Online customer service system

Abstract

To provide a technique that enables customers to be served online.SOLUTION: An online customer service system 10 includes: a customer terminal 200 used by a customer; a person-in-charge terminal 100 used by a person in charge of serving the customer; and the Internet 12 being communication means for communication between the customer terminal 200 and the person-in-charge terminal 100. The person-in-charge terminal 100 is arranged in a space different from a space where commodities are displayed and the customer can come and go. The customer terminal 200 is arranged in a space that is different from the space where the products are displayed and the customer can come and go, and that is different from a space where the person-in-charge terminal 100 is arranged. A reservation unit can accept reservations for customer service by the person in charge who belongs to a space different from the space where the customer can come and go, regardless of the customer's place of residence.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an online customer service system for serving customers online. [Background technology]

[0002] In various fields, such as furniture, home appliances, and building materials, exhibition halls (showrooms) have been set up to introduce products to customers. Customers can actually touch and feel various products at the exhibition hall and check their operation, which allows them to efficiently find the product they are looking for. In addition, the organizers can directly listen to the customer's requests and introduce products that meet their needs, which leads to efficient sales and can also utilize customer opinions in product development and sales strategies. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-65762 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the spread of COVID-19 has forced exhibition halls to close and shorten their business hours. In order to overcome this situation, the inventors felt that it was necessary to introduce a system that would enable staff to provide attentive customer service without meeting customers in person, rather than automatically distributing information like the virtual exhibition hall system described in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a technology that enables customers to be served online. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, an online customer service system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a customer terminal used by a customer, a staff member terminal used by a staff member serving the customer, a communication means for communicating between the customer terminal and the staff member terminal, and a reservation unit that accepts reservations from the customer for a date and time for the customer to be served by the staff member. The customer terminal includes a first input device that inputs customer speech, a first audio sending unit that sends the audio input by the first input device to the staff member terminal, a first image receiving unit that receives images sent from the staff member terminal, a first display device that displays the images received by the first image receiving unit, a first audio receiving unit that receives the audio sent from the staff member terminal, and a first audio output device that outputs the audio received by the first audio receiving unit. The staff member terminal includes an imaging device that captures images, a second image transmission unit that transmits images captured by the imaging device to the customer terminal, a second input device that inputs the speech of the staff member, a second audio transmission unit that transmits audio input by the second input device to the customer terminal, a second audio receiving unit that receives audio transmitted from the customer terminal, and a second audio output device that outputs audio received by the second audio receiving unit. The staff member terminal is located in a space different from the space where products are displayed and where customers can come and go, and the customer terminal is located in a space different from the space where products are displayed and where customers can come and go, and different from the space where the staff member terminal is located. The reservation unit can accept reservations for customer service by a staff member who belongs to a space different from the space where customers can come and go, regardless of the customer's place of residence.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an online customer service system. This online customer service system includes a customer terminal used by a customer, a staff member terminal used by a staff member serving the customer, a communication means for communicating between the customer terminal and the staff member terminal, and a reservation unit that accepts reservations from the customer for a date and time when the customer will be served by the staff member. The customer terminal includes a first input device that inputs customer speech, a first audio sending unit that sends the audio input by the first input device to the staff member terminal, a first image receiving unit that receives images sent from the staff member terminal, a first display device that displays the images received by the first image receiving unit, a first audio receiving unit that receives the audio sent from the staff member terminal, and a first audio output device that outputs the audio received by the first audio receiving unit. The staff member terminal includes a second imaging device that captures images, a second image transmission unit that transmits images captured by the second imaging device to the customer terminal, a second input device that inputs the speech of the staff member, a second audio transmission unit that transmits audio input by the second input device to the customer terminal, a second audio receiving unit that receives audio transmitted from the customer terminal, and a second audio output device that outputs audio received by the second audio receiving unit. The staff member terminal is located in a space different from the space where products are displayed and where customers can come and go, and the customer terminal is located in the space where products are displayed and where customers can come and go. The reservation unit can accept reservations for customer service by a staff member who belongs to a space different from the space where customers can come and go, regardless of the customer's place of residence.

[0008] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present disclosure into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an online customer service system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of an online customer service method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a person in charge terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a customer terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a customer terminal in the online customer service system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a customer terminal in the online customer service system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present disclosure discloses an online customer service system that enables online customer service. The online customer service system of this embodiment provides a function that allows a customer terminal used by a customer and a customer service representative terminal used by the customer service representative to communicate with each other while viewing each other's video. This allows the representative to listen to the customer's requests, introduce products that suit the customer, and read the customer's reactions from their facial expressions, just as they would if they were meeting the customer face-to-face at a showroom or other venue. Furthermore, the system can provide customers with customer service that is unique to online services, unlike face-to-face customer service at a showroom, by showing them video clips introducing products, allowing them to use online tools and systems to search for products that suit the customer, or having the customer take a picture of the location where the product will be used or placed and send it to the representative terminal. The representative can then confirm the actual location and suggest appropriate products. Thus, the online customer service system of this embodiment not only serves as a substitute for customer service at a showroom or other venue, but also provides a novel customer service environment that further improves customer convenience and increases the success rate.

[0011] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an online customer service system according to an embodiment. The online customer service system 10 includes a staff member terminal 100, a customer terminal 200, a communication server 20, an information providing server 30, a reservation server 40, and the Internet 12, which is an example of a communication network connecting these devices.

[0012] The communication server 20 provides a video chat function by mediating the sending and receiving of image data and audio data between the agent terminal 100 and the customer terminal 200. The communication server 20 may also have functions that are common in video chat services, such as turning image transmission on and off, turning audio transmission on and off, screen sharing, and file sharing.

[0013] The staff member terminal 100 takes an image of the staff member and transmits it to the customer terminal 200, and also inputs the staff member's voice and transmits it to the customer terminal 200. The staff member terminal 100 displays the image of the customer received from the customer terminal 200 on a display device and outputs the customer's voice received from the customer terminal 200 to a speaker. The staff member terminal 100 provides information, images, videos, etc. about products to the customer terminal 200 in accordance with instructions input by the staff member. The staff member terminal 100 may be installed in an exhibition hall where products are exhibited. In this case, the staff member can introduce the products on display in the exhibition hall to customers while carrying the staff member terminal 100 and moving around the exhibition hall. The staff member terminal 100 may be installed in an office or center other than the exhibition hall, or in the staff member's home, etc.

[0014] A single person may be in charge of customer service, or multiple people may be in charge of customer service. In the latter case, multiple people may participate in the online customer service system 10 from the same person-in-charge terminal 100, or each person may participate in the online customer service system 10 from a different person-in-charge terminal 100. This allows for more attentive customer service. Also, while the main person-in-charge is serving customers, another person can take minutes, check the screen, or answer customer questions on behalf of the main person-in-charge.

[0015] The customer terminal 200 captures an image of the customer and transmits it to the staff terminal 100, and also inputs the customer's voice and transmits it to the staff terminal 100. The customer terminal 200 displays the image of the staff member received from the staff terminal 100 on a display device and outputs the staff member's voice received from the staff terminal 100 to a speaker. The configuration for capturing an image of the customer and transmitting it to the staff terminal 100 may be omitted. The customer terminal 200 may be a personal computer installed in the customer's home, or a mobile terminal carried by the customer. According to the online customer service system 10 of the embodiment, a customer at home can be served by a staff member at an exhibition hall or office, or a customer visiting an exhibition hall can be served by a staff member at an office or home while looking at the exhibited products.

[0016] The information providing server 30 provides information about products. The information providing server 30 stores product specifications, features, prices, shape data, images, moving images, etc., and provides the information in response to a request from the staff terminal 100 or the customer terminal 200. The information providing server 30 provides tools or services for searching for desired products, tools or services for creating product estimates, etc.

[0017] The reservation server 40 accepts reservations from the customer terminal 200 via the online customer service system 10 for dates and times when the customer will be served by a staff member. The reservation server 40 may accept reservations for service by a staff member belonging to an exhibition hall close to the customer's residence. In this case, the same staff member can serve the customer whenever the customer visits the exhibition hall, improving customer convenience. The reservation server 40 may also accept reservations for service by a staff member belonging to any exhibition hall or customer service center, regardless of the customer's residence. In this case, available staff members can be used efficiently to serve customers. According to the online customer service system 10 of this embodiment, customers can be served regardless of the business hours of the exhibition hall, etc., so the reservation server 40 may accept reservations for time periods such as early morning or night.

[0018] When the reservation server 40 accepts a reservation, it transmits to the customer terminal 200 a hearing sheet on which the customer can enter personal information such as the customer's name, age, and gender, as well as their requests regarding products. The customer fills out the hearing sheet by the reservation date and time and returns it from the customer terminal 200 to the reservation server 40. The reservation server 40 transmits the hearing sheet and the reservation date and time acquired from the customer terminal 200 to the staff member terminal 100.

[0019] 2 is a sequence diagram showing the steps of the online customer service method according to the embodiment. The staff member terminal 100 presents the inquiry sheet acquired from the customer terminal 200 to the staff member (S10). The inquiry sheet may be acquired from the customer terminal 200 via the reservation server 40 or the like, or may be acquired directly from the customer terminal 200. The staff member selects products that meet the customer's needs, prepares information about the selected products, and stores it in the storage device of the staff member terminal 100 (S12). The staff member also creates screens to be presented to the customer terminal 200 before, at the start, during, and end of online customer service, and stores them in the storage device of the staff member terminal 100 (S14).

[0020] When the reservation date and time accepted by the reservation server 40 from the customer terminal 200 arrives, the staff member terminal 100 and the customer terminal 200 connect to the communication server 20 and establish communication (S20). The staff member presents the customer's personal information from the staff member terminal 100 to the customer terminal 200, confirms with the customer that there are no errors, and corrects any errors (S22). The staff member explains to the customer the flow of online customer service, an outline of the estimated end time, etc., and obtains the customer's consent (S24). The staff member presents the customer's interview sheet from the staff member terminal 100 to the customer terminal 200 and confirms the customer's requests (S26). This enables the staff member to accurately understand the customer's requests and devise a flow for product explanations.

[0021] The staff member provides information about products that meet the customer's needs from the staff member terminal 100 to the customer terminal 200 (S28). The staff member presents a video introducing the products from the staff member terminal 100 to the customer terminal 200 (S30).

[0022] When a customer is in a location where the product is to be used or placed, an image of the location can be captured by an imaging device (S32), and the captured image can be sent from the customer terminal 200 to the staff terminal 100 (S34). This allows the staff member to confirm the location where the product will actually be used or placed, and therefore can suggest a product that better suits the customer's needs. The customer may measure the location where the product will be used or placed and send it to the staff terminal 100. The dimensions may also be automatically calculated from the image of the location where the product will be used or placed. This allows the staff member to select and suggest products that can be used or placed in that location.

[0023] The person in charge narrows down the products that suit the customer using tools and services provided by the information providing server 30, and provides detailed information about the products to the customer terminal 200 (S36). The person in charge considers the type and specifications of the products that suit the customer together with the customer, and confirms the product details with the customer (S38). The person in charge creates a quote for the product that suits the customer using a quote creation tool provided by the information providing server 30, and provides this to the customer terminal 200 from the person in charge terminal 100 (S40). The person in charge provides the customer terminal 200 with tools that can be executed at home, etc., so that the customer can obtain further information about the products, as well as information about services and campaigns offered to the customer (S42).

[0024] 3 shows the configuration of a staff member terminal 100 according to an embodiment. The staff member terminal 100 includes a communication device 101, a display device 102, an input device 103, a camera 104, a microphone 105, a speaker 106, a storage device 107, and a processing device 110. The staff member terminal 100 may be a server device, a device such as a personal computer, or a portable terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0025] The communication device 101 controls communication with other devices. The communication device 101 may perform communication using any wired or wireless communication method. The display device 102 displays a screen generated by the processing device 110. The display device 102 may be a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, or the like. The input device 103 transmits instructions input by a person in charge to the processing device 110. The input device 103 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touchpad, or the like. The display device 102 and the input device 103 may be implemented as a touch panel.

[0026] The camera 104 captures an image. The camera 104 is installed so that the face of the clerk is captured. The microphone 105 inputs voice. The microphone 105 is installed so that the voice of the clerk is input. The speaker 106 outputs voice. The speaker 106 outputs the voice of the customer received from the customer terminal 200.

[0027] The storage device 107 stores programs, data, etc. used by the processing device 110. The storage device 107 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage device 107 stores data on interview sheets filled out by customers, product information prepared in advance by the person in charge, data on screens to be displayed on the customer terminal 200, etc.

[0028] The processing device 110 includes a request display unit 111, a dialogue control unit 112, a screen presentation unit 113, a product information presentation unit 114, a video presentation unit 115, a location information acquisition unit 116, a detailed information presentation unit 117, an estimate presentation unit 118, and a supplemental information presentation unit 119. These components are realized in hardware by the CPU, memory, other LSIs, etc. of any computer, and in software by programs loaded into memory, etc., but the functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these components are depicted here. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways, such as by hardware alone or a combination of hardware and software.

[0029] The request display unit 111 stores the hearing sheet acquired from the customer terminal 200 in the storage device 107. In response to an instruction input from the input device 103, the request display unit 111 reads the hearing sheet from the storage device 107 and displays it on the display device 102 (S10).

[0030] When the reservation date and time that the reservation server 40 has accepted from the customer terminal 200 arrives, the dialogue control unit 112 connects to the communication server 20 and establishes communication with the customer terminal 200 (S20). During online customer service, the dialogue control unit 112 transmits to the customer terminal 200 an image of the staff member captured by the camera 104 and the staff member's voice input by the microphone 105. The dialogue control unit 112 displays the image of the customer received from the customer terminal 200 on the display device 102, and outputs the customer's voice received from the customer terminal 200 to the speaker 106.

[0031] In response to an instruction input from the input device 103, the screen presentation unit 113 reads out screen data stored in the storage device 107 and displays it on the display device 102. If the screen sharing function is turned on, the dialogue control unit 112 transmits the screen data displayed on the display device 102 to the customer terminal 200. This causes the screen to be presented on the customer terminal 200. For example, the screen presentation unit 113 presents the customer's personal information to the customer terminal 200 and asks the customer to confirm whether there are any errors (S22), presents an overview of online customer service to the customer (S24), and presents the customer's interview sheet to the customer terminal 200 to confirm the customer's requests (S26).

[0032] The product information presentation unit 114 presents information about products that meet the customer's needs to the customer terminal 200 (S28). The video presentation unit 115 presents a video introducing the products to the customer terminal 200 (S30).

[0033] The placement location information acquisition unit 116 acquires information about the location where the customer is going to use or place the product from the customer terminal 200. When the customer is in the location where the customer is going to use or place the product, the placement location information acquisition unit 116 acquires a captured image of the location from the customer terminal 200 (S34). The placement location information acquisition unit 116 may also acquire the dimensions of the location where the product will be used or placed from the customer terminal 200.

[0034] The detailed information presenting unit 117 presents to the customer terminal 200 detailed information about the products narrowed down using tools and services provided by the information providing server 30 (S36). The estimate presenting unit 118 presents to the customer terminal 200 an estimate for a product that suits the customer (S40). The supplemental information presenting unit 119 presents to the customer terminal 200 tools that the customer can run at home or elsewhere to obtain more information about the products, as well as information about services and campaigns offered to the customer (S42).

[0035] 4 shows the configuration of a customer terminal 200 according to an embodiment. The customer terminal 200 includes a communication device 201, a display device 202, an input device 203, a camera 204, a microphone 205, a speaker 206, a storage device 207, and a processing device 210. The customer terminal 200 may be a device such as a personal computer, or may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0036] The communication device 201 controls communication with other devices. The communication device 201 may perform communication using any wired or wireless communication method. The display device 202 displays a screen generated by the processing device 210. The display device 202 may be a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, or the like. The input device 203 transmits instructions input by a person in charge to the processing device 210. The input device 203 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touchpad, or the like. The display device 202 and the input device 203 may be implemented as a touch panel.

[0037] The camera 204 captures an image. The camera 204 is installed so that the face of the customer is captured. The microphone 205 inputs voice. The microphone 205 is installed so that the voice of the customer is input. The speaker 206 outputs voice. The speaker 206 outputs the voice of the agent received from the agent terminal 100.

[0038] The storage device 207 stores programs, data, etc. used by the processing device 210. The storage device 207 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage device 207 stores data such as interview sheets filled out by customers.

[0039] The processing device 210 includes a request transmission unit 211, a dialogue control unit 212, a captured image transmission unit 213, and a dimension calculation unit 214. These components can also be realized in various forms, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0040] The request sending unit 211 receives information to be filled in the hearing sheet obtained from the reservation server 40 from the input device 203 and stores it in the storage device 207. In response to an instruction input from the input device 203, the request sending unit 211 reads the completed hearing sheet from the storage device 207 and sends it to the staff terminal 100 (S10).

[0041] When the reservation date and time accepted by the reservation server 40 from the customer terminal 200 arrives, the dialogue control unit 212 connects to the communication server 20 and establishes communication with the staff terminal 100 (S20). During online customer service, the dialogue control unit 212 transmits to the staff terminal 100 an image of the customer captured by the camera 204 and the customer's voice input via the microphone 205. The dialogue control unit 212 displays the image of the staff member received from the staff terminal 100 on the display device 202, and outputs the staff member's voice received from the staff terminal 100 to the speaker 206. The dialogue control unit 212 functions as a product information display unit that displays information about the product transmitted from the staff terminal 100 on the display device 202.

[0042] The captured image transmission unit 213 transmits an image of the location where the customer is going to use or place the product, captured by the camera 204, to the staff member terminal 100 (S32, S34). The dimension calculation unit 214 calculates the dimensions of the location where the product will be used or placed and transmits them to the staff member terminal 100.

[0043] 5 shows an example of a screen displayed on the customer terminal 200 in the online customer service system 10 according to the embodiment. This figure shows a standby screen displayed on the customer terminal 200 before the reservation date and time arrives. The staff terminal 100 displays a standby screen created by the staff member on the customer terminal 200.

[0044] FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen displayed on the customer terminal 200 in the online customer service system 10 according to the embodiment. This figure shows an interactive screen displayed on the customer terminal 200 after the reservation date and time arrives. The staff member terminal 100 transmits an image of the staff member captured by the camera 104 to the customer terminal 200. The staff member terminal 100 uses a screen sharing function to display information about the product, video images, detailed information, estimates, supplementary information, and the like to the customer terminal 200.

[0045] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the embodiments merely illustrate the principles and applications of the present invention. Furthermore, many modifications and changes in arrangement are possible to the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10 Online customer service system, 12 Internet, 20 Communication server, 30 Information providing server, 40 Reservation server, 100 Staff terminal, 101 Communication device, 102 Display device, 103 Input device, 104 Camera, 105 Microphone, 106 Speaker, 107 Storage device, 110 Processing device, 111 Request display unit, 112 Dialogue control unit, 113 Screen presentation unit, 114 Product information presentation unit, 115 Video presentation unit, 116 Placement location information acquisition unit, 117 Detailed information presentation unit, 118 Presentation unit, 119 Supplementary information presentation unit, 200 Customer terminal, 201 Communication device, 202 Display device, 203 Input device, 204 Camera, 205 Microphone, 206 Speaker, 207 Storage device, 210 Processing device, 211 Request transmission unit, 212 Dialogue control unit, 213 Captured image transmission unit, 214 Dimension calculation section.

Claims

1. A customer terminal used by the customer; a staff terminal used by a staff member who serves the customer; a communication means for communicating between the customer terminal and the staff terminal; a reservation unit that accepts reservations from the customer for a date and time when the customer will be attended to by the staff member; Equipped with The customer terminal a first input device for inputting the customer's utterance; a first voice transmission unit that transmits the voice input by the first input device to the person in charge terminal; a first image receiving unit that receives an image transmitted from the person in charge terminal; a first display device that displays the image received by the first image receiving unit; a first voice receiving unit that receives voice transmitted from the person in charge terminal; a first audio output device that outputs the audio received by the first audio receiving unit; Equipped with The person in charge terminal is an imaging device that captures an image; a second image transmission unit that transmits an image captured by the imaging device to the customer terminal; a second input device for inputting the speech of the person in charge; a second voice transmission unit that transmits the voice input by the second input device to the customer terminal; a second voice receiving unit that receives voice transmitted from the customer terminal; a second audio output device that outputs the audio received by the second audio receiving unit; Equipped with the staff terminal is placed in a space different from a space where the products are displayed and where the customers can come and go; the customer terminal is disposed in a space different from a space where the merchandise is displayed and where the customer can come and go, and a space different from a space where the staff terminal is disposed; The reservation unit can accept reservations for service by a staff member who belongs to a space different from the space that the customer can access, regardless of the customer's place of residence. Online customer service system.

2. A customer terminal used by the customer; a staff terminal used by a staff member who serves the customer; a communication means for communicating between the customer terminal and the staff terminal; a reservation unit that accepts reservations from the customer for a date and time when the customer will be attended to by the staff member; Equipped with The customer terminal a first input device for inputting the customer's utterance; a first voice transmission unit that transmits the voice input by the first input device to the person in charge terminal; a first image receiving unit that receives an image transmitted from the person in charge terminal; a first display device that displays the image received by the first image receiving unit; a first voice receiving unit that receives voice transmitted from the person in charge terminal; a first audio output device that outputs the audio received by the first audio receiving unit; Equipped with The person in charge terminal is a second imaging device that captures an image; a second image transmission unit that transmits an image captured by the second imaging device to the customer terminal; a second input device for inputting the speech of the person in charge; a second voice transmission unit that transmits the voice input by the second input device to the customer terminal; a second voice receiving unit that receives voice transmitted from the customer terminal; a second audio output device that outputs the audio received by the second audio receiving unit; Equipped with The staff terminal is disposed in a space different from a space where the products are displayed and where the customers can come and go, the customer terminal is disposed in a space where the products are displayed and where the customer can come and go; The reservation unit can accept reservations for service by a staff member who is located in a space different from the space that the customer can access, regardless of the customer's place of residence. Online customer service system.

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