Business support system

Abstract

To provide a business support system which can share useful information to which influence due to a business structure and human and environmental elements is added, and achieve uniform sales ability at an expert level for sales representatives in an organization.SOLUTION: A business support system comprises: a database which stores information indicating an actual business condition of a registered case as shared information; information output means which outputs the shared information pulled out from the database to a terminal device of a registered member; and supplementing means which stores supplementary information about business activity of the registered case in the database from the terminal device of the registered member as the shared information. The information indicating the actual business condition includes customer information including personal information on a transaction entity of the registered case, associated with each other, sales representative information including attribution information on the sales representative, case basic information indicating contents of the registered case and case progress information including progress of the business activity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device that effectively supports various sales activities, and in particular to a device that supports each sales representative belonging to an organization in taking the most effective sales activities in actual sales situations by sharing customer information, sales information, sales know-how, sales strategies, etc. within the organization. [Background technology]

[0002] Today, sales activities are conducted in a wide variety of fields. Each salesperson improves their skills by coming into contact with many customers and gaining a wide range of experience. By feeding back their experience to the sales activities of other salespeople and the sales strategy of the organization, the company as a whole strives to increase the success rate of sales negotiations. In order to provide feedback on the experience of sales representatives to other sales representatives, it is effective for them to learn directly from highly skilled or highly performing sales representatives (hereinafter referred to as "experts"). However, due to limited human resources, it is difficult to create an environment in which all sales representatives who are the target of training can be accompanied by an expert.

[0003] Therefore, in the past, a method was adopted in which a manual for systematized sales activities was created based on the experience of skilled workers and the know-how extracted from that experience, and sales activities based on the manual were used to make use of the experience and know-how of skilled workers. In addition, to ease the difficulty of creating such manuals, a device has been provided that can accumulate the latest sales know-how through daily sales activities and their results, and can present the most effective sales activity ideas as general principles depending on the situation in actual sales situations (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-124584 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, as in the invention described in Patent Document 1, sales know-how and sales activity plans provided based on information accumulated in a database, no matter how up-to-date the information they are based on, are ultimately merely generalities, and there is a problem in that they do not take into account the characteristics and philosophy of the user company (hereinafter referred to as "corporate culture"), the personality of the customer, the environment in which the customer is placed, the ability of each sales representative, or the influence of weather and social conditions (hereinafter referred to as "human and environmental factors"). In particular, because housing is more original and expensive than other products, there are many obstacles to closing a deal, and sales activities require customers to make a great deal of choices. In order to conduct smooth sales activities under such circumstances, sales representatives are required to not only accumulate a great deal of knowledge and information, but also to have a high level of experience, but in reality, it cannot be denied that there are individual differences in the knowledge, information, and experience possessed by individual sales representatives. Given this reality, it is obvious that standardization of the quality of sales activities is necessary not only from the initial contact to the conclusion of the contract, but also at the design, construction and maintenance stages. To achieve this, it is desirable to share useful information that takes into account human and environmental factors.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a sales support system that can share useful information that takes into account the influence of corporate culture and human and environmental factors, and can standardize the sales abilities of sales representatives in an organization at an expert level. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first sales support system according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprises a database that stores information indicating the actual sales situation of registered cases as shared information, an information output means that outputs the shared information extracted from the database to the terminal device of a registered member, and a replenishment means that stores supplementary information regarding the sales activities of the registered cases as shared information from the terminal device of the registered member in the database, wherein the information indicating the actual sales situation includes customer information including personal information of the trading entity (customer) of the registered case, sales representative information including attribution information of the sales representative, which are all linked to each other, case basic information indicating the content of the registered case, and case progress information including the progress of sales activities. Here, personal information refers to information about an individual, including information that can identify a specific individual and other information unique to that individual, and attribution information refers to information about the home, community, organization, etc. to which the individual belongs.

[0008] The second sales support system according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprises a database that stores information indicating the sales status of registered cases as shared information and also stores event standard information including recommended event dates, an information output means that outputs the shared information extracted from the database to the terminal device of a registered member, and a first recommendation means that creates a schedule of future events for the registered case (first recommended information) based on the event standard information and stores the schedule as shared information in the database, and is characterized in that the information indicating the sales status includes customer information including personal information of the trading entity (customer) of the registered case, sales representative information including attribution information of the sales representative, which are all linked to each other.

[0009] The third sales support system according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprises a database that stores information indicating the sales status of registered cases as shared information and also stores event standard information including recommended event dates, an information output means that outputs the shared information extracted from the database to the terminal device of a registered member, a replenishment means that stores supplementary information regarding the sales activities of the registered cases as shared information from the terminal device of the registered member in the database, and a first recommendation means that creates a schedule of future events for the registered cases based on the event standard information and stores the schedule as shared information in the database, and the information indicating the sales status includes customer information including personal information of the trading entity (customer) of the registered case, sales representative information including attribution information of the sales representative, case basic information that indicates the content of the registered case, and case progress information including the progress of sales activities, all of which are linked to each other.

[0010] In addition to the configuration of any one of the first to third sales support systems described above, the system may be configured to include a preference information collection means for collecting and aggregating customer online behavior information (regardless of whether it is related to the user's services) and storing the obtained customer preference information as shared information in a database. In addition to the above configuration, the database can be configured to store design standard information including vendor information and product information, and to include a second recommendation means for creating second recommendation information for registered items from the design standard information in addition to the orientation information and storing it as shared information in the database.

[0011] In addition to the configuration of either the second or third sales support system described above, the case progress information can be configured to include a performance management means for setting progress stages of sales activities based on event criteria information, compiling the achievement of the progress stages to create performance information for each sales representative, and storing the information as shared information in a database.

[0012] In addition to the configuration of any one of the first to third sales support systems described above, the system can be configured to include a customer trend collection means for collecting and aggregating online and offline behavioral information of customers in response to the user's sales activities, and storing the obtained customer trend information of the customers as shared information in a database, and a customer trend evaluation means for assigning a score based on the degree of contribution to the user to each online behavior and each offline behavior performed by the customer in the customer trend information, aggregating the scores, creating score information for each customer, and storing the score information as shared information in the database.

[0013] In addition to the configuration of any of the first to third sales support systems described above, the system may be configured to include a dialogue means including: a text comprehension means for reading obstructive factors and problems in sales activities from the shared information in the database and generating output requirements from the obstructive factors and problems in sales activities; an information aggregation means for aggregating related information based on the degree of relevance to the output requirements; and a text generation means for generating a response sentence based on the output requirements and related information; or a dialogue means including: a text comprehension means for reading queries input from member terminal devices and generating output requirements; an information aggregation means for aggregating related information based on the degree of relevance to the output requirements; and a text generation means for generating a response sentence based on the output requirements and related information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The sales support system of the present invention can accumulate new and old sales know-how regarding the sale or maintenance of a house through the personalities of the parties involved in the registered case, the daily sales activities and results of the sales representatives, and the corporate culture of the user recognized from their responses to these activities.The sales know-how can then be utilized as the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of predecessors in actual sales situations from the initial inquiry to the conclusion of the contract, and even to the time of maintenance or rebuilding (see Figure 3), making it possible to select specific and effective sales activities that are most suitable for the given situation. In particular, by providing a supplementary means for storing supplementary information regarding the sales activities of registered cases as shared information in a database from the terminal devices of registered members, the knowledge, experience and wisdom of registered members, such as sales supervisors, who are widely permitted to view the shared information, can be reflected in the shared information of registered cases.

[0015] For example, by storing event criteria information including recommended event dates in the database and adding a recommendation means for storing future event dates (first recommended information) for registered cases as shared information in the database in addition to the event criteria information, it is possible to avoid omissions when setting the dates for future general events in actual business situations, from the initial inquiry to contract signing and even maintenance or reconstruction.

[0016] For example, by adding a means for collecting and aggregating customer online behavior information and storing the customer's preferred vendors or preferred products (preferential information) as shared information in a database, it is possible to analyze the behavior of customers when they browse web content, and to grasp in advance the customer's preferences, trends, and their trends, thereby facilitating business negotiations and sales activities before and after the conclusion of a contract, as well as aftercare after the transaction related to the contract is completed. For example, by storing design standard information including vendor information and product information in the database and adding a recommendation means for storing recommended vendors or recommended products (second recommended information) for registered items in addition to the design standard information as shared information in the database, it becomes easier to select vendors and products that meet customer preferences.

[0017] Furthermore, by providing a dialogue means, even if member knowledge or customer information stored in the database is overlooked, the overlooked information can be appropriately and effectively utilized as supplementary information.

[0018] Furthermore, by providing a performance management means for creating performance information for each sales representative by aggregating the progress of stages according to the chronological order of the event criteria information and storing this information as shared information in the database, it is possible to grasp the sales aptitude of each sales representative in detail. Furthermore, by adopting a configuration that includes a customer trend collection means and a customer trend evaluation means, it becomes easier to grasp the likelihood of a customer concluding a contract.

[0019] In this way, the sales support system of the present invention, depending on its configuration, shares useful information that takes into account the influence of corporate culture and human and environmental factors, and contributes to achieving uniform sales ability at the expert level among sales representatives in an organization. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a sales support system according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a sales support system according to the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a business scope covered by the functions of a sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a partial block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a sales support system according to the present invention; [Figure 5] 10 is an image showing an example of a form for displaying customer information and case information of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is an image showing an example of a form for displaying case progress information of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is an image showing an example of a form (an input form for replenishment information, etc.) for displaying case progress information of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is an image showing an example of a form for displaying case progress information of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is an image showing an example of a form for displaying case progress information of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is an image showing an example of a performance information output form (customer list by sales representative) of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 11]10 is an image showing an example of a search form of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 12] 10 is an image showing an example of a form for displaying customer trend information in the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is an image showing an example of a registration form for the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 14] 10 is an image showing an example of a performance information output form of the sales support system according to the present invention. [Figure 15] 10 is an image showing an example of a menu displayed by an input support means of the sales support system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, a mode for implementing a sales support system (hereinafter referred to as "system") according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example sales activities relating to the sale, construction or maintenance of housing. This system supports the sales activities of users who have introduced the system, from the initial inquiry to the conclusion of a contract, and even during maintenance or rebuilding (see Figure 3), in collaboration with members who are authorized to access the system. The system shown in Fig. 1 is configured with a server computer (hereinafter referred to as "server 1"), but if necessary, it can be configured with multiple servers 1. The functions of server 1 can also be provided as a cloud service.

[0022] The server 1 is configured by connecting hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 3, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 4, an information storage unit 5, a clock unit 6, a communication unit 7, a reading unit 8, and an input unit 11 (see Figure 2). The CPU 2 controls each part of the hardware in accordance with a sales support program stored in the ROM 3 . The RAM 4 is, for example, an SRAM (Static RAM), a DRAM (Dynamic RAM) or a flash memory, and information generated when the CPU 2 executes the sales support program is read and written therein. The information storage unit 5 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), etc. Similar to the ROM 3 and RAM 4, various data is read from and written to the information storage unit 5, and the sales support program can also be recorded in the information storage unit 5.

[0023] The clock unit 6 is a module for providing the time or hour in response to a request from the CPU 2. The clock unit 6 is used for a schedule management function for each event in sales activities, a reminder calendar or clock for notifying the timing of each event (case progress information), etc. The communication unit 7 communicates information with the terminal devices of registered members (hereinafter referred to as "member terminals 10") and other servers 1 via an information network 9. The reading unit 8 reads information recorded on removable media including CD (Compact Disc)-ROMs, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROMs, and USB memory. The read information is installed as a sales support program or stored in the database of the information storage unit 5 as shared information. The input unit 11 is a device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a tablet that assists members in manually inputting information.

[0024] By installing a sales support program on the hardware, a system is constructed that includes a database that stores shared information such as actual information, management information, supplementary information, and standard information that indicates the sales status of registered cases (sales cases related to products or services that are the subject of negotiation and that have been registered in the system), a registration means that registers the shared information, etc. in the database, and an information output means that outputs the shared information extracted from the database to member terminal 10 (see Figure 1).

[0025] In this example, the system is further configured to include a performance management means for aggregating the performance of sales representatives, a customer management means for managing customer orientation information and customer trend information (see Figure 12), a first recommendation means for storing first recommendation information including schedules (recommended periods, etc.) of future events for registered cases (see Figure 8) in the database as shared information, a second recommendation means for storing second recommendation information including recommended vendors or recommended products suitable for the registered cases in the database as shared information, a replenishment means for storing replenishment information provided by other members, etc. in the database as shared information, and an indexing means (see Figure 9) or a search means (see Figure 11) for extracting desired shared information from the database (see Figure 1).

[0026] The information storage unit 5 constitutes a database into which actual information (business actual situation) such as customer information, sales representative information, project basic information or project progress information, management information such as performance information or member information, recommendation information such as first recommendation information or second recommendation information, supplementary information such as advice information, document information, proposal information or planning information, standard information such as event standard information or design standard information, customer trend information or orientation information, etc. are read and written. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which information read from and written to the information storage unit 5 is read from and written to another server 1, cloud storage, or the like.

[0027] The database links actual information (customer information, sales representative information, basic project information, and project progress information) of registered housing sales or maintenance projects to form primary shared information, the supplementary information, first recommendation information, second recommendation information, etc. linked to the primary shared information to form secondary shared information, and management information (performance information, member information, etc.) and standard information (event standard information, design standard information, etc.) to form tertiary shared information, all of which are systematized and stored so that they can be viewed by members with the appropriate access rights (see Figure 1).

[0028] The customer information is registered information provided by potential customers (those who have no record of successful business negotiations) and customers (those who have a record of successful business negotiations), and is information (personal information) for identifying potential customers and customers, such as attribution information. This customer information is entered from the member terminal 10 and is digitized, linked to the customer ID, and recorded in the database (see Figure 5).

[0029] Salesperson information is information about the salesperson in charge of the project or business negotiation registered in the system, and is information for identifying the salesperson, such as attribution information including the name, department name, job title, and contact information (email address, etc.). Salesperson information is entered from the server 1 or member terminal 10 and digitized, and is recorded in a database in association with shared information on projects that the salesperson has handled in the past (see Figure 10).

[0030] The project basic information is basic information about the registered project, which is the product or service that is the subject of business negotiations, and is information for identifying the registered project. The project basic information is information entered from the server 1 or member terminal 10, which is digitized and recorded in the database. The project basic information includes information such as customer information, building conditions, land conditions, and loan plans, as well as information linked to each other, such as the project ID, registered project owner, site address, site information, construction details, and construction scale (see Figure 5).

[0031] Project progress information is information related to sales activities by sales representatives regarding registered projects, such as the history of business negotiations before and after the conclusion of a contract, the history of services such as sales activities and construction, and communications after the completion of the contract transaction, or information showing such information in chronological order, and includes, for example, the history and content of requests for questionnaires, provision of materials, invitations to events, model home tours, introductions to real estate portal sites (such as SUUMO and HOME'S), appointments, interviews, preliminary financial screening, presentations, land tours, building applications, land purchases, contracts, the start of construction, site tours, or completion of construction (see Figures 6 to 8).

[0032] Project progress information, which should generally be kept as minutes of meetings with customers or potential customers, is divided into categories such as "company concept" (for example, the user's management policy, such as "low cost orientation" or "high quality orientation"), which is also part of the company's character, "building (plan)," "budget," "land," "motivation," "timing," "competitor," or "consultant" (see Figure 7). These categories generally list items that could be "obstacles" for customers when building a house. Activities to eliminate these obstacles are the sales activities that lead to the conclusion of a contract. This project progress information has progress stages called steps that follow the timeline of the event criteria information (see Figure 8). In this example, the project progress information has set as steps schedule items that are considered to be particularly important in sales activities, such as "first interview by sitting down," "appointment for second interview," "preliminary review of funds A and B," and "contract on order basis." The progress stages, called steps, can be changed, added, or deleted as appropriate based on the progress stages described above, for example, in accordance with the accumulation of shared information (such as requests to modify or abolish an event in response to social changes).

[0033] Member information is information for identifying the entity using the system, and includes a password and attribution information. Member information is digitized from information entered from the system administrator (server 1) or a member terminal 10 that has been granted access by the system administrator, and is linked to the member ID of the member, and further linked to customer information or sales representative information, and recorded in a database. By registering their own member information in the database, members can obtain access rights to shared information that are set according to their status (level) in the system.

[0034] The event criteria information is information related to events that occur in sales activities or the timing of each event, recommended dates for holding fixed events or intervals between events, other recommended events, etc., based on sales know-how cultivated through the sales activities of predecessors. The event criteria information becomes part of the shared information as first recommended information by the first recommendation means, and is reflected in the time series form (see Figure 8). The design criteria information includes product information and vendor information that users recommend as being preferable, such as product and service catalog information, vendor locations and business details, and the quality and scale of those services.

[0035] The performance information includes information derived from the aggregation function of the performance management means, such as the achievement of progress stages (step-ups) included in the project progress information, or the profits generated by contracted projects, in order to manage and evaluate the sales performance of each member or sales representative, or the sales performance of each progress (see Figure 10). Furthermore, the performance information includes information derived from the aggregation function of the performance management means, such as a self-evaluation by the salesperson, which indicates whether or not they convinced the customer and reached a consensus on each category during sales negotiations when they approached the customer, using marks such as ×△〇. The categories are selected based on the idea that the likelihood of concluding a contract increases when the salesperson and the customer reach a consensus on the above-mentioned obstacles (see Figure 7).

[0036] [Registration process] The registration means has a function to register in the database the information to be shared, such as the actual information (customer information, sales representative information, basic project information and project progress information), management information (member information (including sales representative information), etc.), recommendation information, replenishment information and standard information, into the system (database). When registering, for example, a customer's customer information, project basic information, project progress information, member information (including sales representative information for sales representatives), event standard information, or design standard information into the system, the registration means sends a customer registration form (see Figures 5 and 13), a project registration form (see Figure 5), a progress registration form (see Figures 7 to 8), a member registration form (not shown), an event standard registration form, or a design standard registration form (not shown) to the server 1 or member terminal 10 where registration is desired, and assists in registering the registration content in the database together with the registrant's ID and update date and time.

[0037] The registration means is that the registration officer (a person authorized to provide registration information) accesses the sales support system of server 1 from the terminal device (member terminal 10) used by the registration officer or server 1 via information network 9, enters the specified information to be registered in the transmitted form, and performs a save operation, which records the information in the database as shared information. For example, Fig. 8 is a progress registration form that can be used to register, by a registration means, the planned and actual dates of sales activities for a registered case up to the conclusion of a contract as case progress information, and is also a list form that allows the registered contents to be viewed. Also, for example, Fig. 7 is a progress registration form that can be used to register, by a registration means, the contents of business negotiations and impressions at the time regarding sales activities for a registered case up to the conclusion of a contract, and is also a list form that allows the registered contents to be viewed.

[0038] The registration means, for example, sends a progress registration form to the sales representative's member terminal 10, and includes an input means for accepting the schedule and content of business negotiations with the customer, as well as a subjective evaluation (self-evaluation) using symbols such as ×△〇 (see the score column in the same figure), and records the information entered in the entry column provided for each registration content in the database as project progress information. By looking at this list form (progress registration form), you can see at a glance how far sales activities with the selected customer have progressed and what the atmosphere is like.By looking at the details of the sales negotiations shown there and the progress of specific communication between the sales representative and the customer, members who are allowed to access the shared information can get a detailed understanding of the details of the sales negotiations, which are divided into categories such as company concept.

[0039] [Results Management Processing] The performance management means compiles the primary shared information and secondary shared information stored in the database by themes (e.g., sales representative, customer, progress stage (step), points, score, or number of successful transactions, etc.) preset in the system, or by themes (e.g., time, period, business category (new construction, maintenance), etc.) given by members (those wishing to view the information) to create performance information, and stores the created performance information in the database as shared information.

[0040] <Customer prospect management> The symbols (self-assessment) are updated for each category, such as the company concept, according to the progress of sales activities, from × to △ and then from △ to O, so that the prospects for progress up to the conclusion of a contract between the sales representative and the customer can be visually confirmed at a glance. However, since each symbol has an evaluation value (score), × (0 points), △ (1 point), O (2 points) respectively (see the score column in Figure 7), the information output means outputs the numerical value in the score column of the progress registration form, so that the customer's likelihood of concluding a contract can be numerically recognized. The performance management means tally up the evaluation values ​​in accordance with the progress of the negotiation, and the information output means outputs the results as numerical values ​​to the performance information output form (see the lower part of FIG. 10).

[0041] <Sales progress management> The performance management means, for example, compiles the progress of each of the four stages of "first interview by sitting down (number of visitors)," "appointment for second interview," "preliminary AB financial review," and "contract on order basis," and creates performance information that quantifies the sales performance of sales representatives and stores it as shared information in a database. According to the performance information, for example, the inside sales of the person in charge can be evaluated from the number of visitors, and the sales ability of the person in charge can be evaluated from the number of contracts (see the upper part of FIG. 10).

[0042] In addition, in the compilation, the performance management means calculates the step transition rate (see Figure 14) for each sales representative by dividing the number of customers (registered cases) that have progressed to each progress stage by the number of customers (registered cases) that each sales representative is responsible for, and uses this as performance information that serves as the basis for evaluating the performance of each sales representative. The step transition rate visualizes the sales ability of each sales representative and contributes to evaluating at which stage of sales activities the sales representative is lagging, or at which stage of sales activities the sales representative tends to lagging. In other words, by looking at the step transition rate, it is possible to understand the progress stages in which the sales representative is strong and weak. When members look at the step transition rate, they can provide supplementary information based on the sales representative's weak areas.

[0043] The performance management means compiles performance information, for example, into a customer list by sales representative (see the bottom of Figure 10), and outputs it to the server 1 or the member terminal 10. The customer list by sales representative allows the progress of sales activities for the customers that the sales representative is in charge of to be confirmed at each stage, so that the progress until the customer is able to conclude a contract can be confirmed (see Figure 6). The setting of a theme in the tallying process of the performance management means is performed by inputting the categories that make up the theme into a setting form (not shown) sent from the server 1. In the tallying process of the performance management means, it is possible to set a combination of categories or to set additional categories for the purpose of gradually narrowing down the results.

[0044] [Additional information registration process] The replenishment means stores in a database as shared information, for example, supplementary information that contributes to enriching customer information, basic project information, project progress information, recommendation information, orientation information, and customer trend information entered from the member terminal 10 of a registered member or another server 1 during various processes, from the initial inquiry to the conclusion of a contract, and even at the time of maintenance or rebuilding (see Figure 3), by linking it to the member ID of the member who is providing the replenishment. Supplementary information is information provided by other members (supplements) other than the sales representative, such as superiors or colleagues, and is useful information related to the registered case, such as customer information for registered cases of the same customer handled by other members, basic case information, or case progress information (see the right side of the details column (senior column) in Figure 7), recommended products, recommended services, recommended vendors, recommended systems or recommended events, progress details, or details of customer needs (information that contributes to standardizing the sales force for each sales representative). Here, "progress details" refers to information regarding whether or not emails, phone calls, and direct mailings are permitted, as well as the progress of the project, and "customer needs details" refers to information regarding the customer's preferences regarding the home.

[0045] The members record supplementary information, such as suggestions or plans relating to products or services, based on their own experiences or knowledge, in the database as shared information by the supplementary means. The supplementary information can be registered by the supplementary means by appropriately setting the destination of the supplementary information using the indexing means or search means, etc., by combining the members to be supplemented, registered cases to be supplemented, customers to be supplemented, progress stages to be supplemented, events to be supplemented, or categories to be supplemented.

[0046] When registering supplemental information, a member accesses the server 1 using the member terminal 10 and selects the destination of the supplemental information or a category of supplemental information such as advice information, document information, proposal information, or project information using the function selection switch on the form sent from the server 1. When the member selects the information supplement function using the function selection switch on the form for the selected category, the server 1, which has accepted the selection, uses the supplementing means to send to the member terminal 10 a supplemental information form (see FIG. 7) linked to the selected category.

[0047] The document information is information that has been provided by other members and made available for viewing. The advice information or suggestion information is advice or suggestions given by other members that have been made into viewable information. The project information is information that can be viewed about projects proposed by other members. The advice information, material information, proposal information, and project information are made part of the shared information as supplementary information by the supplementary information destination unit.

[0048] The member inputs the content of the supplemental information or attached files such as documents or materials into the supplemental form. The supplemental information input into the supplemental form is sent from the member terminal 10 to the server 1. The server 1 links the supplementary information entered into the supplementary form sent by the supplementary means or the attached files related to the supplementary information with the destination of the supplementary information (member ID, project ID, customer ID, etc.) and the registrant's ID, etc., and records it as shared information in the database.

[0049] The supplementary information includes recommendation information such as recommended events extracted by the first recommendation means, recommendation information such as recommended products, recommended services, recommended businesses and recommendation systems obtained by the second recommendation means, and orientation information such as customer needs obtained by the orientation information collection means or the orientation information evaluation means. In addition, when the replenishment means stores the replenishment information in the database, the replenishment information is recorded in the database in a form that updates the customer information, basic case information, case progress information, first recommendation information, second recommendation information, orientation information, or customer trend information that constitutes the shared information in the database.

[0050] The supplemental information stored in the database becomes public information for members who are permitted to register supplemental information, and is available for viewing by members who are permitted to view it. In this case, the supplementary information to be viewed can be viewed by selecting the output selection switch for the desired information in the list form of customer information or basic case information sent to the member terminal 10, or in the chronological form of case progress information, depending on the content of the supplementary information, using the information output means (see Figure 7).

[0051] [Information output processing] The information output means includes an indexing means or search means for selecting desired information from the information contained in the shared information, and an information providing means for aggregating the selected information and transmitting it to the server 1 or the member terminal 10. Here, the member terminal 10 is a terminal device used by members registered in the system to access the system, and does not have to be a specific terminal device.

[0052] [Indexing] The indexing means separates the shared information stored in the database from the ancillary parts and organizes it by information content, displays appropriate headings for each information content in an index form (see Figure 9), and uses each heading as an output selection switch.It is equipped with an extraction means that, by operating the output selection switch, extracts from the database the shared information that is linked to the output selection switch and is the target for output, and an information provision means that transmits the shared information extracted by the extraction means from the server 1 to the member terminal 10, thereby performing the function of helping members, etc., to quickly access the desired information content.

[0053] In this case, the member accesses the server 1 with the member terminal 10 and selects the index function (the function to jump to the linked page) using the function selection switch on the form sent from the server 1. Upon receiving the request for the index function, the server 1 sends to the member terminal 10 an index form (a browsing form with an index function; see, for example, Figure 9) that displays an information list that functions as a function selection switch. The member selects the information they wish to view (the information to be viewed) from the information list on the index form.

[0054] For example, if the person to be viewed is a member, server 1 sends a viewing form for an information list linked to the member's affiliation information and member ID, etc., and the item of the desired person to be viewed in the information list in the viewing form is selected as the output selection switch. For example, if the object to be viewed is a registered case, server 1 sends a viewing form for an information list linked to the basic case information and case ID of the registered case, and the item of the desired object to be viewed in the information list in the viewing form is selected as the output selection switch. For example, if the object to be viewed is a product or service, the product or service and its provider are displayed, or a viewing form for an information list linked to the product or service and its provider is sent, and the item of the desired object to be viewed in the information list in the viewing form is selected as an output selection switch. It is also possible to use the tabs as output selection switches to switch between multiple pages (see FIG. 13).

[0055] When an output selection switch is selected, the member terminal 10 transmits information identifying the selected switch to the server 1. The server 1 uses an extraction means to retrieve an information list linked to the selected switch from the database, and uses an information provision means to transmit information about members, registered items, products, or services, etc., along with the information list to the member terminal 10 so that the information is displayed in a state that fits into the browsing form (such as a linked page).

[0056] [Search process] The search means includes a search condition setting means (see Figure 11) for setting a search key, an extraction means for extracting shared information including the search key from a database based on the search key, and an information provision means for transmitting the shared information extracted by the extraction means from the server 1 to the member terminal 10, thereby providing the function of assisting members and others in quickly accessing the desired information content. Search keys include the sales representative's affiliation information and ID, the customer's (client's) affiliation information and ID, the address of the project site, the contractor's name, location and business details, and their scale, or the name of the product, service, or general name.

[0057] At that time, the member accesses the server 1 with the member terminal 10 and selects the search function using the function selection switch on the form sent from the server 1. After accepting the search function, the server 1 sends a search condition setting form to the member terminal 10 using the search condition setting means. The member sets the search conditions by inputting a search key into the search condition setting form. For example, if the search target is a member, the member's affiliation information and member ID are used as search keys. For example, if the search target is a customer, the search key will be the customer's affiliation information or customer ID, etc. For example, if the search target is a product or service, the search key will be the product or service name, or the general name of the product or service, etc.

[0058] Once the search conditions are set, the member terminal 10 transmits the search conditions to the server 1. The server 1 uses an extraction means to retrieve information on members, customers, products or services that match the search conditions from the database, and uses an information provision means to transmit the information on the members, customers, products or services to the member terminal 10. If the search returns multiple hits for members, customers, products or services, the member terminal 10 displays a list of the hits, such as the names of the members, customers, products or services. When a member selects desired information from the list form using the output selection switch for the item to be viewed in the viewing form equipped with an index function, the server 1 transmits the affiliation information of the selected member, the affiliation information of the selected customer, or the details of the selected product or service to the member terminal 10. The member can refer to the detailed information of the member, customer, product or service displayed on the member terminal 10.

[0059] [View Form] The information providing means of the indexing means and search means transmits to the member terminal 10 the viewing image information in which the content of the retrieved information is fitted into the viewing form assigned to the output selection switch or the viewing form assigned to the search key or combination of search keys. The viewing form may be a list form (see Figure 5, Figure 7 or Figure 9) that displays customer information, sales representative information or basic project information, or a chronological form such as a schedule or timetable that displays project progress information (see Figure 6 or Figure 8).

[0060] When viewing the time series information, the information providing means extracts business schedule information indicating the dates of events that have already occurred or will occur in the future for the products or services related to the registered case from the case progress information in accordance with the setting of the output selection switch or search key, and transmits it in a specified time series form (see Figure 6 or Figure 8). The case progress information that is made available for viewing in this manner contributes to informing members who are permitted access of the details and progress of registered cases.

[0061] [Interactive processing] In order to make wider use of know-how such as sales negotiation history stored in the database as shared information, the system is equipped with interactive means similar to chat GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) and text generation AI (Artificial Intelligence) as part of business intelligence (BI) (see Figure 4). The dialogue means comprises a first text interpretation means for reading obstructive factors and problems in sales activities from the shared information in the database and generating output requirements from the obstructive factors and problems in sales activities, a second text interpretation means for interpreting queries entered from the member terminal 10 (including obstructive factors and problems in sales activities leading up to a substantial conclusion) and generating output requirements, an information aggregation means for aggregating related information based on the degree of relevance to the output requirements, and a text generation means for generating a response sentence based on the output requirements and related information.

[0062] The text comprehension means learns from a huge amount of text data, calculates how each word is related to other words, calculates what attributes each piece of information has, and what other information each piece of information is linked to, and reads out obstacles and problems in sales activities from customer information, sales representative information, basic information on cases or progress information on cases, or supplementary information related to these, stored as shared information in the database, or reads out queries (questions) entered from the member terminal 10, and generates output requirements (answers) from the obstacles and problems in sales activities or queries.

[0063] By providing a first text interpretation means for reading obstructive factors and problems in sales activities from the shared information in the database and generating output requirements from the obstructive factors and problems in sales activities, it is possible to read obstructive factors including, for example, age, annual income, or the presence or absence of land, and problems in sales activities including inadequacies of sales representatives from the actual information and supplementary information, and to generate output requirements based on the obstructive factors and problems in sales activities that have been read, without the member having to ask questions from the member terminal 10.

[0064] The information aggregation means receives the output requirements generated by the text comprehension means, collects and aggregates related information corresponding to the output requirements from the database, and outputs an evaluation (knowledge data: for example, trends and countermeasures based on shared information). The sentence generating means generates sentences (answers) that serve as advice or suggestions, such as "Doing this will make it easier to conclude a contract," based on the information collected by the sentence generating function. The generated advice or proposal is output (displayed) in a designated area provided in an input form such as the progress registration form or supplementary form (see Figure 7), when the sales representative enters the details of the business negotiation or when other members enter supplementary information.

[0065] Furthermore, according to the dialogue means, the second text comprehension means receives queries (questions) from the member terminals 10 of members including sales representatives, and uses its language comprehension function to understand the content of the query (response: generates output requirements), and the information aggregation means, based on that understanding (output requirements), collects and compiles related information that accompanies the output requirements from the database, and outputs an evaluation (knowledge data: for example, trends and countermeasures based on shared information). The sentence generation means generates a reply or answer based on the information collected by the sentence generation function, and outputs an answer form containing the reply or answer to the member terminal 10 of the member who has asked the question. Through this series of processes, the dialogue means can, for example, provide advice for the next business negotiation in a dialogue format.

[0066] [Customer Management Processing] The customer management means includes a customer trend collecting means, a direction information collecting means, a customer trend evaluating means, and a direction information evaluating means.

[0067] <Collecting customer trend information> The customer trend collection means collects, via the communication unit 7, etc., information (hereinafter referred to as "online behavior information") regarding customer behavior toward online services planned for customers by the user (hereinafter referred to as "online behavior"), and information (hereinafter referred to as "offline behavior information") regarding customer behavior toward services other than online services (offline services) (hereinafter referred to as "offline behavior"), and tallying up the number of activities by category for specific activities ("online behavior" and "offline behavior") included in the online behavior information and offline behavior information, and storing this as shared information in the database as customer trend information (see Figure 12).

[0068] In this case, the customer trend collection means collects "online behavior" such as web content access information including the user's browsing history of Web (World Wide Web) pages, the user's posting history to SNS (Social Networking Service) (public relations activities), and SNS information including the user's opening of direct mail (DM), as well as "offline behavior" such as the user's participation in seminars and tours and their response status to written questionnaires, and records the results of tallying the number of times a specific activity has occurred, such as the "number of web pages visited," "number of e-mails sent," and "number of e-mails opened," along with customer trend information linked to the "customer ID" and "execution date and time" in a database as shared information (see Figure 12). The means for collecting customer trends detects online behavior from the "access URL" accessed by the customer, and detects offline behavior from project progress information, including daily reports and minutes, entered by sales representatives into the progress registration form (see Figures 7 and 8).

[0069] The customer trend collection means includes a browsing history information collection means (not shown) that collects browsing history information for each viewer, including a customer, including the location of the IP address, the content viewed, the operations performed on each content, and the medium that led the user to the Web (such as a search engine, Web advertisement, or two-dimensional code), a linking means (not shown) that links the viewer and the customer by matching the IP address, and stores the browsing history information in a database as shared information, and a report creation means (not shown) that compiles the browsing history information and creates a browsing report (see Figure 12). The browsing history information can be used to determine whether the customer is interested in the user's service and the content of the service, and contributes to the selection of effective advertising media and promising content for publishing the user's Web, etc.

[0070] <Evaluation of customer trend information> Based on the customer trend information, the customer trend evaluation means assigns a score to the customer's activity for online and offline services planned by the user based on the degree of contribution to the user (such as increased likelihood of attendance at events, purchase of products, use of services, or conclusion of contracts), tallying up the scores for each customer, and records a score report (score information), which is the tally of the scores obtained by each customer, in a database linked to the "customer ID" as shared information (see Figure 12). Customers with low score information can be viewed as having low interest in the sales activities and low likelihood of visiting or concluding a contract (hereinafter referred to as "achieving the goal"), while customers with high score information can be viewed as having high interest in the sales activities and high likelihood of achieving the goal. By utilizing score information in this way, it is possible to conduct inside sales such as calling customers who are more likely to achieve their goals, leading to efficient goal achievement.

[0071] The customer behavior evaluation means assigns "rank information" to each customer based on the amount of score information acquired, links it to the "customer ID," and stores it in the database as shared information (see Figure 9). Here, "rank information" refers to a business indicator set according to an evaluation of a customer's activity, and customers with high "rank information" are positioned as important customers who contribute to the consumption, publicity, or customer attraction activities of the products (housing) and services provided by the user. Continuing a relationship with a major customer even after delivery of the product or service is thought to be helpful in promoting or selling new products or services, finding new customers, or retaining current customers, so a customer's "rank information" can be an opportunity to give that customer preferential treatment in new orders and after-sales service.

[0072] <Collecting directional information> The orientation information collection means collects online behavior information, including customer web content access information and SNS information, from an online information collection system (not shown), and stores the aggregated orientation information of the customer (such as preferred vendors or preferred products) in a database as shared information (see Figure 12). The directional information collection means receives online behavior information (including customer web content access information, SNS information, and online behavior information of customer trends) regarding designated products, designated companies, or designated vendors from its own information collection means (not shown) or from another party's online information collection system (such as Google Analytics), and collects browsing history information (such as access records) including preset details of the online behavior (such as the ``URL'' accessed by the customer or the ``product / service'' derived therefrom), the ``date (activity date and time)'' on which each activity was performed, and the ``number of times (number of activities)'' the online behavior was performed during a specific period for each activity; linking means for linking viewers and customers by matching IP addresses, etc., and storing the browsing history information in a database as shared information (directional information); and report creation means for aggregating the browsing history information and creating a browsing report.

[0073] In response to a request from a member registered in the system, the report creation means extracts online behavior information such as the content viewed, the viewer (the member who performed the search), the date and time of viewing, and the number of views from the orientation information to create a viewing report (see Figure 12) and output it to the member terminal 10 of the member. Members registered in the system can check online behavior information for each customer, including the browsing history of content registered in the system.

[0074] <Evaluation of directional information> The orientation information evaluation means outputs orientation information (oriented vendors or oriented products) that links online behavior information such as web content access information of each customer with each customer's name, a "customer ID" that identifies the customer, the customer's "email address," and the "categories" or "companies" in which the customer is interested, and stores the customer's orientation information and related online behavior information in a database as shared information. By collecting the above-mentioned information on customer preferences, it is possible to track not only when, which advertising medium, and which content customers viewed, resulting in a response (motivation to customers), but also whether they subsequently visited the store and signed a contract, thereby identifying the most effective advertising timing, advertising medium, and content. As a result, it becomes possible to consider and adopt a more effective advertising strategy. Note that "effective" here does not simply mean a large response, but also means that it results in a contract, which is a source of revenue.

[0075] [Recommended Action] The first recommendation means creates first recommendation information based on the event criteria information, which includes events that are desirable to be held in the future for registered cases and a time period set as the recommended period (event dates) for holding the events, and stores this information in a database as shared information. That is, the first recommendation means searches for completed events included in the case progress information to determine the progress of the case, extracts attempted events that should be performed after the completed events or attempted events that should have been performed before the completed events based on the event criteria information, creates first recommendation information that applies a recommended period for performing the extracted attempted events as provisional events (see Figure 6 or Figure 8), and stores this as shared information in the database. The first recommendation information stored in the database is incorporated into future timelines (forms) of case progress information. The implementation date and time of a hypothetical event incorporated into a timeline can be set or changed by selecting a position on the timeline that corresponds to the adoption period within the recommended period in the timeline form displayed by the information output means.

[0076] The second recommendation means extracts, based on the orientation information obtained by the orientation information collection means, from the design criteria information, vendors, products, or services that belong to the category or company indicated by the orientation information, and creates second recommendation information consisting of vendors (recommended vendors), products (recommended products), or services (recommended services) recommended in the registered case, or web pages on which they are posted, and stores this information as shared information in the database. The second recommendation information stored in the database is edited by the second recommendation means into a list form that can list, for example, the locations of recommended businesses or catalog information for products or services, and can be viewed by selecting the output selection switch for the desired case in the list form that displays the basic information of the case. Here, catalog information is information intended to introduce products, companies, and services.

[0077] [Viewing restriction processing] The system can be configured to include a viewing restriction means for setting whether viewing is permitted for each member, so that the indexing means has the function of allowing access to specific parts of the shared information only to members who are permitted to view it, the search means has the function of allowing information extraction only to members who are permitted to view it, or the information output means has the function of outputting information only to members who are permitted to view it.

[0078] The viewing restriction means may include, for example, a means for rating (information rank) access to information for each category at the user's discretion, a means for setting access rights for each member linked to the information rank for accessing information, and a means for performing processing to allow each member to access only the information or categories to which they are permitted access, regardless of the information rank.

[0079] In this way, by providing a viewing restriction means for setting whether or not specific shared information can be viewed, and by configuring the indexing means to allow access only to members who are permitted to view it, the search means to allow only members who are permitted to view it to extract specific shared information, or the information output means to output specific shared information only to members who are permitted to view it, not only is it possible to provide a function for preventing information leaks, but it is also possible to properly manage the openness and confidentiality of the sales activities of personnel.

[0080] [Member registration process] To use the system, you must register as a member, which will grant you access to the shared information. For example, in order for a designated registration officer or an unregistered person who wishes to use the system (hereinafter referred to as the "registration officer") to register as a member, the registration officer must access the sales support system of server 1 via the information network 9 from the terminal device (member terminal 10) used by the registration officer or server 1, record specified information such as the member's affiliation information, and perform a save operation to record it as shared information in the database (not shown).

[0081] At that time, the registration means sends a member registration form to the member terminal 10 of the registration officer, accepts the affiliation information of the person who will become a member, such as a customer, in the input form, and records the information entered in the entry fields provided in advance for each registration content in the database as member information. Member affiliation information includes name, affiliation name (company name or organization name), department name, job title, affiliation address, contact telephone number, contact facsimile number, and contact email address, and when a member is registered by a registration officer with the authority to set viewing restrictions, the information rank linked to the registration target is also included. A member ID that identifies the member is automatically assigned by the system.

[0082] The registration means and replenishment means may be configured to include an input support means for reducing the effort required for inputting information into the fields of the customer registration form, case registration form, progress registration form, member registration form, event criteria registration form, design criteria registration form, or replenishment form. The input support means may be configured to provide a functional switch (such as a switch that accepts clicks) for further displaying a menu (such as a pull-down menu) on each of the registration forms and replenishment forms output to the server 1 or member terminal 10 where the user wishes to register.

[0083] In the example shown in Figure 15, the menu is in the form of a list in which key items to be filled in are listed vertically according to the trends in business performance and customer attitudes over a recent period (hereinafter referred to as "trends"). Each option in the menu has a selection switch to the right of each key item for selecting the main entry from the options, and a function switch for transcribing the option selected with the selection switch into the entry field. In this example, a self-evaluation such as ×△〇 (corresponding to the key item) that is scheduled for that key item is also listed between the selection switch and the key item, and the self-evaluation is transcribed into the designated entry field along with the key item by operating the function switch.

[0084] The main items listed in the menu are, for example, "〇 The financial plan has been agreed upon," "△ The preliminary review has been completed, but the financial plan has not yet been finalized," and "× The financial plan and simulation will be carried out, and a preliminary review will be submitted to the bank," and a check box (selection switch) is located on the left side of each main item. In this example, the transcription enables further input into the registration form or supplementary form equipped with the function switch, and in the transcribed registration form, input can then be made using the input support means, key input, or input or change of the self-assessment.

[0085] The input support means includes a trend extraction means for updating the menu options (major items or self-evaluation) by reflecting trends over the last certain period derived from the recently registered contents of each of the shared information such as customer information, sales representative information, project basic information and project progress information, member information, recommendation information, supplemental information, and standard information. In this case, the trend is a compilation of the registered contents entered into the entry fields over the last certain period and the output requirements of the dialogue means derived from the registered contents, by content (word, category, etc.). In this way, by listing the main items or self-evaluations at that time in a list format in the menu in order of most recent trends, members can be made aware of trends and problems in the user's sales activities at all times, and the effort required to enter information into the entry fields can be reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1 server, 2 CPU, 3 ROM, 4 RAM, 5 information storage unit, 6 clock unit, 7 Communication unit, 8 Reading unit, 9 Network, 10 Member terminal, 11 Input section,

Claims

1. The system comprises a database for storing information showing the business status of registered cases as shared information, an information output means for outputting the shared information retrieved from the database to the terminal device of the registered member, and a supplementary means for storing supplementary information relating to the business activities of the registered cases as shared information in the database from the terminal device of the registered member, A sales support system characterized in that the information indicating the actual business situation includes, linked to each other, customer information including personal information of the trading entity of the registered case, sales representative information including the sales representative's affiliation information, case basic information indicating the content of the registered case, and case progress information including the progress of sales activities.

2. The system comprises a database that stores information indicating the business status of registered cases as shared information and also stores event criteria information including recommended event dates, an information output means that outputs the shared information retrieved from the database to the terminal device of a registered member, and a first recommendation means that creates a schedule for future events of registered cases based on the event criteria information and stores the schedule as shared information in the database, A sales support system characterized in that the information indicating the actual business situation includes, linked to each other, customer information including personal information of the trading entity of the registered case, sales representative information including the sales representative's affiliation information, case basic information indicating the content of the registered case, and case progress information including the progress of sales activities.

3. The system comprises a database that stores information indicating the actual business situation of registered cases as shared information and also stores event criteria information including recommended schedules for events, an information output means that outputs the shared information retrieved from the database to the terminal devices of registered members, a supplementary means that stores supplementary information regarding the business activities of registered cases as shared information from the terminal devices of registered members in the database, and a first recommendation means that creates a schedule for future events of registered cases based on the event criteria information and stores the schedule as shared information in the database, A sales support system characterized in that the information indicating the actual business situation includes, linked to each other, customer information including personal information of the trading entity of the registered case, sales representative information including the sales representative's affiliation information, case basic information indicating the content of the registered case, and case progress information including the progress of sales activities.

4. 4. The sales support system according to claim 1, further comprising a preference information collection means for collecting and aggregating online behavior information of customers and storing the obtained preference information of the customers as shared information in a database.

5. The database stores design criteria information including vendor information and product information, 5. The sales support system according to claim 4, further comprising second recommendation means for creating second recommendation information for the registered item from the design standard information attached to the orientation information and storing it as shared information in the database.

6. A sales support system as described in either claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the case progress information is set as a progress stage of sales activities based on event criteria information, and a performance management means is provided for storing performance information of each sales representative obtained by aggregating the achievement of the progress stage as shared information in a database.

7. a customer trend collection means for collecting and aggregating online and offline behavioral information of customers in relation to the user's sales activities, and storing the obtained customer trend information as shared information in a database; A sales support system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is equipped with a customer trend evaluation means that assigns a score based on the degree of contribution to the user to each online action and each offline action taken by a customer in the customer trend information, and creates score information for each customer by aggregating the scores and stores the score information as shared information in a database.

8. The sales support system of claim 1 or 3 is characterized in that it comprises a dialogue means having a text comprehension means for reading obstructive factors and problems in sales activities from the shared information in the database and generating output requirements from the obstructive factors and problems in sales activities, an information aggregation means for aggregating related information based on the degree of relevance to the output requirements, and a text generation means for generating answer sentences based on the output requirements and related information.

9. The sales support system of claim 1 or 3, characterized in that it comprises an interaction means including a text comprehension means for reading and understanding queries input from a member's terminal device and generating output requirements, an information aggregation means for aggregating related information based on the degree of relevance to the output requirements, and a text generation means for generating a response based on the output requirements and related information.

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