description, the term "device" is not limited to a single device, but also includes devices composed of multiple devices that work together while being separate from each other. In other words, the information processing device of the present invention may be composed of a single computer, or may be composed of multiple computers.

In the following, a "hairdresser" will be used as a specific example of a service provider, and a case of reserving a service (beauty service) by a hairdresser will be described. However, this case is merely an example, and the present invention can be applied to other cases as well.
In the following description, for convenience, a person who wishes to use a service and makes a reservation for the service will be referred to as a "user."

<<About the information processing device of this embodiment>>
The configuration of the information processing device of this embodiment will be described. The information processing device of this embodiment is configured by a computer, more specifically a server computer (hereinafter referred to as a reservation processing server 10). As shown in Figure 1, the reservation processing server 10 is communicably connected via a network 18 to a server for operating an SNS (Social Networking Service) (hereinafter referred to as an SNS server 12), a service provider terminal 14 used by hairdressers, and a user terminal 16 used by users.
For convenience of illustration, FIG. 1 shows one provider terminal 14 and one user terminal 16, but the number of each terminal is not particularly limited.

The reservation processing server 10 executes a series of information processes related to reservations for services (beauty services) provided by hairdressers. Specifically, the reservation processing server 10 registers information related to beauty services, generates a reservation page for the beauty services, and accepts reservations from users through the reservation page. The reservation processing server 10 also sets (issues) reservation access information for generating the reservation page for the beauty services. The reservation access information is information that includes a URL for accessing the reservation page, and in this embodiment is text information indicating the URL.

SNS server 12 is a known SNS server that receives posts to the SNS from posters and distributes the received posts to viewers. In this embodiment, hairdressers correspond to posters and users correspond to viewers.

The provider terminal 14 communicates with the reservation processing server 10 and the SNS server 12 in accordance with the hairdresser's operations. The hairdresser can register information about the beauty services they provide to the reservation processing server 10 via the provider terminal 14.

Furthermore, when the reservation processing server 10 sets reservation access information for beauty services by a single hairdresser, the reservation access information is sent to the hairdresser's business terminal 2. This reservation access information is information specifically for reserving beauty services by the above-mentioned hairdresser. Therefore, by using the reservation access information, a user can directly reserve beauty services by a single hairdresser. To put it simply, for example, a user can reserve a service by a single hairdresser corresponding to the reservation access information from among multiple hairdressers working at a certain salon, eliminating the need to go to the trouble of finding the appropriate hairdresser from among multiple hairdressers when making a reservation.

Furthermore, hairdressers can notify users of reservation access information (specifically, the URL to the reservation page) for the beauty services they provide via SNS. Specifically, when a hairdresser launches an SNS application program on their service provider terminal 14 and posts an article on SNS containing reservation access information, the SNS server 12 distributes the posted article to specific user terminals 16. The specific user terminals 16 are, for example, user terminals of users who are registered as friends (friends on SNS) of the hairdresser who sent the article.

The recipients of the reservation access information are not limited to the users mentioned above, and may be, for example, users who belong to a specific community on SNS (specifically, a beauty-related community, etc.), or unspecified users. Furthermore, the method of notification of the reservation access information is not limited to notification via SNS, and other notification methods may be used, such as notification via email or short message service.

The user terminal 16 is a terminal equipped with an input device that accepts user operations and a display device that displays reservation pages and SNS posts, etc., and is configured, for example, as a smartphone, tablet terminal, PC, television set that allows information input, wearable terminal, etc. In this embodiment, the user terminal 16 is configured, for example, as a smartphone or tablet terminal that has a display with a touch panel, etc.

When a user performs a predetermined operation on the reservation access information, for example, touching the reservation access information, while a posted article containing the reservation access information is displayed on the user terminal 16, the user terminal 16 accepts the operation and transmits access data to the reservation processing server 10. When the reservation processing server 10 receives the access data from the user terminal 16, it generates a reservation page based on the touched reservation access information and displays the reservation page on the user terminal 16 that sent the data. This allows the user to access the reservation page via the reservation access information.
In addition, assuming that the user will access the reservation page again after accessing it, the user may bookmark the reservation page (register it as a favorite) on the user terminal 16, and may also create a shortcut icon to make it easier to access the reservation page and display it on the display of the user terminal 16.

The reservation page (hereinafter referred to as reservation page Pr) of this embodiment is a web page for accepting reservations for a predetermined menu of services provided by a hairdresser at a predetermined salon, as shown in Fig. 2. In the case shown in Fig. 2, reservations are accepted for a beauty service menu of "cut and color" provided by hairdresser A at salon Ta where he works. In other words, the reservation page Pr is a page generated by specifying the reservation access information, the identification information of the corresponding hairdresser, the salon where the service is provided, and the type of service (menu).
For example, the reservation access information includes the identification information of hairdresser A, the store Ta where the service is provided, and the cut and color service type (menu), such as "http://AAAA.com/reserve?shop=store Ta&resource=hairdresser A&menu=cut&color." When an access operation is performed using this reservation access information, the web page "http://AAAA.com" is accessed, and a reservation page Pr is generated with "reserve?shop=store Ta&resource=hairdresser A&menu=cut&color" specified.

The user performs a service reservation operation on the display showing the reservation page Pr. To explain the service reservation operation with reference to Figure 2, the reservation page Pr displays beauty services by a hairdresser, more specifically, a specified service category (menu) at the salon where the hairdresser works, with available reservation dates and times displayed so that they can be specified. "Displayed so that they can be specified" means that the display is in a format that accepts the user's operation to specify one of the dates and times. In the case shown in Figure 2, a "◯" is displayed in the available date and time column, while an "X" is displayed in the unavailable date and time column because the date and time is already booked. The user selects one of the available date and time and touches the "◯" displayed in the date and time column. This date and time specification operation corresponds to the service reservation operation.

When a date and time specification operation is performed as a service reservation operation, the user terminal 16 generates data indicating the specified date and time (hereinafter referred to as specified date and time data) and sends it to the reservation processing server 10. The reservation processing server 10 receives the specified date and time data and accepts the service reservation made by the user. This service reservation is a reservation for a specified menu of beauty services provided by a hairdresser at a specified salon on the specified available date and time. Once the reservation is accepted, a reservation acceptance screen (see Figure 8) is displayed on the display of the user terminal 16.

As described above, in this embodiment, the user can reserve the desired service simply by specifying the available date and time displayed on the reservation page Pr. In other words, in this embodiment, the reservation operation is simplified because there is no need to separately enter the store where the service is provided, the hairdresser, the service menu, and the reservation date and time. This allows the user to more easily reserve a beauty service from a specified hairdresser.

In this embodiment, the user can decide the store, hairdresser, menu, and date and time for the service to be reserved simply by selecting one of the available dates and times displayed on the reservation page Pr, but the items to be decided are not limited to the above. For example, for a hairdresser who only offers one menu of services, the items to be decided when booking a service from that hairdresser are the store, hairdresser, and date and time, and the menu is omitted. Items other than those mentioned above may also be included. For example, if multiple courses with different required times are set for the same menu, the user may also decide which course to choose.

<<Configuration example of information processing device>>
An example of the configuration of the reservation processing server 10, which is an information processing device of this embodiment, will be described.
First, the hardware configuration of the reservation processing server 10 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 3, the reservation processing server 10 has a processor 21, memory 22, a communication interface 23, storage 24, an input device 25, and an output device 26, and these devices are electrically connected via a bus 27.

In addition, the reservation processing server 10 has installed as software a program for the operating system (OS) and an application program for processing service reservations. These programs correspond to the "programs" of the present invention. When the processor 21 operates in accordance with the above programs, the reservation processing server 10 functions as an information processing device of the present invention and executes a series of processes related to service reservations.

The processor 21 may be configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), MCU (Micro Controller Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.
The memory 22 may be configured by semiconductor memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).
The communication interface 23 may be configured by, for example, a network interface card, a communication interface board, etc. The standard of data communication by the communication interface 23 is not particularly limited, and examples include communication by a wireless LAN based on Wi-fi (registered trademark), communication by a 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile communication system, or communication based on LTE (Long Term Evolution).
The storage 24 may include a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flexible disk (FD), a magneto-optical disk (MO disk), a CD, etc.
The storage 24 may be a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a Secure Digital card (SD card), or a Universal Serial Bus memory (USB memory). The storage 24 may be built into the housing of the reservation processing server 10, or may be attached to the server main body in an external format. Furthermore, the storage 24 may be an external computer (for example, a database server) connected to the main body of the reservation processing server 10 so as to be able to communicate with it.
The input device 25 may be configured with, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. The output device 26 may be configured with, for example, a display and a speaker, etc.

Explaining the configuration of the reservation processing server 10 from a functional perspective, as shown in Figure 4, the reservation processing server 10 has a registration information receiving unit 31, a setting unit 32, a display control unit 33, a reservation acceptance unit 34, a notification processing unit 35, and a recommendation unit 36. These functional units are realized by cooperation between the hardware devices of the reservation processing server 10 described above and software (programs) installed on the reservation processing server 10.

The reservation processing server 10 also has a memory unit 40 that stores various information and data. The memory unit 40 is configured as a storage medium built into the reservation processing server 10, or a database server communicatively connected to the reservation processing server 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the memory unit 40 stores information related to service reservations, such as service registration information R1, reservation status management information R2, and reservation history information R3.

The service registration information R1 is information registered regarding services provided by hairdressers, and includes, for example, as shown in Figure 5, the store where the service is provided, the hairdresser's identification information, the service menu (items), the required time for the service according to the menu, the service provision period, and the price. This information is entered by the hairdresser through the provider terminal 14, and then transmitted from the provider terminal 14 to the reservation processing server 10, where it is registered in the reservation processing server 10. Furthermore, for hairdressers who offer multiple menus of services, the service registration information R1 is registered for each menu. In this case, the required time and provision period for the service are set for each menu.
In this specification, "identification information" includes the name of the person to be identified (including pseudonyms or pen names), ID information such as a number assigned to that person, that person's login information (account information), and the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the terminal used by that person.

Reservation status management information R2 is information related to service reservations accepted by the reservation processing server 10 (strictly speaking, the reservation acceptance unit 34), and includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the identification information of the user who made the service reservation, the identification information of the hairdresser who will provide the reserved service, the menu of the reserved service, and the reservation date and time. Each time the reservation processing server 10 accepts a service reservation, one record's worth of reservation status management information R2 is newly stored in the storage unit 40. In addition, the reservation status management information R2 for reserved services that the user has already used is deleted from the storage unit 40.

The reservation history information R3 is information relating to the user's past reservation history for services, and includes, for example, the identification information of the existing user, the hairdresser and store providing the service reserved by the existing user, the menu of the service reserved by the existing user, and the reservation date and time, as shown in Fig. 7. Here, an existing user is a user whose reservation has been accepted in the past by the reservation processing server 10 (strictly speaking, the reservation acceptance unit 34), and in particular, in this embodiment, a user who has previously reserved a service at store Ta.
The reservation history information R3 is stored in the storage unit 40 every time the reservation processing server 10 (strictly speaking, the reservation reception unit 34) receives a service reservation, and is accumulated in the storage unit 40. In this manner, in this embodiment, the storage unit 40 functions as a "reservation history storage unit."

Next, we will explain each of the functional units of the reservation processing server 10, other than the memory unit 40. In order to explain each functional unit in an easy-to-understand manner, we will use as a concrete example the case where a user, Mr. U, makes a reservation for a service menu called "Cut & Color" by hairdresser Mr. A at shop Ta.

(Registration information receiving unit)
When hairdresser A operates his/her provider terminal 14 to input service registration information R1 for the services he/she provides, the registration information receiving unit 31 receives the input service registration information R1 from hairdresser A's provider terminal 14. The received service registration information R1 is stored and accumulated in the memory unit 40.
As mentioned above, the service registration information R1 includes the required time for the service corresponding to the menu. The required time may be input by hairdresser A, but if the correspondence between the menu and the required time for the service is predetermined, the required time can be determined from the menu, so the input of the required time by hairdresser A may be omitted.

(Settings section)
When the registration information receiving unit 31 receives the service registration information R1 from hairdresser A, the setting unit 32 sets reservation access information for the service by hairdresser A based on various information included in the service registration information R1. Specifically, for the service menu "Cut &Color" by hairdresser A at shop Ta, the setting unit 32 sets a URL to a reservation page for that service. The set URL includes character strings corresponding to the identification information of hairdresser A, shop Ta where the service is provided, and the service menu "Cut &Color."

As described above, in this embodiment, the setting unit 32 sets reservation access information based on the service provision location, service type, and service provider identification information. The set reservation access information is then sent to hairdresser A's business terminal 14 via the network 18. After that, when hairdresser A receives the reservation access information, hairdresser A posts an article containing the reservation access information on the SNS, and the SNS server 12 distributes hairdresser A's post to user U. As a result, user U is notified of the reservation access information (i.e., the URL to the reservation page) for hairdressing services provided by hairdresser A.

In this embodiment, as described above, a URL is set that includes character strings corresponding to the identification information of hairdresser A, shop Ta, and the service menu item "Cut & Color." However, any known setting method can be used to set a URL that includes specific character strings in this way. It is also preferable that a hyperlink be set in the notified URL, allowing easy access to the reservation page by touching or clicking the URL.

(Display control unit)
When there is access through the reservation access information, the display control unit 33 displays a reservation page Pr for beauty services by hairdresser A on the user terminal 16 of user U. Specifically, the display control unit 33 generates the reservation page Pr using the access through the reservation access information as a trigger, and transmits display data of the generated reservation page Pr to user U's user terminal 16.

To explain the procedure for controlling the display of the reservation page Pr, while viewing the posted article containing the above URL on the display of the user terminal 16, user U touches the area where the URL is written. When the user terminal 16 accepts this touch operation, it sends access data to the reservation processing server 10. When the display control unit 33 receives the access data from the user terminal 16, it identifies the URL touched by user U and, from that URL, determines hairstylist A, shop Ta, and the service menu item "Cut & Color."

The display control unit 33 also references the service registration information R1 stored in the memory unit 40 to identify the required time and provision period for the "Cut & Color" service provided by hairdresser A at shop Ta. Furthermore, the display control unit 33 sets multiple available appointment dates and times for the service within the provision period based on the specified required time and provision period for the service. For example, if the required time for the "Cut & Color" menu is two hours, available appointment dates and times are set at two-hour intervals for each day during the service provision period (see Figure 2). Here, the time intervals between available appointment dates and times displayed on the reservation page vary depending on the service menu, or more specifically, the required time for each menu item. In other words, the display control unit 33 sets multiple available dates and times for services provided by hairdresser A at time intervals that correspond to the service menu.

After going through the above steps, the display control unit 33 generates a reservation page Pr for beauty services by hairdresser A based on the details about the service identified from the URL and the multiple available dates and times that have been set. At this time, the display control unit 33 generates the reservation page Pr so that the multiple available dates and times that have been set are displayed in a specifiable state. Note that of the multiple available dates and times that have been set, dates and times that have already been booked are displayed on the reservation page Pr in a state where they cannot be specified. In this case, the display control unit 33 references the reservation status management information R2 stored in the memory unit 40 and checks the dates and times that have already been booked for the "Cut & Color" service menu by hairdresser A at shop Ta.

Then, the display data for the generated reservation page Pr is sent to user U's user terminal 16 via network 18 and displayed by user terminal 16. As a result, reservation page Pr as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display of user terminal 16. As a result, user U can access the reservation page Pr for beauty services by hairdresser A via the URL, which is the reservation access information.

(Reservations Department)
The reservation reception unit 34 accepts reservations for services by hairdresser A for the specified available date and time in response to a user's specification operation (date and time specification operation) for the available date and time displayed on the reservation page Pr for beauty services by hairdresser A.

Specifically, user U accesses reservation page Pr, selects one of the available reservation dates and times displayed on reservation page Pr (dates and times marked with a circle in the column in the case of Figure 2) that he or she desires, and touches the column (marked with a circle) displaying that date and time. User U's user terminal 16 recognizes the touched date and time as the available reservation date and time designated by user U, generates designated date and time data indicating that date and time, and sends it to the reservation processing server 10. By receiving the designated date and time data, the reservation acceptance unit 34 accepts user U's service reservation; more specifically, a reservation for the "Cut & Color" service menu, which is available for hairdresser A at shop Ta at the designated available reservation date and time.

When the reservation is accepted, a reservation acceptance screen such as that shown in Figure 8 is displayed on user U's user terminal 16, allowing user U to check the details of the accepted reservation (hairdresser, salon, menu, reservation date and time, etc.).

(Notification processing unit)
When the reservation receiving unit 34 receives a new reservation from an existing user, if the content of the new reservation differs from the content of the existing user's past reservations indicated by the reservation history information R3 (i.e., the reservation history) stored in the storage unit 40, the notification processing unit 35 executes a notification process to notify the existing user of this fact. More specifically, if at least one of the hairdresser providing the service and the service menu differs between the new reservation received from the existing user and the past reservation, the notification processing unit 35 executes a notification process to the existing user. For example, if user U has previously reserved services from a hairdresser other than A, and user U newly reserves a beauty service from hairdresser A, the notification processing unit 35 executes a notification process to user U.

As described above, in this embodiment, if at least one of the hairdresser and the menu is different between a new reservation and a previous reservation, a notification process is executed to notify the existing user, which allows the existing user to check whether there are any errors in the reservation details for the service reservation that is different from the previous reservation, thereby avoiding reservation mistakes, etc.
The manner in which the notification process is executed is not particularly limited, and for example, a warning message indicating that the contents of the new reservation differ from those of a previous reservation may be displayed on the display of the user terminal 16, or a sound informing the user of the above may be generated on the user terminal 16 side.

(Recommendation section)
If a predetermined condition is met at the time when user U accesses the reservation page Pr for a service in one menu (hereinafter also referred to as the target menu) by hairdresser A, the recommendation unit 36 recommends another service by hairdresser A to user U as an alternative service. More specifically, if the number (remaining number) of available reservation dates and times that can be specified at the time of accessing the reservation page Pr among the available reservation dates and times displayed on the reservation page Pr for the service in the target menu is less than a predetermined number, the recommendation unit 36 recommends a service in a menu other than the target menu to user U as an alternative service (other service).

In this embodiment, the alternative service recommended by the recommendation unit 36 is a service that takes less time than the target menu. To explain this by way of example, if user U accesses the reservation page Pr for the "Cut & Color" menu service by hairdresser A, and the number of available reservation dates and times for that service at that time is less than a predetermined number (for example, 0), the recommendation unit 36 will recommend as an alternative service a menu service that takes less time than the "Cut & Color" menu, which takes 2 hours. However, this is not limited to this, and the alternative service may also be a menu service that takes the same or longer time as the target menu.

As described above, in this embodiment, when user U accesses the reservation page Pr for a service of a target menu by hairdresser A, if that service is fully booked, an alternative service of a menu that takes less time than the target menu by the same hairdresser A is recommended to user U. As a result, user U who desires a service of one menu by hairdresser A can be encouraged to use other services by hairdresser A, thereby promoting the use of services.

The manner in which an alternative service is recommended is not particularly limited, and for example, as shown in Fig. 9, while the reservation page Pr for the service of the target menu is displayed, a display window W of a message recommending an alternative service may be displayed in a pop-up format superimposed on the reservation page Pr. Alternatively, the reservation page Pr for the service of the target menu may be switched to the reservation page Pr for the alternative service.
By the way, reserving an alternative service is similar to reserving a service in the target menu; by specifying one of the available dates and times displayed on the alternative service reservation page Pr, you can reserve an alternative service for the specified date and time.

<<About the flow of information processing according to this embodiment>>
Next, the flow of information processing related to service reservations (hereinafter referred to as reservation processing) according to this embodiment will be described. The reservation processing employs the information processing method of the present invention. In other words, the following description of the reservation processing is an example of the information processing method of the present invention.
In the following, as in the case described above, a specific example will be given in which a user U makes a reservation for the "cut and color" service menu offered by hairdresser A at salon Ta.

The reservation process is divided into a process for setting a URL as reservation access information for the "Cut & Color" service offered by hairdresser A at salon Ta (hereinafter referred to as the URL setting process), and a process for displaying the reservation page Pr for that service and accepting the reservation (hereinafter referred to as the main processing process). The URL setting process and the main processing process will be explained separately below.

(URL setting process)
The URL setting process proceeds according to the flow shown in Figure 10. In the URL setting process, first, hairdresser A operates his provider terminal 14 to access the service registration site (S001). This initiates communication between hairdresser A's provider terminal 14 and the reservation processing server 10. On the service registration site, hairdresser A inputs service registration information R1 relating to the "cut and color" menu service that he will provide at his salon Ta (S002). The input service registration information R1 is stored in the memory unit 40 of the reservation processing server 10 (S003).

Then, the computer constituting the reservation processing server 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as the computer) references the service registration information R1 stored in the memory unit 40 and sets reservation access information for the "Cut & Color" menu service by hairdresser A at shop Ta (S004). In step S004, the computer sets a URL as reservation access information based on the identification information of hairdresser A indicated in the service registration information R1. More specifically, the computer sets a URL including character strings corresponding to the identification information of hairdresser A, shop Ta, and the "Cut & Color" menu service.

The set URL is sent from the computer to hairdresser A's business terminal 14 (S005) and displayed on the display of the business terminal 14. Hairdresser A checks the displayed URL and posts an article containing the URL to the SNS (S006). The posted article with the URL is then distributed by the SNS server 12 to each user, including user U, and the above URL, i.e., the reservation access information, is notified to user U (S007). The URL setting process then ends with the notification of the reservation access information.

(Main processing step)
The main processing steps proceed according to the flow shown in Figures 11 and 12. More specifically, when user U accesses reservation page Pr using the reservation access information notified via SNS (S021), this triggers the start of the main processing steps.

In the main processing step, the computer first receives access data from user U's user terminal 16 (S022). As described above, the access data is generated by the user terminal 16 when user U touches the reservation access information, i.e., the URL, displayed on the display of the user terminal 16, and is then sent to the reservation processing server 10. The computer analyzes the received access data to identify the URL touched by user U, and then determines hairdresser A's identification information, shop Ta, and service menu from the identified URL (S023).

Based on the information determined in step S023, the computer generates a reservation page Pr for beauty services by hairdresser A and displays it on user U's user terminal 16 (S024). The reservation page Pr displayed in step S024 specifies the URL, which is reservation access information, and the corresponding service information, specifically the hairdresser's identification information, the store where the service is provided, and the service menu; in other words, it accepts reservations for the menu "Cut & Color" by hairdresser A at store Ta.

In addition, in step S024, the computer generates a reservation page Pr that displays available reservation dates and times for the "Cut & Color" service menu by hairdresser A at shop Ta, allowing the user to specify the date and time. At this time, the computer references the reservation status management information R2 stored in the memory unit 40 to check whether there are any reservations currently open for the above service by hairdresser A, and generates the reservation page Pr so that dates and times for which reservations have already been made cannot be specified, and dates and times for which no reservations have yet been made can be specified.

The generated reservation page Pr is displayed on the display of the user terminal 16, and user U accesses the reservation page Pr for the above-mentioned service by hairdresser A via the URL, which is the reservation access information.

On the other hand, the computer identifies the number of available reservation dates and times (remaining number) for the above service from the reservation status management information R2 stored in the memory unit 40, and determines whether the remaining number is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (S025).

If it is determined that the remaining number is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (Yes in S025), user U can reserve the "Cut & Color" service menu by hairdresser A at shop Ta. Specifically, user U selects one of the multiple available reservation dates and times displayed in a specifiable state on reservation page Pr (S026). user U's user terminal 16 generates designated date and time data indicating the designated date and time, and the computer receives the designated date and time data and accepts user U's reservation for the "Cut & Color" service menu by hairdresser A at shop Ta (S027).

The computer also references the reservation history information R3 stored in the memory unit 40 to identify user U's previous service reservation history and determine whether the details of the current reservation differ from those of past reservations (S028). Specifically, it determines whether the hairdresser providing the reserved service between the current reservation and past reservations is other than Mr. A, and whether the service menu is other than "cut and color." If at least one of these two determination items is met (Yes in S028), the computer executes a notification process to notify user U of this (S029). This allows user U to realize that the details of the current reservation differ from those of past reservations, and if the reservation was made due to an error, he or she can cancel the reservation.

On the other hand, if none of the determination items in step S028 apply, i.e., if the details of the current reservation are the same as the details of the previous reservation (No in S028), the notification process is skipped. If the number of remaining available reservation dates and times is equal to or greater than the predetermined number in step S025, the main processing process ends when the above steps are completed.

If the remaining number is less than the predetermined number in step S025 (No in S025), the computer recommends to user U an alternative service that takes less time than the "Cut & Color" menu, from among the services offered by hairdresser A at salon Ta (S030). As a result, a message recommending the alternative service is displayed on user U's user terminal 16, as shown in FIG. 9 (S031), and if user U wishes to use the alternative service, he or she can make a reservation for the alternative service using the same procedure as described above (S032). In other words, user U can access the reservation page for the alternative service from the reservation access information (URL) displayed on user terminal 16, and select and specify one of the available dates and times for the alternative service displayed on the reservation page, thereby reserving the alternative service for the specified date and time.

In the case where the remaining number of available reservation dates and times is less than the predetermined number, when the reservation for the alternative service by user U is accepted by the computer (S033), the main process ends at that point.
Note that user U does not necessarily have to reserve the recommended alternative service, and although this is not reflected in Figures 10 and 11, he can refuse to reserve the alternative service if he does not want to use it.

<<Summary>>
The information processing device of the present invention has a setting unit 32, a display control unit 33, and a reservation acceptance unit 34. The setting unit 32 sets reservation access information for a service provided by a service source based on identification information of the service source. When access is made through the reservation access information, the display control unit 33 displays a reservation page specifying the reservation access information and the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information. The reservation acceptance unit 34 accepts a reservation for a service provided by the service source for the specified reservation available date and time in response to a user's operation specifying an available date and time displayed on the reservation page.
With the above configuration, the user can reserve a service from a service provider at a desired date and time with a simpler operation.

To explain the above effects in more detail, conventional service reservations made over a network require the user to specify each item, such as the service provider and the available reservation date and time, which is time-consuming, and also involves the need to switch screens for each item to be specified, which is cumbersome.
In contrast, in the present invention, a user can reserve a service provided by a service provider for a specified date and time simply by specifying the available date and time on the reservation page that specifies the service provider's identification information. This allows the user to reserve a service with a simpler operation without having to switch screens.

In the information processing device of the present invention, the setting unit 32 may set reservation access information based on the location (store) where the service is provided by the service provider, the type of service (menu), and the identification information of the service provider. In this case, the reservation accepting unit 34 preferably accepts a reservation for the type of service provided by the service provider at the above-mentioned location on the specified reservation available date and time in response to a user's operation specifying the reservation available date and time.
With the above configuration, a user can reserve a desired type of service from among the services provided by a service provider that can be used at a specified location on a desired date and time simply by accessing the reservation page and specifying the available date and time. In other words, the user can reserve a service more easily without having to individually specify the service location and type, the service provider, and the reservation date and time.

In addition, in the information processing device of the present invention, the display control unit 33 may display on the reservation page a plurality of reservation available dates and times set at time intervals according to the type of service provided by the service provider in a manner that allows the date and time to be specified.
According to the above configuration, the reservation page displays the available reservation dates and times for the service at time intervals according to the type of service, so that the user can specify the desired date and time to make a reservation for the service while understanding the required time for the service.

Furthermore, the information processing device of the present invention may further include a reservation history storage unit (the storage unit 40 in the above embodiment) and a notification processing unit 35. In this case, the reservation history storage unit stores the user's past reservation history for the service, and the notification processing unit 35 preferably executes notification processing for the existing user when the reservation receiving unit 34 receives a new reservation from an existing user who has received reservations in the past and the content of the new reservation differs from the content of the existing user's past reservation indicated in the reservation history.
According to the above configuration, if the content of a new reservation made by an existing user differs from the content of a past reservation, the existing user can be notified of this fact and made aware of it, thereby preventing users from making mistakes in reservations, etc.

In the above configuration, the notification processing unit 35 may execute a notification process for the existing user if at least one of the service provider source and the type of service provided by the service provider source differs between a new reservation accepted from the existing user and a past reservation. In this case, if either the service provider source or the type of service differs between the content of a new reservation made by an existing user and the content of a past reservation, the user can be notified of this and made aware of it.

The information processing device of the present invention may further include a recommendation unit 36. When the number (remaining number) of available reservation dates and times that can be specified at the time of accessing the reservation page among the available reservation dates and times displayed on the reservation page for one service provided by the service provider source is less than a predetermined number, the recommendation unit 36 may recommend another service provided by the service provider source to the user.
According to the above configuration, when the number of available reservation dates and times (remaining dates) for a service provided by a service provider that a user wishes to reserve is low, other services provided by the same service provider can be recommended as alternative services, thereby promoting service use by users.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the time required for the other service (alternative service) recommended by the recommendation unit 36 is shorter than the time required for the one service (the service the user originally intended to reserve). In this case, the service with the shorter time required can be recommended as the alternative service. This can, for example, encourage users to use the alternative service in their free time, further promoting the use of services.

The information processing method of the present invention is characterized by comprising the steps of: a computer setting reservation access information for a service provided by a service source based on identification information of the service source; a computer displaying a reservation page specifying the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information when access is made through the reservation access information; and a computer accepting a reservation for a service provided by the service source for a specified reservation date and time in response to a user's operation specifying the reservation date and time displayed on the reservation page.
According to the above method, when reserving a service using a network, a service can be reserved by a service provider at a desired date and time with a simpler operation.

The information processing method of the present invention can be realized by an information processing device alone, or by a combination of an information processing device and related devices (e.g., a provider terminal 14 and a user terminal 16, etc.). Here, the information processing device of the present invention may be a server computer for an ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, the above-mentioned series of information processes (excluding information input and display) are executed by the server computer, so that the provider terminal or user terminal only needs to input information to be passed to the server computer and display information distributed from the server computer.

The program of the present invention also causes a computer to perform the following steps: setting reservation access information for a service provided by a service source based on the identification information of the service source; when access is made through the reservation access information, displaying a reservation page specifying the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information; and accepting a reservation for a service provided by the service source for a specified reservation date and time in response to a user's operation specifying the reservation date and time displayed on the reservation page.
By having a computer execute the above program, when reserving a service using a network, it is possible to reserve a service from a service provider at a desired date and time with a simpler operation.

The above program may be obtained by reading it from a computer-readable recording medium, or by receiving (downloading) it via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

<<Other embodiments>>
Up to this point, the information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention have been described using specific examples, but the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and other embodiments may be considered.

In the above embodiment, the reservation processing server 10 functions as the information processing device of the present invention, but some of the functions of the reservation processing server 10 may be provided in the user terminal 16. For example, the function of the notification processing unit 35 may be provided in the user terminal 16. In that case, the user terminal 16 stores the user's past reservation history, and when a new service reservation is made, it refers to the past reservation history and determines whether the new reservation content is similar to the past reservation content.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the reservation access information set by the reservation processing server 10 is notified to the user through a post on SNS by the service provider. Specifically, the reservation access information is notified to the user through an article posted on SNS by the hairdresser, but this is not limited to this. For example, the reservation access information may be sent directly from the reservation processing server 10 to the SNS server 12 without going through the hairdresser, and then distributed to the user from the SNS server 12. Alternatively, the reservation access information may be distributed to the user without going through the SNS server 12; for example, the reservation access information may first be notified to the hairdresser, who may then contact the user with the reservation access information by email or the like.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the reservation access information is information that includes a URL, and more specifically, is text information that indicates a URL. However, this is not limited to this, and the reservation access information may also be symbolic or image information that indicates a URL, such as image information such as a two-dimensional barcode.

In the above embodiment, the reservation page Pr accessed through the reservation access information displays the available reservation times for the service in a manner that allows them to be specified, while other items (e.g., the type of service, etc.) are displayed in a fixed and unselectable state. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, the type of service may be displayed on the reservation page Pr in a manner that allows them to be selected using a display format such as a pull-down menu.

10 Reservation processing server (information processing device)
12 SNS server 14 Vendor terminal 16 User terminal 18 Network 21 Processor 22 Memory 23 Communication interface 24 Storage 25 Input device 26 Output device 27 Bus 31 Registration information receiving unit 32 Setting unit 33 Display control unit 34 Reservation reception unit 35 Notification processing unit 36 Recommendation unit 40 Storage unit Pr Reservation page R1 Service registration information R2 Reservation status management information R3 Reservation history information W Display window

Claims (4)

a processor, the processor comprising:
When an access is made through reservation access information for a service provided by the service source based on the identification information of the service source, a reservation page is displayed which specifies the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information;
accepts a reservation for a service from the service provider source at the designated available reservation date and time in response to a user's designation operation for the available reservation date and time displayed on the reservation page;
When the service provision source is a human resource or a material resource that provides a service at a service provision location, the reservation page for the human resource or the material resource that is determined at the time of displaying the reservation page is displayed as the reservation page for the service by the human resource or the material resource that corresponds to the reservation access information, and the reservation page is displayed in a state in which the designation operation for the available reservation date and time can be accepted .
Information processing device. a processor, when an access is made through reservation access information for a service provided by the service source based on the identification information of the service source, causing a reservation page to be displayed, the reservation page specifying the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information;
a processor, in response to a user's designation operation for an available reservation date and time displayed on the reservation page, accepting a reservation for a service from the service provider source for the designated available reservation date and time;
If the service provision source is a human resource or a material resource that provides a service at a service provision location, the processor displays, as the reservation page for the service by the human resource or the material resource that corresponds to the reservation access information, the reservation page for the human resource or the material resource that is determined at the time of displaying the reservation page, in a state in which the designation operation for the available reservation date and time can be accepted .
Information processing methods. When an access is made through reservation access information for a service provided by the service source based on the identification information of the service source, a reservation page is displayed which specifies the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information;
accepts a reservation for a service from the service provider source at the designated available reservation date and time in response to a user's designation operation for the available reservation date and time displayed on the reservation page;
When the service provision source is a human resource or a material resource that provides a service at a service provision location, the reservation page for the human resource or the material resource that is determined at the time of displaying the reservation page is displayed as the reservation page for the service by the human resource or the material resource that corresponds to the reservation access information, and the reservation page is displayed in a state in which the designation operation for the available reservation date and time can be accepted .
A program that causes a processor to execute a process. A server and a terminal are provided,
The server
When an access is made from the terminal through reservation access information for a service provided by the service source based on the identification information of the service source, a reservation page specifying the identification information of the service source corresponding to the reservation access information is displayed on the terminal;
accepts a reservation for a service from the service provider source at the designated available reservation date and time in response to a user's designation operation for the available reservation date and time displayed on the reservation page;
When the service provision source is a human resource or a material resource that provides a service at a service provision location, the reservation page for the human resource or the material resource that is determined at the time of displaying the reservation page is displayed on the terminal as the reservation page for the service by the human resource or the material resource that corresponds to the reservation access information, and the reservation page is displayed in a state in which the designation operation for the available reservation date and time can be accepted .
system.