Customer service support device, customer service support method, and program

Abstract

To provide technology that can support customer service operations. [Solution] A customer service support device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a screen providing unit that provides a screen to the terminal of a second user, excluding the second user who confirmed the support request, of the second users who support the customer service of a first user who is providing customer service using a predetermined communication means, the second user who confirmed the support request from the first user is in charge of the customer service. The screen includes a display component indicating that the second user is in charge of the customer service.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a response support device, a response support method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There has been conventionally known a technique that enables a supervisor to monitor the conversation content between an operator and a customer in a call center (or also referred to as a contact center) (for example, Patent Document 1). Here, a supervisor is a person who supports the telephone response work of the operator in response to the occurrence or possible occurrence of some problems such as troubles between the operator and the customer, or in response to a request from the operator.

[0003] The support for the above telephone response work is performed in various ways, but it is generally performed by oral communication, handwritten memos, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the prior art is premised on the operator and the supervisor commuting to the contact center and collaborating within the contact center. On the other hand, in recent years, due to the diversification of work styles, etc., one or both of the operator and the supervisor often perform telework such as working from home. For this reason, in the prior art, a situation may occur where the supervisor cannot sufficiently support the operator's telephone response work.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and provides a technology capable of supporting response work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A customer service support device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a screen providing unit that provides a screen to the terminal of a second user, excluding the second user who confirmed the support request, of the second users who support the customer service of a first user who is providing customer service using a predetermined communication means, the second user who confirmed the support request from the first user is in charge of the customer service. The screen includes a display component that indicates the second user is in charge of the customer service. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] Technology that can support customer service operations will be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the overall configuration of the contact center system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of the support server, operator terminal, and supervisor terminal according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing an example of the supervisor screen. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a supervisor screen when reviewing the call content of an operator in whom a keyword was detected. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a supervisor screen when reviewing the call content of an operator whose call duration exceeded the allotted time. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a supervisor screen when reviewing the content of an operator's call when the hold time exceeds a predetermined period. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a supervisor screen when reviewing the call content of an operator who has received a help request. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a supervisor screen when an operator reviews the call content of a help request that has been submitted with a specified spoken text. [Figure 9]This figure shows an example of a supervisor screen that includes shared notes. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of an operator screen. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of the operator screen after a help request has been made. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the operator screen when requesting help by specifying spoken text. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the operator screen after a help request has been read. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of an operator screen that includes shared notes. [Figure 15] This diagram shows a modified version of the supervisor screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes one embodiment of the present invention. In the following embodiment, a contact center system 1 is described that can support the operator's telephone answering duties (telephone customer service duties) even when at least one of the operator and supervisor is working remotely, targeting a contact center (or call center). Hereinafter, the duties of supporting telephone answering duties will also be referred to as "telephone answering support duties". However, the contact center is just one example and is not limited to it. The same can be applied to other settings besides contact centers, such as offices or stores, when supporting the answering duties of sales representatives or counter staff for products and services. More generally, the same can be applied when supporting the answering of one person (or more people) to another person while multiple people are having some kind of conversation.

[0011] In the following, the operator is described as performing operations such as inquiry response with the customer via a voice call. However, this is not limited thereto. For example, it is similarly applicable even when operations are performed via text chat (including those capable of sending and receiving stamps, attached files, etc. in addition to text), video call, or the like. More generally, it is similarly applicable when performing customer response operations by any communication means using at least one of voice, video, text (including stamps, attached files, etc.), etc. among a plurality of persons including the customer.

[0012] <Overall configuration example of contact center system 1> An overall configuration example of the contact center system 1 according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the contact center system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a response support server 10, one or more operator terminals 20, one or more supervisor terminals 30, an IP-PBX 40, and a customer terminal 50. These are communicably connected to each other via a network 60 including various communication networks such as a LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network, a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), etc.

[0013] The response support server 10 is a server or a group of servers that provides various functions for supporting the operator's telephone response operations and the supervisor's telephone response support operations. Although there are various functions provided by the response support server 10, at least the functions shown in the following (1) to (3) are provided as the functions on which the present embodiment is premised.

[0014] (1) Voice recognition function: This function creates a speech text in which a voice call between an operator and a customer is texturized with time information for each speaker by voice recognition technology using a packet (voice packet) transferred from the IP-PBX 40.

[0015] (2) Speech text providing function: This function provides a screen (hereinafter also referred to as an operator screen) on the operator terminal 20 where UI components representing the speech text created by the above speech recognition function can be confirmed in real time for each speaker. With this function, the operator can confirm the content of the call with the customer (i.e., the content of the customer's and their own speech) in real time during the call. Note that UI components refer to icons, buttons, graphics, characters, etc. displayed on the screen. UI components may be operable by the user or non-operable by the user. Hereinafter, the UI component representing the speech text is also referred to as a "speech component".

[0016] (3) Monitoring function: This function provides a screen (hereinafter also referred to as a supervisor screen) on the supervisor terminal 30 where the supervisor can confirm in real time the call status of one or more operators being monitored (e.g., "awaiting", "on call", "on hold", etc.) and the call content of the operator whose call status is "on call" or "on hold". Note that it is common for a supervisor to monitor several operators.

[0017] At this time, the response support server 10 according to the present embodiment further displays on the supervisor screen an "operator status" representing the presence or absence of stress of the operator and an "alert" (warning) indicating that some problem has occurred in the call of that operator. Thereby, the supervisor can confirm the operator status such as the presence or absence of stress and the presence or absence of alerts in the call, so that even if the supervisor or the operator is working remotely, it is possible to effectively support the operator's telephone response work.

[0018] Furthermore, the support server 10 according to this embodiment displays UI components on the operator's screen for operators to request support for telephone answering from a supervisor that monitors it, and also allows operators to confirm on the operator's screen whether or not the supervisor has confirmed the support request (hereinafter, this support request is also referred to as a "help request"). As a result, operators can request help from a supervisor on the operator's screen without actually raising their hands, for example, and can also find out whether or not the supervisor has confirmed the help request, making it possible to effectively receive support from a supervisor even when the operator or the operator is teleworking.

[0019] Furthermore, the support server 10 according to this embodiment allows operators to make not only regular help requests but also help requests specifying particular utterance texts when an operator makes a help request to the supervisor that monitors it. This enables operators to request support regarding specific utterance texts and to receive support from the supervisor more effectively.

[0020] In addition, the support server 10 according to this embodiment provides a memo (hereinafter also referred to as "shared memo") that can be shared in real time between the operator screen and the supervisor screen, as a tool for the supervisor to actually support the operator. This enables the operator and the supervisor to communicate with each other in real time on the shared memo, thereby realizing effective and efficient support.

[0021] Furthermore, the customer support server 10 may provide various functions other than those described in (1) to (3) above. For example, the customer support server 10 may provide functions to operators such as FAQs, functions to provide operators with customer information (name, age, gender, address, purchase history of products and services, etc.), and functions to provide operators with summaries of past calls of the customer currently being handled. However, these are just examples, and the customer support server 10 may provide various other functions.

[0022] The operator terminal 20 is a variety of terminals used by the operator (for example, a PC (personal computer), smartphone, tablet, wearable device, etc.). Here, the operator terminal 20 may be installed within the contact center and used by the operator when they are at the contact center, or it may be installed at the operator's home or a shared office and used when teleworking. Alternatively, the operator terminal 20 may be installed within the contact center and used when teleworking via remote connection from a terminal installed at the operator's home or a shared office.

[0023] The operator terminal 20 is assumed to be equipped with application software, such as a softphone, and to have telephone functionality. However, the operator terminal 20 does not necessarily have telephone functionality; in this case, a separate telephone used by the operator will be provided.

[0024] The supervisor terminal 30 is a variety of terminals used by the supervisor (e.g., a PC (personal computer), smartphone, tablet, wearable device, etc.). Here, the supervisor terminal 30 may be installed within the contact center and used by the supervisor when they are at the contact center, or it may be installed at the supervisor's home or a shared office and used when teleworking. Alternatively, the supervisor terminal 30 may be installed within the contact center and used when teleworking via remote connection from a terminal installed at the supervisor's home or a shared office.

[0025] Furthermore, the supervisor terminal 30 may be equipped with application software known as a softphone, and may also have telephone functionality.

[0026] IP-PBX40 is a server or group of servers that functions as a cloud-based telephone exchange (IP-PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch eXchange)). IP-PBX40 relays voice packets between the operator terminal 20 and the customer terminal 50, and also captures those voice packets and sends (forwards) them to the support server 10.

[0027] Customer terminals 50 are various devices used by customers, such as smartphones, mobile phones, and landline phones.

[0028] Note that the overall configuration of the contact center system 1 shown in Figure 1 is just one example and is not limited to this configuration. Any other configuration is acceptable as long as it can realize the various functions or processes described in this embodiment.

[0029] <Example of functional configuration for the support server 10, operator terminal 20, and supervisor terminal 30> Figure 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the support server 10, operator terminal 20, and supervisor terminal 30 according to this embodiment.

[0030] ≪Response Support Server 10≫ As shown in Figure 2, the customer support server 10 according to this embodiment includes an operator status determination unit 101, an alert determination unit 102, a UI processing unit 103, and a storage unit 104. The operator status determination unit 101, the alert determination unit 102, and the UI processing unit 103 are implemented, for example, by processing that one or more programs installed on the customer support server 10 cause a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute. The storage unit 104 is implemented, for example, by an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory. Note that all or part of the storage area of ​​the storage unit 104 may be implemented by a storage device such as a database server connected to the customer support server 10 via a network 60.

[0031] When the operator status determination unit 101 receives status determination information from the operator terminal 20, it uses this status determination information to determine the operator status of the operator using the operator terminal 20. Here, status determination information refers to information used to determine the operator status, and examples include a captured image of the operator's face, the operator's biometric information (such as heart rate), and the operator's voice data. The operator status determination unit 101 can use known stress determination techniques and emotion analysis techniques to determine the presence or absence of stress or the degree of stress for each operator from this status determination information, and the determination result can be used as the operator status of that operator.

[0032] The alert determination unit 102 determines, at predetermined intervals (for example, every 1 to several seconds), whether or not an event that should trigger an alert has occurred during a call between a customer and an operator. Hereinafter, the following three types of alerts are assumed.

[0033] Keyword detection • The response time exceeds the specified time. • Hold time exceeds the specified time Keyword detection is an alert that indicates a predetermined keyword (especially negative keywords that may lead to customer complaints, etc.) has been detected in the utterance text of the call. Call duration exceeding a predetermined time is an alert that indicates the call duration has exceeded a predetermined threshold. Hold duration exceeding a predetermined time is an alert that indicates the hold duration of the call has exceeded a predetermined threshold. In the following examples, the threshold for call duration is assumed to be "3 minutes" and the threshold for hold duration is assumed to be "1 minute". However, these thresholds are just examples, and it is possible to set any time as the threshold.

[0034] The UI processing unit 103 provides the operator screen to the operator terminal 20 and the supervisor screen to the supervisor terminal 30. Furthermore, when the UI processing unit 103 receives operation information related to the operator screen or the supervisor screen, it executes processing corresponding to that operation information. Operation information refers to information representing the type and location of an operation performed by the user on the screen. Here, executing processing corresponding to operation information means, for example, if the operation information indicates that a UI component has been selected, then executing processing corresponding to the selection operation of that UI component. For example, if the selection operation of a UI component displays a new UI component on a screen or causes a screen transition, then this means executing the display processing or screen transition processing.

[0035] Furthermore, the UI processing unit 103 may not provide the operator screen or supervisor screen, but rather only the information necessary to generate and display those screens on the operator terminal 20 and supervisor terminal 30. In this case, the operator terminal 20 and supervisor terminal 30 may also execute processes to display new UI components or transition screens in response to operations on the operator screen or supervisor screen. This makes it possible for the operator terminal 20 and supervisor terminal 30 to execute processes such as displaying screens corresponding to user operations (including screen transitions and display of UI components) independently of the support server 10.

[0036] The memory unit 104 stores various information or data. Examples of the various information or data stored in the memory unit 104 include, for example, audio data recorded from conversations between customers and operators (i.e., audio data contained in audio packets captured by the IP-PBX 40), spoken text converted from that audio data with time information for each speaker using a speech recognition function, and a keyword dictionary used for keyword detection by the alert determination unit 102. Here, the keyword dictionary is a collection of keywords to be detected. The keywords included in the keyword dictionary are often negative keywords that may lead to complaints, such as "quickly," "get me a supervisor," and "this is a problem."

[0037] The various types of information or data stored in the memory unit 104 are merely examples, and various other types of information or data may be stored in addition to those mentioned above.

[0038] ≪Operator Terminal 20≫ As shown in Figure 2, the operator terminal 20 according to this embodiment has a status determination information transmission unit 201 and a UI unit 202. The status determination information transmission unit 201 is implemented, for example, by having one or more programs installed on the operator terminal 20 execute a process on a processor such as a CPU. The UI unit 202 is implemented, for example, by having one or more programs, including a web browser installed on the operator terminal 20, execute a process on a processor such as a CPU.

[0039] The status determination information transmission unit 201 transmits status determination information acquired or collected by the operator terminal 20 to the response support server 10 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 1 to several seconds, every camera shooting cycle, every sensor sensing cycle, etc.). Examples of status determination information that the operator terminal 20 can acquire or collect include captured images of the operator's face, the operator's biometric information (such as heart rate), and the operator's voice data. However, since voice data contained in voice packets captured by the IP-PBX 40 is stored in the storage unit 104, the operator's voice data does not need to be acquired or collected by the operator terminal 20.

[0040] Alternatively, the status determination information transmission unit 201 may, instead of transmitting the status determination information to the support server 10, determine the operator status from the status determination information and then transmit only the determination result to the support server 10. Or, if a server that determines the operator status from the status determination information (hereinafter referred to as the status determination server) exists separately from the support server 10, the status determination information transmission unit 201 may transmit the status determination information to the status determination server, and the determination result of the operator status determined by this status determination server may be transmitted from the status determination server to the support server 10.

[0041] The UI unit 202 displays the operator screen provided by the support server 10 on a display device such as a monitor, and also receives various operations from the operator on the operator screen and transmits the operation information to the support server 10.

[0042] ≪Supervisor Terminal 30≫ As shown in Figure 2, the supervisor terminal 30 according to this embodiment has a UI unit 301. The UI unit 301 is realized, for example, by having one or more programs, including a web browser installed on the supervisor terminal 30, execute processes on a processor such as a CPU.

[0043] The UI unit 301 displays the supervisor screen provided by the support server 10 on a display device such as a display, and accepts various operations performed by the supervisor on the supervisor screen and transmits the operation information to the support server 10.

[0044] <Supervisor screen> The supervisor screen, provided by the UI processing unit 103 of the support server 10 and displayed by the UI unit 301 of the supervisor terminal 30, will be described below.

[0045] Figure 3 shows an example of a supervisor screen displayed by the UI unit 301 of a supervisor terminal 30. The supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 3 includes a monitored operator information section 1110 in which various information about the operators monitored by the supervisor using the supervisor terminal 30 (hereinafter also referred to as monitored operator information) is displayed. In the monitored operator information section 1110 of the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 3, monitored operator information 1111 to monitored operator information 1116 are displayed.

[0046] The information for each monitored operator displayed in the monitored operator information section 1110 includes "Alert / Help Request," "OP Status," "OP ID," "OP Name," "Call Status," and "Status Elapsed Time."

[0047] The "Alert / Help Request" section displays a UI component indicating an alert if the alert determination unit 102 determines that an event worthy of an alert has occurred. Additionally, the "Alert / Help Request" section displays a UI component indicating that a help request has been made if a help request has been made. In the example shown in Figure 3, the "Alert / Help Request" section of monitored operator information 1111 displays a UI component indicating that a help request has been made, the "Alert / Help Request" section of monitored operator information 1113 displays a UI component indicating that the call duration exceeds 3 minutes, the "Alert / Help Request" section of monitored operator information 1115 displays a UI component indicating that the hold time exceeds 1 minute, and the "Alert / Help Request" section of monitored operator information 1116 displays a UI component indicating that a keyword has been detected. This allows supervisors to know whether an event worthy of an alert has occurred in each operator's call and whether a help request has been made, enabling them to decide whether or not to support the operator's telephone answering duties even if they or the operator are teleworking.

[0048] The "OP Status" section displays UI components representing the operator's status. In the example shown in Figure 3, the operator's status is represented by face icons indicating stress levels; for example, a smiling face icon indicates no stress, while a worried face icon indicates stress. Specifically, the "OP Status" for monitored operator information 1111 to 1112 and monitored operator information 1114 to 1115 displays a UI component indicating no stress, while the "OP Status" for monitored operator information 1113 and 1116 displays a UI component indicating stress. This allows supervisors to know whether each operator is stressed, which can be used as a reference when deciding whether or not to support the operator's telephone answering duties, even if they or the operator are teleworking and their face cannot be seen.

[0049] However, the operator state being a binary value of stress or no stress is just one example; for example, it could be a continuous or discrete value representing the degree of stress. In this case, the "OP state" could display UI components corresponding to the operator's stress level (for example, a face icon with progressively different facial expressions depending on the stress level), or it could display a continuous or discrete value representing the stress level.

[0050] The "OP ID" field displays identification information that uniquely identifies the operator (e.g., user ID or operator ID). The "OP Name" field displays the operator's name. The "Call Status" field displays a UI component indicating the operator's call status ("Available," "In Call," or "On Hold"). The "Time Elapsed" field displays the time elapsed for the operator's current call status. Note that the call status "Available" means the operator is available to answer the phone, "In Call" means the operator is currently answering a phone call, and "On Hold" means the operator is answering a phone call but the call is on hold.

[0051] In this way, the supervisor screen displays whether each operator has an alert, whether they have requested help, and their operator status. This allows the supervisor to determine whether or not to support the operator's phone handling duties, even if the supervisor or operator is working remotely and they cannot see each other's faces or communicate by raising their hand, etc. Therefore, the supervisor can provide appropriate support at the appropriate time, which in turn can lead to improved quality of phone handling and increased customer satisfaction.

[0052] While it is preferable to fix the display order of the monitored operator information in the monitored operator information section of the supervisor screen, the display order may be dynamically changed based on some criteria. For example, the monitored operator information may be displayed from top to bottom in order of increasing stress level, according to the stress level represented by the operator status.

[0053] • To check the call content of the operator whose keyword was detected. For example, if the monitored operator information 1116 is selected from the monitored operator information field 1110 of the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 3, the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 4 will be displayed by the UI unit 301 of the supervisor terminal 30. The monitored operator information 1116 is information about the operator making a call in which an event subject to "keyword detection" has occurred, as determined by the alert determination unit 102 (i.e., a call in which a keyword was detected).

[0054] The supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 4 includes a call display area 1120 that displays the content of a call being made by an operator corresponding to the monitored operator information 1116 selected by the supervisor. The call display area 1120 includes a call content display area 1121 that displays speech components representing the utterance text of the call. In this call content display area 1121, the speech component representing the utterance text in which the keyword was detected is displayed at the top. In the example shown in Figure 4, the call content display area 1121 displays speech components 1121-1 to 1121-4, with speech component 1121-1 representing the utterance text in which the keyword "quickly" was detected.

[0055] In the example shown in Figure 4, speech components 1121-1 and 1121-3 represent the customer's spoken text, while speech components 1121-2 and 1121-4 represent the operator's spoken text.

[0056] Furthermore, the call display area 1120 includes a UI component 1130 that indicates that a keyword has been detected, and a close button 1131 to hide this UI component 1130. In addition, it also includes a call information button 1140 for switching the display to information such as the phone number, name, and call start time of the customer on the other end of the call, a search field 1150 for searching the spoken text represented by the utterance component in the call content display area 1121 using a search keyword, and a shared memo display button 1160 for displaying shared memos.

[0057] In this way, supervisors can review the spoken text of calls in which keywords were detected. This allows supervisors to know what keywords were detected, consider whether they are likely to lead to complaints, and decide whether they should support the operator's telephone handling duties.

[0058] • When reviewing the content of calls by operators that have exceeded 3 minutes in duration. For example, if operator information 1113 is selected from the monitored operator information field 1110 on the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 3, the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 5 will be displayed by the UI unit 301 of the supervisor terminal 30. The monitored operator information 1113 is information about the operator who is making a call that has been determined by the alert determination unit 102 to be an event that "responses for more than 3 minutes" (i.e., a call that has been made for more than 3 minutes).

[0059] The supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 5 includes a call display area 1120 that displays the content of calls made by operators corresponding to the monitored operator information 1113 selected by the supervisor. The call display area 1120 includes a call content display area 1122 that displays speech components representing the utterance text of the call, with the most recent utterance component being displayed at the top of the call content display area 1122. In the example shown in Figure 5, speech component 1122-1 is displayed in the call content display area 1122, and speech component 1122-1 is the speech component representing the most recent utterance text. However, in the call content display area 1122, for example, a speech component representing the utterance text when the threshold for response time, "3 minutes," is exceeded may be displayed at the top.

[0060] In the example shown in Figure 5, the speech component 1122-1 represents the operator's spoken text.

[0061] Furthermore, the call display area 1120 includes a UI component 1170 that indicates the call duration has exceeded 3 minutes, and a close button 1171 to hide this UI component 1170.

[0062] In this way, supervisors can review the spoken text of calls where the call duration exceeds a predetermined threshold. This allows supervisors to understand the content of long calls, consider whether they are likely to lead to complaints, and determine whether they should provide support to the operator's telephone handling duties.

[0063] Furthermore, because the speech component representing the latest utterance text is displayed at the top of the call content display area 1122, the latest utterance text is displayed closer to the UI component 1170. This makes it easy to understand the current status of the call from the latest utterance text, along with the "alert / help request" indicating that the call duration has exceeded 3 minutes.

[0064] However, the display position of the UI component 1170 shown in Figure 5 is just one example. For example, the UI component 1170 may be displayed in either the upper left or upper right corner of the call content display field 1122. Furthermore, the UI component 1170 may be displayed in either the upper left or upper right corner of the call content display field 1122, corresponding to the display position of the speech component representing the utterance text corresponding to the speaker. Also, it is just one example that the speech component representing the latest utterance text is displayed at the very top, and this display position can also be changed as appropriate. For example, the speech component representing the latest utterance text may be displayed at the bottom of the call content display field 1122. In this case, the UI component 1170 may also be displayed in either the lower left or lower right corner of the call content display field 1122. Furthermore, the UI component 1170 may be displayed in either the upper left or upper right corner of the call content display field 1122, corresponding to the display position of the speech component representing the utterance text corresponding to the speaker.

[0065] • When checking the content of an operator's call when the hold time exceeds 1 minute. For example, if the monitored operator information 1115 is selected from the monitored operator information field 1110 of the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 3, the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 6 will be displayed by the UI unit 301 of the supervisor terminal 30. The monitored operator information 1115 is information about the operator who is making a call in which an event that falls under the category of "hold time exceeding 1 minute" has occurred, as determined by the alert determination unit 102 (i.e., a call with a hold time exceeding 1 minute).

[0066] The supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 6 includes a call display area 1120 that displays the content of calls made by operators corresponding to the monitored operator information 1115 selected by the supervisor. The call display area 1120 includes a call content display area 1123 that displays speech components representing the utterance text of the call, with the most recent utterance component being displayed at the top of the call content display area 1123. In the example shown in Figure 6, speech component 1123-1 is displayed in the call content display area 1123, and speech component 1123-1 is the speech component representing the most recent utterance text. However, in the call content display area 1123, for example, a speech component representing the utterance text when the threshold for hold time "1 minute" is exceeded may be displayed at the top.

[0067] In the example shown in Figure 6, the speech component 1123-1 represents the customer's spoken text.

[0068] Furthermore, the call display area 1120 includes a UI component 1180 that indicates that the hold time has exceeded 1 minute, and a close button 1181 to hide this UI component 1180.

[0069] In this way, supervisors can review the utterance text of calls where the hold time exceeds a predetermined threshold. This allows supervisors to understand the content of calls with long hold times, consider whether they are likely to lead to complaints, and decide whether they should support the operator's telephone handling duties.

[0070] Furthermore, because the speech component representing the latest utterance text is displayed at the top of the call content display area 1123, the latest utterance text is displayed closer to the UI component 1180. This makes it easy to understand the current status of the call, along with the "alert / help request" indicating that the hold time has exceeded one minute, based on the latest utterance text and other information.

[0071] However, the display position of the UI component 1180 shown in Figure 6 is just one example. For example, the UI component 1180 may be displayed in either the upper left or upper right corner of the call content display field 1123. Furthermore, the UI component 1180 may be displayed in either the upper left or upper right corner of the call content display field 1123, corresponding to the display position of the speech component representing the utterance text corresponding to the speaker. Also, it is just one example that the speech component representing the latest utterance text is displayed at the very top, and this display position can also be changed as appropriate. For example, the speech component representing the latest utterance text may be displayed at the bottom of the call content display field 1123. In this case, the UI component 1180 may also be displayed in either the lower left or lower right corner of the call content display field 1123. Furthermore, the UI component 1180 may be displayed in either the upper left or upper right corner of the call content display field 1123, corresponding to the display position of the speech component representing the utterance text corresponding to the speaker.

[0072] • When checking the call content of an operator who has received a help request. For example, if the monitored operator information 1111 is selected from the monitored operator information field 1110 on the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 3, the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 7 will be displayed by the UI unit 301 of the supervisor terminal 30. The monitored operator information 1111 is information about the operator of the call for which a help request was made.

[0073] The supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 7 includes a call display area 1120 that displays the content of a call being made by an operator corresponding to the monitored operator information 1111 selected by the supervisor. The call display area 1120 includes a call content display area 1124 that displays speech components representing the utterance text of the call, with the most recent speech component representing the utterance text being displayed at the top of the call content display area 1124. In the example shown in Figure 7, speech component 1124-1 is displayed in the call content display area 1124, and speech component 1124-1 is the speech component representing the most recent utterance text.

[0074] In the example shown in Figure 7, the speech component 1124-1 represents the customer's spoken text.

[0075] Furthermore, the call display area 1120 includes a UI component 1190 that indicates a help request has been made, and a close button 1191 to hide this UI component 1190.

[0076] In this way, supervisors can review the spoken text of calls that have received help requests. This allows supervisors to determine whether they should provide support for answering calls that have received help requests.

[0077] In this system, operator help requests may also be made by specifying spoken text. In this case, the speech component representing the specified spoken text is displayed in the call content display area 1124 in a different manner from other speech components. For example, if a help request is made specifying the spoken text represented by speech component 1124-1, as shown in Figure 8, speech component 1124-1 is displayed in a different manner from speech components 1124-2 to 1124-3. Additionally, speech component 1124-1 is assigned a help start icon 1200, for example, to display a shared memo and initiate assistance. This allows supervisors to quickly provide assistance in response to help requests that specify spoken text.

[0078] For example, if the operator status of an operator who made a help request changes, the display mode (e.g., color, etc.) of the UI component 1190 on the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 7 may be changed (in particular, to a display mode corresponding to the changed operator status). Similarly, if the operator status of an operator who made a help request by specifying speech text changes, the display mode (e.g., color, etc.) of the speech component 1124-1 on the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 8 may be changed (in particular, to a display mode corresponding to the changed operator status).

[0079] • Supervisor screen containing shared notes For example, if the Shared Memo Display button or the Help Start icon is selected on the supervisor screen, the UI unit 301 of the supervisor terminal 30 displays the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 9. Note that the supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 9 represents the supervisor screen when the Shared Memo Display button 1160 is selected in the example shown in Figure 7.

[0080] The supervisor screen 1100 shown in Figure 9 includes a shared memo field 1210, which consists of an operator-side memo field 1211 where memos written by the operator making the call are displayed, and a supervisor-side memo field 1212 where the supervisor can write memos. Memos written in the supervisor-side memo field 1212 are displayed on the operator screen of the operator terminal 20 used by the operator making the call. Therefore, the supervisor can support the operator's telephone answering duties by writing memos describing the support content in the supervisor-side memo field 1212.

[0081] For example, in the example shown in Figure 9, the operator's memo field 1211 reads, "I don't know the procedure for changing the shipping address," and in response, the supervisor writes in the supervisor's memo field 1212, "It is described on page 54 of the manual."

[0082] <Operator screen> The following describes the operator screen provided by the UI processing unit 103 of the support server 10 and displayed by the UI unit 202 of the operator terminal 20.

[0083] Figure 10 shows an example of an operator screen displayed by the UI unit 202 of a certain operator terminal 20. The operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 10 displays a call content display field 2110 that shows the content of the call between the operator and the customer. In this call content display field 2110, speech components representing the spoken text of the call are displayed in real time. In the example shown in Figure 10, speech components 2111-1 to 2111-3 are displayed in the call content display field 2110.

[0084] In the example shown in Figure 10, speech components 2111-1 and 2111-3 represent the customer's spoken text, and speech component 2111-2 represents the operator's spoken text.

[0085] Furthermore, the operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 10 also includes a help request button 2120 for requesting help from the supervisor monitoring the operator, a search field 2130 for searching the spoken text represented by the speech component in the call content display field 2110 using search keywords, and a shared memo display button 2140 for displaying shared memos.

[0086] In this way, operators can view the content of customer calls in real time on their operator screen, request help from their supervisors who monitor them, and communicate using shared notes.

[0087] • If you make a request for help For example, if the help request button 2120 is selected on the operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 10, the UI unit 301 of the operator terminal 20 will display the operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 11.

[0088] The operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 11 includes a UI component 2150 that indicates a help request has been made, and a close button 2151 to hide this UI component 2150. This UI component 2150 allows the operator to know that they have made a help request to the supervisor monitoring them.

[0089] Here, the operator can also request help by specifying the utterance text. To request help by specifying the utterance text, the operator should select the utterance component that represents the utterance text (for example, by hovering the mouse over it) and then request help. For example, as shown in Figure 12, the operator can select the "Help" button from the menu 2160 that appears when utterance component 2111-1 is selected. This allows the operator to request help by specifying the utterance text represented by utterance component 2111-1. The menu 2160 may also include a "Copy Utterance" button for copying the utterance text represented by utterance component 2111-1 to the clipboard or the like.

[0090] Furthermore, when an operator requests help, the supervisor monitoring that operator may be assisting another operator and may not be able to respond to the request immediately. Therefore, if the supervisor is assisting another operator, a UI component such as "Help request made (assisting another operator)" or "Help request made (handling another matter)" may be displayed instead of UI component 2150.

[0091] • When the supervisor confirms the help request When a supervisor confirms a help request, this may be notified on the operator's screen. For example, when a supervisor confirms a help request, a UI component 2170 indicating that the help request has been confirmed by the supervisor may be displayed, as shown in Figure 13. This UI component 2170 may display, for example, "Help request made (read)," allowing the operator to know that their help request has been confirmed by the supervisor. Therefore, even if the operator or supervisor is working remotely, they can know that their help request has been confirmed by the supervisor and that they will soon receive assistance. A close button 2171 may also be provided to hide the UI component 2170.

[0092] Here, for example, in the example shown in Figure 7, if UI component 1190 is selected by a supervisor, it can be assumed that the help request has been confirmed by that supervisor. When a help request is confirmed by a supervisor, information indicating that the supervisor is in charge of the help request is displayed on the supervisor screen 1100 that the supervisor checks (for example, UI component 1190 is changed to a UI component that indicates that the supervisor is in charge and displayed). On the other hand, on the supervisor screen 1100 that supervisors other than that supervisor (hereinafter referred to as supervisor A) check, information indicating that supervisor A is in charge of the help request is displayed (for example, UI component 1190 is changed to a UI component that indicates that supervisor A is in charge and displayed).

[0093] However, a help request can be considered confirmed by the supervisor not only when the UI component 1190 is selected by the supervisor, but also, for example, when the UI component 1190 is hidden by the selection of the close button 1191. In the example shown in Figure 8, a help request can be considered confirmed by the supervisor when the help start icon 1200 is selected by the supervisor. In addition to these, for example, in the example shown in Figure 7, a help request may be considered confirmed when the call display field 1120 is hidden by the supervisor, or when the monitored operator information 1111 is pressed or selected, or when any other predetermined operation is performed. Furthermore, when a help request is confirmed by the supervisor, the supervisor may notify the operator who made the help request that the help request has been confirmed, record that the supervisor is providing help to the operator, or notify the operator, other operators, and other supervisors of the supervisor's status.

[0094] In the example shown in Figure 13, the supervisor acknowledged the help request by including the word "Read" in UI component 2170. However, this is just one example, and the help request may be acknowledged in other ways. For example, the color of the UI component indicating that a help request has been made may be changed to a predetermined color.

[0095] • Shared memo included in operator screen For example, if the Shared Memo Display button or the Help Request button is selected on the operator screen, the UI unit 202 of the operator terminal 20 may display the operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 14. Note that the operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 14 represents the operator screen when the Shared Memo Display button 2140 is selected in the example shown in Figure 10.

[0096] The operator screen 2100 shown in Figure 14 includes a shared memo field 2180, which consists of an operator-side memo field 2181 where the operator can enter notes, and a supervisor-side memo field 2182 where notes entered by the supervisor are displayed. Notes entered in the operator-side memo field 2181 are displayed on the supervisor screen of the supervisor terminal 30 used by the supervisor who supports the operator's telephone answering duties. Therefore, the operator can communicate the type of support they need to the supervisor who is monitoring them by entering notes indicating the type of support they need in the operator-side memo field 2181.

[0097] For example, in the example shown in Figure 14, the operator's memo field 2181 reads, "I don't know the procedure for changing the shipping address," and in response, the supervisor writes in the supervisor's memo field 2182, "It is described on page 54 of the manual."

[0098] As a variation of the supervisor screen described in the above embodiment, for example, a supervisor screen consisting of separate windows for each operator may be displayed.

[0099] For example, the supervisor screen 3100 shown in Figure 15 consists of a window 3110 with the OP name "Goro Tanaka", a window 3120 with the OP name "Ichiro Tanaka", a window 3130 with the OP name "Hanako Suzuki", and a window 3140 with the OP name "Shiro Takahashi".

[0100] The window 3110 also includes an alert / help section 3111 that displays text indicating an alert or help request, a shared memo display button 3112 for displaying a shared memo, an end-of-assistance button 3113 for ending the operator's assistance, a call content display section 3114 that displays the call content, and a close button 3115 for hiding the call content display section 3114.

[0101] Furthermore, window 3120 includes an alert / help section 3121 where text indicating an alert or help request is displayed, a shared memo display button 3122 for displaying a shared memo, an end-of-assistance button 3123 for ending the operator's assistance, and an open button 3124 for displaying the call content display section.

[0102] Similarly, window 3130 includes an alert / help section 3131 where text indicating an alert or help request is displayed, a shared memo display button 3132 for displaying a shared memo, an end-of-assistance button 3133 for ending the operator's assistance, and an open button 3134 for displaying the call content display section.

[0103] Similarly, window 3140 includes an alert / help section 3141 where text indicating an alert or help request is displayed, a shared memo display button 3142 for displaying a shared memo, an end-of-assistance button 3143 for ending the operator's assistance, and an open button 3144 for displaying the call content display section.

[0104] Thus, a supervisor may monitor each operator's calls using a supervisor screen consisting of separate windows for each operator. This allows the supervisor to efficiently monitor multiple operators simultaneously.

[0105] Furthermore, among multiple windows, the call content display field may only be displayed in the window related to the call of the operator that the supervisor is currently assisting. For example, in the example shown in Figure 16, the window related to the call of the operator that the supervisor is currently assisting is window 3110, and the call content display field 3114 is displayed only in this window 3110.

[0106] Furthermore, in windows 3110 to 3140, for example, the facial expression of the face icon may be changed, decorations such as exclamation marks may be added to or removed from the face icon, or the display manner of the name or text within the window (font, color, blinking, etc.) may be changed depending on the operator status of the operator corresponding to that window (including alerts and help requests).

[0107] <Other variations> In the above embodiment, when a help request is confirmed by the supervisor, the word "Read" is added to the UI component indicating that a help request has been made. However, other methods may also be used, such as adding the word "Finished" to the UI component when the supervisor's help (assistance) is completed, or changing the color of the UI component to a predetermined color.

[0108] <Summary> As described above, the support server 10 according to this embodiment provides the supervisor with a supervisor screen that includes alerts detected during a call between an operator and a customer, and operator status indicating the operator's stress level, etc. This allows the supervisor to quickly detect problems during a call between an operator and a customer, and to easily determine whether or not support is needed, even if the supervisor is working remotely or the operator is working remotely.

[0109] Furthermore, the support server 10 according to this embodiment provides the operator with an operator screen that includes a UI component that allows the operator to request help from the supervisor, and the status of the help request (whether or not it has been confirmed by the supervisor, whether or not the supervisor is handling another matter, etc.). As a result, even if the operator is teleworking or the supervisor is teleworking, the operator can easily request help from the supervisor and easily find out the status of the supervisor's confirmation of the help request.

[0110] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically disclosed above, and various modifications, changes, and combinations with known technologies are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0111] 1. Contact Center System 10. Support Server 20 Operator terminals 30 Supervisor terminals 40 IP-PBX 50 Customer terminals 60 Networks 101 Operator status determination unit 102 Alert Determination Unit 103 UI Processing Unit 201 State determination information transmission unit 202 UI section 301 UI section

Claims

1. A customer service support device having a screen providing unit that provides a screen to the terminals of second users, excluding the second user who confirmed the support request, a screen containing a display component indicating that the second user who confirmed the support request from the first user is in charge of customer service, among the second users who are assisting the first user in customer service using a predetermined means of communication.

2. A customer service support method in which a computer performs a screen provision procedure, which provides a screen to the terminals of the second users, excluding the second user who confirmed the support request, that includes a display component indicating that the second user who confirmed the support request from the first user is in charge of customer service, among the second users who are assisting the first user in customer service using a predetermined means of communication.

3. A program that causes a computer to execute a screen provision procedure, which provides a screen containing a display component indicating that the second user who has confirmed the support request from the first user is in charge of customer service for a first user who is handling customer service using a predetermined means of communication, to the terminals of the second users, excluding the second user who confirmed the support request.

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