JP7849263B2 - Answer support device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an answer support device that assists respondents in answering various inquiries from inquirers.

Patent Document 1 discloses an answer support device that selects first reference data based on the similarity between the question data and a group of reference data, and then selects a first answer string based on that first reference data. By using the similarity of each data point in this way, it is possible to search for an answer that is appropriate to the content of the question, thereby enabling the acquisition of highly accurate answers to questions.

Patent No. 6190984 specification

In the case of the conventional answer support devices described above, while the retrieved answers are suitable for the content of past questions, it is unclear whether those answers would be appropriate if a similar question were asked at the present time.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its primary purpose is to provide an answer support device that assists in providing appropriate answers based on the time elapsed since previous inquiries.

To solve the above problems, an answer support device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a storage unit that stores the basis for answers to past inquiries and the revision history of said basis; a determination unit that, upon receiving an inquiry from an inquirer, determines whether or not the basis for answers to past inquiries similar to the current inquiry has been revised, based on the revision history; and a revision output unit that, if it is determined that a revision has been made, outputs information regarding the revision of the basis to the respondent.

In the above embodiment, the determination unit may determine whether or not the basis for the response to the similar past inquiry has been revised since the response to that inquiry.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the storage unit may further store answers to past inquiries, and the revision output unit may output answers to similar past inquiries to the respondent, in addition to the basis revision information.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a reference response output unit may be provided that outputs to the respondent past responses similar to the response proposal obtained from the respondent, as well as the basis for said responses.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the determination unit may determine whether or not the basis for the similar past answer has been revised, and if the reference answer output unit determines that a revision has been made, it may further output information regarding the revision of the basis for that revision to the respondent.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an attribute output unit may be further provided that outputs the attributes of the inquirer of the inquiry received from the external source to the respondent.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a revision schedule output unit may be provided to output the planned revision of the basis for the answer.

According to this invention, it becomes possible to easily generate appropriate responses to various inquiries.

A block diagram showing the configuration of the response support device and its communication destination. A diagram showing an example of the layout of a query database. A diagram showing an example of the layout of the evidence database. A flowchart illustrating the procedure for providing reference answers. A diagram showing an example of an inquiry information input screen. A diagram showing an example of the inquiry information output screen. A diagram showing an example of a sample answer screen. A diagram showing other examples of the sample answer screen. A flowchart showing the procedure for registering responses. A diagram showing an example of the answer editing screen. A diagram showing an example of a screen displaying similar answers. A flowchart showing the procedure for processing revision notification.

The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are illustrative examples of methods and apparatus for realizing the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to those described below. The technical concept of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

[Configuration of the response support device]
In this embodiment, the response support device 1 is a device that assists respondents when they respond to inquiries regarding information systems related to financial institutions such as banks and credit card companies. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this, and can provide support for responding to various inquiries in various fields.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the response support device and its communication destinations in this embodiment. The response support device 1 is connected to multiple inquirer terminals 2 and respondent terminals 3 via a network 100. The network 100 includes various communication networks such as the Internet and intranets.

The inquirer terminal 2 is a device installed on the inquirer's side that makes various inquiries, and is composed of a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal, etc. Similarly, the respondent terminal 3 is a device installed on the respondent's side that responds to inquiries from the inquirer, and is also composed of a personal computer, etc.

The response support device 1 is a computer comprising a control unit including a CPU, RAM, and ROM, and a storage unit. The control unit executes the processes described later. The storage unit of the response support device 1 includes a query database (DB) 11A for storing information on past inquiries, a basis DB 11B for storing information on the basis for answers to inquiries, and a revision schedule DB 11C for storing information on planned revisions to that basis. Details of each of these databases are described below.

(A) Inquiry DB11A
Figure 2 shows an example of the layout of the inquiry database 11A. As shown in Figure 2, the inquiry database 11A stores at least the content of past inquiries, the name of the person who made the inquiry, the attributes of the person who made the inquiry, the date of the inquiry, the content of the response to the inquiry, the name of the respondent who provided the response, the date of the response, and the basis for the response.

In the example shown in Figure 2, the content of past inquiries concerns design specifications for multiple financial information systems. Such inquiries are made by service developers (system engineers, etc.) who develop the information systems, service providers who provide services through the information systems to customers (financial institution employees, etc.), and creators of user manuals for the information systems. The attributes of these inquiryrs are linked to each inquiry and stored in the inquiry database 11A.

The responses to past queries stored in Query DB11A are created by the respondents. Typical examples of respondents include system engineers who have a comprehensive understanding of the contents of each information system.

The answers provided by respondents are based on established criteria. For example, as shown in Figure 2, answers to inquiries regarding screen design are based on the provisions of the Credit Card Member User Interface Standards, the Credit Card Member Screen Design Document, and the Internet Banking Screen Design Document. Similarly, answers to inquiries regarding the handling of various data are based on the provisions of the DB Design Document, etc. Thus, in this embodiment, the provisions in various design documents and specifications related to the information system serve as the basis for the answers.

(B) Basis DB11B
Figure 3 shows an example of the layout of the basis DB 11B. As shown in Figure 3, the basis DB 11B stores at least the name of each design document/specification, the content of the provisions, and the revision history. When there is a revision to each provision in the design document/specification, the revision date is stored in conjunction with that provision each time. The revision dates stored in this way correspond to the revision history.

(C) DB11C (planned revision)
The revision schedule DB11C stores the planned revisions for the provisions in each design document and specification document stored in the basis DB11B. This revision schedule includes at least the provisions to be revised and the planned revision date. Each revision schedule is registered in the revision schedule DB11C by the administrator of each information system.

[Operation of the response support device]
Next, the operation of the response support device 1, configured as described above, will be explained with reference to the flowchart. Below, the details of each process will be explained: (1) the reference response provision process, which is executed when a new inquiry is received from an inquirer; (2) the response registration process, which is executed when a response proposal is received from a respondent; and (3) the revision schedule notification process, which notifies each relevant party of the planned revision of the basis.

(1) Reference Answer Provision Process Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the reference answer provision process performed by the answer support device 1. When the answer support device 1 receives a new inquiry from an inquirer, it performs the reference answer provision process described below to provide information that will be useful as a reference for the answer to the respondent who is providing the answer to that inquiry. The respondent to whom this information is provided is automatically identified according to predetermined rules (for example, "Respondent A for inquiries in the X field" or "Respondent C for inquiries from Inquirer B").

Inquirers, such as service developers, service providers, and user manual creators for each information system, access the response support device 1 using the inquiry terminal 2 and execute their desired inquiry. Specifically, the inquiry is executed when the inquiryer inputs the inquiry details into the inquiry information input screen displayed on the display unit of the inquiry terminal 2, which is obtained from the response support device 1. The response support device 1 identifies the inquiryer's attributes when accepting access from the inquiry terminal 2. This attribute identification may be performed using pre-stored information about the inquiryer, or by obtaining the inquiryer's attributes from the inquiry terminal 2 during access.

Figure 5 shows an example of an inquiry information input screen. The inquirer enters their inquiry details into the input fields on the inquiry information input screen 101. In the example shown in Figure 5, the inquiry is "Are there any points to note regarding the screen design for credit card member enrollment and withdrawal?" After entering the inquiry details, the search button is clicked, and the inquiry information, including the entered details, is sent from the inquirer terminal 2 to the answer support device 1.

When the response support device 1 receives inquiry information from the inquirer terminal 2 (S101), it transmits that inquiry information to the respondent who will provide the answer to the inquiry (S102). At this time, the inquirer's attributes are also transmitted to the respondent. The respondent receives this information using the respondent terminal 3 and displays the inquiry information output screen on the display unit of the respondent terminal 3.

Figure 6 shows an example of the inquiry information output screen. As shown in Figure 6, the inquiry information output screen 102 displays the content of the inquiry and the attributes of the inquirer. The respondent can understand the inquiry by referring to this inquiry information output screen 102. As will be described later, reference information for creating a response to this inquiry is then provided to the respondent.

Returning to Figure 4, the response support device 1 identifies past inquiries with similar content to the inquiry information acquired in step S101 (S103). This identification of similar inquiries is performed based on the degree of similarity between the inquiry information acquired from the inquirer terminal 2 and past inquiries stored in the inquiry DB 11A, as well as the degree of matching of the inquirer's attributes.

The calculation of similarity between the above queries can be performed using known natural language processing techniques. For example, by vectorizing each query based on the frequency of word occurrences and calculating the similarity between those vectors, the similarity between the current query and past queries can be determined. If the similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold, the two queries are determined to be similar. Alternatively, a human may determine whether the two queries are similar or not and input the result of that determination to the answer support device 1.

Furthermore, the degree of matching of the inquirer's attributes is determined by whether the attributes of the inquirer in the current inquiry match the attributes of the inquirer in past inquiries stored in the inquiry DB 11A. If the attributes of both inquirers do not match, even if there were past inquiries with a similarity score above a predetermined threshold, it is determined that no similar inquiries exist. Therefore, a past inquiry is identified as a similar inquiry only when the similarity score is above a predetermined threshold AND the inquirer's attributes match.

As described above, in this embodiment, the attributes of the inquirer are used to identify similar queries. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and similar queries may be identified based solely on the similarity of the queries, without considering the attributes of the inquirer.

Furthermore, if the similarity to the current inquiry exceeds a predetermined threshold and no past inquiries with matching inquirer attributes exist, i.e., if no past inquiries similar to the current inquiry exist, the response support device 1 will notify the respondent of this fact with a message. In this case, the respondent will manually create a response to the current inquiry using the respondent terminal 3 and provide it to the response support device 1. Upon receiving this response, the response support device 1 will link the current inquiry and its response and register them in the inquiry database 11A.

If a similar inquiry is identified in step S103, the response support device 1 identifies the answer and its basis stored in the inquiry DB 11A that is linked to that similar inquiry (S104). Note that multiple similar inquiries may be identified, in which case multiple answers and their basis will be identified. For example, if the first and second rows of the inquiry DB 11A shown in Figure 2 are identified as similar inquiries, the answers identified will be "Make the screen as simple as possible." and "The number of display fields per screen is...", and the basis for the answers will be "Credit Card Member User Interface Standards" and "Credit Card Member Screen Design Document," respectively.

Next, the response support device 1 refers to the basis DB 11B and determines whether the basis has been revised since the date of the response (S105). For example, in the inquiry DB 11A shown in Figure 2, the response date in the first row is "October 1, 2021," and in the basis DB 11B shown in Figure 3, the revision date for Chapter 4 of the Credit Card Member User Interface Standards is "May 1, 2022." Therefore, it is determined that the basis has been revised since the date of the response.

If, in step S105, it is determined that the basis for the answer has been revised since the response date (YES in S105), the response support device 1 sends to the respondent (S106) reference response information, which uses the response identified in step S104 as a reference response, and basis revision information indicating that the basis for that reference response has been revised since the response date.

On the other hand, if step S105 determines that the basis has not been revised since the response date (NO in S105), the response support device 1 sends reference response information to the respondent, using the response identified in step S104 as the reference response (S107).

The respondent receives the information transmitted from the response support device 1 as described above using the respondent terminal 3. In this case, the display unit of the respondent terminal 3 shows a reference response screen containing information including reference response information. Figures 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating examples of such reference response screens. Figure 7A shows a reference response screen displaying reference response information and justification revision information, while Figure 7B shows a reference response screen displaying only reference response information.

As shown in Figure 7A, the reference answer information displayed on the reference answer screen 103 includes the date of the similar inquiry, the answer to that inquiry (reference answer), the attributes of the inquirer, the name of the respondent who provided the reference answer, the date of the reference answer, and the basis for the reference answer. Furthermore, the basis revision information displayed on the reference answer screen 103 includes a statement that the basis for the reference answer has been revised, the date of the revision, and the content of the provisions before and after the revision. If there are multiple reference answer information and basis revision information entries, they may be displayed on separate screens or on the same screen.

Respondents will be able to easily create an appropriate response to this inquiry by referring to the above-mentioned sample response information and revised evidence information. For example, by reviewing the contents of the sample response and revised evidence, respondents can consider whether any parts of the sample response have become inappropriate due to the revision of the evidence, and if so, how to correct them. Based on the results of this consideration, they will be able to create an appropriate response to this inquiry.

Furthermore, respondents can understand the attributes of the inquirer, allowing them to create responses tailored to those attributes. For example, if the inquirer is a service developer, the respondent might provide more detailed technical information, while if the inquirer is a service provider, the respondent might provide simpler information.

If the basis for the reference answer has not been revised since the date of the reference answer, only the reference answer information will be displayed on the reference answer screen 104, as shown in Figure 7B. In this case, the reference answer screen 104 may also explicitly indicate that the basis for the reference answer has not been revised since the date of the reference answer. Respondents who refer to this reference answer screen 104 can understand that the content of the reference answer is still appropriate at that time because the basis has not been revised, and can then use the content of the reference answer to create their response to the inquiry. Furthermore, as described above, respondents can create responses with appropriate content according to the attributes of the inquirer.

Furthermore, while the above describes how the response support device 1 provides the respondent with information on revised supporting evidence if the evidence is revised after the response date for a similar inquiry, it is also acceptable to provide the respondent with information on revisions made before the response date. This is because the fact that the supporting evidence in a reference response has been revised can function as reference information, regardless of the date of the revision.

(2) Answer Registration Process Through the above-mentioned reference answer provision process, the respondent obtains reference information to help them create their answer to the inquiry. The answer created by the respondent using this reference information is registered in the answer support device 1. The answer registration process performed at that time is described below.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure for registering an answer, as performed by the answer support device 1. First, the answer support device 1 sends an answer creation request to the respondent (S201), prompting them to create an answer to the current inquiry. In this case, the respondent receives the answer creation request using the respondent terminal 3. Upon receiving the answer creation request, the respondent terminal 3 displays an answer editing screen for creating the answer.

Figure 9 shows an example of a response editing screen. The respondent enters their proposed response into the input fields on the response editing screen 105. At this time, the respondent creates their proposed response using the reference information (reference response information and rationale revision information) obtained through the reference response provision process, and enters it into the input fields. In the example shown in Figure 9, the proposed response is shown, created by a respondent who referred to the reference response screen 103 exemplified in Figure 7A, using the reference response information and rationale revision information shown on that reference response screen 103 as a reference.

As shown in Figure 9, the response editing screen 105 is equipped with a response search button and a registration button. After entering a response in the input field, the respondent clicks the registration button to register the response as is, or the response search button to search for similar past responses. When either the registration button or the response search button is clicked, the respondent terminal 3 transmits response information, including the entered response and the identifier of the clicked button, to the response support device 1.

Returning to Figure 8, when the response support device 1 receives response information from the respondent terminal 3 (S202), it determines, based on that response information, whether the registration button or the response search button was clicked (S203). If it determines that the registration button was clicked ("Registered" in S203), the response support device 1 registers the response information contained in the response information in the inquiry DB 11A, linking it to the current inquiry (S204). In this case, the response becomes the answer to the current inquiry.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the answer search button was clicked in step S203 ("Search" in S203), the answer support device 1 refers to the inquiry DB 11A and identifies past answers similar to the answer proposal obtained from the respondent (S205). This identification of similar answers is performed based on the similarity between the answer proposal and past answers.

The calculation of similarity described above can be performed using known natural language processing techniques. For example, by vectorizing each response based on the frequency of word occurrences and calculating the similarity between these vectors, the similarity between the current response and past responses can be determined. If the similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold, the two are judged to be similar. Alternatively, a human judges whether the two are similar or not and inputs the result of that judgment to the response support device 1.

The response support device 1 transmits similar response information, including past responses identified as similar responses, to the respondent (S206). The respondent receives the similar response information using the respondent terminal 3. Upon receiving the similar response information, the respondent terminal 3 displays a similar response screen showing the content of the similar responses.

Figure 10 shows an example of a similar response screen. As shown in Figure 10, the similar response screen 106 displays not only the content of the similar response, but also the content of the inquiry related to that similar response, the inquiry date, the inquirer's attributes, the name of the respondent of the similar response, the date of the response, and the basis for the similar response. By referring to this similar response screen 106, respondents can check whether their draft response is complete and whether the information used as the basis for their response is accurate.

Note that although the similar response screen 106 illustrated in Figure 10 does not show the revised basis information, it may show the revised basis information as in Figure 7A. In that case, the response support device 1 should determine whether the basis of the similar response has been revised based on the basis DB 11B, and if it determines that it has been revised, it should send similar response information, including the revised basis information indicating that the basis of the similar response has been revised, to the respondent (S206).

When a respondent reviews similar response information and determines that a change to their response is necessary, they edit their response using the response editing screen 105 shown in Figure 9, and then click the registration button. In this case, the response support device 1 receives the response information, including the edited response, from the respondent terminal 3 (S202), and registers the response in the inquiry database 11A, linking it to the current inquiry (S204). This stores the response as the answer to the current inquiry.

When an answer is registered in the inquiry database 11A as described above, the answer support device 1 sends the answer to the inquirer. This answer is received by the inquirer's terminal 2 and displayed on its display. This allows the inquirer to obtain an answer to their inquiry.

(3) Revision Notification Process It is convenient for both the inquirer and the respondent if they can know in advance that the basis for the answers to past inquiries will be revised. The following revision notification process is the process to achieve this.

Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the notification of the basis for revisions performed by the response support device 1. The response support device 1 first refers to the revision schedule DB 11C and obtains the basis for revision schedule (S301). This basis for revision schedule includes the provisions to be revised and the scheduled revision date.

Next, the response support device 1 identifies the stakeholders involved in the basis for the planned revision based on the provisions to be revised (S302). Here, "stakeholders" refers to inquirers who are expected to make inquiries related to the basis for the planned revision, and respondents who are expected to provide answers using that basis. For example, the respondent support device 1 extracts inquirers and respondents linked to the basis for the planned revision by referring to the inquiry DB 11A, and identifies these individuals as stakeholders. This is because these inquirers and respondents are expected to continue to perform various tasks related to the basis, such as making inquiries and providing answers related to the basis in the future.

The response support device 1 notifies the relevant party identified in step S302 of the planned revision information (S303). This planned revision information includes the provisions to be revised and the planned revision date. The relevant party can receive the planned revision information using the inquirer terminal 2 or the respondent terminal 3 and confirm its contents.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the response support device 1 includes a query DB 11A, a basis DB 11B, and a revision schedule DB 11C. However, at least one of these databases may be located on an external device, and the response support device 1 may be configured to acquire each piece of information from that external device. In this case, each piece of information acquired from the external device is temporarily stored in the storage unit of the response support device 1 and used.

Furthermore, while the above embodiment describes the answer support device 1 as a single computer, it is not limited to this configuration; the answer support device 1 may be composed of multiple computers.

1. Answer support device 11A. Inquiry database 11B. Basis database 11C. Revision schedule database 2. Inquirer terminal 3. Respondent terminal 100. Network 101. Inquiry information input screen 102. Inquiry information output screen 103, 104. Reference answer screen 105. Answer editing screen 106. Similar answer screen

Claims (7)

A memory unit that stores the basis for answers to past inquiries and the revision history of said basis,
When an inquiry is received from an inquirer, a determination unit determines, based on the revision history, whether or not the basis for the response to a similar past inquiry has been revised.
The system includes a revision output unit that outputs information on the basis for the revision to the respondent if it is determined that a revision has been made.
Answer support device. The determination unit determines whether or not there has been a revision to the basis of the response to the similar past inquiry since the response to the past inquiry.
The answer support device according to claim 1. The memory unit further stores the answers to past inquiries,
The revision output unit outputs, in addition to the basis revision information, the response to the similar past inquiry to the respondent.
The answer support device according to claim 1 or 2. The system further includes a reference answer output unit that outputs to the respondent past answers similar to the answer proposal obtained from the respondent, and the basis for said answers.
The answer support device according to claim 3. The determination unit determines whether or not the basis for the similar past answers has been revised.
If the aforementioned reference response output unit determines that a revision has been made, it further outputs the basis for the revision to the respondent.
The answer support device according to claim 4. The system further includes an attribute output unit that outputs the attributes of the inquirer to the respondent.
The answer support device according to claim 1 or 2. It further includes a revision schedule output unit that outputs the planned revisions to the basis for the answer.
The answer support device according to claim 1 or 2.