JP2023055677A - Remote consultation counter system and customer terminal program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a remote consultation counter system that makes it possible to start a remote consultation from a button provided on a website.SOLUTION: A remote consultation counter system 10 includes a customer terminal 30, a plurality of operator terminals 20, and a management server 1 that are capable of accessing one another via a network 2. The management server 1 comprises: a consultation room management unit 42 for allocating each of the plurality of operator terminals 20 to any of a plurality of consultation rooms; a web page distribution unit 43 for distributing a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal 30; and an incoming call control unit 45 that when the consultation start button is depressed at the customer terminal 30, allocates the customer terminal 30 to any of the plurality of consultation rooms. The customer terminal 30 and the operator terminals 20 have a function of performing call connection between terminals allocated to the same consultation room.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a remote help desk system, a management server program, and a customer terminal program. More specifically, the present invention relates to a remote consultation desk system that can start a remote consultation from a button installed on a website, and a management server program and a customer terminal program that realize the remote consultation desk system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a remote consultation system that allows a customer to consult a product or service from a terminal such as a personal computer or a smart phone via the Internet.

Conventional remote consultation consists of the following four steps.
(1) A provisional reservation step in which a customer makes a reservation for a desired date and time using a dedicated form.
(2) A reservation confirmation step of sharing the URL with the customer as soon as the reservation is confirmed.
(3) A preparatory step of installing a web conference tool to be used on the client's terminal.
(4) A consultation step in which the customer clicks a URL on the day of consultation to start remote consultation.

In conventional remote consultations, the customer must make an appointment in advance, and when the appointment is confirmed, it is necessary to share the URL for the consultation, and it is also necessary to install the web conferencing tool to be used on the terminal. On the day of the consultation, there is a problem that a troublesome process of starting the consultation by clicking the URL shared in advance is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote consultation service system that can start a remote consultation from a button installed on a website, and a management server program and a customer terminal program that realize the remote consultation service system.

(Remote consultation desk system)
A remote consultation desk system of a first aspect comprises a customer terminal mutually accessible via a network, a plurality of operator terminals, and a management server, wherein the management server directs each of the plurality of operator terminals to a plurality of consultation rooms. a consultation room management unit that is assigned to any one of; a web page distribution unit that distributes a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal; to one of the plurality of consultation rooms, and the customer terminal and the operator terminal have a function of connecting calls between terminals assigned to the same consultation room. do.
In the remote consultation desk system of the second aspect, in the first aspect, the management server has an information distribution unit that distributes an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby to the customer terminal. wherein the customer terminal transmits a call request to the waiting consultation room to the incoming call control unit based on the operator status.
A third aspect of the remote consultation desk system is characterized in that, in the second aspect, the customer terminal switches the display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator state.
In the remote consultation desk system of the fourth aspect, in the third aspect, when the number of the waiting consultation rooms is one or more, the customer terminal sets the consultation start button to the accepting state, and the waiting consultation When the number of rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the consultation start button is put in a congested state, the number of consultation rooms in standby is 0, and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 0. When the number of consultation rooms is 0, the consultation start button is set to a non-acceptable state.
In the remote consultation desk system of the fifth mode, in the fourth mode, the information distribution unit distributes to the customer terminals the number of waiting people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and The customer terminal is characterized by displaying the number of people waiting on the consultation reception page when the number of waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is one or more.
In the remote consultation desk system of the sixth aspect, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the information distribution unit includes the number of waiting people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and past call connections. The average call duration obtained from the time is delivered to the customer terminal, and the customer terminal receives the said The expected waiting time obtained from the number of waiting people and the average call time is displayed on the consultation reception page.
In any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, the remote consultation desk system of the seventh aspect is such that the number of the waiting consultation rooms in the customer terminal is 0, and the number of the consultation rooms during calls is 1. In the above case, it is characterized in that an interrupt button for requesting the incoming call control unit to advance the waiting order is displayed on the consultation reception page.
In any one of the third to seventh aspects, the remote consultation service system of the eighth aspect is such that the information distribution unit distributes the operator attribute set for each consultation room to the customer terminal, and the customer terminal: The display mode of the consultation start button is switched based on the operator status of the consultation room in which the operator attribute corresponding to the customer attribute held by the customer terminal is set.
In any one of the second to eighth aspects, the remote consultation desk system of the ninth aspect is such that the information distribution unit distributes the reception hours for remote consultation to the customer terminal, and the customer terminal distributes the reception hours based on the reception hours. , the display mode of the consultation start button is switched.
In the ninth aspect, the remote consultation desk system of the tenth aspect is such that the information distribution unit distributes the operator time zone set for each consultation room to the customer terminal, and the customer terminal holds the operator time zone. The display mode of the consultation start button is switched based on the customer time zone, the operator time zone, and the reception time.
In the remote consultation desk system of the eleventh aspect, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations, and the management server includes the consultation start buttons of the plurality of organizations. An information distribution unit that distributes an evaluation value to the customer terminal is provided, and the customer terminal displays the consultation start button on the consultation reception page in an order determined based on the evaluation value.
In any one of the first to tenth aspects, the remote consultation desk system of the twelfth aspect is such that the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations, and the management server includes the buttons for each of the plurality of organizations. An information distribution unit that distributes a consultation fee to the customer terminal is provided, and the customer terminal displays the consultation fee for each organization on the consultation reception page.
A thirteenth aspect of the remote consultation desk system is characterized in that, in any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the consultation reception page includes a camera off button for turning off the camera of the customer terminal and making a call connection.

(management server program)
A management server program of a fourteenth aspect is a program for causing a computer accessible by a customer terminal and a plurality of operator terminals via a network to function as a management server, wherein each of the plurality of operator terminals is connected to a plurality of consultation rooms. a consultation room management process to be assigned to any of the above, a web page delivery process to deliver a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal, and when the consultation start button is pressed on the customer terminal, the customer terminal to one of the plurality of consultation rooms;
A management server program according to a fifteenth aspect, in the fourteenth aspect, causes a computer to execute information distribution processing for distributing an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby to the customer terminal. characterized by

(customer terminal program)
A customer terminal program according to a sixteenth aspect is a program distributed from a management server together with a consultation acceptance page including a consultation start button and executed by the customer terminal in a system in which a call connection is established between a customer terminal and an operator terminal. a process of obtaining, from the management server, an operator status indicating whether the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby or not; and a process of transmitting to the management server.
A customer terminal program of a seventeenth aspect, in the sixteenth aspect, causes the customer terminal to execute a process of switching a display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator state.
A customer terminal program according to an eighteenth aspect, in the seventeenth aspect, sets the consultation start button to an accepting state when the number of waiting consultation rooms is one or more, and when the number of waiting consultation rooms is zero. Yes, when the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the consultation start button is put in a congested state, the number of the consultation rooms in the waiting state is 0, and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 0. In the case of (1), the customer terminal is caused to execute a process of setting the consultation start button to an unacceptable state.
A customer terminal program according to a nineteenth aspect, in the eighteenth aspect, is characterized in that, from the management server, a process of acquiring the waiting number of people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room; When the number of rooms is 0 and the number of consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the customer terminal is caused to execute a process of displaying the waiting number of people on the consultation reception page. .
The customer terminal program of the twentieth aspect, in the eighteenth or nineteenth aspect, receives from the management server the waiting number of people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and the past call connection time, a process of obtaining the obtained average call time, and when the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the average call time is obtained from the waiting number of people and the average call time; and a process of displaying the estimated waiting time on the consultation reception page.
A customer terminal program according to a twenty-first aspect is, in any one of the eighteenth to twentieth aspects, when the number of waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of talking consultation rooms is one or more, The customer terminal is caused to execute a process of displaying an interrupt button for requesting the management server to advance the waiting order on the consultation reception page.
A customer terminal program according to a twenty-second aspect, in any one of the seventeenth to twenty-first aspects, is a program for acquiring operator attributes set for each consultation room from the management server, and acquiring customer attributes held by the customer terminal. A process of switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator status of the consultation room to which the corresponding operator attribute is set, and the process of being executed by the customer terminal.
A customer terminal program according to a twenty-third aspect is, in any one of the sixteenth to twenty-second aspects, a process of obtaining a reception time for remote consultation from the management server, and changing a display mode of the consultation start button based on the reception time. and a switching process are executed by the customer terminal.
A customer terminal program according to a twenty-fourth aspect is, in the twenty-third aspect, a process of acquiring an operator time zone set for each consultation room from the management server, a customer time zone held by the customer terminal, and the operator time zone. , and a process of switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the reception time.
A customer terminal program according to a twenty-fifth aspect is the customer terminal program according to any one of the sixteenth to twenty-fourth aspects, wherein the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations; The client terminal is caused to execute a process of acquiring a value and a process of displaying the consultation start button on the consultation reception page in an order determined based on the evaluation value.
A customer terminal program according to a twenty-sixth aspect is the customer terminal program according to any one of the sixteenth to twenty-fourth aspects, wherein the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations, and from the management server, the consultation start buttons of the plurality of organizations are sent. The client terminal is caused to execute a process of obtaining a fee and a process of displaying the consultation fee for each organization on the consultation reception page.

According to the first or fourteenth aspect, there is no need to make a consultation appointment in advance or exchange a URL, and installation of a web conference tool on the terminal is not required, and remote consultation can be performed in one step. It has the effect of not escaping "I came up with it."
According to the second, fifteenth, or sixteenth mode, a call request is preferentially made to a waiting consultation room, so matching between the customer terminal and the operator terminal is performed in a short time, and the customer's waiting time can be shortened. .
According to the third or seventeenth aspect, since the display mode of the consultation start button is switched depending on the operator's state, it is possible for the customer to determine whether the remote consultation can be started immediately.
According to the fourth or eighteenth aspect, by setting the consultation start button to the accepting state, the customer can recognize that the remote consultation can be started immediately. By putting the consultation start button in a busy state, the customer can recognize that it will take a long time to wait until the remote consultation starts. By setting the consultation start button to the unacceptable state, it is possible to prevent the customer from waiting unnecessarily.
According to the fifth or nineteenth aspect, since the number of people waiting for consultation is displayed on the consultation reception page, the customer can predict the waiting time, and the stress of the customer who is waiting for a call can be reduced.
According to the sixth or twentieth aspect, since the expected waiting time is displayed on the consultation reception page, the customer can recognize the timing of starting the remote consultation, and the stress of the customer who is waiting for a call can be reduced.
According to the 7th or 21st aspect, the waiting order of the customer who pressed the interrupt button is advanced, so remote consultation for the customer can be started early.
According to the eighth or twenty-second aspect, an operator suitable for the customer's attribute provides consultation, so appropriate information can be provided to the customer.
According to the ninth or twenty-third aspect, the display mode of the consultation start button is switched during and after the reception hours, so it is possible to prevent customers from waiting unnecessarily outside the reception hours.
According to the tenth or twenty-fourth aspect, even if operators are distributed over a plurality of time zones, and even if customers access from various locations on a global scale, it is possible to correctly determine whether the reception hours are within or outside.
According to the eleventh or twenty-fifth aspect, in the portal site displaying a plurality of organizations, the consultation start buttons are displayed in order based on the evaluation values of the organizations, so that the customer can easily select an excellent organization.
According to the twelfth or twenty-sixth aspect, on the portal site displaying a plurality of organizations, the consultation fee is displayed for each organization, so that the customer can select an organization based on the consultation fee.
According to the thirteenth aspect, when the camera-off button is pressed, the remote consultation is started with the camera of the customer terminal turned off, so even the customer who does not want the operator to see him/herself can safely consult remotely. can receive

1 is a configuration diagram of a remote consultation service system according to one embodiment; FIG. It is a screen image of an example of a consultation reception page. It is a screen image of an example of a call screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the security of a remote consultation counter system. It is a figure which shows the security of the conventional remote consultation system. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of reception of consultation by the remote consultation desk system; 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a remote consultation system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a remote consultation system according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an entity relationship diagram of data stored in a management server; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a process of allocating an operator to a consultation room; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing processing for leaving and returning an operator; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing processing for an operator to log out; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a process of browsing a consultation reception page by a customer; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a process of switching the display mode of a consultation start button; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing incoming call control processing when there is a free line; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing incoming call control processing when there is no available line; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a process of connecting a call between a customer terminal and an operator terminal; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing call termination processing; It is a screen image of an example of a room selection screen. It is a screen image of an example of an operator standby screen. It is a screen image of an example of an incoming call screen. It is a screen image of an example of the consultation reception page in 3rd Embodiment.

〔overview〕
Next, an overview of a remote consultation service system according to one embodiment will be described.
The remote consultation service system 10 is a system that connects a customer terminal 30 and an operator terminal 20 via the Internet to provide consultation on products and services. The remote consultation desk system 10 consists of operator connection means for assigning operator terminals 20 to consultation rooms, customer connection means for connecting customer terminals 30 to consultation reception desks via link buttons provided on websites or SNS, and customer connection means. An automatic call distribution means for distributing a customer terminal 30 connected to a consultation reception counter to one operator terminal 20 out of connected operator terminals 20. - 特許庁

The remote consultation desk system 10 can open a new door to the DX (Digital Transformation) era, as various companies are required to change their business styles using digital technology.

Conventional remote consultation consists of the following four steps.
(1) A provisional reservation step in which a customer makes a reservation for a desired date and time using a dedicated form.
(2) A reservation confirmation step of sharing the URL with the customer as soon as the reservation is confirmed.
(3) A preparatory step of installing a web conference tool to be used on the client's terminal.
(4) A consultation step in which the customer clicks a URL on the day of consultation to start remote consultation.

The inventors of the present application have developed a reception desk that can accept remote consultations in one step in order to solve the customer's "want to ask now". In an era when companies that are smooth until business negotiations are chosen, customers choose "timing" rather than "quality". This system is a new tool that has evolved from the conventional reception system, and will no longer keep customers waiting.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a remote consultation service system.

In FIG. 1, 20 is an operator terminal and 30 is a customer terminal. The operator terminal 20 is a terminal that can be connected to the Internet, and has voice input means such as a microphone, imaging means such as a camera, voice output means such as headphones or speakers, and video output means such as a liquid crystal display. A personal computer, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, etc. can be used for the operator terminal 20, for example.

The customer terminal 30 is a terminal that can be connected to the Internet, and has voice input means such as a microphone, imaging means such as a camera, voice output means such as headphones or speakers, and video output means such as a liquid crystal display. . A personal computer, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, etc. can be used as the customer terminal 30, for example.

As shown in FIG. 2, the remote consultation desk system 10 displays a link button (consultation start Install the button 51). The customer can access the consultation reception counter by simply clicking a consultation start button 51 labeled "online consultation reception" on the consultation reception page 50 displayed on the customer terminal 30. - 特許庁

In the remote consultation desk system 10, the operator can access the consultation desk from the operator terminal 20, and any personal computer or terminal can be used for remote reception. This system does not require the operator to use a dedicated terminal, is space-free, and can be consulted by staff at branches nationwide and telework.

In the example of FIG. 1, the remote consultation desk system 10 has six consultation rooms from room A to room F. When a consultation from the customer terminal 30 is received, each consultation room is automatically called in a predetermined order. A distribution system 11 is provided. With the automatic call distribution system 11, even branches nationwide and teleworking staff can receive consultations. Customers are not kept waiting because they are automatically distributed to operator terminals 20 that are available anywhere in the country. In addition, since the operator terminals 20 that are available are automatically allocated, the staff members of the stores can help each other, and the important customers can be dealt with without waiting.

Since the remote consultation service system 10 is equipped with a call function that notifies the operator terminal 20 of the sorting by sound, the operator can notice that he/she is doing other work while waiting. Even if the operator is doing other work while the operator is on standby, if he opens another window, he will be notified by a call tone, so he can respond to sudden inquiries. Since the operator's staff can be secured as a side job, not only can labor costs be reduced, but the staff can work efficiently.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a call screen 90 of the remote consultation service system 10. As shown in FIG. This call screen 90 can be customized according to the services of the company that has set up the remote consultation desk. It is also possible to change the logo, room background, subdomain, and reception screen displayed on the call screen 90 . Since the remote consultation desk system 10 can differentiate the call screen 90 from that of other companies, customer satisfaction can be increased and the contract rate can be increased. You can freely select the background according to the image of the service, and you can use it as your own original online conference system.

As shown in FIG. 4, the remote helpline system 10 is completely secure with end-to-end encryption, and the confidentiality of all communications between the operator terminal 20 and the customer terminal 30 is ensured. Since room participants are directly connected to each other, it is the most secure communication method for business negotiations. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, in general web conferencing tools, the server or intermediary also has a key to decode the encrypted data. In the remote help desk system 10, only the operator and the customer who are users have the key to decode the encrypted data.

With the above configuration, the remote consultation service system 10 is a remote reception desk that can respond immediately, and troublesome URL sharing and input are unnecessary. One-click connection from a consultation start button 51 provided on the consultation reception page 50 is possible. A normal remote consultation requires four steps, but the remote consultation desk system 10 does not require installation of an application by either the customer or the operator, and one-click access from the consultation start button 51 installed on the consultation reception page 50. You can immediately connect with the operator on the spot. Don't miss new customers by lowering the hurdles of the first consultation. Anyone can easily connect, even customers who are not good at using computers and elderly people. The remote consultation service system 10 is a system that can be used by anyone with no need for setting and can be connected by pressing the button.

The remote consultation service system 10 also has screen and file sharing and chat functions, which are essential functions for business negotiations and meetings. As management of reception hours, it is possible to set holidays and business hours. It is also possible to rent a template-type homepage, and it is also possible to propose a homepage that matches the style of the company's service. Even if you do not have personnel who can handle the reception work in-house, you can introduce a call center dedicated to online video calls that we have partnered with.

In addition, the remote consultation counter system 10 can be easily received remotely by opening the reception screen on a personal computer or tablet and installing it at the store, so unattended reception at the store becomes possible. You can talk online with customers anytime, anywhere, so you don't have to wait for customers who don't know when they will come. For example, it can be installed at the front desk of a hotel, the reception desk of a parking lot, or an exhibition hall of a house.

Next, the flow up to the use of the remote consultation service system 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, three personal computers located in each branch office in Sapporo, Tokyo, and Osaka are assigned to consultation rooms, and when a remote reception desk is started up, they are placed in a standby state.

When a customer clicks a consultation start button 51 for receiving remote consultation from a consultation reception page 50 of a company in which a remote consultation desk is installed, a remote consultation desk system 10 performs call distribution, and an operator terminal immediately launches a room A. A call comes in at 20. At this time, if the operator of room A is too busy to answer the call, the incoming call is transferred to the operator terminal 20 that started up room B after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

For example, when the A room and the C room are busy, the incoming call enters the vacant B room. The number of consultation rooms is not limited to three rooms, and any number of rooms can be set.

Any personal computer can be used by the operator as a remote consultation desk immediately. There is no need to install it on a dedicated computer, and even if you are teleworking or abroad, you can use it as long as you have a terminal such as a computer that can connect to a network such as the Internet. The automatic call distribution system eliminates the need to keep important customers waiting by helping each other with available staff.

The consultation start button 51 for receiving consultations at the remote consultation desk is of course installed on the homepage of the company that has set up the remote consultation desk. Reception at unmanned stores will also be possible.

This system was developed to solve the problems of the conventional remote consultation system, which required the arrangement of staff stationed in front of the personal computer, the securing of a dedicated personal computer installation site, and the high cost of introducing the system.

[First embodiment]
Next, the remote consultation service system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7, the remote helpline system 10 has a management server 1 . The management server 1 is a computer including a CPU, memory, and the like. Physically, the management server 1 may be configured by one server device, or may be configured by combining a plurality of server devices. A management server 1 is connected to a network 2 such as the Internet.

As will be described later, the management server 1 has various functions. The function as the management server 1 is realized by installing the management server program in the computer. The management server program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium (including non-transitory ones).

A plurality of operator terminals 20 are connected to the network 2 . An operator terminal 20 can access the management server 1 via the network 2 . The operator terminal 20 is a computer including a CPU, memory, and the like. Also, the operator terminal 20 can run a web browser.

The operator terminal 20 is directly operated by an operator who remotely provides consultation. That is, the operator explains the product or service in the remote consultation. An operator belongs to one organization. An organization is, for example, a company that provides goods or services. A plurality of operators belong to one organization. Each operator operates each operator terminal 20 .

A customer terminal 30 is connected to the network 2 . Customer terminal 30 can access management server 1 and operator terminal 20 via network 2 . The customer terminal 30 is a computer including a CPU, memory, and the like. Also, the customer terminal 30 can run a web browser. The number of customer terminals 30 is not particularly limited, but is usually plural. The customer terminal 30 is directly operated by a customer who wants to receive consultation remotely.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the management server 1 has a storage section 41 , a consultation room management section 42 , a web page distribution section 43 , an information distribution section 44 and an incoming call control section 45 . These may be configured by hardware, or may be implemented by installing software in a computer.

As shown in FIG. 9, the storage unit 41 stores organization information, room information, and call information.

Organization information is information about an organization. Since the remote consultation service system 10 is normally used by a plurality of organizations, the storage unit 41 stores a plurality of pieces of organization information corresponding to the number of organizations. The organization information includes organization ID, consultation reception page URL, call setting, reception hours, and call information ID. "Organization ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies an organization. The “consultation reception page URL” is the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the web page (consultation reception page 50) for receiving remote consultation. The “consultation reception page URL” may be all or part of the URL of the consultation reception page 50 . For example, if the main domain of the consultation reception page 50 is common to all organizations and a subdomain is assigned to each organization, only the subdomain may be stored as the "consultation reception page URL". “Call setting” is a call request setting from the customer terminal 30 to the management server 1 . "Call settings" can include call time limits, number of calls limits, and room selection order. The "reception hours" are the hours during which remote consultations can be received. "Receiving hours" can include a time zone (start time and end time) and days of the week during which remote consultation can be received.

Room information is information about the consultation room. One organization has multiple consultation rooms. The storage unit 41 stores a plurality of pieces of room information corresponding to the number of consultation rooms. Room information includes room ID, organization ID, and operator status. "Room ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies a consultation room. "Organization ID" is an organization ID to which the consultation room belongs. "Operator status" is information indicating whether the operator terminal 20 assigned to the consultation room is on standby. The "operator state" can be, for example, one of four states: waiting, talking, away, and offline. “Waiting” is a state in which the operator terminal 20 is waiting for an incoming call from the customer terminal 30 . "During a call" is a state in which the operator terminal 20 is connected to the customer terminal 30 by telephone. "Away" is a state in which the operator terminal 20 is away from the seat (a state in which an incoming call from the customer terminal 30 cannot be answered). "Offline" is a state in which the operator terminal 20 is not assigned to the consultation room.

Call information is information about calls for each organization. The call information includes call information ID, number of people waiting, and average call time. "Call information ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies call information. "Waiting number" is the number of customer terminals 30 currently waiting to be assigned to the consultation room. "Average call time" is the average call time per remote consultation obtained from past call connection times of the organization.

Organization information, room information, and call information may include other data in addition to the data described above. Other information may also be stored in the storage unit 41 .

As shown in FIG. 8, the consultation room management unit 42 assigns each of the plurality of operator terminals 20 to one of the plurality of consultation rooms owned by the organization.

Web page distribution unit 43 distributes consultation reception page 50 to customer terminal 30 in response to a request from customer terminal 30 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the consultation reception page 50 is a web page including a consultation start button 51 . Web pages are written in markup languages such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language).

The web page distribution unit 43 also distributes the customer terminal program to the customer terminal 30 together with the consultation reception page 50 . The customer terminal program is written, for example, in JavaScript (registered trademark). The operation of the web browser of the customer terminal 30 can be controlled by the customer terminal program.

The information distribution unit 44 distributes various types of information stored in the storage unit 41 to the customer terminal 30 . That is, the information distribution unit 44 distributes all or part of the organization information, room information, and call information to the customer terminal 30 .

When the consultation start button 51 is pressed on the customer terminal 30, the incoming call control unit 45 assigns the customer terminal 30 to one of a plurality of consultation rooms.

The operator terminal 20 has a call section 21 . The call unit 21 is connected to the customer terminal 30 and makes a video call or a voice call with the customer terminal 30 . Preferably, the calling unit 21 is implemented by a program that runs on a web browser.

The customer terminal 30 has a call section 31 , an information acquisition section 32 and a display control section 33 . These are realized by operating the customer terminal program distributed from the management server 1 on the web browser of the customer terminal 30 .

The call unit 31 is connected to the operator terminal 20 and makes a video call or a voice call with the operator terminal 20 . The information acquisition unit 32 acquires various kinds of information from the information distribution unit 44 of the management server 1 . The display control unit 33 controls the display of the consultation reception page 50 , particularly the display mode of the consultation start button 51 .

Next, the processing for allocating operators to consultation rooms will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10, the operator accesses the operator-dedicated site through the web browser of the operator terminal 20 and performs operations such as login (step 1). The consultation room management unit 42 of the management server 1 distributes the room selection screen to the operator terminal 20 . A room selection screen is displayed on the operator terminal 20 .

As shown in FIG. 19, the room selection screen 60 displays a list of consultation rooms owned by the organization to which the operator belongs. Room information acquired from the storage unit 41 is displayed in this list. In the illustrated example, the organization to which the operator belongs has five consultation rooms. The operator status is displayed for each consultation room in the list.

A room entry button 61 is displayed for a consultation room whose operator status is "offline", that is, to which an operator terminal 20 is not assigned. The operator selects a consultation room to enter and presses the corresponding room entry button 61 .

The list may have a display name entry field 62 . The display name entered in the display name input field 62 is the name displayed on the call screen 90 when the call is connected to the customer terminal 30 . By inputting the operator's name in the display name input field 62, the operator's name can be notified to the customer.

As shown in FIG. 10, the operator selects one consultation room on the room selection screen 60 and presses the enter button 61 (step 2). Then, the room ID of the consultation room selected by the operator is notified from the operator terminal 20 to the consultation room management section 42 of the management server 1 (step 2.1). The consultation room management unit 42 updates the operator status of the consultation room corresponding to the room ID from "offline" to "waiting" (step 2.1.1).

Also, socket communication is connected between the management server 1 and the operator terminal 20 (step 2.1.2.1). At this time, the management server 1 acquires and stores the IP address (Internet Protocol address) of the operator terminal 20 .

The above processing is performed for each operator terminal 20 . The consultation room management unit 42 allocates each of the plurality of operator terminals 20 to one of the plurality of consultation rooms by repeating the above processing. In this embodiment, the operator selects a consultation room, but instead of this, the consultation room management unit 42 may automatically assign the operator terminal 20 to one of the offline consultation rooms.

After allocating the operator terminal 20 to the consultation room, the consultation room management unit 42 distributes the operator standby screen to the operator terminal 20 . An operator standby screen is displayed on the operator terminal 20 (step 2.1.2.2).

As shown in FIG. 20, the operator standby screen 70 has a standby button 71 , a leave button 72 and a logout button 73 . The operator can press each button to switch his state.

As shown in FIG. 11, the waiting operator presses the leaving button 72 when leaving the operator terminal 20 (step 3). Then, the operator terminal 20 notifies the consultation room management section 42 of the management server 1 of the absence state (step 3.1). The consultation room management unit 42 updates the operator status of the consultation room from "waiting" to "away" (step 3.1.1).

When the operator who has left the seat returns to the front of the operator terminal 20, he presses the standby button 71 (step 4). Then, the operator terminal 20 notifies the consultation room manager 42 of the standby state (step 4.1). The consultation room management unit 42 updates the operator status of the consultation room from "away" to "waiting" (step 4.1.1).

As shown in FIG. 12, the operator who ends the consultation service presses the logout button 73 (step 5). Then, the consultation room management section 42 updates the operator status of the corresponding consultation room to "offline" (step 5.1.1). Also, the socket communication between the management server 1 and the operator terminal 20 is disconnected (step 5.2).

As described above, the consultation room management section 42 of the management server 1 manages the operator status, and the room information stored in the storage section 41 is always kept up-to-date.

Next, a process for a customer to browse the consultation reception page 50 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 13, the customer accesses the consultation reception page 50 through the web browser of the customer terminal 30 (step 6). The web page distribution unit 43 of the management server 1 distributes the source of the consultation reception page 50 and the customer terminal program to the customer terminal 30 (step 6.1.1). After that, the main functions of the customer terminal 30 are realized by the customer terminal program.

Next, socket communication is connected between the management server 1 and the customer terminal 30 (step 6.2). At this time, if necessary, the management server 1 may acquire and store the IP address of the customer terminal 30 . Thereafter, the consultation reception page 50 (see FIG. 2) is displayed on the customer terminal 30 (step 6.3).

The consultation reception page 50 includes a consultation start button 51 . It is preferable to switch the display mode of the consultation start button 51 according to the state of the operator. As shown in FIG. 14, the information acquisition unit 32 of the customer terminal 30 requests the information distribution unit 44 of the management server 1 to acquire information (step 6.4). Here, the information acquisition unit 32 transmits the URL of the consultation reception page 50 to the information distribution unit 44 .

As described above, the organization information stored in the storage unit 41 includes the consultation reception page URL (see FIG. 9). Based on the received URL, the information distribution unit 44 determines which organization's consultation reception page 50 the customer terminal 30 is accessing. Then, the information distribution unit 44 distributes the information associated with the organization to the customer terminal 30, and the information acquisition unit 32 acquires the information (Step 6.4.1).

The information distribution unit 44 may distribute information in response to a request from the information acquisition unit 32 or may automatically distribute information without a request from the information acquisition unit 32 . For example, when the information to be distributed is updated, such as when the operator status changes, the updated information may be distributed from the information distribution unit 44 to the information acquisition unit 32 . By doing so, the information held by the customer terminal 30 can be kept up-to-date.

The information distributed from the information distribution unit 44 may include information required by the customer terminal 30 for subsequent processing. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the call setting and reception time are delivered to the customer terminal 30 as organization information, the operator status of all consultation rooms owned by the organization as room information, and the number of people waiting and average call time as call information.

The display control unit 33 of the customer terminal 30 compares the current time with the reception hours, and determines whether it is within the reception hours or outside the reception hours. The comparison between the current time and the available hours may be combined with the comparison between the current time and the available time slots and the comparison between the current day of the week and the available days of the week.

When the current time is “within the reception hours”, the display control unit 33 switches the display mode of the consultation start button 51 based on the operator state. Here, the “display mode” of the consultation start button 51 means the character string, color, and shape displayed on the consultation start button 51, as well as whether the consultation start button 51 is enabled or disabled, whether it is displayed, or the like. By switching the display mode of the consultation start button 51 according to the state of the operator, it is possible to determine whether the customer can immediately start remote consultation.

Based on the operator status, the display control unit 33 determines whether the operator is available, not available, or absent. Here, "available" means that the number of consultation rooms in which the operator status is waiting is one or more. "No vacancies" means that the number of consultation rooms whose operator status is waiting is 0 and the number of consultation rooms that are busy is 1 or more. "Absent" means that the number of consultation rooms whose operator status is waiting is 0 and the number of consultation rooms that are busy is 0. That is, "absent" means that all consultation rooms are away or offline.

In the case of "Available", the display control unit 33 puts the consultation start button 51 into the accepting state (step 6.5). In the receiving state, the character string displayed on the consultation start button 51 is set to "Receiving remote consultation" or the like to indicate to the customer that remote consultation can be received. Also, the consultation start button 51 is validated (set to a state that can be pressed). By setting the consultation start button 51 to the acceptance state, the customer can recognize that the remote consultation can be started immediately.

In the case of "no vacancies", the display control section 33 puts the consultation start button 51 in a congested state (step 6.6). In the busy state, the character string displayed on the consultation start button 51 is set to "We are currently busy" to indicate that there will be a waiting time until the customer receives a remote consultation. Also, the consultation start button 51 is activated. By setting the consultation start button 51 to be in a crowded state, the customer can recognize that it will take a waiting time to start the remote consultation.

In the case of "no vacancies", the display control unit 33 may display the number of people waiting on the consultation reception page 50 (step 6.7). The number of people waiting may be displayed on the consultation start button 51 or may be displayed outside the consultation start button 51 . By displaying the number of people waiting on the consultation reception page 50, the customer can predict the waiting time, and the stress of the customer who is waiting for a call can be reduced.

Further, the display control unit 33 may display the expected waiting time on the consultation reception page 50 (step 6.7). The expected waiting time may be displayed on the consultation start button 51 or may be displayed outside the consultation start button 51 . Also, both the number of people waiting and the expected waiting time may be displayed, or either one of them may be displayed. If the expected waiting time is displayed on the consultation reception page 50, the customer can recognize the timing of starting the remote consultation, and the stress of the customer who is waiting for a call can be reduced.

The expected waiting time can be obtained from the number of people waiting and the average call time. The expected waiting time can be obtained by, for example, the following formula.
[Estimated waiting time] = [Average queue length] x [Average call time]
[average queue length]=[utilization]/(1-[utilization])
[Usage rate] = Average call time / [Number of counters]
Number of counters: Number of consultation rooms excluding offline

The display control unit 33 may display an interrupt button separately from the consultation start button 51 on the consultation reception page 50 . A customer who presses the consultation start button 51 is added to the back of the queue. On the other hand, the customer who presses the interrupt button moves up the waiting order and is added to the front of the queue, for example. When the interrupt button is pressed, the call unit 31 of the customer terminal 30 requests the incoming call control unit 45 of the management server 1 to advance the waiting order. Since the waiting order of the customer who pressed the interrupt button is advanced, the remote consultation of the customer can be started early. Note that an additional charge may be applied to the customer who presses the interrupt button.

In the case of "absence", the display control unit 33 puts the consultation start button 51 in the unacceptable state (step 6.8). In the unacceptable state, the character string displayed on the consultation start button 51 is set to "cannot accept now" or the like to indicate to the customer that remote consultation cannot be accepted. Also, the consultation start button 51 is disabled (set to a state where it cannot be pressed). Alternatively, the consultation start button 51 may be hidden.

As a result of comparing the current time and the reception hours, if it is "out of reception hours", the display control unit 33 puts the consultation start button 51 into the out-of-hours state (step 6.9). In the non-reception hours state, the character string displayed on the consultation start button 51 is set to "out of reception hours" or the like to indicate to the customer that the reception hours are out of hours. Also, the consultation start button 51 is disabled. Alternatively, the consultation start button 51 may be hidden. In this manner, the display control unit 33 switches the display mode of the consultation start button 51 based on the reception time.

If nothing is displayed on the consultation reception page 50 regardless of whether the customer is "absent" or "out of business hours", the customer will press the consultation start button 51. FIG. In this case, the customer is expected to start the remote consultation, but after waiting, the customer cannot perform the remote consultation. By setting the consultation start button 51 to the non-acceptable state or out-of-hours state, it is possible to prevent the customer from waiting unnecessarily.

Next, the incoming call control process when the customer presses the consultation start button 51 will be described.
The incoming call control process differs depending on whether there is "available" or "no available". In the case of "available", the processing shown in FIG. 15 is performed.

The customer presses the consultation start button 51 on the consultation reception page 50 (step 7). Then, the call section 31 of the customer terminal 30 transmits a call request to the incoming call control section 45 of the management server 1 (step 7.1).

After the consultation start button 51 is pressed, a screen for setting the camera, microphone, etc. may be displayed on the customer terminal 30 . The customer can switch the camera ON/OFF, check the microphone and speaker, etc. on the setting screen. In this case, a call button is provided on the setting screen, and when the customer presses the call button, the call unit 31 transmits a call request.

In addition to the consultation start button 51, the consultation reception page 50 may be provided with a camera off button for turning off the camera of the customer terminal 30 and making a call connection. When the camera off button is pressed, the remote consultation is started with the camera of the customer terminal 30 turned off. Therefore, even customers who do not want operators to see themselves can receive remote consultations with peace of mind.

The customer terminal 30 has room information. The call unit 31 can identify the consultation room where the operator is waiting based on the operator status included in the room information. The calling unit 31 transmits the room ID of the waiting consultation room to the incoming call control unit 45 together with the call request. That is, the call unit 31 transmits a call request to the waiting consultation room to the incoming call control unit 45 .

The incoming call control unit 45 identifies the consultation room based on the room ID received from the call unit 31, and notifies the operator terminal 20 assigned to the consultation room of the incoming call (step 7.1.1). Then, an incoming call screen is displayed on the operator terminal 20 .

As shown in FIG. 21, the incoming call screen 80 is a screen for notifying the operator of incoming calls. The incoming call screen 80 has an entry permission button 81 and a skip button 82 . When the operator presses the entry permission button 81, the operator can answer the incoming call and start remote consultation with the customer. When the operator presses the skip button 82, the incoming call can be rejected.

As shown in FIG. 15, the calling unit 31 makes a call request according to the call setting obtained from the management server 1. FIG. Call settings include call time limits. Unless the operator presses the entry permission button 81 on the incoming call screen 80, the call unit 31 waits until the upper limit of the call time. When the elapsed time from the call request reaches the call time upper limit, call unit 31 designates the room ID of another consultation room and transmits a call request to incoming call control unit 45 . In other words, if there are a plurality of waiting consultation rooms, the calling unit 31 requests calls to the plurality of consultation rooms in order until one of the operators answers the incoming call. At this time, the calling unit 31 selects the consultation room according to the room selection order included in the call setting. For example, if the room selection order is set randomly, it is possible to prevent call requests from concentrating on a specific consultation room.

Call setup includes a call limit. The upper limit of the number of calls is the upper limit of the number of times the calling unit 31 requests a call to the consultation room. The calling unit 31 sequentially requests calls to a plurality of consultation rooms, and when the upper limit of the number of calls is reached, the call request to the incoming call control unit 45 is terminated.

Instead of sequentially making call requests to a plurality of consultation rooms, a call request may be made to a plurality of consultation rooms at the same time. In this case, the operator who presses the entry permission button 81 earliest can start remote consultation with the customer. Further, instead of controlling the consultation room for which the customer terminal 30 requests an incoming call, the management server 1 may control the operator terminal 20 for notifying the incoming call.

In the case of "no vacancy", the processing shown in FIG. 16 is performed.
The customer presses the consultation start button 51 on the consultation reception page 50 (step 8). Then, the call section 31 transmits a call request to the incoming call control section 45 (step 8.1). The incoming call control unit 45 adds 1 to the number of people on standby stored in the storage unit 41 (step 8.1.1). Also, a standby screen is displayed on the customer terminal 30 .

The information distribution unit 44 of the management server 1 regularly or irregularly distributes the room information to the customer terminal 30 (step 9). In particular, when the operator status of any consultation room is updated during standby, room information is distributed from the information distribution unit 44 to the customer terminal 30 . The call unit 31 of the customer terminal 30 determines whether or not the room is "available" based on the room information. When it becomes "available", the customer terminal 30, the management server 1, and the operator terminal 20 execute the above-described processing for "available".

When any operator presses the entry permission button 81, the customer terminal 30 is assigned to the consultation room of that operator. As described above, when the consultation start button 51 is pressed on the customer terminal 30, the incoming call control unit 45 assigns the customer terminal 30 to one of the plurality of consultation rooms. In the present embodiment, a call request is preferentially made to a waiting consultation room, so matching between the customer terminal 30 and the operator terminal 20 is performed in a short time, and the customer's waiting time can be shortened.

Next, the processing when the operator presses the entry permission button 81 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 17, the operator presses the entry permission button 81 on the incoming call screen 80 (step 10). Then, the operator terminal 20 notifies the incoming call control section 45 of the management server 1 of the start of connection (step 10.1). The incoming call control unit 45 updates the operator state of the consultation room from standby to talking (step 10.1.1). When the customer presses the consultation start button 51 and there is no vacancy, the incoming call control unit 45 subtracts 1 from the number of people waiting (step 10.1.2).

The incoming call control section 45 of the management server 1 notifies the call section 31 of the customer terminal 30 of the call start (step 10.1.3). Here, the incoming call control unit 45 notifies the IP address of the operator terminal 20 to the call unit 31 . A call screen 90 (see FIG. 3) is displayed on the customer terminal 30 (step 10.1.3.1).

The customer terminal 30 establishes a video and/or voice call connection with the operator terminal 20 (step 10.1.3.2). Here, the customer terminal 30 preferably establishes a P2P (Peer to Peer) connection with the operator terminal 20 . The customer terminal 30 establishes a P2P connection with the operator terminal 20 based on the IP address of the operator terminal 20 notified from the incoming call control unit 45 . After the call connection is established, the operator terminal 20 also displays a call screen 90 (see FIG. 3).

Note that the IP address of the customer terminal 30 may be notified from the management server 1 to the operator terminal 20 and the operator terminal 20 may establish a P2P connection to the customer terminal 30 .

As described above, the customer terminal 30 and the operator terminal 20 connect the terminals assigned to the same consultation room. The customer and operator can then make video and/or voice calls, allowing remote consultation.

As shown in FIG. 18, when the remote consultation ends, the operator presses the end call button (step 11). The operator terminal 20 notifies the termination of the call to the incoming call control unit 45 of the management server 1 (step 11.1). The customer may press the end call button, and the customer terminal 30 may notify the incoming call control unit 45 of the end of the call.

The call connection between the customer terminal 30 and the operator terminal 20 is disconnected, and a call end screen is displayed on the customer terminal 30 (step 11.1.1.1).

The incoming call control unit 45 of the management server 1 updates the operator state of the consultation room from busy to standby (step 11.1.2). The incoming call control unit 45 also calculates the average call duration from the current call duration and the past call duration, and updates the average call duration stored in the storage unit 41 (step 11.1.3). An operator standby screen 70 (see FIG. 20) is displayed on the operator terminal 20 .

[Second embodiment]
Next, a remote consultation service system 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The display mode of the consultation start button 51 may be switched based on the attributes of the operator and the customer. An "attribute" is a characteristic or property possessed by an operator or customer. Specific examples of "attributes" include geographic location, time zone, language, and the like.

As described above, the storage unit 41 of the management server 1 stores room information for each consultation room. Room information may include operator attributes. "Operator attribute" is the attribute of the operator set for each consultation room. "Operator Attributes" can include operator location, operator time zone, operator supported languages, and the like. As the operator position, the country, region, etc. to which the operator belongs can be set. For example, if the product or service targeted for remote consultation has regional characteristics, the operator's location can be set to the country or region in which the operator specializes. The operator time zone is the time zone to which the operator belongs. The operator-supported language is a language that the operator can support. A plurality of languages may be set as operator-compatible languages.

Setting of operator attributes is performed, for example, by the following procedure. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the operator selects a consultation room to enter after logging in (step 2). At this time, the operator inputs operator attributes on the room selection screen 60 (see FIG. 19). The consultation room management unit 42 of the management server 1 stores the inputted operator attributes in the storage unit 41 .

The customer terminal 30 holds customer attributes. "Customer Attributes" can include customer location, customer time zone, customer language, and the like. As the customer position, the position of the customer terminal 30 determined by a positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System) can be used. The time zone set in the OS (Operating System) of the customer terminal 30 can be used as the customer time zone. A preferred language set in the web browser of the customer terminal 30 can be used as the customer language.

In this embodiment, the display mode of the consultation start button 51 is switched by the following processing.
As shown in FIG. 14, the information acquisition unit 32 of the customer terminal 30 requests the information distribution unit 44 of the management server 1 to acquire information (step 6.4). The information distribution unit 44 distributes organization information, room information and call information to the customer terminal 30, and the information acquisition unit 32 acquires the information (step 6.4.1). Here, the room information includes operator attributes.

Next, the display control unit 33 of the customer terminal 30 determines whether the reception time is within or outside. Here, the reception time is the time during which the operator can receive the remote consultation. If the operators are distributed over multiple time zones, each operator will have a different reception time in terms of the universal standard time. Also, since access to the consultation reception page 50 is not geographically restricted, the customer does not necessarily belong to the same time zone as the operator.

Therefore, the display control unit 33 determines whether the reception hours are within or outside of the reception hours based on the customer time zone, the operator time zone, and the reception hours. For example, the display control unit 33 converts the reception time for each consultation room based on the operator's time zone into the universal standard time. Also, the display control unit 33 converts the current time of the customer terminal 30 to the universal standard time based on the customer time zone. Based on the time after conversion, the display control unit 33 determines that it is within the reception hours if the number of consultation rooms within the reception hours is 1 or more, and if the number of consultation rooms within the reception hours is 0, the reception hours are determined. judge outside. In this way, even if operators are distributed over a plurality of time zones, and even if customers access from various locations on a global scale, it is possible to correctly determine whether the reception hours are within or outside.

If it is "out of reception hours", the display control unit 33 sets the consultation start button 51 to the out of reception hours state (step 6.9). In this manner, the display control unit 33 switches the display mode of the consultation start button 51 during and after the reception hours.

If it is "within reception hours", the display control unit 33 switches the display mode of the consultation start button 51 based on the customer attribute, the operator attribute, and the operator state. That is, the display control unit 33 first narrows down consultation rooms in which operator attributes corresponding to customer attributes are set from among a plurality of consultation rooms.

For example, if the time zone is used as an attribute, the consultation rooms within business hours are narrowed down in consideration of the customer's time zone and the operator's time zone. If geographical location is used as an attribute, consultation rooms are narrowed down to consultation rooms set with operator locations (country, region, etc.) including customer locations. When language is used as an attribute, consultation rooms in which the same language as the customer language is set as the language for operators are narrowed down. If necessary, consultation rooms may be narrowed down by combining multiple attributes.

The display control unit 33 determines whether the operator is available, not available, or absent, based on the operator status of the consultation room after the narrowing down. Then, in the case of "available", the display control unit 33 puts the consultation start button 51 into the accepting state (step 6.5). In the case of "no vacancies", the display control section 33 puts the consultation start button 51 in a congested state (step 6.6). In the case of "absence", the display control unit 33 puts the consultation start button 51 in the unacceptable state (step 6.8). In this manner, the display control unit 33 switches the display mode of the consultation start button 51 based on the attribute in addition to the operator status.

In this embodiment, when the customer presses the consultation start button 51 in the case of "available", the following processing is performed.
As shown in FIG. 15, the customer presses a consultation start button 51 on the consultation reception page 50 (step 7). Then, the call section 31 of the customer terminal 30 transmits a call request to the incoming call control section 45 of the management server 1 (step 7.1).

The customer terminal 30 has room information. A call unit 31 narrows down consultation rooms in which operator attributes corresponding to customer attributes are set, and then specifies a consultation room where an operator is waiting based on the operator status included in the room information of those consultation rooms. . The calling unit 31 transmits the room ID of the waiting consultation room to the incoming call control unit 45 together with the call request.

The calling unit 31 makes a call request according to the call setting. When the elapsed time from the call request reaches the call time upper limit, the calling unit 31 designates the room ID of another consultation room from among the narrowed-down consultation rooms and transmits a call request to the incoming call control unit 45 . At this time, the calling unit 31 selects the consultation room according to the room selection order included in the call setting. The calling unit 31 sequentially requests calls to a plurality of consultation rooms, and when the upper limit of the number of calls is reached, the call request to the incoming call control unit 45 is terminated.

As shown in FIG. 17, when any operator presses the entry permission button 81, a call connection is established between the operator terminal 20 and the customer terminal 30, and remote consultation is started. In this embodiment, since a call request is made to a consultation room in which an operator attribute corresponding to a customer attribute is set, an operator suitable for the customer attribute will handle the consultation. Therefore, appropriate information can be provided to customers.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a remote consultation service system 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 22, the consultation reception page 50 may have consultation start buttons 51 for a plurality of organizations. In the illustrated example, the consultation reception page 50 is a portal site where the customer can select a desired company while comparing multiple companies.

The consultation reception page 50 may have an organization search function. For example, when the industry, category, and region are selected and a search button is pressed, only the relevant organizations are displayed on the consultation reception page 50 .

A consultation start button 51 is displayed for each organization on the consultation reception page 50 . The customer can receive remote consultation by pressing the consultation start button 51 of the desired company. As in the first embodiment, the display mode of the consultation start button 51 may be switched based on the operator status of each organization. Also, at this time, for organizations that are "absent" or "out of office hours", only the consultation start button 51 may be hidden, or the organization itself may not be displayed as a search result.

The display order of the organizations on the consultation reception page 50 may be determined based on the evaluation values of the organizations. For example, organizations are displayed in descending order of evaluation value. As the evaluation value, the number of consultations, customer satisfaction, etc. can be used. The number of consultations can be counted by the management server 1 . The customer satisfaction level can be obtained, for example, from the results of a questionnaire by asking the customer to enter a questionnaire on the call end screen displayed on the customer terminal 30 after the end of the remote consultation. The evaluation value is stored in the storage unit 41 as part of the organization information.

When the customer accesses the consultation reception page 50 through the customer terminal 30, the information acquisition section 32 of the customer terminal 30 requests organization information from the information distribution section 44 of the management server 1 (FIG. 14: step 6.4). The information distribution unit 44 distributes the evaluation values of the multiple organizations displayed on the consultation reception page 50 to the customer terminal 30, and the information acquisition unit 32 acquires the evaluation values (step 6.4.1). The display control unit 33 of the customer terminal 30 displays the organizations (consultation start button 51) on the consultation reception page 50 in the order determined based on the obtained evaluation values.

In the portal site displaying a plurality of organizations, the consultation start button 51 is displayed in the order based on the evaluation values of the organizations, so the customer can easily select an excellent organization. It also improves the overall quality of remote consultations as the organization strives to increase its reputation for being preferred by customers.

Consultation reception page 50 may display consultation fees for each of a plurality of organizations. The consultation fee is set by the operator and stored in the storage unit 41 as part of the organization information. When the customer accesses the consultation reception page 50 through the customer terminal 30, the information acquisition section 32 of the customer terminal 30 requests organization information from the information distribution section 44 of the management server 1 (FIG. 14: step 6.4). The information distribution unit 44 distributes the consultation fee for each of the plurality of organizations displayed on the consultation reception page 50 to the customer terminal 30, and the information acquisition unit 32 acquires the consultation fee (step 6.4.1). The display control unit 33 of the customer terminal 30 displays the consultation fee for each organization on the consultation reception page 50 . Further, the display control unit 33 may display the organizations (consultation start button 51) in ascending or descending order based on the consultation fees.

On a portal site displaying multiple organizations, consultation fees are displayed for each organization, so customers can select an organization based on consultation fees. For example, an organization may set a low consultation fee if there are few requests for remote consultations from customers. This makes it easier for organizations to acquire remote consultation opportunities.

10 Remote consultation desk system 1 Management server 2 Network 20 Operator terminal 30 Customer terminal 41 Storage unit 42 Consultation room management unit 43 Web page distribution unit 44 Information distribution unit 45 Incoming call control unit 50 Consultation reception page 51 Consultation start button

The present invention relates to a remote help desk system and a customer terminal program. More specifically, the present invention relates to a remote consultation desk system that can start a remote consultation from a button installed on a website, and a customer terminal program that realizes the remote consultation desk system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote consultation service system that can start a remote consultation from a button installed on a website, and a customer terminal program that realizes the remote consultation service system.

(Remote consultation desk system)
A remote consultation desk system of a first aspect comprises a customer terminal mutually accessible via a network, a plurality of operator terminals, and a management server, wherein the management server directs each of the plurality of operator terminals to a plurality of consultation rooms. a web page distribution unit that distributes a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal; and indicates whether the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby. an information distribution unit that distributes an operator status to the customer terminal; and an incoming call control unit that, when the consultation start button is pressed on the customer terminal, assigns the customer terminal to one of the plurality of consultation rooms. , when the number of the waiting consultation rooms is one or more, the customer terminal puts the consultation start button in an accepting state, the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0, and the consultation room is busy is 1 or more, the consultation start button is put in a congested state, and when the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0, and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 0, the consultation start button is set to an unacceptable state, and based on the operator state, a call request to the waiting consultation room is transmitted to the incoming call control unit, and the customer terminal and the operator terminal are assigned to the same consultation room. It is characterized by having a function of connecting a call between terminals .
In the remote consultation desk system of the second aspect, in the first aspect, the information distribution unit distributes to the customer terminals the number of waiting people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and The customer terminal is characterized by displaying the number of people waiting on the consultation reception page when the number of waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is one or more.
In the remote consultation desk system of the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the information distribution unit includes the number of waiting people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and past call connections. The average call duration obtained from the time is delivered to the customer terminal, and the customer terminal receives the said The expected waiting time obtained from the number of waiting people and the average call time is displayed on the consultation reception page.
A remote consultation desk system according to a fourth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third aspects, the customer terminal has 0 waiting consultation rooms and 1 active consultation room. In the above case, it is characterized in that an interrupt button for requesting the incoming call control unit to advance the waiting order is displayed on the consultation reception page.
A remote consultation desk system according to a fifth aspect comprises a customer terminal mutually accessible via a network, a plurality of operator terminals, and a management server, wherein the management server directs each of the plurality of operator terminals to a plurality of consultation rooms. a web page distribution unit that distributes a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal; and indicates whether the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby. an information distribution unit for distributing an operator status and an operator attribute set for each consultation room to the customer terminal; an incoming call control unit for allocating one of the rooms, wherein the customer terminal starts the consultation based on the operator status of the consultation room in which the operator attribute corresponding to the customer attribute held by the customer terminal is set. Switching the display mode of buttons, transmitting a call request to the waiting consultation room to the incoming call control unit based on the operator status, and assigning the customer terminal and the operator terminal to the same consultation room and the operator attribute is the location of the operator, and the customer attribute is the location of the customer terminal determined by a positioning system.
A remote consultation desk system of a sixth aspect comprises a customer terminal mutually accessible via a network, a plurality of operator terminals, and a management server, wherein the management server directs each of the plurality of operator terminals to a plurality of consultation rooms. a web page distribution unit that distributes a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal; and indicates whether the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby. an information distribution unit for distributing an operator status and an operator attribute set for each consultation room to the customer terminal; an incoming call control unit for allocating one of the rooms, wherein the customer terminal starts the consultation based on the operator status of the consultation room in which the operator attribute corresponding to the customer attribute held by the customer terminal is set. Switching the display mode of buttons, transmitting a call request to the waiting consultation room to the incoming call control unit based on the operator status, and assigning the customer terminal and the operator terminal to the same consultation room and the operator attribute is a language for the operator, and the customer attribute is a preferred language set in the web browser of the customer terminal.
A remote consultation desk system of a seventh aspect comprises a customer terminal mutually accessible via a network, a plurality of operator terminals, and a management server, wherein the management server directs each of the plurality of operator terminals to a plurality of consultation rooms. a web page distribution unit that distributes a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal; and indicates whether the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby. an information distribution unit for distributing an operator status and a reception time for remote consultation to the customer terminal; an incoming call control unit for allocating a call request to the waiting consultation room based on the operator status; The customer terminal and the operator terminal are characterized by having a function of making a call connection between the terminals assigned to the same consultation room.
In the seventh aspect of the remote consultation desk system of the eighth aspect, the information distribution unit distributes the operator time zone set for each consultation room to the customer terminal, and the customer terminal is held by the customer terminal. The display mode of the consultation start button is switched based on the customer time zone, the operator time zone, and the reception time.
In any one of the first to eighth aspects, the remote consultation desk system of the ninth aspect is such that the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations, and the information distribution unit includes the consultation start buttons of the plurality of organizations. is distributed to the customer terminal, and the customer terminal displays the consultation start button on the consultation reception page in the order determined based on the evaluation value.
A tenth aspect of the remote consultation desk system is, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations, and the information delivery unit includes the consultation start buttons of the plurality of organizations. is delivered to the customer terminal , and the customer terminal displays the consultation fee for each organization on the consultation reception page.
The eleventh aspect of the remote consultation desk system is characterized in that, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the consultation reception page includes a camera off button for turning off the camera of the customer terminal and making a call connection.

( customer terminal program)
A customer terminal program according to a twelfth aspect is a program distributed from a management server together with a consultation reception page including a consultation start button and executed by the customer terminal in a system in which a call is connected between a customer terminal and an operator terminal. a process of acquiring from the management server an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby; When the button is set to the reception state, the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0, and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the consultation start button is set to the congested state, and the waiting consultation rooms are set. is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 0, a process for setting the consultation start button to an unacceptable state, and a call request to the waiting consultation room based on the operator status. to the management server; and a process of transmitting the information to the management server .
A customer terminal program according to a thirteenth aspect is, in the twelfth aspect, a process of acquiring, from the management server, the number of waiting persons, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room; When the number of rooms is 0 and the number of consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the customer terminal is caused to execute a process of displaying the waiting number of people on the consultation reception page. .
In the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, the customer terminal program of the fourteenth aspect provides, from the management server, the waiting number of people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and the past call connection time, a process of obtaining the obtained average call time, and when the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the average call time is obtained from the waiting number of people and the average call time; and a process of displaying the estimated waiting time on the consultation reception page.
A customer terminal program according to a fifteenth aspect, in any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, when the number of waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of talking consultation rooms is one or more, The customer terminal is caused to execute a process of displaying an interrupt button for requesting the management server to advance the waiting order on the consultation reception page.
A customer terminal program according to a sixteenth aspect is a program distributed from a management server together with a consultation acceptance page including a consultation start button and executed by the customer terminal in a system in which a call connection is established between a customer terminal and an operator terminal. a process of acquiring from the management server an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby; and a process of acquiring from the management server operator attributes set for each of the consultation rooms. switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator status of the consultation room in which the operator attribute corresponding to the customer attribute held by the customer terminal is set; and waiting based on the operator status. sending a call request to the consultation room to the management server, wherein the operator attribute is an operator position, and the customer attribute is the position of the customer terminal measured by a positioning system. It is characterized by
A customer terminal program according to a seventeenth aspect is a program distributed from a management server together with a consultation reception page including a consultation start button and executed by the customer terminal in a system in which a call is connected between a customer terminal and an operator terminal. a process of acquiring from the management server an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby; and a process of acquiring from the management server operator attributes set for each of the consultation rooms. switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator status of the consultation room in which the operator attribute corresponding to the customer attribute held by the customer terminal is set; and waiting based on the operator status. and a process of transmitting a call request to the consultation room to the management server, wherein the operator attribute is a language for the operator, and the customer attribute is set in the web browser of the customer terminal. It is characterized by being the preferred language.
A customer terminal program according to an eighteenth aspect is a program distributed from a management server together with a consultation reception page including a consultation start button and executed by the customer terminal in a system in which a call is connected between a customer terminal and an operator terminal. a process of acquiring from the management server an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby; a process of acquiring from the management server a reception time for remote consultation; and a process of transmitting a call request to the waiting consultation room to the management server based on the operator status. characterized by
A customer terminal program according to a nineteenth aspect, in the eighteenth aspect, is characterized in that, in the eighteenth aspect, a process of acquiring an operator time zone set for each consultation room from the management server; , and a process of switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the reception time.
A customer terminal program according to a twentieth aspect is, in any one of the twelfth to nineteenth aspects, wherein the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations, and the evaluation of each of the plurality of organizations is received from the management server. The client terminal is caused to execute a process of acquiring a value and a process of displaying the consultation start button on the consultation reception page in an order determined based on the evaluation value.
A customer terminal program according to a twenty-first aspect is the customer terminal program according to any one of the twelfth to nineteenth aspects, wherein the consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons for a plurality of organizations, and the management server sends the consultation start button for each of the plurality of organizations. The client terminal is caused to execute a process of obtaining a fee and a process of displaying the consultation fee for each organization on the consultation reception page.

According to the first or twelfth aspect, by placing the consultation start button in the accepting state, the customer can recognize that the remote consultation can be started immediately. By putting the consultation start button in a busy state, the customer can recognize that it will take a long time to wait until the remote consultation starts. By setting the consultation start button to the unacceptable state, it is possible to prevent the customer from waiting unnecessarily.
According to the second or thirteenth aspect, since the number of people waiting is displayed on the consultation reception page, the customer can predict the waiting time, and the stress of the customer who is waiting for a call can be reduced.
According to the third or fourteenth mode, since the expected waiting time is displayed on the consultation reception page, the customer can recognize the timing of starting the remote consultation, and the stress of the customer who is waiting for a call can be reduced.
According to the fourth or fifteenth aspect, the waiting order of the customer who pressed the interrupt button is moved forward, so remote consultation for that customer can be started early.
According to the fifth, sixth, sixteenth, or seventeenth aspect, an operator suitable for the customer's attribute provides consultation, so appropriate information can be provided to the customer.
According to the 7th or 18th aspect, the display mode of the consultation start button is switched during and after the reception hours, so it is possible to prevent the customer from waiting unnecessarily outside the reception hours.
According to the eighth or nineteenth aspect, even if operators are distributed over a plurality of time zones, and even if customers access from various locations on a global scale, it is possible to correctly determine whether the reception hours are inside or outside.
According to the ninth or twentieth aspect, in the portal site displaying a plurality of organizations, the consultation start buttons are displayed in order based on the evaluation values of the organizations, so that the customer can easily select an excellent organization.
According to the tenth or twenty-first aspect, the portal site displaying a plurality of organizations displays the consultation fee for each organization, so that the customer can select an organization based on the consultation fee.
According to the eleventh aspect, when the camera-off button is pressed, the remote consultation is started with the camera of the customer terminal turned off, so even the customer who does not want the operator to see him/herself can safely consult remotely. can receive

Claims (26)

Equipped with a customer terminal, multiple operator terminals, and a management server that are mutually accessible via a network,
The management server is
a consultation room management unit that assigns each of the plurality of operator terminals to one of a plurality of consultation rooms;
a web page distribution unit that distributes a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal;
an incoming call control unit that assigns the customer terminal to one of the plurality of consultation rooms when the consultation start button is pressed on the customer terminal;
A remote consultation service system, wherein the customer terminal and the operator terminal have a function of connecting a call between terminals assigned to the same consultation room. The management server includes an information distribution unit that distributes an operator status indicating whether the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby or not to the customer terminal,
2. The remote consultation service system according to claim 1, wherein said customer terminal transmits a call request to said waiting consultation room based on said operator status to said incoming call control unit. 3. The remote consultation service system according to claim 2, wherein said customer terminal switches the display mode of said consultation start button based on said operator status. The customer terminal
when the number of waiting consultation rooms is one or more, setting the consultation start button to an accepting state;
when the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the consultation start button is put in a congested state;
4. The remote consultation desk according to claim 3, wherein when the number of said consultation rooms on standby is 0 and the number of said consultation rooms on call is 0, said consultation start button is set to a non-acceptable state. system. The information distribution unit distributes to the customer terminal the number of people waiting, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room;
When the number of waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the customer terminal displays the waiting number of people on the consultation reception page. 5. The remote consultation service system according to claim 4. The information distribution unit distributes to the customer terminal the number of waiting people, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and the average call time obtained from the past call connection time,
When the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms during the call is 1 or more, the customer terminal predicts the expected waiting time obtained from the waiting number of people and the average call time. 5. The remote consultation service system according to claim 4, wherein the information is displayed on a consultation reception page. When the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the customer terminal presses an interrupt button for requesting the incoming call control unit to advance the waiting order. 5. The remote consultation service system according to claim 4, wherein the information is displayed on the consultation reception page. The information distribution unit distributes operator attributes set for each consultation room to the customer terminal,
3. The customer terminal switches the display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator status of the consultation room in which the operator attribute corresponding to the customer attribute held by the customer terminal is set. The described remote consultation desk system. The information distribution unit distributes remote consultation reception hours to the customer terminal,
3. The remote consultation service system according to claim 2, wherein the customer terminal switches the display mode of the consultation start button based on the reception time. The information distribution unit distributes an operator time zone set for each consultation room to the customer terminal,
10. The remote consultation service system according to claim 9, wherein the customer terminal switches the display mode of the consultation start button based on the customer time zone, the operator time zone, and the reception time held by the customer terminal. . The consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations,
The management server includes an information distribution unit that distributes the evaluation values of each of the plurality of organizations to the customer terminal,
2. The remote consultation service system according to claim 1, wherein said customer terminal displays said consultation start button on said consultation reception page in an order determined based on said evaluation value. The consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations,
The management server includes an information distribution unit that distributes consultation fees for each of the plurality of organizations to the customer terminal,
2. The remote consultation service system according to claim 1, wherein the customer terminal displays the consultation fee for each organization on the consultation reception page. 2. The remote consultation service system according to claim 1, wherein the consultation reception page includes a camera off button for turning off the camera of the customer terminal and connecting the call. A program for causing a computer accessible by a customer terminal and a plurality of operator terminals via a network to function as a management server,
consultation room management processing for assigning each of the plurality of operator terminals to one of a plurality of consultation rooms;
Web page distribution processing for distributing a consultation reception page including a consultation start button to the customer terminal;
A management server program for causing a computer to execute an incoming call control process for allocating the customer terminal to one of the plurality of consultation rooms when the consultation start button is pressed on the customer terminal. 15. The management server program according to claim 14, causing a computer to execute information distribution processing for distributing an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby to the customer terminal. In a system in which a call is connected between a customer terminal and an operator terminal, a program distributed from a management server together with a consultation reception page including a consultation start button and executed on the customer terminal,
a process of acquiring an operator status indicating whether or not the operator terminal assigned to the consultation room is on standby from the management server;
A customer terminal program for causing the customer terminal to execute a process of transmitting a call request to the waiting consultation room to the management server based on the operator status. 17. The customer terminal program according to claim 16, causing the customer terminal to execute a process of switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator status. when the number of waiting consultation rooms is one or more, setting the consultation start button to an accepting state;
when the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the consultation start button is put in a congested state;
When the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 0, the customer terminal is caused to execute a process of setting the consultation start button to an unacceptable state. The customer terminal program according to claim 17. a process of acquiring, from the management server, the number of waiting persons, which is the number of the customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room;
When the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, the customer terminal is caused to execute a process of displaying the waiting number of people on the consultation reception page. 19. The customer terminal program according to claim 18, characterized by: A process of acquiring from the management server the number of waiting people, which is the number of customer terminals waiting to be assigned to the consultation room, and the average call duration obtained from the past call connection duration;
When the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms during the call is 1 or more, the expected waiting time obtained from the waiting number of people and the average call time is displayed on the consultation reception page. 19. The customer terminal program according to claim 18, causing said customer terminal to execute a process of: When the number of the waiting consultation rooms is 0 and the number of the consultation rooms in use is 1 or more, an interrupt button for requesting the management server to advance the waiting order is displayed on the consultation reception page. 19. The customer terminal program according to claim 18, causing the customer terminal to execute a process for performing the processing. a process of acquiring operator attributes set for each consultation room from the management server;
a process of switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the operator status of the consultation room in which the operator attribute corresponding to the customer attribute held by the customer terminal is set by the customer terminal. 18. The customer terminal program according to claim 17. a process of acquiring a reception time for remote consultation from the management server;
17. The customer terminal program according to claim 16, causing said customer terminal to execute a process of switching a display mode of said consultation start button based on said reception time. a process of acquiring the operator time zone set for each consultation room from the management server;
24. The process of switching the display mode of the consultation start button based on the customer time zone, the operator time zone, and the reception time held by the customer terminal, and causing the customer terminal to execute a process of switching the display mode of the consultation start button, according to claim 23. customer terminal program. The consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations,
a process of obtaining an evaluation value for each of the plurality of organizations from the management server;
17. The customer terminal program according to claim 16, causing the customer terminal to execute a process of displaying the consultation start button on the consultation reception page in an order determined based on the evaluation value. The consultation reception page includes the consultation start buttons of a plurality of organizations,
a process of obtaining consultation fees for each of the plurality of organizations from the management server;
17. The customer terminal program according to claim 16, causing the customer terminal to execute a process of displaying the consultation fee for each organization on the consultation reception page.

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