Message management device, message management method, and program

Abstract

A message management device, a message management method, and a program are provided that can more efficiently answer questions that require investigation. [Solution] The message management device 100 comprises a receiving unit 120 that receives a question message sent from a sender to an administrator, a recording unit 130 that, if the received question message is a message requiring investigation, records that the received question message is a message requiring investigation, an acquiring unit 140 that acquires investigation result information, a selecting unit 150 that selects a message requiring investigation from a plurality of messages requiring investigation that matches the acquired investigation result information as an answer, a generating unit 160 that generates a reply message to the selected message requiring investigation based on the message requiring investigation, the investigation result information, and sender information, and a transmitting unit 170 that transmits the generated reply message to the sender who sent the selected message requiring investigation.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a message management device, a message management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known automatic response systems that automatically respond to questions from users. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic response system that outputs a question to an administrator after a user gives a negative evaluation to a response provided by the automatic response, accepts a re-answer to the question from the administrator, and registers the content of the re-answer as a new answer candidate in a conversation pattern database, thereby enabling a smooth and appropriate response even when a corresponding conversation pattern is not prepared.

[0003] In addition, in such automatic response systems, questions are sent to a sentence generation AI that generates sentences, and an answer is generated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-6940 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Meanwhile, a shop selling items on an online market or the like receives questions about the items from shoppers. Depending on the content of the question, the shop may be required to conduct an investigation by contacting the manufacturer that produced the item or the wholesaler that sold the item to the shop. Once the shop receives the investigation results from the manufacturer or the like, the shop responds to the shopper based on the results. Therefore, each time the shop receives investigation results from the manufacturer or the like, the shop must identify which question the investigation results are for and manage whether or not answers to questions that require investigation have been sent in order to prevent omissions.

[0006] In addition, the retail communication system between shoppers and stores and the wholesale communication system between stores and manufacturers are generally separate and independent, and do not link together. In particular, when the wholesale communication system uses methods such as telephone, facsimile, or e-mail, it is difficult to change the system. Therefore, there is a need for a system that can answer questions requiring investigation more efficiently while maintaining the current wholesale communication system.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a message management device, a message management method, and a program that can more efficiently answer questions that require investigation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a message management device according to the present invention comprises: a receiving unit that receives a question message sent from a sender to an administrator; a recording unit that records, if the inquiry message received by the receiving unit is an investigation-required message that requires investigation, that the received inquiry message is the investigation-required message; an acquisition unit that acquires investigation result information indicating an investigation result for the investigation-required message; a selection unit that selects, from the plurality of messages requiring investigation, a message requiring investigation whose investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit is suitable as a response to the message requiring investigation; a generation unit that generates a reply message to the investigation-required message selected by the selection unit based on the investigation-required message, the acquired investigation result information, and sender information of a sender who sent the investigation-required message; a sending unit that sends the reply message generated by the generating unit to the sender who sent the investigation-required message selected by the selecting unit; Equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a message management device, a message management method, and a program that can more efficiently answer questions that require investigation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing cooperation between the message management device and other devices. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an item sales page displayed on a shopper terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a question form displayed on a shopper terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a message management device. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a message management table stored in a message storage unit shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the physical configuration of a message management device. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a question message registration process performed by the message management device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a question message displayed on a shop terminal. [Figure 9]10 is a flowchart of a reply message transmission process performed by the message manager. [Figure 10] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a reply message generated by a generation unit shown in FIG. 4. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Note that the present embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art may employ embodiments in which each or all of the elements are replaced with equivalents, and these embodiments are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0012] (Overall composition) As shown in Fig. 1, message management device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is communicatively connected to shopper terminal 200 and shop terminal 300 via communication network 400. Although Fig. 1 illustrates one shopper terminal 200 and one shop terminal 300, the number of applicable shopper terminals 200 and shop terminals 300 is not limited to this, and multiple shopper terminals 200 and shop terminals 300 may be applied.

[0013] The message management device 100 is configured with one or more server computers. The message management device 100 is operated by a business operator that provides e-commerce services such as an online mall, an online shopping site, an auction site, or a flea market site.

[0014] The message management device 100 can exchange information with, for example, a management server (not shown) that manages e-commerce services, and can obtain information about shoppers and items handled by shops from the management server. The message management device 100 may also have a function for managing e-commerce services.

[0015] The message management device 100 receives question messages about items handled in the e-commerce service from the shopper terminal 200 and transmits the received question messages to shops that sell the items. If the received question message is a message requiring investigation that requires investigation of suppliers, including the manufacturer that produces the item and the wholesaler that sells the item to the shop, the message management device 100 records that the question message is a message requiring investigation.

[0016] When the message management device 100 acquires investigation result information indicating the investigation result from the supplier, it selects, from among the recorded multiple investigation-required messages, a message that matches the acquired investigation result information as a response. The message management device 100 generates a reply message to the selected investigation-required message and transmits the reply message to the shopper terminal 200 that sent the investigation-required message.

[0017] The shopper terminal 200 is an information terminal (so-called computer) such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC (Personal Computer), and is used by a shopper to view and purchase items sold by shops in the online market. The shopper installs an e-commerce application on the shopper terminal 200, launches the e-commerce application, and uses the e-commerce service. The shopper asks the shop questions about items and purchases via the online market website.

[0018] For example, a shopper creates a question message by clicking an inquiry icon 21 located on an item sales page 210 as shown in FIG. 2, and then entering the necessary information into a question form 220 as shown in FIG. 3, which is displayed on the display screen. The question form 220 includes fields for entering the name and email address of the shopper asking the question, as well as a field for entering the question itself. Once the shopper enters the information and clicks the send icon 22 located at the bottom of the question form 220, the created question message is sent to the message management device 100. The name and email address of the shopper asking the question are examples of sender information.

[0019] The shop terminal 300 is an information terminal (so-called computer) such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC (Personal Computer), and is used by a shop (shop manager) that sells items on the online market. The shop accepts inquiry messages from shoppers via the online market site.

[0020] The shop uses the shop terminal 300 to view the question message from the shopper and the answer message generated by the message management device 100.

[0021] The shop also uses the shop terminal 300 to specify that the question message is a message requiring investigation, to modify the answer message generated by the message management device 100, or to authorize the sending of the answer message.

[0022] In addition, the shop inquires about messages requiring investigation from suppliers by means of e-mail, fax, telephone, etc., to obtain investigation result information, and transmits e-mail data, fax data, document data, etc. containing the obtained investigation result information to the message management device 100 via the shop terminal 300.

[0023] Communications network 400 may include various types of networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a telecommunications network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a wireless network, a public switched network, a satellite network, a cellular network, a public land mobile network (PLMN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a private network, an ad-hoc network, an intranet, an optical fiber-based network, or any combination of these or other types of networks.

[0024] (Functional configuration of message management device) Next, the functional configuration of the message management device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The message management device 100 includes a message storage unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a recording unit 130, an acquiring unit 140, a selecting unit 150, a generating unit 160, and a transmitting unit 170.

[0025] The message storage unit 110 stores the inquiry message received by the receiving unit 120, and stores a message management table for managing the received inquiry messages.

[0026] An example of the message management table is shown in Fig. 5. As shown in the figure, the message management table includes information such as a "message ID" for uniquely identifying a question message sent from shopper terminal 200, a "shop ID" for uniquely identifying the shop to which the question message is addressed, a "shopper ID" for uniquely identifying the shopper who sent the question message, a "shopper name" indicating the name of the shopper who sent the question message, a "received date and time" indicating the date and time the question message was received, an "item ID" for uniquely identifying the item that is the subject of the question message, an "item ID" indicating the name of the item that is the subject of the question message, "investigation required" indicating whether the question message is a message requiring investigation of a supplier such as a manufacturer or wholesaler, and a "reply sent date and time" indicating the date and time the reply message was sent.

[0027] The message storage unit 110 stores the answer message sent by the sending unit 170, and the message management table may further store information for uniquely identifying the sent answer message along with the answer sending date and time. The message management table may further include other arbitrary information such as attribute information of the shopper who sent the question message and the purchase date of the item purchased by the shopper who sent the question message.

[0028] The message storage unit 110 may also store a shopper database (DB) that stores information about shoppers who have registered with the e-commerce service, and an item database that stores information about items handled by each shop. These DBs may be acquired from a management server (not shown) that manages the e-commerce service.

[0029] Returning to FIG. 4, receiving unit 120 receives a question message sent from shopper terminal 200. Receiving unit 120 stores the received question message in message storage unit 110. Receiving unit 120 adds a new record to the message management table shown in FIG. 5 by assigning a message ID, and then, based on the information included in the received question message, references the shopper DB and item DB and stores information in the fields of "Shop ID," "Shopper ID," "Shopper Name," "Receipt Date and Time," "Item ID," and "Item Name."

[0030] When a question message received by receiving unit 120 is a message requiring investigation, recording unit 130 records that the question message is a message requiring investigation. Specifically, for example, when a shop that has viewed the content of the question message performs an operation to specify that the question message is a message requiring investigation, recording unit 130 assigns a tag to the question message indicating that it is a message requiring investigation, and stores "1" in the "investigation required" field of the message management table, indicating that the question message is a message requiring investigation.

[0031] Furthermore, when a reply message to a message requiring investigation is sent by the sending unit 170, the recording unit 130 executes a process of removing a tag indicating that the message requires investigation from the message requiring investigation. Specifically, the recording unit 130 updates the "1" stored in the "required investigation" field in the message management table to "0" indicating that the message does not correspond to a message requiring investigation.

[0032] The acquisition unit 140 acquires survey result information indicating the survey results from the supplier. For example, the shop acquires the survey result information from the supplier by means of email, fax, telephone, etc., and transmits email data, fax data, document data, etc. including the acquired survey result information to the message management device 100 via the shop terminal 300.

[0033] The selection unit 150 selects a message requiring investigation that matches the investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit 140 as an answer from among the messages requiring investigation for each shop stored in the message storage unit 110. For example, the selection unit 150 has a selection AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated in advance by machine learning based on learning data that indicates the correspondence between messages requiring investigation and investigation result information that matches as an answer to the messages requiring investigation.

[0034] The selection AI includes, for example, a trained natural language processing model that has been trained to calculate the relevance based on the semantic similarity between the investigation result information and the message requiring investigation. For example, the selection AI is generated to output a message requiring investigation for which the input investigation result information matches as an answer from among the messages requiring investigation stored in the message storage unit 110. The selection unit 150 inputs the investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit 140 into the selection AI, and thereby acquires a message requiring investigation for which the investigation result information matches as an answer from among the messages requiring investigation stored in the message storage unit 110.

[0035] The selection unit 150 may cause the selection AI to select the message requiring investigation whose investigation result information is most appropriate as an answer, or may select the message requiring investigation whose relevance is highest based on the relevance calculated by the selection AI. The selection unit 150 may also cause multiple messages requiring investigation whose relevance is high with the investigation result information to be output, and have the shop select a message requiring investigation whose investigation result information is appropriate as an answer from the multiple output messages requiring investigation. The selection AI is an example of a first learning model.

[0036] The generation unit 160 generates a reply message to the sender's investigation-required message. For example, the generation unit 160 generates the reply message using a sentence generation AI. The generation unit 160 sends a prompt to the sentence generation AI instructing it to generate a reply message to the investigation-required message based on the investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit 140, the investigation-required message selected by the selection unit 150, and information about the shopper who sent the investigation-required message, and acquires the reply message generated by the sentence generation AI.

[0037] The sentence generation AI includes AI that generates sentences using a prompt as input, such as ChatGPT, GEMINI, Catchy, Notion AI, and other sentence generation AIs, as well as programs, services, or software that use these. Note that the sentence generation AI may be configured to be realized as a part of the function of the generation unit 160.

[0038] In addition, sentence generation AI models include any language model or large-scale language model, such as GPT, PaLM, LaMDA, LLaMa, Claude, OpenCALM, or language models or large-scale language models that have been modified, improved, transferred, or additionally learned from these.

[0039] The transmitting unit 170 transmits the reply message to the shopper terminal 200. The shop checks the reply message generated by the generating unit 160 and determines whether or not it needs to be revised. If the shop determines that revision is necessary, it modifies and updates the reply message. The transmitting unit 170 waits for permission to send from the shop, and transmits the reply message that has been permitted to be sent to the shopper terminal 200. When the transmitting unit 170 has transmitted the reply message, it notifies the recording unit 130 of this fact.

[0040] (Physical configuration of the message management device) The message management device 100 having the functional configuration described above physically comprises, as shown in Figure 6, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that executes processing according to a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 which is volatile memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 which is non-volatile memory, a memory unit 14 that stores data, an input unit 15 that accepts input of information, a display unit 16 that visualizes and displays information, and a communication unit 17 that sends and receives information, all of which are connected via an internal bus 99.

[0041] The CPU 11 executes various processes by reading out the programs stored in the storage unit 14 into the RAM 12 and executing them. The CPU 11 executes the processes of the receiving unit 120, the recording unit 130, the acquiring unit 140, the selecting unit 150, the generating unit 160, and the transmitting unit 170 as the main functions provided by the programs.

[0042] The RAM 12 is used as a work area for the CPU 11. The ROM 13 stores the control program executed by the CPU 11 for the basic operation of the message manager 100, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), and the like.

[0043] The storage unit 14 includes a hard disk drive, and stores programs executed by the CPU 11 and various data used when the programs are executed. The storage unit 14 functions as a message storage unit 110.

[0044] The input unit 15 is a user interface including a keyboard, a mouse, a communication device, etc. The display unit 16 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display that visualizes and displays information.

[0045] The communication unit 17 is a network termination device or a wireless communication device that connects to a network, and a serial interface or a LAN (Local Area Network) interface that connects to them. The communication unit 17 functions as a receiving unit 120, an acquiring unit 140, and a transmitting unit 170.

[0046] (Message registration process) Next, a description will be given of the operation of the message management device 100. First, a question message registration process for registering a question message from a shopper will be described with reference to FIG.

[0047] Receiving unit 120 waits for a question message from shopper terminal 200 (step S101). Specifically, the shopper operates shopper terminal 200 to create a question message by inputting information including the question content into question form 220, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3. After the shopper inputs the information, when they click send icon 22 located at the bottom of question form 220, shopper terminal 200 sends the created question message to message management device 100.

[0048] Next, the receiving unit 120 determines whether or not a question message has been received (step S102), and if it determines that a question message has been received (step S102; Yes), it stores the received question message in the message storage unit 110 (step S103). The receiving unit 120 reads the message management table illustrated in FIG. 5, adds a new record with a message ID assigned, and stores information in the "Shop ID," "Shopper ID," "Shopper Name," "Receipt Date and Time," "Item ID," and "Item Name" fields. After storing the information in the message management table, the receiving unit 120 notifies the shop terminal 300 that a new question message has been received.

[0049] On the other hand, if the receiving unit 120 determines that an inquiry message has not been received (step S102; No), the process returns to step S101 and waits for an inquiry message.

[0050] Next, the recording unit 130 determines whether the question message received in step S102 is a message requiring investigation that requires an investigation of the supplier (step S104). Specifically, when the shop receives notification from the message management device 100 that a new question message has been received, the shop displays a question message screen 310, as shown in FIG. 8, on the display screen of the shop terminal 300 and checks the content of the question message. If the shop determines that the question message is a message requiring investigation, the shop clicks the investigation required button 23 to specify that the question message is a message requiring investigation. On the other hand, if the shop determines that the question message is not a message requiring investigation, the shop clicks the investigation not required button 24 to specify that the question message does not require investigation.

[0051] When the shop clicks the investigation required button 23, the recording unit 130 determines that the received question message is an investigation required message (step S104; Yes) and assigns an investigation required tag to the question message (step S105). Specifically, the recording unit 130 stores "1" in the "investigation required" column of the message management table and ends the message registration process. Thereafter, the shop uses means such as email, fax, or telephone to request that the supplier of the item that is the subject of the investigation required message investigate the investigation required message.

[0052] On the other hand, when the shop operates to click the No Investigation Required button 24, the recording unit 130 determines that the received question message is not a message requiring investigation (step S104; No), stores "0" in the "Investigation Required" column of the message management table, and terminates the message registration process. Note that the generation unit 160 may then send a prompt to the sentence generation AI instructing it to generate an answer message for the question message that was determined not to be a message requiring investigation, and cause the AI ​​to generate the answer message.

[0053] Next, a reply message sending process for generating a reply message to the investigation-requiring message registered by the message registration process and sending it to the shopper will be described with reference to FIG.

[0054] The acquiring unit 140 waits for investigation result information indicating the investigation result from a supplier that the shop has requested to conduct an investigation (step S201). For example, the shop transmits email data, fax data, document data, etc., including the investigation result information acquired by means of email, fax, telephone, etc., to the message management device 100 via the shop terminal 300.

[0055] When the acquisition unit 140 receives the investigation result information from the shop terminal 300, it determines that the investigation result information has been acquired (step S202; Yes), and transmits the acquired investigation result information together with the shop ID to the selection unit 150. On the other hand, when the acquisition unit 140 determines that the investigation result information has not been acquired (step S202; No), it returns to step S201 and waits for the investigation result information.

[0056] Next, the selection unit 150 selects a message requiring investigation that matches the investigation result information acquired in step S202 as an answer from among the messages requiring investigation for each shop stored in the message storage unit 110 (step S203). For example, the selection unit 150 inputs the investigation result information acquired in step S102 into a selection AI generated in advance, and acquires the message requiring investigation output from the selection AI. The selection unit 150 transmits the message requiring investigation selected by the selection AI to the generation unit 160.

[0057] Next, the generation unit 160 generates a reply message (step S204). Specifically, the generation unit 160 sends a prompt to the sentence generation AI instructing it to generate a reply message based on the investigation result information acquired in step S202, the investigation-required message selected in step S203, and the shopper information of the shopper who sent the investigation-required message. The generation unit 160 acquires the reply message generated by the sentence generation AI.

[0058] Next, the generation unit 160 presents the reply message generated by the sentence generation AI to the shop (step S205). Specifically, the generation unit 160 displays a reply message screen 320, as shown in FIG. 10, on the display screen of the shop terminal 300.

[0059] Next, the transmitting unit 170 waits for permission to send (step S206). The shop checks the reply message displayed on the reply message screen 320 of the shop terminal 300 and determines whether or not to revise the reply message. If the shop determines that revision is necessary, it clicks the edit button 25, which is located at the bottom of the reply message screen 320 and allows the shop to edit the reply message, and revises the reply message. If the shop determines that revision is not necessary and that the revised reply message will be sent to the shopper, it clicks the send permission button 26, which is located at the bottom of the reply message screen 320. When the send permission button 26 is clicked, the shop terminal 300 sends permission to send the reply message to the message management device 100.

[0060] When the transmitting unit 170 receives permission to send from the shop terminal 300 (step S207; Yes), it transmits a reply message related to the permission to send to the shopper terminal 200 of the shopper who sent the corresponding investigation-required message (step S208). Thereafter, the transmitting unit 170 notifies the recording unit 130 that the reply message has been sent.

[0061] The recording unit 130 removes the tag indicating that the message is one that requires investigation by changing "Investigation Required" from "1" to "0" in the message management table illustrated in Fig. 5, stores the date and time when the reply message was sent in the "Response Sent Date and Time" field, and ends the process. On the other hand, if the sending unit 170 does not receive permission to send from the shop terminal 300 (step S207; No), the sending unit 170 returns to step S206 and waits for permission to send.

[0062] As described above, when the message management device 100 receives a question message, if the question message is a message requiring investigation, it attaches a tag indicating that the message is a message requiring investigation, and when it sends a response message to the message requiring investigation, it removes the tag. Therefore, the shop can easily know whether there are any messages requiring investigation that are currently being investigated because an investigation request has not been made to the supplier, the investigation results have not been obtained from the supplier, or a response has not been sent, and it is possible to prevent missed responses.

[0063] Furthermore, when the message management device 100 acquires investigation result information from a supplier, it automatically selects a message requiring investigation that matches the investigation result information as a response from among multiple investigation result messages addressed to the shop, and generates a response message. This eliminates the need for the shop to identify a message requiring investigation that matches the investigation result information as a response, or to modify the wording of the investigation result information to create a response message, thereby enabling more efficient responses.

[0064] (Variation) In the above embodiment, the recording unit 130 is described as assigning a tag indicating that a question message designated by a shop as a message requiring investigation is a message requiring investigation, but this is not limited to this. For example, the recording unit 130 may input a question message received by the receiving unit 120 into a classification model trained using learning data including question messages labeled as whether or not the question message is a message requiring investigation, and obtain a determination result as to whether or not the question message is a message requiring investigation. When the classification model determines that the question message is a message requiring investigation, the recording unit 130 may automatically assign a tag indicating that the question message is a message requiring investigation to the question message. The classification model is an example of a second learning model.

[0065] Furthermore, the sentence generation AI may not only generate a response message, but also estimate a request recipient to be requested to investigate the investigation-required message, and further generate a request message for the estimated request recipient. For example, the sentence generation AI may be configured to be able to refer to an item DB that stores information on items handled by each shop and the manufacturers, wholesalers, etc. that are suppliers of the items, or may be configured to learn the relationship between past investigation-required messages and request messages and estimate a request recipient from a newly recorded investigation-required message. The generation unit 160 may send a prompt to the sentence generation AI instructing it to estimate a request recipient to be requested to investigate based on the investigation-required message and to generate a request message for the request recipient, and then acquire the generated request message.

[0066] The message management device 100 may further include a notification unit that outputs to the shop terminal 300 a notification prompting confirmation of the implementation of an investigation request for an investigation-required message or a notification prompting transmission of a reply message. Specifically, the notification unit references the message management table illustrated in FIG. 5 and extracts investigation-required messages for which a "1" is stored in the "investigation required" field and a predetermined period has elapsed since the date and time stored in the "received date and time" field. For example, the period for outputting a notification prompting confirmation of the implementation of an investigation request and the period for outputting a notification prompting transmission of a reply message may be set to be different. For example, the period for outputting a notification prompting transmission of a reply message may be set to be longer than the period for outputting a notification prompting confirmation of the implementation of an investigation request. The notification unit intermittently accesses the message management table to identify investigation-required messages for which the set period has elapsed, and outputs to the target shop terminal 300 a notification prompting confirmation of the implementation of an investigation request or a notification prompting transmission of a reply message. This prevents shops from failing to request an investigation, failing to send a reply message, or failing to receive a reply from the party to whom the investigation was requested.

[0067] The message management device 100 according to the above embodiment can be realized using a normal computer, not a dedicated device. For example, the message management device 100 that executes the above-described processes may be configured by installing a program for executing any of the above-described processes on a computer from a recording medium that stores the program. The message management device 100 may also be configured by multiple computers operating in cooperation with each other.

[0068] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned functions are realized by sharing the functions between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and the application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the medium.

[0069] It is also possible to superimpose the program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program may be distributed through an application store (App Store) or posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network and distributed via the network. These programs may then be launched and run under the control of an operating system in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-described processing to be performed.

[0070] The information stored in the storage unit 14 may be collectively managed by a cloud server on the network, and the message management device 100 may access the cloud server as needed to read and write information. In this case, the message management device 100 does not need to include the message storage unit 110. The presentation process by the message management device 100 may be performed on the cloud using information stored in the cloud server.

[0071] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0072] (Appendix 1) a receiving unit that receives a question message sent from a sender to an administrator; a recording unit that records, if the inquiry message received by the receiving unit is an investigation-required message that requires investigation, that the received inquiry message is the investigation-required message; an acquisition unit that acquires investigation result information indicating an investigation result for the investigation-required message; a selection unit that selects, from the plurality of messages requiring investigation, a message requiring investigation whose investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit is suitable as a response to the message requiring investigation; a generation unit that generates a reply message to the investigation-required message selected by the selection unit based on the investigation-required message, the acquired investigation result information, and sender information of a sender who sent the investigation-required message; a sending unit that sends the reply message generated by the generating unit to the sender who sent the investigation-required message selected by the selecting unit; A message management device comprising:

[0073] (Appendix 2) the selection unit inputs the investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit into a first learning model that calculates the degree of relevance between the question message and the investigation result information, and selects a message requiring investigation for which the investigation result information is suitable as the answer based on the degree of relevance calculated by the first learning model. 2. A message management device according to claim 1.

[0074] (Appendix 3) the recording unit inputs the question message received by the receiving unit into a second learning model that classifies the question message as the message requiring investigation, and when the question message is determined to be the message requiring investigation, assigns a tag to the question message indicating that it is the message requiring investigation; 3. A message management device according to claim 1 or 2.

[0075] (Appendix 4) the recording unit, when the reply message is transmitted by the transmission unit, records that the tag is to be removed from the investigation required message corresponding to the reply message. 4. A message management device according to claim 3.

[0076] (Appendix 5) When the recording unit records that the message is an investigation-required message, the generation unit estimates, from the recorded investigation-required message, a request destination that is suitable for investigating the investigation-required message, and generates, from the investigation-required message, a request message addressed to the estimated request destination. 5. A message management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

[0077] (Appendix 6) a notification unit that, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the receipt of the inquiry message recorded as being a message requiring investigation, outputs a notification to an administrator who is the destination of the inquiry message, urging the administrator to confirm the implementation of a request for investigation regarding the inquiry message, or a notification urging the administrator to send the reply message; 6. The message management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

[0078] (Appendix 7) The computer receiving a query message sent from a sender to an administrator; If the received interrogation message is a message requiring investigation, recording that the received interrogation message is the message requiring investigation; acquiring investigation result information indicating an investigation result for the investigation-required message; selecting a message to be investigated from the plurality of messages to be investigated, the message to be investigated being suitable as a response to the message to be investigated based on the obtained investigation result information; generating a response message to the selected investigation-required message based on the investigation-required message, the acquired investigation result information, and sender information of a sender who sent the investigation-required message; sending the generated reply message to the sender of the selected investigation-required message; A message management method that performs

[0079] (Appendix 8) On the computer, A process of receiving a question message sent from a sender to an administrator; If the received inquiry message is a message requiring investigation, a process of recording that the received inquiry message is a message requiring investigation; acquiring investigation result information indicating an investigation result for the investigation-required message; A process of selecting, from the plurality of messages requiring investigation, a message requiring investigation in which the acquired investigation result information is suitable as a response to the message requiring investigation; A process of generating a reply message to the selected investigation-required message based on the investigation-required message, the acquired investigation result information, and sender information of a sender who sent the investigation-required message; a process of sending the generated reply message to the sender of the selected investigation-required message; A program that executes the following.

[0080] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0081] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a message management device, a message management method, and a program that can efficiently answer questions that require investigation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 100 message management device, 200 shopper terminal, 300 shop terminal, 400 communication network, 110 message storage unit, 120 receiving unit, 130 recording unit, 140 acquisition unit, 150 selection unit, 160 generation unit, 170 transmission unit, 170 output unit, 210 item sales page, 220 question form, 310 question message screen, 320 answer message screen, 11 CPU, 12 RAM, 13 ROM, 14 storage unit, 15 input unit, 16 display unit, 17 communication unit, 21 inquiry icon, 22 transmission icon, 23 investigation required button, 24 investigation not required button, 25 edit button, 99 internal bus

Claims

1. a receiving unit that receives a question message sent from a sender to an administrator; a recording unit that records, if the inquiry message received by the receiving unit is an investigation-required message that requires investigation, that the received inquiry message is the investigation-required message; an acquisition unit that acquires investigation result information indicating an investigation result for the investigation-required message; a selection unit that selects, from the plurality of messages requiring investigation, a message requiring investigation whose investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit is suitable as a response to the message requiring investigation; a generation unit that generates a reply message to the investigation-required message selected by the selection unit based on the investigation-required message, the acquired investigation result information, and sender information of a sender who sent the investigation-required message; a sending unit that sends the reply message generated by the generating unit to the sender who sent the investigation-required message selected by the selecting unit; A message management device comprising:

2. the selection unit inputs the investigation result information acquired by the acquisition unit into a first learning model that calculates the degree of relevance between the question message and the investigation result information, and selects a message requiring investigation for which the investigation result information is suitable as the answer based on the degree of relevance calculated by the first learning model. The message management device according to claim 1 .

3. the recording unit inputs the question message received by the receiving unit into a second learning model that classifies the question message as the message requiring investigation, and when the question message is determined to be the message requiring investigation, assigns a tag to the question message indicating that it is the message requiring investigation; 3. The message management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the recording unit, when the reply message is transmitted by the transmission unit, records that the tag is to be removed from the investigation required message corresponding to the reply message.

4. The message management device according to claim 3.

5. When the recording unit records that the message is an investigation-required message, the generation unit estimates, from the recorded investigation-required message, a request destination that is suitable for investigating the investigation-required message, and generates, from the investigation-required message, a request message addressed to the estimated request destination.

3. The message management device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. a notification unit that, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the receipt of the inquiry message recorded as being a message requiring investigation, outputs a notification to an administrator who is the destination of the inquiry message, urging the administrator to confirm the implementation of a request for investigation regarding the inquiry message, or a notification urging the administrator to send the reply message; The message management device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

7. The computer receiving a query message sent from a sender to an administrator; If the received interrogation message is a message requiring investigation, recording that the received interrogation message is the message requiring investigation; acquiring investigation result information indicating an investigation result for the investigation-required message; selecting a message to be investigated, the message to be investigated being suitable as a response to the message to be investigated, from among the plurality of messages to be investigated; generating a reply message to the selected investigation-required message based on the investigation-required message, the acquired investigation result information, and sender information of a sender who sent the investigation-required message; sending the generated reply message to the sender of the selected investigation-required message; A message management method that performs

8. On the computer, A process of receiving a question message sent from a sender to an administrator; If the received inquiry message is a message requiring investigation, a process of recording that the received inquiry message is a message requiring investigation; acquiring investigation result information indicating an investigation result for the investigation-required message; A process of selecting, from the plurality of messages requiring investigation, a message requiring investigation whose acquired investigation result information is suitable as a response to the message requiring investigation; A process of generating a reply message to the selected investigation-required message based on the investigation-required message, the acquired investigation result information, and sender information of a sender who sent the investigation-required message; a process of sending the generated reply message to the sender of the selected investigation-required message; A program that executes the following.

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