Processing device, processing method, and program

Abstract

To improve the work efficiency of a contact center operation in which IP-based communication is performed.SOLUTION: A server 20 includes a communication measurement unit 21 and a determination unit 23. The communication measurement unit 21 measures voice quality of an operator terminal 31 that makes a call by VoIP. A determination unit 23 determines voice quality measured by the communication measurement unit 21, and executes predetermined automatic control for a target operator 31 when the voice quality is bad. The Automatic control includes, for example, lowering the level of a voice codec of a target voice, excluding from targets of the target operator terminal 31, and switching from voice call to chat support under an environment in which chat support is not possible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In IP-based calls such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) used in PBX (Private Branch eXchange) and call center systems, the voice quality depends on network devices and communication services. For this reason, in lines where it is difficult to control network devices and communication services, many voice packet delays and interruptions have occurred. However, conventionally, even if the voice quality is poor, operations such as connecting calls to a fixed operator according to the ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) of the call center have been performed. For this reason, the work efficiency of contact center operations has been reduced. Patent Document 1 discloses a call center system that can reduce the load on an IP telephony server during a call by performing decoding and encoding of voice transfer packets on the client terminal device side.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, according to the invention of Patent Document 1, as a result, there remains a possibility of connecting a call with poor voice quality to an operator, which may interfere with the operator's work.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to improve the work efficiency of contact center operations in which IP-based calls are made.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention measures the communication quality in a first operator device, Measured value and outputs a first processing unit, and the above Measured value is a first threshold is as follows and is greater than the second threshold A second processing unit that changes the codec information used in the first operator device from a first codec to a second codec having a lower bit rate than the first codec, and the above Measured value is is less than or equal to the second threshold and When the first operator device is in an environment where chat is supported, a third processing unit that switches the media information used in the communication of the first operator device from voice to chat is provided , the second threshold is a threshold smaller than the first threshold A processing device characterized by that. At this time, the above Measured value is is less than or equal to the second threshold and When the first operator device is in an environment where chat is not supported, it is preferable to include a fourth processing unit that excludes the first operator device from incoming calls. Also, the above Measured value is the First threshold is greater than and less than the third threshold For network devices on an IP network of the voice packet A fifth processing unit that changes the communication route or changes the QoS setting is provided , the third threshold is a threshold greater than the first threshold This is preferable.

[0010] Also, in the present invention, a processing device measures the communication quality in a first operator device, Measured value and outputs a first step, and the above Measured value is a first threshold is as follows and is greater than the second threshold A second step of changing the codec information used in the first operator device from a first codec to a second codec having a lower bit rate than the first codec, and the above Measured value is is less than or equal to the second threshold and When the first operator device is in an environment where chat is supported, a third step of switching the media information used in the communication of the first operator device from voice to chat is executed and the second threshold is characterized by being a threshold smaller than the first thresholdIt is a processing method.

[0014] Further, the present invention uses a computer as a processing device to measure the communication quality in the first operator device, Measured value and outputs a first processing unit, the Measured value is a first threshold is as follows and is greater than the second threshold a second processing unit that changes the codec information used in the first operator device from a first codec to a second codec having a lower bit rate than the first codec, the Measured value is is less than or equal to the second threshold and when the first operator device is in an environment capable of supporting chat, a third processing unit that switches the media information used in the communication of the first operator device from voice to chat, and functions as , the second threshold is characterized by being a threshold smaller than the first threshold a program.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention , co the work efficiency of contact center operations can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] [Overview] The contact center system of this embodiment measures the voice quality between the server and the terminal in an IP-based voice call, and performs automatic control to ensure the voice quality based on the measurement results, and automatically makes a determination not to receive calls from terminals with poor voice quality. More specifically, when it is determined that the voice quality cannot be ensured, the contact center system automatically changes to a codec with less bandwidth, excludes the target terminal, or switches to text correspondence such as chat. In this way, the efficiency of integrated telephone and chat operations is improved.

[0021] [First Embodiment] <Configuration> As shown in FIG. 1, the contact center system 100 of this embodiment is a system for operating contact center services. The contact center system 100 includes a line accommodation device 10, a server 20, and an administrator terminal 32. In addition, a plurality of operator terminals 31 are prepared for the contact center system 100. Note that the server 20 is a specific example of the "processing device" in the claims. Also, the operator terminal 31 is a specific example of the "first operator device" in the claims.

[0022] The line accommodation device 10, the server 20, the operator terminal 31, and the administrator terminal 32 are configured as computers having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, storage means (memory unit, storage device) such as a hard disk, and a network interface. In this computer, various functions are realized when the CPU executes a program loaded onto the memory.

[0023] The line accommodation device 10 is a device that converts a line passing through the public switched telephone network 41 into VoIP. The public switched telephone network 41 can be, for example, a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), but is not limited thereto.

[0024] Note that a customer device (not shown) communicably connected to the public line network 41 can be communicably connected to the IP network 42 by the line accommodation device 10. Also, the operator terminal 31 is communicably connected to the IP network 42. Therefore, the customer device can be communicably connected to the operator terminal 31 via the IP network 42, and a customer using the customer device and an operator of the operator terminal 31 can communicate by voice or chat. Also, the server 20 and the administrator terminal 32 are communicably connected to the IP network 42. The server 20, the operator terminal 31, and the administrator terminal 32 are communicably connected via the IP network 42.

[0025] The server 20 is a device that controls VoIP communication. The server 20 can control call connection by ACD. The server 20 includes a communication measurement unit 21, a database 22, a determination unit 23, and a notification unit 24.

[0026] The communication measurement unit 21 measures the voice quality in the operator terminal 31 that makes a call by VoIP. More specifically, the communication measurement unit 21 can measure the voice quality between the line accommodation device 10 and the operator terminal 31, or the voice quality between the server 20 and the operator terminal 31. The method for measuring the voice quality may be well-known ones such as measuring the packet delay time and the packet loss amount, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The database 22 accumulates the measurement results of the communication measurement unit 21.

[0027] The determination unit 23 determines the voice quality measured by the communication measurement unit 21, and when the voice quality is poor, executes predetermined automatic control on the target operator 31. Details of the automatic control will be described later. The notification unit 24 gives an alarm notification of the measurement results of the measurement by the communication measurement unit 21 and the automatic control results of the automatic control executed by the determination unit 23 to the operator terminal 31 and the administrator terminal 32.

[0028] Note that the communication measurement unit 21 is a specific example of the "first processing unit" in the claims. In addition, the measurement value of the voice quality measured by the communication measurement unit 21 is a specific example of the "information on the first measurement result" in the claims. In addition, the determination unit 23 is a specific example of the "second processing unit" in the claims. , "the third processing unit", "the fourth processing unit" of the specific example.

[0029] The operator terminal 31 is a terminal used by an operator who conducts contact center operations. The operator terminal 31 can perform IP-based calls and chats. The operator terminal 31 can be, for example, a telephone or a PC. The operator can handle customer inquiries by making calls using a telephone or a softphone on a PC and by chatting using a PC.

[0030] The administrator terminal 32 is a terminal used by an administrator who monitors the operation of contact center operations. The administrator terminal 32 is equipped with a predetermined operation status monitoring tool (not shown) and can monitor calls or chats between customers and operators. In addition, the administrator of the administrator terminal 32 can consider operation changes regarding the measurement results and automatic control results notified from the notification unit 24.

[0031] <Specific examples of automatic control> The automatic control examples (1) to (3) of the automatic control executed by the determination unit 23 are as follows. Automatic control example (1): When the measurement value indicating the voice quality measured by the communication measurement unit 21 is equal to or less than the first threshold value, the level of the voice codec of the target voice is lowered (voice quality automatic change process). Specifically, the voice codec by G.711 (bit rate: 64 kbps), which is widely used for the transmission of voice signals in a fixed telephone network, can be changed to the voice codec by G.729 (bit rate: 8 kbps), which is widely used for VoIP, etc., but the change method is not limited to this. Note that the first threshold value is a specific example of the "first threshold value information" in the claims. In addition, the voice codec of the target voice is a specific example of the "information on the codec used in the first operator device" in the claims. Also, the voice codec according to G.711 is a specific example of the "first codec" in the claims. Also, the voice codec according to G.729 is a specific example of the "second codec" in the claims.

[0032] Automatic control example (2): When the measured value indicating the voice quality measured by the communication measurement unit 21 is equal to or less than the second threshold, and when the operator terminal 31 of the call target is in an environment where chat correspondence is not possible, the operator terminal 31 is excluded from the incoming call target (automatic exclusion process from the ACD target). The second threshold may be larger or smaller than the first threshold, but it is preferably smaller. Here, the environment where chat correspondence is not possible can be, for example, when the server 20 sends a text for a chat reply request to the operator terminal 31, and there is no chat reply from the operator terminal 31 for a predetermined period. Also, the environment where chat correspondence is not possible can be that the operator terminal 31 does not install a chat application, and the server 20 grasps whether each operator terminal 31 has installed a chat application. However, the determination regarding the environment where chat correspondence is not possible is not limited to these. The determination unit 23 can determine in real time whether the operator terminal 31 is in an environment where chat correspondence is not possible. 。

[0033] Automatic control example (3): When the measured value indicating the voice quality measured by the communication measurement unit 21 is equal to or less than the second threshold, and when the operator terminal 31 of the call target is in an environment where chat correspondence is possible, the customer correspondence by the operator terminal 31 is switched from voice to chat. That is, the determination unit 23 treats the operator terminal 31 as a terminal where customer correspondence by voice call is not possible and customer correspondence by chat is possible. The server 20 can distribute a chat call from the customer device to the operator terminal 31 that can only correspond to chat (optimization of operation in the voice - chat integrated environment). Note that the voice call and chat for customer correspondence are specific examples of the "media information used in the communication of the first operator device" in the claims.

[0034] <Processing> Referring to FIG. 2, the processing of the server 20 will be described. First, the communication measurement unit 21 measures the voice quality of the operator terminal 31 in use (step S01). Next, the determination unit 23 determines the measured voice quality (step S02). When the measured value is greater than the first threshold (Yes in step S03), the notification unit 24 notifies the operator terminal 31 and the administrator terminal 32 of the measurement result of the measurement by the communication measurement unit 21 and the automatic control result of no automatic control by the determination unit 23 (step S04), and ends the entire processing of FIG. 2.

[0035] On the other hand, when the measured value is greater than the second threshold and less than or equal to the first threshold (No in step S03 → Yes in step S05), the determination unit 23 lowers the level of the voice codec of the target voice (step S06). After that, the notification unit 24 notifies the operator terminal 31 and the administrator terminal 32 of the measurement result of the measurement by the communication measurement unit 21 and the automatic control result of the automatic control executed by the determination unit 23 (step S04), and ends the entire processing of FIG. 2.

[0036] Also, when the measured value is less than or equal to the second threshold (No in step S05), the determination unit 23 determines whether the target operator terminal 31 is in an environment where chat is possible (step S07). When it is in an environment where chat is not possible (No in step S07), the determination unit 23 excludes the target operator terminal 31 from the incoming call targets (step S08). After that, the notification unit 24 notifies the operator terminal 31 and the administrator terminal 32 of the measurement result of the measurement by the communication measurement unit 21 and the automatic control result of the automatic control executed by the determination unit 23 (step S04), and ends the entire processing of FIG. 2.

[0037] On the other hand, when in an environment capable of supporting chat (Yes in step S07), the determination unit 23 switches the customer support of the target operator terminal 31 from voice to chat (step S09). Thereafter, the notification unit 24 notifies the operator terminal 31 and the administrator terminal 32 of the measurement result of the measurement by the communication measurement unit 21 and the automatic control result of the automatic control executed by the determination unit 23 (step S04), and ends the entire process of FIG. 2.

[0038] According to the first embodiment, for an operator terminal with poor voice quality, automatic control such as continuing the call with reduced voice quality (reduced bit rate), switching to chat customer support, or excluding it from incoming calls is performed, so that voice delay and interruption can be minimized. Therefore, the work efficiency of contact center operations where IP-based voice calls are made can be improved. In addition, by notifying the administrator of the automatic control result, the operation can be reviewed. By also notifying the operator of the automatic control result, it can lead to an improvement in voice quality for the operator. Also, by retaining the measurement result of voice quality as statistical information, it becomes possible to analyze the operator's communication environment in combination with the statistical information of call calls.

[0039] [Second Embodiment] When describing the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of overlapping points will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the contact center system 200 of the second embodiment further includes a network device 11 as compared with the contact center system 100 of the first embodiment. Note that the network device 11 is a specific example of the "network device of the IP network" in the claims.

[0040] The network device 11 is a relay device that relays packets exchanged via the IP network 42. The network device 11 is communicably connected to the line accommodation device 10, the server 20, the operator terminal 31, and the administrator terminal 32. The network device 11 may be included in the IP network 42. That is, the line accommodation device 10, the server 20, the operator terminal 31, and the administrator terminal 32 are communicably connected to a relay device included in the IP network 42.

[0041] Compared with the first embodiment, the server 20 further includes a network control unit 25. The network control unit 25 changes the communication route of packets or changes the QoS (Quality of Service) settings for the network device 11. Also, the network control unit 25 can change the communication route of packets or change the QoS (Quality of Service) settings for a relay device included in the IP network 42. Note that the network control unit 25 is a specific example of the "processing unit" in the claims. 5

[0042] <Specific example of automatic control> As an automatic control executed by the determination unit 23, an automatic control example (4) is added. Automatic control example (4): When the measured value indicating the voice quality measured by the communication measurement unit 21 is equal to or less than a third threshold value, the network control unit 25 performs network control such as changing the communication route of voice packets or changing the QoS settings for the network device 11. This network control contributes to improving the voice quality. The third threshold value may be larger or smaller than the first and second threshold values. In the second embodiment, it is assumed that the third threshold value is larger than the first and second threshold values. Note that the third threshold value is a specific example of the "threshold value information" in the claims. 2

[0043] <Processing> With reference to FIG. 4, the processing of the server 20 will be described. The process of FIG. 4 has steps S10 and S11 added as compared with the process of FIG. 2. Step S10 is executed after step S03. That is, when the measured value is greater than the third threshold (Yes in step S10), the notification unit 24 notifies the operator terminal 31 and the administrator terminal 32 of the measurement result of the measurement by the communication measurement unit 21 and the automatic control result of no automatic control by the determination unit 23 (step S04), and ends the entire process of FIG. 4.

[0044] On the other hand, when the measured value is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the third threshold (No in step S10), the network control unit 25 performs network control on the network device 11 (step S11). After that, the notification unit 24 notifies the operator terminal 31 and the administrator terminal 32 of the measurement result of the measurement by the communication measurement unit 21 and the automatic control result of the automatic control executed by the network control unit 25 (step S04), and ends the entire process of FIG. 4. Other processes are the same as those of the process of FIG. 2.

[0045] According to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved. In addition, by automatically controlling the network device for an operator terminal determined to have poor communication quality, the communication route and QoS can be optimized, and the voice quality can be ensured.

[0046] <Modification Example> (a) By continuously measuring the voice quality, it is possible to ensure the operation of ensuring the voice quality even in contact center operations using an Internet line in telework such as working from home. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a network configuration in which there is an Internet network that communicably connects the operator terminal 31 used by an operator at home and the IP network 42. (b) The communication measurement unit 21 can measure not only the voice quality in the operator terminal 31 but also the quality of other media (e.g., text, still image, video) passing through the IP network 42. That is, the communication measurement unit 21 can measure the communication quality in the operator terminal 31. (c) It is also possible to perform automatic control by combining at least any one of the automatic control examples (1) to (3) adopted in the first embodiment and the automatic control example (4) adopted in the second embodiment. (d) In the second embodiment, the line accommodation device 10 may be communicably connected to the IP network 42. (e) The present invention can be applied even when the operator terminal 31 is in a call. (f) Means that can be realized by software can be realized by hardware, and means that can be realized by hardware can be realized by software.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0047] 100, 200 Contact Center System 10 Line Accommodation Device 20 Server 21 Communication Measurement Unit 22 Database 23 Determination Unit 24 Notification Unit 25 Network Control Unit 31 Operator Terminal 32 Administrator Terminal 41 Public Switched Telephone Network 42 IP Network

Claims

1. A first processing unit that measures communication quality in the first operator device and outputs a measurement value; A second processing unit that, when the measurement value is equal to or less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold, changes the codec information used in the first operator device from a first codec to a second codec having a lower bit rate than the first codec; A third processing unit that, when the measurement value is equal to or less than the second threshold and the first operator device is in an environment where chat is supported, switches the media information used in the communication of the first operator device from voice to chat; The second threshold is a threshold smaller than the first threshold A processing device characterized by this.

2. The processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth processing unit that excludes the first operator device from incoming calls when the measurement value is equal to or less than the second threshold and the first operator device is in an environment where chat is not supported.

3. When the measurement value is greater than the first threshold and less than a third threshold, a fifth processing unit that changes the communication route of voice packets or changes the QoS setting for a network device in an IP network; The third threshold is a threshold greater than the first threshold The processing device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

4. A processing method, wherein the processing device Performs a first step of measuring communication quality in the first operator device and outputting a measurement value; A second step of, when the measurement value is equal to or less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold, changing the codec information used in the first operator device from a first codec to a second codec having a lower bit rate than the first codec; A third step of, when the measurement value is equal to or less than the second threshold and the first operator device is in an environment where chat is supported, switching the media information used in the communication of the first operator device from voice to chat is executed, The second threshold is a threshold smaller than the first threshold A processing method characterized by this.

5. A computer as a processing device, A first processing unit that measures communication quality in the first operator device and outputs a measurement value, When the measured value is less than or equal to the first threshold value and greater than the second threshold value, a second processing unit that changes the codec information used in the first operator device from the first codec to a second codec having a bit rate smaller than that of the first codec; When the measured value is less than or equal to the second threshold value and the first operator device is in an environment capable of supporting chat, function as a third processing unit that switches the media information used in the communication of the first operator device from voice to chat; The second threshold value is a threshold value smaller than the first threshold value A program characterized by the above.

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