Telephone reservation system and program

Abstract

We provide a telephone reservation system and program that can streamline facility operations. [Solution] The telephone reservation system includes: a first determination unit that determines whether a reservation is registered based on the user's identification information, based on a request from the user to change a facility reservation via voice input; a second determination unit that determines whether the reservation can be changed based on the reservation details of the user for whom a reservation has been determined to be registered; and a third determination unit that, if the reservation is changeable, determines whether the reservation can be changed to the reservation details desired by the user based on the inventory information of the facility's reservation management system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a telephone reservation system and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, in facilities such as restaurants, an information processing device that makes a reservation for a visit by automatic response with voice guidance has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In such a reservation system by automatic response, it is preferable that changes to the reservation content can also be made by automatic response, as this can make facility operation smoother.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a telephone reservation system and a program that can make facility operation smoother.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention includes a first determination unit that determines whether there is a reservation registration based on the identification information of the user, based on a request to change a reservation for a facility by voice input from the user; a second determination unit that determines whether the reservation content can be changed based on the reservation content of the user for whom the reservation registration is determined to exist; and a third determination unit that determines whether the reservation content can be changed to the reservation content desired by the user based on the inventory information of the reservation management system of the facility, when the reservation registration allows the change of the reservation content. It is a telephone reservation system.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to perform the following actions based on a voice input request from a user to change a facility reservation: determine whether a reservation is registered using the user's identification information; determine whether it is possible to change the reservation based on the reservation details of the user for whom a reservation has been determined to exist; and, if the reservation is changeable, determine whether it is possible to change the reservation to the user's desired content based on the inventory information of the facility's reservation management system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, facility operations can be made smoother. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the device configuration of the telephone reservation system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an example of the operation flow for a new reservation in the telephone reservation system of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the configuration of reservation information in this embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the operation flow (part 1) related to reservation changes in the telephone reservation system of this embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the operation flow (part 2) related to reservation changes in the telephone reservation system of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The telephone reservation system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the embodiments described below. In all the figures used to illustrate the embodiments, components with the same function are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted. Furthermore, in this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX," and includes cases where it is based on another element in addition to XX. Also, "based on XX" is not limited to cases where XX is used directly, but also includes cases where it is based on something that has been calculated or processed from XX. "XX" is any element (for example, any information).

[0011] [Embodiment] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an example of the device configuration of the telephone reservation system 1 of this embodiment. The telephone reservation system 1 is composed of a telephone reservation device 10 and a reservation management device 20. In the following description, the telephone reservation device 10 and the reservation management device 20 will be described as separate devices, but this is not limited to them. For example, the telephone reservation device 10 and the reservation management device 20 may be physically or logically integrated devices.

[0012] In one example of this embodiment, the telephone reservation device 10 and the reservation management device 20 are connected via a network N2, enabling the exchange of information.

[0013] The telephone reservation device 10 accepts voice calls from user U for telephone reservations and changes to those reservations. The telephone reservation device 10 automatically responds to voice calls from user U, for example, by using a trained model that has been created from machine learning data of conversations between the person requesting a reservation (e.g., user U) and the store's reservation staff.

[0014] The telephone reservation device 10 is connected to the user terminal 30 via the network N1. The user terminal 30 is a communication device capable of voice calls, such as a mobile phone. The user terminal 30 comprises a transmitter / receiver unit 31 and a communication unit 32. The transmitter / receiver unit 31 comprises a sound-collecting device such as a microphone that captures the speech of user U, and a sound-outputting device such as a speaker that outputs the sound spoken from the telephone reservation device 10 or the like. User U uses the user terminal 30 to make telephone reservations by voice and to change the details of those reservations.

[0015] Further, the telephone reservation device 10 may be connected to the store telephone 21 via the network N2 (or a telephone line). The store telephone 21 is a communication device capable of voice calls installed in a store that uses the telephone reservation system 1. A reservation staff member at the store can receive telephone reservations from the user U and changes to the reservation content using the store telephone 21.

[0016] The telephone reservation device 10 is constituted by, for example, a computer device such as a personal computer or a cloud server. The telephone reservation device 10 includes a telephone reservation device arithmetic unit 100 and a telephone reservation device storage unit 150. The telephone reservation device arithmetic unit 100 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and operates based on programs and data stored in the telephone reservation device storage unit 150 to provide various functions.

[0017] The telephone reservation device storage unit 150 is constituted by, for example, a hard disk drive or a semiconductor memory (flash memory, RAM, ROM) and stores various types of information such as programs and data read by the telephone reservation device arithmetic unit 100. Note that the telephone reservation device storage unit 150 may be realized by a virtual storage device such as a cloud server outside the telephone reservation system 1.

[0018] The telephone reservation device arithmetic unit 100 includes a voice call unit 101, a reservation information acquisition unit 102, a notification unit 103, and a reservation change unit 104 as its functional units.

[0019] The reservation management device 20 manages the reservation information of the store. The reservation routes managed by the reservation management device 20 include telephone reservations made by the store telephone 21 and telephone reservations made by the telephone reservation device 10.

[0020] The reservation management device 20 is constituted by, for example, a computer device such as a personal computer or a cloud server. The reservation management device 20 includes a reservation management device arithmetic unit 200 and a reservation management device storage unit 250. The reservation management device arithmetic unit 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU), operates based on programs and data stored in the reservation management device storage unit 250, and provides various functions.

[0021] The reservation management device storage unit 250 is constituted by, for example, a hard disk drive, a semiconductor memory (flash memory, RAM, ROM), etc., and stores various kinds of information such as programs and data read by the reservation management device arithmetic unit 200. Note that the reservation management device storage unit 250 may be realized by a virtual storage device such as a cloud server outside the telephone reservation system 1.

[0022] Reservation information D1 is stored in the reservation management device storage unit 250. The reservation information D1 is an example of information indicating the inventory status of facilities to be reservation-managed by the reservation management device 20 (that is, inventory information). The inventory information is, for example, information indicating the future availability status (or future occupancy status) of seats when the facility to be reservation-managed is a dining establishment. As another example, the inventory information is information indicating the medical treatment time frame if the facility to be reservation-managed is a hospital or clinic, and is information indicating the availability status of instructors if the facility to be reservation-managed is a tutoring school or fitness club for individual guidance.

[0023] That is, the inventory information is information indicating the availability status (or occupancy status) of resources (seats, medical treatment time frames, instructors, etc.) that cannot be used by other users U when occupied by a certain user U among the resources provided by the facility to be reservation-managed on the time axis from the current time to the future. Note that hereinafter, a case where the facility to be reservation-managed is a dining establishment and the inventory information is information indicating the reservation information of the seats in the store will be described as an example.

[0024] The reservation management device arithmetic unit 200 includes a reservation management unit 201 and a determination unit 210 as its functional units.

[0025] The reservation management device 20 may be connected to a linked reservation system 40 or a non-linked reservation system 50 via the network N3.

[0026] The linked reservation system 40 is a reservation system located outside the reservation management device 20, for which the linkage of reservation information D1 has been configured with the reservation management device 20. The setting for the linkage of reservation information D1 means that if the reservation details of one reservation system are changed, the changes will be reflected (or notified) to the other reservation system.

[0027] The non-linked reservation system 50 is a reservation system located outside the reservation management device 20, in which the linkage of reservation information D1 between it and the reservation management device 20 is not configured. The lack of linkage of reservation information D1 means that if the reservation details of one reservation system are changed, the changes are not reflected (or notified) to the other reservation system.

[0028] If the reservation management device 20 is connected to an integrated reservation system 40 or an unintegrated reservation system 50, the reservation routes managed by the reservation management device 20 include reservations made via the integrated reservation system 40 or the unintegrated reservation system 50. In other words, the reservation routes managed by the reservation management device 20 include those made via telephone reservations using the store's telephone 21 or the telephone reservation device 10, and those made via the network N3 of the linked reservation system 40 or the unlinked reservation system 50.

[0029] [Detailed Functional Configuration and Operation Flow of Telephone Reservation System 1] Next, referring to Figure 2 in addition to Figure 1 mentioned above, we will explain the details of the functional configuration and an example of the operation flow of the telephone reservation system 1.

[0030] <How to make a new reservation> Figure 2 shows an example of the operation flow for a new reservation in the telephone reservation system 1 of this embodiment. (Step S301) User U uses user terminal 30 to make a call to the store's reservation phone number. The voice call unit 101 of the telephone reservation device 10 provides automated voice guidance to the user terminal 30 regarding the reservation. For example, the voice call unit 101 provides voice guidance such as, "Is this a new reservation? Or is it a change to a reservation?" (Step S302) User U, following the automated voice guidance from the telephone reservation device 10, speaks that it is a new reservation and specifies the desired date, time, and number of people. User terminal 30 transmits the content of User U's speech to the telephone reservation device 10 as voice call information (i.e., makes a call).

[0031] This voice call information includes information to identify user U. In one example of this embodiment, the telephone number of the user terminal 30 is used as information to identify user U. For example, when the user terminal 30 makes a call to the telephone reservation device 10, it notifies the telephone reservation device 10 of its own telephone number. The telephone reservation device 10 acquires the telephone number of the user terminal 30 notified by the user terminal 30 as information to identify user U. In the following description, the information to identify user U is also referred to as reservation identification information D2.

[0032] (Step S101) The reservation information acquisition unit 102 of the telephone reservation device 10 acquires the telephone number of the user terminal 30 (i.e., reservation identification information D2) and the content of the user U's speech. If the content of the user U's speech includes information that it is a new reservation, the desired date and time of reservation, and the number of people, the reservation information acquisition unit 102 acquires the content of the speech as the reservation details for a new reservation from user U. The reservation information acquisition unit 102 encodes the voice reservation content into a format that the reservation management device 20 can interpret by performing voice recognition using a known method. For example, the reservation information acquisition unit 102 transcribes the voice reservation content into text data.

[0033] The notification unit 103 notifies the reservation management device 20 of the reservation identification information D2 obtained from the user terminal 30 and the encoded reservation details. As an example, the reservation management device 20 has a pre-configured API (Application Programming Interface) for new reservations. This API for new reservations takes reservation identification information D2 and encoded reservation details as arguments. The telephone reservation device 10 notifies the reservation management device 20 of the reservation identification information D2 and encoded reservation details by calling the API for new reservations.

[0034] The telephone reservation device 10 may also have a function to recognize the name of the store to be reserved spoken by user U. The telephone reservation device storage unit 150 of the telephone reservation device 10 stores store information that links the store code with the network address of the reservation management device 20. The telephone reservation device 10 converts the store name spoken by user U into a store code by recognizing it. Based on the converted store code, the telephone reservation device 10 searches the store information in the telephone reservation device storage unit 150 and obtains the address of the reservation management device 20. The telephone reservation device 10 notifies the reservation management device 20 with the obtained address of reservation identification information D2 and encoded reservation details. With the telephone reservation system 1 configured in this way, user U can make a reservation even if they do not know the telephone number of each store.

[0035] (Step S201) The reservation management unit 201 of the reservation management device 20 acquires the reservation identification information D2 and reservation details notified from the telephone reservation device 10. The reservation management device 20 manages new reservations and reservation changes by linking the reservation identification information D2 with the reservation details. The reservation management device 20 stores the information in which the reservation identification information D2 and the reservation details are linked as reservation information D1 in the reservation management device storage unit 250.

[0036] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of reservation information D1 in this embodiment. Reservation information D1 is information that includes the reservation identification information D2 and reservation details (e.g., reservation date and time, number of people), as well as status information D3, reservation route information D4, and constraints.

[0037] Status information D3 is information indicating the management status of each reservation in the reservation management device 20. Examples of reservation management statuses include the following: (1) Contact Required Status: This status indicates that the store needs to contact user U, and the reservation is not yet confirmed. For example, in the "Request Reservation" function, which recommends stores that match user U's preferences (requests), this status indicates that the store has been recommended to user U. In this state, the reservation is confirmed by the store contacting user U. (2) Provisional reservation status: The store has contacted user U, but the reservation is not yet confirmed. For example, the store has contacted user U to let them know that a reservation is possible, but user U is holding off on confirming the reservation in order to coordinate with the other members of the group who will be visiting the store. (3) Waiting for customer arrival status: The reservation has been confirmed, but user U has not yet arrived. (4) Visited status: User U has visited the store.

[0038] Reservation route information D4 is information indicating the route through which user U made a reservation. Reservation routes include "telephone reservation system" (reservations made via telephone reservation device 10), "linked reservation system" (reservations made via linked reservation system 40), and "unlinked reservation system" (reservations made via unlinked reservation system 50). Reservation routes may also include "in-store reservation" (reservations made by user U visiting the store directly) and "store telephone reservation" (reservations made via the store telephone 21).

[0039] A constraint is information indicating whether or not there are any restrictions on changing a reservation. "Next reservation" indicates that there is another reservation in the time slot after the current reservation time slot. For example, if there is another reservation in the time slot after a reservation time slot (e.g., November 19th, 18:00), then if the reservation start time is delayed by one hour, the seat will only be available for one hour until the next reservation starts. In this case, the telephone reservation system 1 registers "Next reservation" in the "Constraint" field of reservation information D1. With system 1 configured in this way, it is possible to notify user U that if the start time is delayed, their time at the store will be shorter than usual (e.g., 2 hours).

[0040] Returning to Figure 2, the reservation management unit 201 searches for reservation information D1, compares the reservation details notified from the telephone reservation device 10 with the reservation details registered in reservation information D1, and determines whether the reservation is possible. The reservation management unit 201 notifies the telephone reservation device 10 of the determination result.

[0041] (Step S102) The reservation information acquisition unit 102 of the telephone reservation device 10 acquires the judgment result notified from the reservation management device 20. The reservation information acquisition unit 102 determines whether a reservation is possible based on the judgment result. If a reservation is possible (Step S102; YES), the notification unit 103 notifies the user U that a reservation is possible and provides a voice confirmation of the reservation details. If a reservation is not possible (Step S102; NO), the process proceeds to step S103.

[0042] (Step S102) If the reservation is unavailable, the notification unit 103 forwards the call received from user U to the store telephone 21. With the telephone reservation system 1 configured in this way, if the reservation is unavailable, the store staff can make an individual decision and inform user U of other available reservation slots, suggest available reservation slots that the telephone reservation system 1 could not automatically determine, or apologize for not being able to make a reservation. Therefore, the telephone reservation system 1 can avoid the decrease in customer satisfaction of user U that is likely to occur when the computer's automated response system declines the reservation.

[0043] (Step S303) User U, having been notified that a reservation is possible, confirms the reservation details repeated by the telephone reservation device 10. User U speaks to the user terminal 30 that the reservation is confirmed. The user terminal 30 notifies the telephone reservation device 10 of the spoken content.

[0044] (Step S104) The voice call unit 101 of the telephone reservation device 10 receives a call confirming the reservation. The notification unit 103 notifies the reservation management device 20 that the reservation has been confirmed.

[0045] (Step S202) In step S201, the reservation management unit 201 of the reservation management device 20 registers the reservation details and other information received from the telephone reservation device 10 into the reservation information D1. (Step S203) The reservation management unit 201 notifies the telephone reservation device 10 that the reservation registration is complete.

[0046] (Step S105) The reservation information acquisition unit 102 of the telephone reservation device 10 receives a notification from the reservation management unit 201 that the reservation registration has been completed. The notification unit 103 notifies the customer by voice that the reservation registration has been completed. (Step S304) Once user U confirms that the reservation registration is complete, user terminal 30 is operated to terminate the series of processes.

[0047] <How to change your reservation> Next, we will explain an example of the workflow for changing a reservation, referring to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows an example of the operation flow (part 1) related to reservation changes in the telephone reservation system 1 of this embodiment. Figure 5 shows an example of the operation flow (part 2) related to reservation changes in the telephone reservation system 1 of this embodiment.

[0048] (Step S311) User U uses user terminal 30 to make a call to the store's reservation phone number. The voice call unit 101 of the telephone reservation device 10 provides automated voice guidance to the user terminal 30 regarding the reservation. For example, the voice call unit 101 provides voice guidance such as, "Is this a new reservation? Or is this a change to a reservation?" (Step S312) User U, following the automated voice guidance from the telephone reservation device 10, speaks that he / she wants to change his / her reservation. The user terminal 30 transmits the content of User U's speech to the telephone reservation device 10 as voice call information (i.e., makes a call). This voice call information includes reservation identification information D2. For example, when a user terminal 30 makes a call to the telephone reservation device 10, it notifies the telephone reservation device 10 of its own telephone number as reservation identification information D2.

[0049] (Step S111) The reservation information acquisition unit 102 of the telephone reservation device 10 acquires the telephone number of the user terminal 30 (i.e., reservation identification information D2) and the content of the user U's speech. If the content of the user U's speech includes a request to change the reservation, the reservation information acquisition unit 102 acquires the content of the speech as a request for a reservation change from the user U. The reservation information acquisition unit 102 encodes the voice request for a reservation change into a format that the reservation management device 20 can interpret.

[0050] The notification unit 103 notifies the reservation management device 20 of the reservation change request, which is encoded with the reservation identification information D2 obtained from the user terminal 30.

[0051] (Step S211) The reservation management unit 201 of the reservation management device 20 obtains the reservation identification information D2 and the reservation change request notified from the telephone reservation device 10. Based on the obtained reservation identification information D2, the reservation management unit 201 searches for the reservation information D1 stored in the reservation management device storage unit 250.

[0052] The first determination unit 211 determines whether or not there is a reservation registration (i.e., a reservation registration including reservation identification information D2) of user U who requested a reservation change in the reservation information D1.

[0053] In other words, the first determination unit 211 determines whether a reservation has been registered using reservation identification information D2 (user U's identification information) based on a request for a change to a facility reservation via voice input from user U.

[0054] If the first determination unit 211 determines that there is no reservation registered for user U (step S211; NO), the reservation management unit 201 notifies the telephone reservation device 10 that there is no reservation registered.

[0055] (Step S112) The reservation change unit 104 of the telephone reservation device 10 receives a notification from the reservation management device 20 that there is no reservation registered for user U. (Step S113) The voice call unit 101 informs user U via voice that there is no reservation registered and that the call will be transferred to the store phone 21. For example, the voice call unit 101 will make a voice announcement such as, "We could not find any reservation information at the phone number you dialed. It is possible that this is a reservation that we cannot handle, so we will transfer you to the person in charge. Please wait."

[0056] The telephone reservation system calculation unit 100 dials the store telephone 21 and waits until a store employee answers. When a store employee answers the store telephone 21, the voice call unit 101 informs them via voice that user U has inquired about changing a reservation, but that there is no reservation registered. The telephone reservation system calculation unit 100 then forwards the reservation change call from user U to the store telephone 21, and the series of processes is completed.

[0057] On the other hand, if the first determination unit 211 determines that user U has made a reservation (step S211; YES), the determination unit 210 proceeds to step S212 to have the second determination unit 212 determine whether or not the reservation details can be changed.

[0058] (Step S212) The second determination unit 212 determines whether or not the reservation details can be changed based on the reservation details of user U, which has been determined to have a reservation registration. Specifically, the second determination unit 212 determines whether or not there are any constraints attached to user U's reservation registration.

[0059] For example, when making a new reservation, it may include not only a seat reservation but also a reservation for a set course meal. A set course meal reservation refers to a situation where the reservation details include a specified course (e.g., Course A, Course B, seasonal course, chef's recommended course, etc.). In the following explanation, a set course meal reservation will also be referred to as a case where a set course is reserved or where a reserved course is specified.

[0060] Preparing set courses can be time-consuming due to the sourcing and preparation of ingredients. Changes to set course reservations can have a significant impact on the restaurant's operations. Furthermore, set course menus may change seasonally. If the original and revised reservation dates overlap with a menu change date, the menu will also change along with the reservation date, which can complicate the process of explaining the changes to the user and obtaining their consent.

[0061] In one example of this embodiment, the constraints registered in the reservation information D1 include the condition "course reservation made". The second determination unit 212 determines that if "course reservation made" is registered in the constraints of the reservation information D1, the reservation cannot be changed by automatic response.

[0062] In other words, the second determination unit 212 determines whether or not it is possible to change the reservation details based on whether or not the reservation details before the change include the specification of the reservation course.

[0063] The second determination unit 212 notifies the telephone reservation device 10 whether or not the reservation details can be changed.

[0064] [Examples of how to determine whether or not a reservation can be changed] Furthermore, the second determination unit 212 can determine whether or not a reservation can be changed based on various conditions, in addition to the presence or absence of a course reservation as described above.

[0065] (1) Determination based on status information D3 The second determination unit 212 may determine whether or not the reservation details can be changed based on the status information D3 included in the reservation information D1.

[0066] For example, if the reservation management status indicated by status information D3 is not yet confirmed (e.g., requires contact or tentative reservation), the system may allow reservation changes via automated response. However, if the reservation is confirmed (e.g., waiting for arrival), the system may not allow reservation changes via automated response. Furthermore, if the reservation management status indicated by status information D3 is that the customer has already arrived, the system may not allow reservation changes via automated response.

[0067] In other words, the second determination unit 212 determines whether or not it is possible to change the reservation details based on the reservation registration status information D3 managed by the reservation management device 20 (also called the reservation management system).

[0068] With the telephone reservation system 1 configured in this way, it is possible to switch between handling reservation changes via automated responses or by store staff based on status information D3, thereby streamlining facility operations.

[0069] (2) Determination based on reservation route information D4 The second determination unit 212 may determine whether or not the reservation details can be changed based on the reservation route information D4. The reservation route information D4 is information that indicates what kind of reservation route the reservation registered in the reservation information D1 was made from. In other words, the reservation route information D4 is information that indicates the type of reservation route.

[0070] As shown in Figure 1, the types of reservation methods include reservations made via the telephone reservation device 10, reservations made via the store telephone 21, reservations made via the linked reservation system 40, reservations made via the unlinked reservation system 50, and reservations made by user U directly visiting the store.

[0071] As an example, the second determination unit 212 determines that, in the case of the telephone reservation device 10 and the linked reservation system 40 among these reservation routes, it is possible to change the reservation via the automatic response of the telephone reservation device 10. On the other hand, the second determination unit 212 determines that, among these reservation routes, if the reservation is made via the store telephone 21, the non-linked reservation system 50, or in person, it is not possible to change the reservation via the automated response of the telephone reservation device 10.

[0072] In other words, the second determination unit 212 determines whether or not it is possible to change the reservation details based on the reservation route information D4 (i.e., information indicating the type of reservation route). Note that the reservation route information D4 may be included in the reservation information D1, as illustrated in Figure 3. In this case, the second determination unit 212 can be said to determine whether or not it is possible to change the reservation details based on the reservation route information D4 included in the reservation information D1 (in other words, based on the reservation information D1).

[0073] As described above, the linked reservation system 40 is a reservation system located outside the reservation management device 20 that has been configured to share reservation information D1 with the reservation management device 20. The configuration of sharing reservation information D1 means that if the reservation details in one reservation system are changed, the changes will be reflected (or notified) to the other reservation system.

[0074] Therefore, when a reservation is changed by the automated response of the telephone reservation device 10, the reservation information D1 made by the linked reservation system 40 will reflect the change. Consequently, in this case, there will be no discrepancy in reservation details between the linked reservation system 40 and the telephone reservation device 10.

[0075] On the other hand, the non-linked reservation system 50 is a reservation system located outside the reservation management device 20, in which the linkage of reservation information D1 is not configured with the reservation management device 20. The lack of linkage of reservation information D1 means that if the reservation details of one reservation system are changed, the changes are not reflected (or notified) to the other reservation system.

[0076] Therefore, if a reservation is changed by the automated response of the telephone reservation device 10, the reservation information D1 made by the non-linked reservation system 50 will not reflect the change. Consequently, in this case, a discrepancy in reservation details may occur between the non-linked reservation system 50 and the telephone reservation device 10.

[0077] For example, when a reservation is made through the non-integrated reservation system 50, the store may be required to pay a system usage fee to the operator of the non-integrated reservation system 50. Also, when a reservation is made through the non-integrated reservation system 50, the user U may be awarded system usage points if certain conditions, such as the date of use, are met. If the telephone reservation device 10 automatically changes a reservation made through the non-integrated reservation system 50, it may not be possible to determine whether a system usage fee is required or whether the changed date of use meets the conditions for awarding system usage points.

[0078] Thus, depending on the type of booking method, the booking details at the time of initial booking and the booking details registered in booking information D1 after booking modification may not be linked, which may result in discrepancies in booking details between systems.

[0079] If the second determination unit 212 detects a potential discrepancy in reservation details between systems, it does not accept the reservation change via automated response, but instead forwards the call to the store telephone 21, prompting the store staff to decide whether to accept the reservation change.

[0080] With the telephone reservation system 1 configured in this way, it is possible to prevent discrepancies in the changed reservation details, thereby facilitating the smooth operation of the facility.

[0081] Returning to Figure 4, we will continue explaining the workflow for changing reservations.

[0082] (Step S114) The reservation change unit 104 of the telephone reservation device 10 receives an automated response from the reservation management device 20 regarding whether the reservation details can be changed. If the reservation change unit 104 determines that the reservation details cannot be changed (Step S114; NO), it proceeds to step S115. (Step S115) The voice call unit 101 informs user U by voice that it is not possible to change the reservation details via automated response and that the call will be transferred to the store's telephone 21. For example, the voice call unit 101 provides the following voice message: "In the case of your reservation, it is not possible to change the reservation via automated response. We will call the store's telephone, so please wait."

[0083] The telephone reservation system calculation unit 100 dials the store telephone 21 and waits until a store employee answers. When a store employee answers the store telephone 21, the voice call unit 101 relays a voice message from user U stating that they wish to change their reservation. For example, the voice call unit 101 might say, "A customer has requested a reservation change. We will transfer the call, so please handle it." The telephone reservation system calculation unit 100 then transfers the reservation change call from user U to the store telephone 21, completing the process.

[0084] On the other hand, if the reservation details can be changed (step S114; YES), the voice call unit 101 will inform the user terminal 30 by voice of the name of the reservation to be changed, the date and time of the reservation, and that the reservation can be changed.

[0085] (Step S313) User U speaks the details of the reservation change to the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 transmits the content of User U's speech to the telephone reservation device 10.

[0086] (Step S116) Moving to Figure 5, the voice call unit 101 of the telephone reservation device 10 receives the reservation change details spoken by user U. The notification unit 103 notifies the reservation management device 20 of the reservation change details received from user U. In the following description, the information indicating the reservation change details that the notification unit 103 notifies the reservation management device 20 is also referred to as reservation change details information D5.

[0087] (Step S213) The reservation management device 20 receives the reservation change information (i.e., reservation change information D5) notified from the telephone reservation device 10. If the reservation registration allows for changes to the reservation details, the third determination unit 213 determines whether the reservation can be changed to the reservation details desired by user U, based on the reservation information D1 (inventory information) of the facility's reservation management device 20 (reservation management system). If the changed reservation details are in stock, the third determination unit 213 determines that the reservation change is possible.

[0088] For example, in the case of a seat reservation at a store, the third determination unit 213 compares the changed reservation date and time with the reservation date and time of another user U registered in the reservation information D1. The third determination unit 213 determines that a reservation change is possible if there is no reservation made by another user U at the changed reservation date and time and the slot is available (i.e., there is availability). The reservation management device 20 notifies the telephone reservation device 10 of the determination result of the third determination unit 213 (i.e., whether or not the reservation can be changed).

[0089] [Examples of how to determine whether or not a reservation can be changed] The third determination unit 213 may also determine whether or not the reservation change is permissible based on whether the reservation change information D5 indicates a change in the reservation date, a change in the reservation time, a change in the number of people in the reservation, etc.

[0090] In other words, the third determination unit 213 determines whether or not it is possible to change the reservation based on the reservation change information D5 (the content of the reservation change).

[0091] For example, depending on the store's reservation status, it may be possible to change the number of people in a reservation, but not the reservation time. In such cases, the third determination unit 213 determines whether a reservation is possible based on the content of the reservation change, enabling flexible reservation changes that respond to the store's reservation status. With the telephone reservation system 1 configured in this way, it is possible to prevent a decrease in customer satisfaction for user U due to automated responses and to streamline facility operations.

[0092] Furthermore, the third determination unit 213 may be configured to determine whether or not a reservation change is possible by imposing constraints on the content of the reservation change desired by user U. For example, depending on the store's reservation status, changing the reservation start time to a later time slot may result in it overlapping with the next available reservation. As an example, it may be possible to change the reservation by setting the store usage time for user U (for example, the time spent at the store for dining in the case of a restaurant) to a shorter time (for example, 1 hour and 30 minutes) than the usual reservation time (for example, 2 hours).

[0093] In such cases, the third determination unit 213 determines, based on the reservation information D1 (inventory information), whether or not it is possible to change the reservation content to what user U wants, provided that constraints are placed on the reservation content desired by user U. In this case, the notification unit 103 of the telephone reservation device 10 notifies the user U of the constraints that make it possible to change the reservation. That is, the notification unit 103 notifies the user U of the constraints.

[0094] In such cases, the third determination unit 213 can determine whether a reservation is possible by imposing constraints on the reservation changes, thus enabling flexible reservation changes that respond to the store's reservation status. With the telephone reservation system 1 configured in this way, a decrease in customer satisfaction for user U due to automated responses can be suppressed, and facility operations can be made smoother.

[0095] (Step S117) Returning to Figure 5, the reservation change unit 104 of the telephone reservation device 10 determines whether or not the reservation can be changed based on the determination result of the third determination unit 213. If the reservation change unit 104 determines that the reservation cannot be changed (Step S117; NO), it proceeds to step S118.

[0096] (Step S118) The voice call unit 101 informs user U by voice that it is not possible to change the reservation details via automated response and that the call will be transferred to the store's telephone 21. For example, the voice call unit 101 provides the following voice message: "In the case of your reservation, it is not possible to change the reservation via automated response. We will call the store's telephone, so please wait."

[0097] The telephone reservation system calculation unit 100 dials the store telephone 21 and waits until a store employee answers. When a store employee answers the store telephone 21, the voice call unit 101 relays a voice message from user U stating that they wish to change their reservation. For example, the voice call unit 101 might say, "A customer has requested a reservation change. We will transfer the call, so please handle it." The telephone reservation system calculation unit 100 then transfers the reservation change call from user U to the store telephone 21, completing the process.

[0098] On the other hand, if the reservation details can be changed (step S117; YES), the voice call unit 101 will inform the user terminal 30 of the changed reservation details by voice.

[0099] (Step S314) User U confirms the modified reservation details spoken by the telephone reservation device 10 and speaks to the user terminal 30 to confirm the reservation change. The user terminal 30 transmits the content of User U's speech to the telephone reservation device 10.

[0100] (Step S119) The voice call unit 101 of the telephone reservation device 10 receives a statement from user U confirming the reservation change. The notification unit 103 notifies the reservation management device 20 of the confirmation of the reservation change.

[0101] (Step S214) When the reservation management unit 201 receives a confirmation notification of a reservation change from the telephone reservation device 10, it updates the reservation information D1 based on the reservation change received in step S213.

[0102] The determination unit 210 may also include a fourth determination unit 214. The fourth determination unit 214 determines, with respect to the status information D3 managed in the reservation information D1, whether to change the status or maintain the status before and after the reservation change.

[0103] As described above, status information D3 is information indicating the management status of each reservation in the reservation management device 20. Even if the management status of a reservation indicated by status information D3 is that the reservation is not yet confirmed (for example, in a state requiring contact or a provisional reservation state), the unconfirmed reservation details can be changed based on the request of user U.

[0104] For example, when a request to change a reservation from user U is received, an exchange with user U occurs. Therefore, even if the status information D3 before the reservation change is in a state requiring contact or a provisional reservation state, it is possible to confirm the reservation based on the content of user U's response at the time of the reservation change. In this case, the fourth determination unit 214 determines that the status information D3 should be changed from a state of unconfirmed reservation (state requiring contact or provisional reservation) to a state of confirmed reservation (state waiting for arrival).

[0105] As another example, if the status information D3 before the reservation change is in a state requiring contact or a provisional reservation state, it may be better for the store staff and user U to communicate directly (without going through the telephone reservation device 10) to confirm the reservation.

[0106] In this case, as an example, if the status information D3 is in a state requiring contact or a provisional reservation state, the reservation management unit 201 will not make the modified reservation a confirmed reservation, but if the status information D3 is in a state of waiting for arrival, the modified reservation will be made a confirmed reservation. In other words, the reservation management unit 201 makes the modified reservation registration a confirmed reservation based on the status information D3.

[0107] In this case, the fourth determination unit 214 determines that the reservation management status will not be changed before or after the reservation change, and that the status information D3 will remain in an unconfirmed reservation state (requires contact or provisional reservation state).

[0108] In other words, the fourth determination unit 214 determines the status of the modified reservation registration based on the reservation registration status information D3 managed by the reservation management device 20 (reservation management system). With the telephone reservation system 1 configured in this way, the status information D3 after reservation changes can be appropriately managed according to the facility's operating policy, thereby facilitating the smooth operation of the facility.

[0109] (Step S215) The reservation management unit 201 notifies the telephone reservation device 10 that the update of the reservation details is complete.

[0110] (Step S120) When the telephone reservation device 10 receives notification from the reservation management unit 201 that the reservation update has been completed, it informs the user U by voice that the reservation update has been completed. For example, the voice call unit 101 will make a voice announcement saying, "We have received your reservation change request. Thank you for your inquiry."

[0111] (Step S315) User U confirms that the reservation update is complete, as announced by the telephone reservation device 10, and terminates the series of processes.

[0112] As described above, the telephone reservation system 1 can automatically respond to both new reservations and changes to existing reservations. Therefore, the telephone reservation system 1 can reduce the workload of facility staff compared to when staff members manually accept reservation changes by phone. Furthermore, the telephone reservation system 1 can determine whether to automatically respond or transfer the call to a facility staff member (e.g., store phone 21) depending on various conditions such as the content of the reservation change. Thus, in cases where automatic response is inappropriate, the telephone reservation system 1 can ensure that a facility staff member responds, thus preventing a decrease in customer satisfaction. In other words, the telephone reservation system 1 can streamline the operation of the facility.

[0113] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and design modifications and the like are also included within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, a computer program to implement the functions of each of the above-mentioned devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" here may include hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices.

[0114] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to writable non-volatile memory such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and flash memory, portable media such as DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" also includes volatile memory (such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) within computer systems that act as servers or clients when programs are transmitted via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, which retain programs for a certain period of time.

[0115] Furthermore, the above program may be transmitted from a computer system that stores the program in a memory device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves within the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" used to transmit the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) like the Internet or a communication line (communication line) like a telephone line. Furthermore, the above program may be intended to implement some of the functions described above. It may also be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1...Telephone reservation system, 10...Telephone reservation device, 20...Reservation management device, 30...User terminal, 40...Integrated reservation system, 50...Non-integrated reservation system

Claims

1. A first determination unit determines whether a reservation is registered using the user's identification information, based on a request from the user to change a facility reservation via voice input. A second determination unit determines whether or not the reservation details can be changed based on the reservation details of a user who has been determined to have made a reservation. If the reservation registration allows for changes to the reservation details, a third determination unit determines whether the reservation details can be changed to those desired by the user, based on the inventory information of the facility's reservation management system. A telephone reservation system equipped with [features / equipment].

2. A fourth determination unit determines the status of the modified reservation registration based on the status of the reservation registration managed by the aforementioned reservation management system. The telephone reservation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The second determination unit determines whether or not it is possible to change the reservation details based on the status of the reservation registration managed by the reservation management system. The telephone reservation system according to claim 1.

4. The second determination unit determines whether or not the reservation details can be changed based on whether or not the reservation details before the change include the specification of a reservation course. The telephone reservation system according to claim 1.

5. The second determination unit determines whether or not it is possible to change the reservation details based on the type of reservation route. The telephone reservation system according to claim 1.

6. The third determination unit determines whether or not it is possible to change the reservation based on the content of the change to the reservation. The telephone reservation system according to claim 1.

7. The third determination unit determines, based on the inventory information, whether the reservation can be changed to the user's desired content if constraints are placed on the user's desired content. The system further includes a notification unit that notifies the user of the aforementioned constraints. The telephone reservation system according to claim 1.

8. Based on the status of the reservation registration managed by the aforementioned reservation management system, the reservation management unit confirms the modified reservation registration as a confirmed reservation. The telephone reservation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

9. On the computer, Based on a user's voice input request to change a facility reservation, it is determined whether a reservation is registered using the user's identification information. Based on the reservation details of the user who was determined to have made a reservation, it is determined whether or not the reservation details can be changed. If the reservation registration allows for changes to the reservation details, the system will determine whether the user can change the reservation details to their desired state based on the inventory information of the facility's reservation management system. A program to execute.

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