Introduction device, introduction method, and program

Abstract

We provide a referral device, referral method, and program that can support intercompany transactions between companies belonging to a group of companies. [Solution] Based on a registration request from a referring user, the system registers the business partner information in a database. If the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner meet predetermined departmental conditions, it records assignment history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the referring user's user information. The system then obtains the referral request from the user requesting the referral, identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referral request based on the referring user's user information included in the assignment history information, and sends a message to the identified recipient indicating that a referral request has been received from the requesting user.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , ,

[0005] , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to an introduction device, an introduction method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, various devices have been made to support order receiving and trading activities between companies. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a product order receiving support system that supports the order receiving business activities of both construction companies and agencies.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0007] Furthermore, in the introduction device relating to the above viewpoint, The recipient identification unit, when multiple records of the handling history information corresponding to the business partner identified by the referral request obtained by the referral request acquisition unit are recorded, identifies the recipient based on a predetermined priority order. You may do so.

[0008] Furthermore, in the introduction device relating to the above viewpoint, The transaction information registration unit updates the customer information registered in the database based on an update request from the referring user, and provides the customer information registered in the database based on a viewing request from the referring user. The aforementioned assignment history recording unit, when determined by the department determination unit to satisfy the departmental conditions, records the assignment history information by associating the information identifying the business partner, the user information of the referring user, and the type of request made by the referring user. The recipient identification unit, when multiple assignment history records are recorded for the business partner identified by the assignment request obtained by the assignment request acquisition unit, identifies the recipient based on the priority order based on the type of request recorded in the assignment history record. You may do so.

[0009] Furthermore, in the introduction device relating to the above viewpoint, If the handling history information corresponding to the business partner identified by the handling request obtained by the handling request acquisition unit includes multiple handling history information records, including handling history information indicating an update and handling history information indicating a view, the recipient identification unit identifies the recipient based on the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the update if the most recent request is an update, and identifies the recipient based on the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the view and the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the update if the most recent request is a view. You may do so.

[0010] Furthermore, in the introduction device relating to the above viewpoint, The system further includes a referral eligibility result acquisition unit that acquires a referral eligibility result indicating whether or not the referrer user will introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user after the message has been sent by the message sending unit, If the referral eligibility result obtained by the referral eligibility result acquisition unit indicates that the business partner can be introduced, the message sending unit sends a referral screen for the referrer user to introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user. You may do so.

[0011] Furthermore, in the introduction device relating to the above viewpoint, The system further includes a referral eligibility result acquisition unit that acquires a referral eligibility result indicating whether or not the referrer user will introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user after the message has been sent by the message sending unit, If the referral eligibility result obtained by the referral eligibility result acquisition unit indicates that the business partner is not eligible for referral, the referral request to the business partner is restricted. You may do so.

[0012] The method of introduction relating to the second aspect of the present invention is: A method of introduction using an introduction device, A transaction information registration step in which, based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as a referrer, the customer information included in the registration request is registered in the database, A department determination step that determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions, If the department determination step determines that the department conditions are met, the assignment history recording step records assignment history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the user information of the referring user. The referral request acquisition step involves obtaining referral requests from users requesting referrals, and A delivery address identification step which identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referrer obtained in the referrer request obtained in the referrer request acquisition step, based on the user information of the referrer user included in the assigned history information, A message sending step involves sending a message to the recipient identified in the recipient identification step indicating that a referral request has been received from the referral requesting user. It is equipped with.

[0013] A program relating to the third aspect of the present invention is: Computers, A transaction information registration unit registers the customer information included in the registration request into a database based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as the referrer. A department determination unit determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions. When it is determined by the said deployment determination unit that the said deployment conditions are satisfied, a responsible history recording unit that records responsible history information in which information identifying the said business partner and user information of the said introducer user are associated with each other, An introduction request acquisition unit that acquires an introduction request from an introduction request user who requests an introduction, A destination specifying unit that specifies the destination of the introducer of the said business partner specified by the said introduction request acquired by the said introduction request acquisition unit based on the user information of the said introducer user included in the said responsible history information, A message sending unit that sends a message indicating that there has been an introduction request from the said introduction request user to the said destination specified by the said destination specifying unit, Function as.

[0014] The above program may be recorded on a non - transitory recording medium. A non - transitory recording medium can be distributed and sold independently of a computer. Here, a non - transitory recording medium means a tangible recording medium. Non - transitory recording media are, for example, compact discs, flexible discs, hard disks, magneto - optical disks, digital video discs, magnetic tapes, semiconductor memories, etc. Also, a transitory recording medium refers to the transmission medium (propagating signal) itself. Transitory recording media are, for example, electrical signals, optical signals, electromagnetic waves, etc. Note that a temporary storage area is an area for temporarily storing data and programs, and is, for example, a volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory).

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an introduction device, an introduction method, and a program that can smoothly promote transactions with companies outside the group through cooperation among companies within the group.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the relationship between an introduction device and an information terminal. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of a device being introduced. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a transaction database. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a list of judgment information. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of assignment history information. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the registration request and registration process. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of referral request processing, transaction database information provision processing, referral processing, and referral eligibility processing. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display on an information terminal. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display on an information terminal. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display on an information terminal. [Figure 11] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display on an information terminal. [Figure 12] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display on an information terminal. [Figure 13] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of referral history information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] (Overall structure) A presentation device, presentation method, and program relating to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in Figure 1, the presentation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to an information terminal 200 via a computer communication network 300 such as the Internet.

[0018] The referral device 100 is a computer such as a server and has the function of referring a user, who is a user of an information terminal 200 of a certain company, to a business partner of another company belonging to the same group company, subject to approval by the person in charge of that other company. The business partner of the other company may be a company that does not belong to the group, and may include, for example, another group company, another independent company, and a sole proprietor.

[0019] Information terminal 200 refers to information terminals (so-called computers) such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs (Personal Computers) installed in multiple companies belonging to the group company. Information terminal 200 has functions for requesting registration of the company's business partners, referring to business partners, and requesting introductions to business partners. In this embodiment, for ease of understanding, the information terminal 200 on the receiving end and the information terminal 200 on the introducing end are described separately.

[0020] (Functional configuration of the device being introduced) Next, with reference to Figure 2, the configuration of the demonstration device 100 will be described.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the introduction device 100 includes a storage unit 110, a control unit 120, an input / output unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a system bus (not shown) that connects these to each other.

[0022] The memory unit 110 includes ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The ROM stores the program 111 executed by the control unit 120, various data (not shown) necessary in advance for executing the program 111, the transaction database 112, the judgment condition list 113, the assigned history information 114, and the referral history information 115.

[0023] Program 111 is a program that performs the registration process, transaction database information provision process, and referral process, which will be described later, and is stored in the storage unit 110 in advance.

[0024] The transaction database 112 is a database in which information on various companies belonging to the group company is registered. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the transaction database 112 includes item number information indicating the item number of the data, customer information indicating the name of the trading partner company, address information indicating the address of the trading partner company, trading department information indicating the department of the trading partner company, responsible company information indicating the name of the company within the group company, and our department information indicating the responsible department of the company within the group company. Although not shown in the figure, it also includes other information such as the invoice registration number and telephone number. New content is registered in the transaction database 112 when a registration request process, which will be described later, is performed. In addition, content already registered in the transaction database 112 may also be updated by the registration request process. Furthermore, although the transaction database 112 in this embodiment is stored in the storage unit 110 of the referral device 100, it may also be stored in a database server connected to the referral device 100 via a computer communication network 300.

[0025] Returning to Figure 2, the judgment condition list 113 is a list of information indicating the conditions for registering a person in charge in the person in charge history information 114. Specifically, in this embodiment, the judgment condition list 113 has two conditions pre-set, as shown in Figure 4: Condition 1 and Condition 2. As shown in the illustration, Condition 1 is the condition that they belong to the same department. This condition indicates that the department of the registrant in the transaction database 112 is the same as the department of the trading partner. For example, if the registrant's department is Department A, Section A, and the trading partner's department is Department A, Section A, then Condition 1 is satisfied. On the other hand, if the trading partner's department is Department B, Section B, or any other department other than Department A, then Condition 1 is not satisfied. Note that even if the trading partner's department is Department A, Section C, or any other department other than Department A, if they share Department A, then Condition 1 may be considered satisfied. Such settings should be changeable as needed.

[0026] Condition 2 is a condition that the departments are either superior or subordinate. This condition indicates that the departments of the registrant in the transaction database 112 and the department of the trading partner are related, such as being superior, subordinate, or sibling departments. For example, if the registrant's department is Department A, Section B, Headquarters A, and the trading partner's department is Department B, Headquarters A, or if the registrant's department is Department A, Section B, Headquarters A, and the trading partner's department is Department A', Section B, Headquarters A', then Condition 2 is met. It is acceptable to arbitrarily set whether to apply Condition 1 or Condition 2, or both. Conditions such as Condition 1 and Condition 2 apply not only to the registrant in the transaction database 112, but also to the relationship between the departments of the updaters and viewers of the transaction database 112 and the departments of the trading partners. The list of judgment conditions 113 is stored in the storage unit 110 in advance. In a configuration where the database manages the timing and number of times a department has made contact or made settlements with a trading partner, for example, the department that has made many contacts or made settlements recently may be considered the trading partner department.

[0027] The 담당자 하 Furthermore, the illustrated example shows that the data for item No. 1 in the transaction database 112 was subsequently viewed by account "gke999" at 13:30 on August 26, 2024, and updated by account "tkg876" at 10:15 on August 28, 2024. The assigned history information 114 will be newly recorded if it is determined that the conditions shown in the judgment condition list 113 are met. Note that the account information and recipient information together correspond to the user information of the referring user.

[0028] The referral history information 115 shown in Figure 2 is a list of information showing the history of information related to referrals. Specifically, as shown in Figure 13, the referral history information 115 in this embodiment includes referral requester information indicating the affiliation and account of the person who requested the referral, referring company information indicating the company to be referred, referral availability information indicating whether the referral was approved or not, referrer information indicating the affiliation and account of the referrer, and rejection reason information indicating the reason if the referral was not approved. The contents of the referral history information 115 are recorded when the referral process described later is performed.

[0029] The control unit 120 shown in Figure 2 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and the like. The control unit 120 operates according to a program 111 stored in the storage unit 110 and executes processing according to the program 111. The control unit 120 includes, as its main functional units provided by the program 111 stored in the storage unit 110, a transaction information registration unit 121, a department determination unit 122, a person in charge history recording unit 123, a transaction DB information provision unit 124, a referral request acquisition unit 125, a recipient identification unit 126, and a message sending unit 127.

[0030] The transaction information registration unit 121 is a functional unit that registers transaction information, including customer information, in the transaction database 112. Specifically, the transaction information registration unit 121 registers the transaction information included in the registration request in the transaction database 112 in accordance with the registration request from the information terminal 200. The transaction information registration unit 121 also has the function of updating the contents registered in the transaction database 112 and the function of providing the contents registered in the transaction database 112 for viewing. When updating the contents registered in the transaction database 112, an update request containing the information necessary for the update is sent from the information terminal 200. When providing the contents registered in the transaction database 112 for viewing, a viewing request containing the information necessary for viewing is sent from the information terminal 200.

[0031] The department determination unit 122 is a functional unit that determines whether conditions are met based on the departments of the registrant and the trading partner. Specifically, the department determination unit 122 determines whether the department of the registrant and the department of the trading partner included in the transaction information registered by the transaction information registration unit 121 meet the pre-set conditions from the conditions shown in the determination condition list 113. In addition, the department determination unit 122 also determines whether the departments of the updater or viewer and the trading partner meet the conditions in the case of updates and viewing, just as in the case of registration.

[0032] The assignment history recording unit 123 is a functional unit that records various information in the assignment history information 114 according to the determination result by the function of the department determination unit 122. Specifically, the assignment history recording unit 123 records the information of the person in charge corresponding to the registered person who meets the set conditions, as the assignment history information 114, based on the function of the department determination unit 122. In addition, if the set conditions are met, the assignment history recording unit 123 also records the content of updates and views as the assignment history information 114, just as it does for registrations.

[0033] The Transaction DB Information Provision Unit 124 is a functional unit that provides information recorded in the Transaction Database 112 based on a request from the information terminal 200 of the party being introduced. Specifically, the Transaction DB Information Provision Unit 124 extracts and provides information that can be viewed based on the permissions specified in the viewer information included in the viewing request transmitted from the information terminal 200 of the party being introduced. The Transaction DB Information Provision Unit 124 also provides the user of the information terminal 200 of the party being introduced with a display screen that includes a referral request button, which allows the user to request a referral to a business partner, and the contents of the Transaction Database 112.

[0034] The referral request acquisition unit 125 is a functional unit that acquires referral requester information from the information terminal 200 of the party being referred. Specifically, the referral request acquisition unit 125 acquires a referral request transmitted from the information terminal 200 of the party being referred based on the fact that the referral request button included in the display screen provided by the function of the transaction DB information provision unit 124 has been pressed. Based on the referral request, the unit identifies the transaction information to be referred and acquires the referral requester information.

[0035] The recipient identification unit 126 is a functional unit that identifies recipients to whom a message requesting an introduction should be sent. Specifically, the recipient identification unit 126 identifies recipients based on the assigned history information 114, according to a pre-set priority order. The priority order is the priority order of recipients to be identified when multiple details about the business partner for whom an introduction has been requested are recorded in the assigned history information 114. For example, in the example shown in Figure 5, the business partner with item number information No. 1 was registered at 10:10 on August 22, 2024, viewed by account "gke999" at 13:30 on August 26, 2024, and updated by account "tkg876" at 10:15 on August 28, 2024. In this case, if the priority is set to "most recent," the recipient is identified as "YYDD@ymail.com," which is the most recent information among the information corresponding to the target item number that is the subject of the referral request, as recorded in the assignment history information 114. If the updater is set to have a higher priority than the viewer, the recipient identification unit 126 identifies the updater's recipient regardless of the date and time recorded in the assignment history information 114 (in the example shown in Figure 5, the recipient of account "tkg876" is "YYDD@ymail.com"). If there are multiple updaters, the recipients of all updaters may be identified, or only the recipient of the most recent updater may be identified. On the other hand, if the viewer is set to have a higher priority than the updater, the recipient identification unit 126 only needs to identify the viewer's recipient regardless of the date and time recorded in the assignment history information 114 (in the example shown in Figure 5, the recipient of account "gke999" is "UUhh@pmail.com"). Furthermore, if there are multiple viewers, the recipients of all viewers may be specified, or only the recipient of the most recent viewer may be specified. Also, if the past updater and the most recent viewer are different, that is, if the document was updated by one user and then viewed by another user, there is a possibility that the responsibility has changed from the past updater to the most recent viewer. In this case, the recipient identification unit 126 may specify the recipients of both. Thus, multiple recipients may be specified. In addition, multiple priority settings may be set, such as "the most recent person" and "the viewer having a higher priority than the updater."In this case, the most recent updater should be identified as the recipient. This priority can also be considered a condition for identifying the recipient (recipient identification condition). Furthermore, if, for a business partner for whom an introduction has been requested, multiple details are not recorded in the 담당 history information 114, and only the registered person is recorded, the recipient identification unit 126 should identify the recipient of that registered person.

[0036] Returning to Figure 2, the message sending unit 127 is a functional unit that sends messages to recipients identified by the recipient identification unit 126. Specifically, the message sending unit 127 sends a referral request notification, which includes information indicating that a referral request has been made and selection information allowing the recipient to choose whether or not to permit the referral, to the recipients identified by the recipient identification unit 126. The referral request notification also includes referral requester information, which shows the department and account of the person who requested the referral.

[0037] The input / output unit 130 consists of a keyboard, mouse, camera, microphone, liquid crystal display, organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, etc., and is a device for inputting and outputting various types of data.

[0038] The communication unit 140 is a device that allows the referral device 100 to communicate with other information terminals, such as the information terminal 200, via the computer communication network 300. The above describes the configuration of the referral device 100.

[0039] (operation) Next, the operation of the referral device 100 and the information terminal 200 will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the registration request process in the information terminal 200 and the registration process in the referral device 100. When the registration request process and registration process in this embodiment are performed, transaction information is registered in the transaction database 112. First, the registration request process shown in Figure 6 is started based on the operation of the user of the information terminal 200.

[0040] When the registration request process is initiated, transaction information is entered into the information terminal 200 through the user's input operation (step S11). Specifically, in step S11, the user of the information terminal 200 inputs the content to be registered in the transaction database 112 via the input / output unit of the information terminal 200. In this example, the content of item No. 1 shown in Figure 3 (transaction information) in step S11 is assumed to be entered by the user of account "abc123," and this will be explained below.

[0041] After executing the process shown in step S11 in Figure 6, the information terminal 200 requests registration to the transaction database 112 based on the user's operation (step S12), and terminates the registration request process. Specifically, in the process of step S12, the information terminal 200 requests the registration of the input content to the transaction database 112 by sending a registration request containing the content entered in the process of step S11 to the referral device 100. In this example, the process of step S12 sends a registration request to the referral device 100 that includes the registration content (transaction information) corresponding to item No. 1 shown in Figure 3 and the person in charge information corresponding to the account "abc123" shown in Figure 5. If the contents of the transaction database 112 are to be updated, an update request should be sent in the process of step S12. If the contents of the transaction database 112 are to be viewed, a view request should be sent in the process of step S12. For example, if account "tkg876" updates the transaction information for item No. 1 shown in Figure 3, an update request including the updated information (transaction information) and the assigned person information corresponding to account "tkg876" shown in Figure 5 should be sent to the referral device 100 through the processing in step S12. Similarly, if account "gke999" views the contents of item No. 1 shown in Figure 3, the assigned person information corresponding to account "gke999" shown in Figure 5 should be sent to the referral device 100 through the processing in step S12.

[0042] Returning to Figure 6, when the referral device 100 receives a registration request from the information terminal 200, it starts the registration process. Once the registration process starts, the control unit 120 of the referral device 100 registers the contents of the registration request to the transaction database 112 using the functions of the transaction information registration unit 121 (step S13). Specifically, in the process of step S13, the transaction information registration unit 121 registers the registration contents from the information included in the registration request to the transaction database 112. As a result, the transaction information corresponding to item number information No. 1 shown in Figure 3 is registered in the transaction database 112. If an update request is received in the process of step S12, in the process of step S13, the transaction information registration unit 121 updates the contents (transaction information) by overwriting the information to be updated among the information already registered in the transaction database 112 with the update contents included in the received update request.

[0043] After executing the process in step S13 shown in Figure 6, the control unit 120 determines whether the department condition is met using the function of the department determination unit 122 (step S14). Specifically, in the process of step S14, the department determination unit 122 determines whether the relationship between the trading department and our department included in the received registration request satisfies the set conditions of condition 1 and condition 2 in the determination condition list 113. In this example, the department (our department) of account "abc123" is "Department A, Section C" as shown in Figure 3, and the trading department is "Department A, Section C", so condition 1 is met. Therefore, if the condition of condition 1 is set in advance, the department determination unit 122 determines in the process of step S13 that the department condition is met. On the other hand, in the example of item number information No. 2 in Figure 3, our department is "Department S, Section S" and the trading department is "Department A, Section C", so the condition of condition 1 is not met. In other words, if only condition 1 is set, the department determination unit 122 determines in step S13 that the department condition is not met. However, if department A is a subordinate department of department S, or if they are related as sibling departments, then condition 2 will be met. Therefore, if condition 2 is also set, the department determination unit 122 determines in step S13 that the department condition is met.

[0044] If the control unit 120 determines that the department condition is not met in step S14 of Figure 6 (step S14; No), it terminates the registration process. On the other hand, if the control unit 120 determines that the department condition is met (step S14; Yes), it uses the function of the assignment history recording unit 123 to record various information, including information such as the registrant's operation details, in the assignment history information 114 (step S15), and terminates the registration process. Specifically, in the process of step S15, the assignment history recording unit 123 records the assignment information from the information included in the registration request received from the information terminal 200 in the assignment history information 114. In this example, since the assignment information corresponding to the account "gke999" shown in Figure 5 is included in the registration request, the assignment information corresponding to the account "gke999" shown in Figure 5 is recorded in the assignment history information 114 when the process of step S15 is performed. Furthermore, when an update request is received from account "tkg876" to update the contents of item No. 1 (transaction information) shown in Figure 3, the assigned information corresponding to account "tkg876" shown in Figure 5, which is included in the update request, is recorded in the assigned history information 114 when the processing in step S15 is performed. Also, when account "gke999" views the contents of item No. 1 (transaction information) shown in Figure 3, the assigned information corresponding to account "gke999" shown in Figure 5, which is included in the viewing request, is recorded in the assigned history information 114 when the processing in step S15 is performed.

[0045] Next, the referral request processing performed on the information terminal 200 of the party requesting the referral, the transaction database information provision processing and referral processing performed on the referral device 100, and the referral approval / rejection processing performed on the information terminal 200 of the party making the referral will be explained with reference to Figure 7. The referral request processing is the process by which a company belonging to a group company requests another company belonging to the same group company to introduce a business partner of that other company. The transaction database information provision processing is the process of providing various information registered in the transaction database 112 in response to a request from the information terminal 200 of the party being referred. Furthermore, the referral processing includes the process of notifying the referrer that a referral request has been made in accordance with the referral request, and the process of notifying the party being referred of the result of the referral approval / rejection processing, which allows the referrer to choose whether or not to make a referral. In this example, the following explanation will be based on the case where account "ddt144" belonging to Department A, Section A of ○× Card Co., Ltd. requests an introduction to ABC Co., Ltd., which is a business partner of Department A, Section C of ○× Bank Co., Ltd., which belongs to the same group company.

[0046] First, the referral request process begins based on an operation by the user (referral requesting user) who is using the information terminal 200 of the party requesting the referral (the party being referred). Once the referral request process begins, the information terminal 200 requests access to information recorded in the transaction database 112 based on the user's operation (step S21). Specifically, in step S21, the information terminal 200 sends a viewing request to the referral device 100, requesting access to various transaction information, including transaction information corresponding to the business partner to be referred, from the information recorded in the transaction database 112. The viewing request includes viewer information such as the viewer's account, company affiliation, and department.

[0047] On the referral device 100 side, upon receiving a viewing request, it starts the transaction database information provision process. When the transaction database provision process starts, first the control unit 120 of the referral device 100 provides the transaction information (transaction database information) recorded in the transaction database 112 using the functions of the transaction DB information provision unit 124 (step S22), and then terminates the transaction database information provision process. In the process of step S22, the transaction DB information provision unit 124 extracts information that can be viewed within the scope of the authority based on the viewer information included in the viewing request from the transaction database 112, and provides a display screen that includes a referral request button and the contents of the transaction database 112 to the information terminal 200 that sent the viewing request. As a result of the process of step S22, the information terminal 200 on the side requesting the referral will be provided with a display screen as shown in Figure 8.

[0048] Returning to Figure 7, when the display screen shown in Figure 8 is displayed on the information terminal 200 being introduced, the information terminal 200 requests an introduction (step S23) based on the operation performed by the user who is the user of the information terminal 200, and terminates the introduction request process. Specifically, in the process of step S23, as shown in Figure 8, the information terminal 200 sends an introduction request to the introduction device 100 based on the user's operation of selecting the transaction information to be introduced and pressing the introduction request button such as "Request Introduction". The introduction request includes the introduction requester's account, company and department, and other introduction requester information, as well as the transaction information to be introduced (transaction information selected by the selection operation).

[0049] As shown in Figure 7, when the referral device 100 receives a referral request from the information terminal 200 of the party to be referred, the referral process is initiated. Once the referral process is initiated, the control unit 120 of the referral device 100, using the functions of the referral request acquisition unit 125, acquires the referral request information of the business partner from the information terminal 200 of the party to be referred (step S31). Specifically, in the process of step S31, the referral request acquisition unit 125 identifies the business information to be referred based on the received referral request and acquires the referral requester's information.

[0050] After executing the process in step S31, the control unit 120 uses the function of the recipient identification unit 126 to identify the recipient to whom the notification of the received referral request will be sent (step S32). Specifically, in the process of step S32, the recipient identification unit 126 identifies the recipient based on the assigned history information 114 and according to the pre-set priority order. For example, in the example shown in Figure 5, the business partner with item information No. 1 was registered at 10:10 on August 22, 2024, viewed by account "gke999" at 13:30 on August 26, 2024, and updated by account "tkg876" at 10:15 on August 28, 2024. In this case, if the priority is set to "most recent," the recipient identification unit 126 in the process of step S32 identifies "YYDD@ymail.com" of account "tkg876" as the recipient. On the other hand, if the viewer is given a higher priority than the updater, in step S32, the recipient identification unit 126 identifies "UUhh@pmail.com" as the recipient of the viewer account "gke999", regardless of the date and time recorded in the responsible history information 114. As mentioned above, there may be multiple recipients identified in step S32.

[0051] After executing the process in step S32 shown in Figure 7, the control unit 120 sends a message to the recipient identified in step S33 using the function of the message sending unit 127 (step S33). Specifically, in the process of step S33, the message sending unit 127 sends a referral request notification (including referral requester information showing the department and account of the person who requested the referral) to the recipient identified in step S32, which includes information indicating that a referral request has been made and selection information allowing the recipient to choose whether or not to allow the referral. As a result of the process in step S33, the referral request notification is displayed on the information terminal 200 of the person making the referral, as shown in Figure 9.

[0052] As shown in Figure 7, when the information terminal 200 on the referring side receives a referral request notification, it starts processing whether to allow or deny the referral. Once the referral approval / denial processing starts, the information terminal 200 selects whether to allow or deny the referral based on the selection operation of the user (referring user) who is the user of the information terminal 200 (step S34). Specifically, in the process of step S34, the information terminal 200 accepts either the option to deny the referral or the option to allow the referral, as shown in Figure 9, based on the user's selection operation.

[0053] After executing the process in step S34 shown in Figure 7, the information terminal 200 determines whether the selection operation received in step S34 is unavailable or unavailable (step S35). Specifically, in step S35, the information terminal 200 determines whether the user selected unavailable as shown in Figure 9 or available as shown in Figure 12 in step S34.

[0054] If "Not available for introduction" as shown in Figure 9 is selected, that is, if it is determined in step S35 that the introduction is not available (step S35; No), the information terminal 200 displays a selection of reasons why the introduction cannot be made and accepts a selection operation from the user (step S36). Specifically, in the process of step S36, the information terminal 200 displays a display screen showing multiple reasons why the introduction cannot be made, as shown in Figure 10, and accepts a selection from the user.

[0055] After executing the process in step S36 shown in Figure 7, the information terminal 200 transmits the results selected in steps S35 and S36 to the referral device 100 as the referral eligibility result (step S37), and terminates the referral eligibility process. Specifically, in step S37, the information terminal 200 transmits the referral eligibility result, which includes the referral ineligibility information selected in step S35 and the referral ineligibility reason information selected in step S36, to the referral device 100. Upon transmission of this referral eligibility result, in step S39, described later, the referral request result display screen shown in Figure 11 will be displayed on the information terminal 200 of the person being referred. The referral eligibility result includes referrer information, including the referrer's account information and affiliation information.

[0056] On the other hand, in the process of step S35 shown in Figure 7, if the option "referable" as shown in Figure 12 is selected, that is, if it is determined in the process of step S35 that the referral is not unavailable (step S35; No), the information terminal 200 transmits the "referable" information, which is the content selected in the process of step S35, to the referral device 100 as the referral availability result (step S37). The referral availability result includes referrer information, including the referrer's account information and affiliation information. Upon transmission of this referral availability result, in the process of step S40 described later, as shown in Figure 12, the information terminal 200 on the side to be referred will display a screen showing the referral request result as shown in Figure 12, and message exchange with the user of the information terminal 200 on the side making the referral will begin.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7, on the side of the referral device 100 that receives the referral eligibility result, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the referral is possible (step S38). Specifically, in the process of step S38, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the referral is possible by determining whether or not the received referral eligibility result contains referral eligibility information or referral ineligibility information. The function for acquiring the referral eligibility result corresponds to the referral eligibility result acquisition unit.

[0058] If the process in step S38 determines that the referral is not possible (step S38; No), the control unit 120 provides the information terminal 200 of the party being referred with a notification that the referral is not possible, along with the information on the reason for the referral being not possible included in the referral eligibility result (step S39). Specifically, in the process of step S39, the control unit 120 transmits the referral request result, which includes the information on the reason for the referral being not possible included in the received referral eligibility result and the information on the reason for the referral being not possible, to the information terminal 200 of the party being referred as the display screen shown in Figure 11.

[0059] If the process in step S38 shown in Figure 7 determines that an introduction is possible (step S38; Yes), that is, if the received introduction approval result includes introduction approval information, the control unit 120 provides the information terminal 200 of the person being introduced with the information terminal 200 of the person being introduced and starts message exchange with the information terminal 200 of the person making the introduction, thereby providing the introduction screen to both the person being introduced and the person making the introduction (step S40). Specifically, in the process of step S40, the control unit 120 sends the introduction screen, which includes the introduction request result shown in Figure 12, to the information terminal 200 of the person being introduced. The introduction screen includes a message send button and a message input field, as shown in the figure. The control unit 120 also provides the information terminal 200 of the person making the introduction with a display screen including the message send button and a message input field. In the example shown in Figure 12, the message "This is XX from A Department A Section of XX Card Co., Ltd." is sent from the information terminal 200 of the person being introduced to the information terminal 200 of the person making the introduction. In this way, the process in step S40 enables message exchange between the person being introduced and the person making the introduction. In addition, the information terminal 200 of the person making the referral may also send a message screen to the person requesting the referral.

[0060] After executing either step S39 or step S40 as shown in Figure 7, the control unit 120 records the referral history in the referral history information 115 (step S41) and terminates the referral process. Specifically, in the process of step S41, the control unit 120 records the content of the received referral approval / rejection result as the referral history in the referral history information 115, as shown in Figure 13. For example, if account "ddt144" belonging to Department A, Section A of ○× Card Co., Ltd. requests a referral to ABC Co., Ltd., which is a business partner of Department A, Section C of ○× Bank Co., Ltd., which belongs to the same group company, if the referral is approved, the content shown in the upper part of Figure 13 will be registered as the referral history in the process of step S41. On the other hand, if the referral is not approved for the reasons shown in Figure 10, the content shown in the lower part of Figure 13 will be registered as the referral history.

[0061] The above describes the operation of the referral device 100 and the information terminal 200. As described above, the referral device 100 in this embodiment makes it easy to introduce business partners of companies belonging to the same group company, and can support business activities between companies belonging to the group company. In other words, it enables smooth cooperation among group companies in transactions with business partners outside the group. Furthermore, since the recipients to whom a referral request message is sent are identified based on priority, the message can be sent to the person most likely to be in charge at the moment, thereby smoothly supporting business activities between companies belonging to the group company.

[0062] (modified version) Furthermore, this invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, the introduction device 100 and information terminal 200 according to the above embodiments do not have to have all the technical features shown above, and may have some of the configurations described in the above embodiments so as to solve at least one problem in the prior art. Also, at least some of the following modifications may be combined.

[0063] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the referral history information 115 shown in Figure 13 is recorded in the process of step S41 shown in Figure 7, but this is just one example. In addition, referral eligibility information indicating which business partners can and cannot be referred, based on the contents of the referral history information 115, may also be provided when providing the transaction database information in the process of step S22 in Figure 7. This prevents the sending of referral requests for business partners that cannot be referred, and enables smoother support. Furthermore, business partners that cannot be referred may be made unselectable, thereby restricting the sending of referral requests. In other words, referral requests corresponding to such business partners may be restricted. If a referral is possible, the person in charge of the transaction and the recipient information may be registered. This allows for the early identification of the current person in charge.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which various information is recorded in the 담당 history information 114 when the department condition is met in the registration process shown in Figure 6, but this is just one example. In the registration process, for example, various information corresponding to the registrant and updater of the transaction database 112 may be recorded in the 담당 history information 114 regardless of the department condition. In addition, various information corresponding to the registrant, updater, and viewer of the transaction database 112 may also be recorded in the 담당 history information 114 regardless of the department condition.

[0065] Furthermore, the above embodiment described a case in which the referral device 100 introduces a client of another company belonging to the same group company (a client outside the group) to the user, subject to the approval of the person in charge of that other company. However, this is merely an example. The referral device 100 is not limited to companies within the same group, and can also be applied to referrals between companies that have concluded an agreement regarding the introduction of clients. Moreover, the referral device 100 can also be applied to different departments within the same company, for example, introducing a client of Department B of Company A based on a referral request from Department C.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in step S32, as shown in Figure 7, where the recipient is identified according to a predetermined priority order, but this is just one example. For example, regardless of priority, all recipients corresponding to the item number that is the subject of the referral request, among the recipients recorded in the assignment history information 114, may be identified in step S32. Alternatively, regardless of priority, one recipient may be predetermined. Moreover, after sending a message to the recipient with the highest priority, if a reason for not being able to refer is selected (reason 5 shown in Figure 10), the next highest priority recipient may be identified and the message sent, and so on, with recipients being identified and messages sent in order of priority. This makes it possible to send messages to users who are currently most likely to be in charge.

[0067] Furthermore, the referral device 100 and information terminal 200 according to the above embodiment can be implemented using a regular computer, without requiring dedicated equipment. For example, the referral device 100 that performs the above processing may be configured by installing a program for performing any of the above-mentioned actions from a recording medium to the computer. Alternatively, multiple computers may work together to form a single referral device 100 and information terminal 200.

[0068] Furthermore, if the above-mentioned functions are realized through a division of labor between the OS (Operating System) and the application, or through collaboration between the OS and the application, then only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the medium.

[0069] Furthermore, it is possible to superimpose a program onto a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program could be posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on the communication network and distributed via the network. These programs could then be launched and executed under the control of the operating system, similar to other application programs, thereby enabling the execution of the aforementioned processes.

[0070] The various aspects of this disclosure are summarized below as an appendix.

[0071] (Note 1) A transaction information registration unit registers the customer information included in the registration request into a database based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as a referrer. A department determination unit that determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions, If the department determination unit determines that the department conditions are met, the assigned history recording unit records the assigned history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the user information of the referring user. A referral request acquisition unit that acquires referral requests from referral request users who request referrals, A recipient identification unit identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referral request obtained by the referral request unit, based on the user information of the referrer user included in the assigned history information. A message sending unit sends a message to the recipient identified by the recipient identification unit indicating that a referral request has been received from the referral requesting user. An introduction device equipped with the following features.

[0072] (Note 2) The recipient identification unit, when multiple records of the handling history information corresponding to the business partner identified by the referral request obtained by the referral request acquisition unit are recorded, identifies the recipient based on a predetermined priority order. The device described in Appendix 1.

[0073] (Note 3) The transaction information registration unit updates the customer information registered in the database based on an update request from the referring user, and provides the customer information registered in the database based on a viewing request from the referring user. The aforementioned assignment history recording unit, when determined by the department determination unit to satisfy the departmental conditions, records the assignment history information by associating the information identifying the business partner, the user information of the referring user, and the type of request made by the referring user. The recipient identification unit, when multiple assignment history records are recorded for the business partner identified by the assignment request obtained by the assignment request acquisition unit, identifies the recipient based on the priority order based on the type of request recorded in the assignment history record. The introduction device described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0074] (Note 4) If the handling history information corresponding to the business partner identified by the handling request obtained by the handling request acquisition unit includes multiple handling history information records, including handling history information indicating an update and handling history information indicating a view, the recipient identification unit identifies the recipient based on the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the update if the most recent request is an update, and identifies the recipient based on the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the view and the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the update if the most recent request is a view. The device described in Appendix 3.

[0075] (Note 5) The system further includes a referral eligibility result acquisition unit that acquires a referral eligibility result indicating whether or not the referrer user will introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user after the message has been sent by the message sending unit, If the referral eligibility result obtained by the referral eligibility result acquisition unit indicates that the business partner can be introduced, the message sending unit sends a referral screen for the referrer user to introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user. The introduction device described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0076] (Note 6) The system further includes a referral eligibility result acquisition unit that acquires a referral eligibility result indicating whether or not the referrer user will introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user after the message has been sent by the message sending unit, If the referral eligibility result obtained by the referral eligibility result acquisition unit indicates that the business partner is not eligible for referral, the referral request to the business partner is restricted. The introduction device described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0077] (Note 7) A method of introduction using an introduction device, A transaction information registration step in which, based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as a referrer, the customer information included in the registration request is registered in the database, A department determination step that determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions, If the department determination step determines that the department conditions are met, the assignment history recording step records assignment history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the user information of the referring user. The referral request acquisition step involves obtaining referral requests from users requesting referrals, and A delivery address identification step which identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referrer obtained in the referrer request obtained in the referrer request acquisition step, based on the user information of the referrer user included in the assigned history information, A message sending step involves sending a message to the recipient identified in the recipient identification step indicating that a referral request has been received from the referral requesting user. A method of introduction that includes the following features.

[0078] (Note 8) Computers, A transaction information registration unit registers the customer information included in the registration request into a database based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as the referrer. A department determination unit determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions. If the department determination unit determines that the department conditions are met, the assigned history recording unit records the assigned history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the user information of the referring user. Referral request acquisition unit that acquires referral requests from users requesting referrals. A recipient identification unit identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referral request obtained by the referral request unit, based on the user information of the referrer included in the assigned history information. A message sending unit sends a message to the recipient identified by the recipient identification unit, indicating that a referral request has been received from the referral requesting user. A program that makes it function as such.

[0079] This disclosure allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of this disclosure. In other words, the scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent significance of the disclosure are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. [Industrial applicability]

[0080] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a referral device, referral method, and program that enable companies within a group to cooperate with each other to smoothly conduct transactions with companies outside the group. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 100 Introduction device 110 Storage section 111 Programs 112 Transaction Database 113 List of Judgment Criteria 114. Responsibility History Information 115 Referral History Information 120 Control Unit 121 Transaction Information Registration Department 122 Department Judgment Department 123 Responsible Personnel Records Department 124 Transaction Database Information Provision Department 125 Referral Request Acquisition Department 126 Recipient Identification Department 127 Message Sending Section 130 Input / output section 140 Communications Department 200 Information Terminals 300 Computer communication network

Claims

1. A transaction information registration unit registers the customer information included in the registration request into a database based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as a referrer. A department determination unit that determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions, If the department determination unit determines that the department conditions are met, the assigned history recording unit records the assigned history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the user information of the referring user. A referral request acquisition unit that acquires referral requests from referral request users who request referrals, A recipient identification unit identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referral request obtained by the referral request unit, based on the user information of the referrer user included in the assigned history information. A message sending unit sends a message to the recipient identified by the recipient identification unit indicating that a referral request has been received from the referral requesting user. An introduction device equipped with the following features.

2. The recipient identification unit, when multiple records of the handling history information corresponding to the business partner identified by the referral request obtained by the referral request acquisition unit are recorded, identifies the recipient based on a predetermined priority order. The introduction device according to claim 1.

3. The transaction information registration unit updates the customer information registered in the database based on an update request from the referring user, and provides the customer information registered in the database based on a viewing request from the referring user. The aforementioned assignment history recording unit, when determined by the department determination unit to satisfy the departmental conditions, records the assignment history information by associating the information identifying the business partner, the user information of the referring user, and the type of request made by the referring user. The recipient identification unit, when multiple assignment history records are recorded for the business partner identified by the assignment request obtained by the assignment request acquisition unit, identifies the recipient based on the priority order based on the type of request recorded in the assignment history record. The introduction device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. If the handling history information corresponding to the business partner identified by the handling request obtained by the handling request acquisition unit includes multiple handling history information records, including handling history information indicating an update and handling history information indicating a view, the recipient identification unit identifies the recipient based on the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the update if the most recent request is an update, and identifies the recipient based on the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the view and the user information included in the handling history information corresponding to the update if the most recent request is a view. The introduction device according to claim 3.

5. The system further includes a referral eligibility result acquisition unit that acquires a referral eligibility result indicating whether or not the referrer user will introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user after the message has been sent by the message sending unit, If the referral eligibility result obtained by the referral eligibility result acquisition unit indicates that the business partner can be introduced, the message sending unit sends a referral screen for the referrer user to introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user. The introduction device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The system further includes a referral eligibility result acquisition unit that acquires a referral eligibility result indicating whether or not the referrer user will introduce the business partner to the referral requesting user after the message has been sent by the message sending unit, If the referral eligibility result obtained by the referral eligibility result acquisition unit indicates that the business partner is not eligible for referral, the referral request to the business partner is restricted. The introduction device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. A method of introduction using an introduction device, A transaction information registration step in which, based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as a referrer, the customer information included in the registration request is registered in the database, A department determination step that determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions, If the department determination step determines that the department conditions are met, the assignment history recording step records assignment history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the user information of the referring user. The referral request acquisition step involves obtaining referral requests from users requesting referrals, and A delivery address identification step which identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referrer obtained in the referrer request obtained in the referrer request acquisition step, based on the user information of the referrer user included in the assigned history information, A message sending step involves sending a message to the recipient identified in the recipient identification step indicating that a referral request has been received from the referral requesting user. A method of introduction that includes the following features.

8. Computers, A transaction information registration unit registers the customer information included in the registration request into a database based on a registration request from a referring user who acts as the referrer. A department determination unit determines whether the department to which the referring user belongs and the department of the business partner identified by the business partner information meet predetermined departmental conditions. If the department determination unit determines that the department conditions are met, the assigned history recording unit records the assigned history information that associates the information identifying the business partner with the user information of the referring user. Referral request acquisition unit that acquires referral requests from users requesting referrals. A recipient identification unit identifies the recipient of the referrer of the business partner identified by the referral request obtained by the referral request unit, based on the user information of the referrer included in the assigned history information. A message sending unit sends a message to the recipient identified by the recipient identification unit, indicating that a referral request has been received from the referral requesting user. A program that makes it function as such.

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