Information processing program, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide an information processing program and an information processing device capable of improving efficiency of processing related to an inquiry.SOLUTION: An information processing program causes a computer to execute the steps of: receiving, from a user, an inquiry about at least one category among a plurality of categories associated with an ID of the user; specifying an answering entity in response to the inquiry based on content of the inquiry and information associated with the plurality of categories; and responding in accordance with providing means of an answer in response to the inquiry.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing program and an information processing apparatus for improving the efficiency of processing inquiries.

Background Art

[0002] In customer service operations such as contact centers and call centers, it is common for operators to receive inquiries from customers, confirm the content of the inquiries, and respond. In recent years, services that automate part of the customer service operations have also been spreading.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that a call center server receives a call from a user, selects a responder based on the matter and the personal information of the user, and relays the conversation between the responder and the user.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes that voice recognition text data obtained by voice recognition of the voice call content between a user and an operator, the content of past inquiries based on past inquiry history information of the user, etc., and the answers are displayed on the operator terminal, and the operator responds.

[0005] Patent Document 3 describes that the matter of the customer is estimated from the utterance text, and an FAQ (answer to a question) is displayed as a search result corresponding to the matter.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, after a responder is selected, it is necessary to conduct customer service operations through a voice call between the responder and the user. Therefore, the efficiency of processing inquiries from customers is not sufficient.

[0008] In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, an operator can accurately grasp the content of an inquiry based on the content of the inquiry displayed on the operator device and the past response history. However, the response to the inquiry needs to be made by the operator, and the efficiency of processing inquiries from customers is not sufficient.

[0009] In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3, in order to estimate the customer's request and search for FAQs corresponding to the estimated request, the operator needs to respond to the inquiry based on the FAQs. Therefore, the efficiency of processing inquiries from customers is not sufficient.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing program and an information processing apparatus for improving the efficiency of processing inquiries.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] In one embodiment, the information processing program causes a computer to receive an inquiry from a user regarding at least one category among a plurality of categories associated with the user's ID, identify an answer entity for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and information associated with the plurality of categories, and respond according to the means for providing an answer to the inquiry.

Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the embodiment, the efficiency of processing inquiries can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

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[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0015] (First Embodiment) (1) Overall Configuration of Response Support System 1 FIG. 1 is an overhead view showing an example of the overall configuration of a response support system 1 according to the first embodiment. The response support system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a response support apparatus 2, service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, a user terminal 4, an operator telephone 5, and an operator terminal 6. The response support apparatus 2, the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6 are communicably connected to each other via a network 7. For example, the network 7 is the Internet. The network may include a wireless network or a wired network. The operator telephone 5 and the operator terminal 6 are communicably connected by, for example, a telephone line or the like. Note that the response support system 1 may refer to a system including at least two of the response support apparatus 2, the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, the operator telephone 5, and the operator terminal 6.

[0016] The response support system 1 may include a plurality of user terminals 4, a plurality of operator telephones 5, and a plurality of operator terminals 6. The configuration of the plurality of user terminals may be the same as that of the user terminal 4. The configuration of the plurality of operator telephones may be the same as that of the operator telephone 5. The configuration of the plurality of operator terminals 6 may be the same as that of the operator terminal 6. The response support system 1 shows an example of including three service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, but the number of service provider devices is not limited to this. The configuration of the plurality of service provider devices may be the same as that of the service provider device 3-1. The configuration of the service provider device will be described as the configuration of the service provider device 3-1. The number of service provider devices may vary according to the number of businesses providing the service.

[0017] The service includes the sale of tangible goods such as products and the provision of services. The genre of the business may be any. For example, the business operates a store that provides at least one service, a website, etc. The business includes not only the business itself but also the meaning of a group of businesses. The group of businesses is a group that operates stores recognized as a series. For example, the group of businesses is a group that operates stores using the same name. The group of businesses may include a franchise in which the business is involved as a franchisor.

[0018] The response support system 1 is a system for responding to inquiries regarding a plurality of services. The inquiries include questions, notifications, requests, complaints, etc. regarding each service from customers. The customer may be a member of a plurality of services. The customer can register as a member for a plurality of services and be managed by member identification information (member ID). The plurality of services can be integrally managed by a provider of a common service that associates the plurality of services. The customer may be a member of the common service. The customer can register as a member for the common service and be managed by member identification information (common ID). The common ID is an ID that is commonly used for a plurality of services. The common ID is information that can uniquely identify a customer across a plurality of services. The common ID can be set by the provider of the common service or the like. When the customer logs in using the common ID, the customer can use a plurality of services associated with the common ID. A customer having a common ID is also referred to as a common ID member or a common ID user. In the following description, the customer is referred to as a member or a user. The response includes various operations and actions in response to the inquiry, such as an answer to the inquiry and processing of the inquiry.

[0019] A common ID user can log in to the common service through a common service application or the like. The common service application is, for example, an application that can use a plurality of services associated with the common service.

[0020] Note that the response support system 1 is not limited to a common service that integrates a plurality of services and is applicable to various fields. The response support system 1 may be applied to, for example, a service that integrates a plurality of customer service windows.

[0021] The plurality of services may be services provided by different operators or services provided by the same operator. Note that the service provider is not limited to an operator and may be a department, section, customer service, etc. within the business.

[0022] The response support device 2 is a device that collects data and processes the collected data. The device includes a computer. The response support device 2 is communicably connected to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6 via the network 7. The response support device 2 receives various data from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6, and outputs various data to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6. The response support device 2 is an example of an information processing device. A configuration example of the response support device 2 will be described later.

[0023] The service provider device 3-1 is a device that collects data and processes the collected data. The device includes a computer. The service provider device 3-1 is communicably connected to the response support device 2, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6 via the network 7. The service provider device 3-1 receives various data from the response support device 2, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6, and outputs various data to the response support device 2, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6. The service provider device 3-1 is a device used by a service provider or the like. The service provider device 3-1 includes a management device 31A and a storage device 32A. The storage device 32A stores service-related information and the like. The service-related information includes information about the service provider and information about the service. The management device 31A of the service provider device 3-1 provides the service-related information to the response support device 2 in response to a request from the response support device 2.

[0024] The information about the service provider includes information set by the service provider. The information about the service provider includes service provider information and registration information. The service provider information includes service provider identification information, service provider name, contact information, etc. The service provider identification information is information that can uniquely identify the service provider. The service provider identification information is, for example, a service provider ID. The service provider name indicates the name of the service provider. The contact information includes the address, telephone number, fax number, email address, etc. of the service provider.

[0025] The registration information is information set by the service provider. The registration information includes, for example, settings regarding inquiries from members. The settings regarding inquiries include reception means capable of receiving inquiries from members, response means capable of responding to members regarding inquiries, methods of answering inquiries, and the like. The reception means indicates, for example, communication means such as a telephone, FAX, e-mail, chat, or contact means. The reception means can be selected by the service provider. The reception means may include a plurality of means. When the reception means includes a plurality of means, the reception means may include information indicating the priority order of the plurality of means. The reception means is an example of an inquiry means. The response means indicates, for example, communication means such as a telephone, FAX, e-mail, chat, or contact means. The response means can be selected by the service provider. The response means may include a plurality of means. When the response means includes a plurality of means, the response means may include information indicating the priority order of the plurality of means. The response means is an example of a means for providing a response. The response means may be the same means as the reception means or may be a different means from the reception means.

[0026] The methods of answering inquiries include auto-responses, automated processing, dispatching, etc. An auto-response, for example, indicates automatically sending a response to a member for an inquiry. An auto-response includes a process of generating response items for an inquiry. The response items are information indicating response examples or response sentences, etc. Automated processing indicates requesting a process corresponding to an inquiry. Automated processing includes a process of identifying a process corresponding to an inquiry and a process of requesting the service provider device to perform a process corresponding to the inquiry. The process corresponding to an inquiry indicates a process necessary to respond to the inquiry. For example, when the inquiry is a request for point transfer, the process corresponding to the inquiry includes a series of processes necessary for the point transfer process. Dispatching includes transferring a call to a responder, requesting the responder to handle the business, etc. The responder corresponds to a service provider who provides a service corresponding to the inquiry. Dispatching includes a process of generating response items for an inquiry. Dispatching includes a process of providing response examples to the responder. The method of answering an inquiry can be selected by the service provider. The method of answering an inquiry may include multiple answering methods. When the method of answering an inquiry includes multiple answering methods, the method of answering an inquiry may also include information indicating the priority order of the multiple answering methods. The response support device 2 responds to an inquiry according to the method of answering an inquiry set by the responder. The method of answering an inquiry is also simply referred to as the answering method. In the following description, "answer" may be read as "response".

[0027] Information about the service includes service identification information, service name, service overview, question and answer examples (FAQ: frequently asked questions), etc. Service identification information is information that can uniquely identify a service. Service identification information is, for example, a service ID. The service name indicates the name of the service. The service overview includes information indicating the content of the service. The content of the service may include event information, campaign information, privilege information, etc. Question and answer examples indicate question items related to the service and their response examples. In the following description, question and answer examples are also referred to as FAQs.

[0028] The management device 31A receives information regarding the response from the response support device 2. The information regarding the response includes information regarding the processing of the inquiry by the response support device 2. The information regarding the processing of the inquiry indicates, for example, the response result. The response result includes information such as the inquiry content, the response content, and the processing result. The inquiry content includes, for example, the inquiry type, the inquiry source information, and the inquiry item. The inquiry type is information for classifying inquiries such as inquiries regarding fees, inquiries regarding service contents, and inquiries regarding member information. The inquiry source information is, for example, member information regarding the customer who made the inquiry. The member information includes member identification information, member name, contact information, and the like. The customer who made the inquiry is also referred to as the inquiry source user or the inquiry user. The member identification information is information that can uniquely identify the customer. The member identification information is, for example, a common ID. The member name indicates the customer's name, username, and the like. The contact information indicates a telephone number, an email address, and the like. The contact information may also be information indicating the means by which the inquiry was made. For example, when the customer makes an inquiry by phone, the contact information may include the phone number. The customer is an example of a user of the user terminal 4. The inquiry user is an example of a user of the user terminal 4. In the following description, "receive" may be read as "acquire".

[0029] The response content includes information regarding the response to the inquiry. The response content includes the response means, the response item, the response method, and the like. The processing result includes information indicating the member's response to the response, and the like. The response includes information indicating the satisfaction with the response, the reaction to the response, and the like.

[0030] The user terminal 4 is a device capable of communicating with other devices. The user terminal 4 is a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. The user terminal 4 is an example of an information processing terminal. The user terminal 4 is used by a member who uses various services provided by a service provider. When the user of the user terminal 4 has an inquiry regarding the services provided by the service provider, the user makes an inquiry from the user terminal 4 to a contact center or a call center. The user can make an inquiry by e-mail, chat, phone, or FAX, etc. The user terminal 4 may be a device equipped with a telephone function.

[0031] The operator telephone 5 is, for example, a device equipped with a telephone function. The operator telephone 5 is a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The operator telephone 5 is used by an operator in a contact center or a call center. When the operator makes a reply to an inquiry by phone, the operator may make a call using the operator telephone 5. Note that the operator telephone 5 may be a device integrated with the operator terminal 6.

[0032] The operator terminal 6 is a device capable of communicating with other devices. The operator terminal 6 is a PC or a tablet terminal, etc. The operator terminal 6 is used by an operator in a contact center or a call center. The operator terminal 6 may be a device associated with each of the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The operator terminal 6 may communicate with the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 and acquire instructions from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3.

[0033] (2) Hardware Configuration (2-1) Response Support Device 2 The response support device 2 includes a processor 21, a memory 22, a storage 23, a communication interface (I / F) 24, an input / output interface (I / F) 25, and a bus 26 that connects these components. The processor 21 controls the overall operation of the response support device 2. The processor 21 may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (microprocessor unit), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), but is not limited to general-purpose processors and may also be a dedicated processor such as an (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (field-Programmable Gate Array). The memory 22 is a main storage device and includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like. The storage 23 is an auxiliary storage device and includes a non-volatile storage device such as an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disc Drive), or SSD (Solid State Drive). The communication interface 24 is a wired or wireless communication interface and is a module for communicating with devices such as the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6 via the network 7. Note that the network 7 is, for example, the Internet and may include access networks such as a LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network), mobile communication network, wired telephone network, FTTH (fiber to the home), or CATV (community antenna television system) network. The input / output interface 25 takes in input data from an external device and outputs output data to an external device.

[0034] (3) Functional configuration (3-1) Response support device 2 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the response support apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment. The response support apparatus 2 of the present embodiment includes a response processing unit 200, a storage unit 210, and a communication control unit 220 as functional components. The communication control unit 220 controls communication via the network 7 with the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, and the operator terminal 6 according to an instruction from the response processing unit 200.

[0035] (3-1-1) Storage unit 210 The storage unit 210 includes a corresponding service information storage unit 211, a response history information storage unit 212, a member medical record storage unit 213, and a learned model storage unit 214. The storage unit 210 can be realized by the storage 23. Here, an example in which the response support apparatus 2 includes the corresponding service information storage unit 211, the response history information storage unit 212, the member medical record storage unit 213, and the learned model storage unit 214 will be described, but each storage unit may be included in a device different from the response support apparatus 2.

[0036] The corresponding service information storage unit 211 is a storage unit for centrally storing and holding the corresponding service information based on the service-related information acquired from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The corresponding service information includes the corresponding service information based on the service-related information for each service provider. The corresponding service information may include information regarding the service provider and information regarding the service for each service provider. The corresponding service information may be information including a part or all of the service-related information stored in the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The corresponding service information is information that links the service provider and the information regarding the service provider and the information regarding the service. The corresponding service information may include link information or the like that enables reference to the information regarding the service. The corresponding service information can be updated based on the update of the service-related information for each service provider. The corresponding service information is an example of the first information associated with a plurality of services.

[0037] The response history information storage unit 212 is a storage unit for storing and holding response history information in a unified manner. The response history information indicates history information regarding responses to inquiries. The response history information may be history information regarding the processing of inquiries by the response support device 2. The response history information includes, for example, information such as inquiry content, response content, and processing results. The inquiry content includes, for example, inquiry type, inquiry source information, inquiry items, etc. The response content includes response means, response items, response methods, etc. The processing result includes information indicating the member's response to the response, etc. The response history information may correspond to information linked to the inquiry history included in the member's medical record described later. The response history information may be information excluding information that can identify an individual among the user's attribute information. The response history information is an example of response history information regarding a plurality of services. The response history information includes response history information about a plurality of users.

[0038] The member medical record storage unit 213 is a storage unit for storing and holding member medical records in a unified manner. The member medical record includes member medical records for each member. The member medical record includes user information for each member.

[0039] The member medical record will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the member medical record managed by the response support device 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0040] The member medical record includes information such as member identification information, attribute information, usage history, and activity history. The member identification information is a common ID. The attribute information includes personal information, consent information, information based on contracts, royalty information, etc. The personal information may include information such as name, age, gender, occupation, family composition, etc. The consent information is information indicating the presence or absence of the member's consent regarding the service. The information based on the contract includes remaining points, etc. The points may include points given to the member for each service and common points given to the member for a plurality of services. The points can be acquired, subtracted, or lost according to the member's actions and activities related to the service. The royalty information includes information such as member rank. The member rank can be set according to the member's service usage status, etc.

[0041] The usage history includes the usage history for each service, the participation history in campaigns, events, etc., the usage history of points, the distribution history of notifications, inquiries, etc. The usage history for each service includes information indicating which service was used at what time. The participation history in campaigns, events, etc. includes information indicating the presence or absence of participation in campaigns, events, etc., the participation date and time, etc. The usage history of points includes information indicating the usage date and time of points, the number of points used, etc. The distribution history of notifications, etc. includes information related to the distribution of DM (Direct Message), advertisements, announcements, etc. Notifications include distribution by mail, etc., e-mail, chat, SNS (Social Networking Service), etc. The inquiry history includes information such as the presence or absence of an inquiry and the inquiry means. The inquiry history includes information related to the user's past inquiry history.

[0042] The activity history includes detailed information regarding the usage history. For example, there may be multiple activity histories for the usage history. The activity history may have a "1:n (n is an integer of 1 or more)" relationship with the usage history. The activity history may be detailed information with the usage history as the heading. The activity history includes the activity history for each service, the activity history of campaigns, events, etc., the details of point usage, the details of distribution of notifications, etc., the detailed inquiry information, etc. The activity history for each service indicates the activity content for each service. For example, in the case of a reservation service for accommodation facilities, the activity content includes information such as which accommodation facility was reserved at what time. The activity history of campaigns, events, etc. includes information such as winning information related to campaigns and events. The details of point usage include detailed information regarding the granting and usage of points. The details of distribution of notifications, etc. include information such as the content of the notification and the reaction to the notification. The detailed inquiry information includes information such as the inquiry content, the answer content, the processing result, etc. The member's medical record is an example of information related to the user's history regarding multiple services.

[0043] The learned model storage unit 214 is a storage unit for storing and holding the learned model in a unified manner. The learned model is a learned model generated by machine learning or the like based on the corresponding service information. For example, the learned model can be generated based on information regarding question-and-answer examples in at least a plurality of services. The learned model is a question-and-answer model (QA model) that combines a query and an answer example for the query. The learned model can be updated based on the answer history information of a plurality of users regarding a plurality of services. The learned model is also referred to as a QA model. The learned model is an example of second information associated with a plurality of services.

[0044] (3-1-2) Response processing unit 200 The response processing unit 200 functions as a model management unit 201, a query reception unit 202, and a query response unit 203 when the processor 21 executes a program stored in the memory 22.

[0045] The model management unit 201 manages or updates the corresponding service information. The model management unit 201 generates a learned model (QA model) for handling queries constructed by machine learning or the like using the corresponding service information. The model management unit 201 generates a learned model based on information regarding question-and-answer examples in at least a plurality of services. The learned model is information generated based on information regarding question-and-answer examples in at least a plurality of services.

[0046] A QA model is a model that takes information related to an inquiry as input and outputs the content of the answer to the inquiry. The information related to the inquiry includes the time of the inquiry (inquiry date and time) and the content of the inquiry. The answer content may include the means of answering, the matters to be answered, and the method of answering. The QA model may be a model that outputs information related to the processing according to the inquiry. The model management unit 201 learns the answer content to the inquiry by machine learning. The model management unit 201 estimates the answer content to the inquiry based on the correspondence relationship between the content of the inquiry and the answer content to the inquiry. Machine learning is, for example, a neural network or the like, but is not limited thereto. Since the answer content changes according to the time and content of the inquiry, there may be a certain correlation relationship among the time of the inquiry, its content, and the answer content. Therefore, the combination of the time of the inquiry, its content, and the answer content can also be managed in time series. The model management unit 201 updates the QA model based on the update of the corresponding service information. The model management unit 201 updates the QA model using the answer history information. The model management unit 201 may request the answer history information from the inquiry response unit 203. In this case, the model management unit 201 may obtain the answer history information from the inquiry response unit 203. The model management unit 201 may update the QA model using the answer history information. The QA model is updated based on the answer history information related to a plurality of services. The model management unit 201 may provide the QA model to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. Note that the model management unit 201 may update the QA model based on the member medical record. In the following description, "provide" may be read as "transmit" or "output".

[0047] The inquiry reception unit 202 receives an inquiry from the user terminal 4. The inquiry is an inquiry regarding at least one of a plurality of services provided by the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The inquiry regarding at least one of the plurality of services includes an inquiry regarding one of the plurality of services. For example, the inquiry regarding at least one of the plurality of services may be an inquiry regarding Service A among Service A, Service B, and Service C. The inquiry regarding at least one of the plurality of services includes an inquiry regarding two or more of the plurality of services. For example, the inquiry regarding at least one of the plurality of services may be an inquiry regarding Service A and Service B among Service A, Service B, and Service C. The inquiry regarding two or more services includes an inquiry that requires responses from two or more service providers. For example, the inquiry regarding two or more services may be an inquiry in which the processing by the provider of Service A and the processing by the provider of Service B are each responded to by independent processing. The inquiry regarding two or more services may be an inquiry in which the processing by the provider of Service A and the processing by the provider of Service B are combined to respond. The plurality of services are a plurality of services linked to a common ID. The user of the user terminal 4 is a user having the common ID. The inquiry includes the inquiry content. The inquiry may include the common ID. The inquiry may also include information regarding the means for providing the desired response of the user of the user terminal 4. In the following description, "receive" may be read as "acquire" or "receive".

[0048] Based on the inquiry content and the corresponding service information, the inquiry reception unit 202 identifies the service provider that provides the service corresponding to the inquiry. The service provider that provides the service corresponding to the inquiry is an example of the responder to the inquiry.

[0049] The inquiry reception unit 202 identifies the user of the user terminal 4, for example, based on a common ID. The inquiry reception unit 202 acquires the user's attribute information based on the membership record. The inquiry reception unit 202 acquires the activity history regarding the user's inquiry based on the membership record. The inquiry reception unit 202 acquires a QA model. The inquiry reception unit 202 determines tentative response content for the inquiry based on the corresponding service information, the QA model, the response history information, and the user's activity history.

[0050] The inquiry reception unit 202 may create inquiry detail information based on the inquiry content. The inquiry detail information is information indicating the content of the inquiry described in a certain format based on the inquiry content. The inquiry detail information may include, for example, information such as a common ID, the activity history regarding the inquiry, the inquiry type, the inquiry content, and the responder. The inquiry reception unit 202 may request the user terminal 4 for the information necessary for creating the inquiry detail information.

[0051] The inquiry response unit 203 responds according to the means for providing an answer to the inquiry. The inquiry response unit 203 determines the means for providing an answer and the content of the answer based on the provisional answer content determined by the inquiry reception unit 202. The inquiry response unit 203 determines the means for providing an answer and the content of the answer to the inquiry based on the QA model, the answer history information, and the member medical record. The inquiry response unit 203 may generate answer items for the inquiry according to the means for providing an answer and the content of the answer. The inquiry response unit 203 may request the devices 3-1 to 3-3 for service providers to perform processing corresponding to the inquiry according to the means for providing an answer and the content of the answer. The inquiry response unit 203 may further determine the content of the answer to the inquiry based on the attribute information of the user of the user terminal 4. The means for providing an answer may be the same means as the means of the inquiry or different means. Responding includes determining the content of the answer to the inquiry. Responding includes the process of generating answer items for the inquiry. Responding includes requesting processing corresponding to the inquiry. When the inquiry is an inquiry regarding two or more services, the answer content may include multiple independent processes by multiple respondents. When the inquiry is an inquiry regarding two or more services, the answer content may include a combination of multiple processes by multiple respondents. The combination of multiple processes by multiple respondents includes processes spanning multiple respondents.

[0052] When the inquiry response unit 203 receives an inquiry regarding multiple services, it provides a response that spans multiple services. The multiple services include two or more services provided by the same service provider and two or more services provided by two or more different service providers. For example, the inquiry response unit 203 determines the response content for multiple services. The inquiry response unit 203 may generate multiple response items for the inquiry according to the means of providing the response and the response content. The inquiry response unit 203 may request multiple processes corresponding to the inquiry from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 of the corresponding multiple services among the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 according to the means of providing the response and the response content. When the inquiry content relates to multiple service providers, the inquiry response unit 203 provides a response that spans multiple service providers. For example, the inquiry response unit 203 determines the response content for multiple service providers. The inquiry response unit 203 may generate response items for the inquiry regarding multiple service providers according to the means of providing the response and the response content. The inquiry response unit 203 may request a process corresponding to the inquiry from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 of the corresponding multiple services among the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 according to the means of providing the response and the response content.

[0053] The response support device 2 receives an inquiry regarding multiple services from the user of the user terminal 4, identifies multiple respondents for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry regarding multiple services and the corresponding service information associated with the multiple services, and provides a response according to the means of providing the response for the inquiry regarding multiple services.

[0054] According to this example, even when the response support system 1 receives an inquiry that spans multiple companies instead of a one-to-one response, by identifying the respondents for multiple services or making a dispatch or process request to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 for multiple services, the inquiry window from the user can be unified, and a seamless response can be provided. As a result, the response support system 1 can perform the processes related to the inquiry more efficiently without the need for the user to make inquiries to the necessary windows one by one and receive corresponding responses one by one.

[0055] (4) Operation of the Response Support System 1 (4-1) Operation of the Entire Response Support System 1 FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the entire response support system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation in which the response support device 2, the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the user terminal 4, the operator telephone 5, and the operator terminal 6 constituting the response support system 1 cooperate with each other.

[0056] The model management unit 201 acquires service-related information from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The service-related information provided from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 may be information including part or all of the service-related information stored in the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The model management unit 201 stores the corresponding service information in the corresponding service information storage unit 211 based on the service-related information. The model management unit 201 updates the corresponding service information. The model management unit 201 may provide an update notification to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 every time the corresponding service information is updated.

[0057] The model management unit 201 generates a QA model by machine learning or the like using the corresponding service information. The model management unit 201 stores the QA model in the learned model storage unit 214. The model management unit 201 may refer to the answer history information stored in the answer history information storage unit 212 and update the QA model. The answer history information includes past answer history information. The past answer history information includes information regarding answers to inquiries that were responded to before the current inquiry being processed. The model management unit 201 may request the current answer history information from the inquiry response unit 203. The current answer history information includes information regarding the answer to the current inquiry being processed. The model management unit 201 may update the QA model based on the current answer history information obtained from the inquiry response unit 203. The model management unit 201 may update the QA model at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be a timing based on a fixed time interval such as every day or every week. The model management unit 201 may provide the QA model to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3.

[0058] The inquiry reception unit 202 receives an inquiry from the user terminal 4. The inquiry reception unit 202 may perform an authentication process based on the common ID. The authentication process may include user authentication of the user terminal 4. The inquiry reception unit 202 may obtain the common ID together with the inquiry or separately.

[0059] The inquiry reception unit 202 refers to the corresponding service information, the QA model, the answer history information, and the member medical record, and determines the provisional answer content for the inquiry. For example, the inquiry reception unit 202 refers to the corresponding service information and identifies the service corresponding to the inquiry or the service provider of the service corresponding to the inquiry. The service corresponding to the inquiry indicates a service related to the inquiry content. The service corresponding to the inquiry is also referred to as the target service. The service provider of the service corresponding to the inquiry indicates the service provider that provides the target service. The service provider of the service corresponding to the inquiry may indicate the organization, entity, person, etc. that should answer the inquiry. The service provider of the service corresponding to the inquiry is also referred to as the target service provider, the answerer of the inquiry, or the respondent.

[0060] The inquiry reception unit 202 determines the means for providing an answer based on the target service or the corresponding service information linked to the respondent.

[0061] The inquiry reception unit 202 determines the provisional answer content for the inquiry based on the QA model. The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine the provisional answer content based on other information.

[0062] The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine the provisional answer content based on the answer history information. The answer history information may include, for example, past answer history information not reflected in the QA model. The answer history information may include the most recent answer history information not reflected in the QA model. The inquiry reception unit 202 may refer to the answer history information related to the inquiry content based on the answer history information and determine the provisional answer content for the inquiry content.

[0063] The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine provisional response content based on the member medical record. The inquiry reception unit 202 identifies the inquiring user based on the common ID. The inquiry reception unit 202 acquires the member medical record associated with the identified inquiring user. The inquiry reception unit 202 acquires, for example, past inquiry history and inquiry content from the usage history and activity history. The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine provisional response content based on information regarding past inquiries of the inquiring user, such as the inquiry history and inquiry content. The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine, for example, whether the inquiring user has made an inquiry in the past and whether the content of the inquiry is the same as a past inquiry. The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine provisional response content based on the response content of past inquiries. The inquiry reception unit 202 may specify the inquiry content based on the usage history for each service and the activity history for each service. The inquiry reception unit 202 may narrow down the inquiry content, for example, based on the service used by the inquiring user. The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine provisional response content based on whether the inquiring user is satisfied with the response content of past inquiries. The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine the means for providing a response based on the inquiry history and the inquiry content.

[0064] The inquiry reception unit 202 may determine provisional response content based on the attribute information of the inquiring user. For example, the inquiry reception unit 202 may refer to the response history information based on the attribute information of the inquiring user and determine provisional response content. For example, when the inquiring user is "in their 30s, male", the inquiry reception unit 202 may refer to the information associated with "in their 30s, male" in the response history information and determine provisional response content.

[0065] The inquiry reception unit 202 stores the usage history in the member medical record storage unit 213 based on the inquiry content and the like. The inquiry reception unit 202 stores the inquiry history regarding the current inquiry as the usage history. The inquiry reception unit 202 stores the inquiry history in the member medical record storage unit 213. The inquiry history may include information such as the inquiry date and time, the means of inquiry, the inquiry content, and the means of providing an answer. The member medical record storage unit 213 updates the member medical record.

[0066] The inquiry response unit 203 obtains the provisional answer content from the inquiry reception unit 202. The inquiry response unit 203 determines the answer content for the inquiry based on the provisional answer content. The inquiry response unit 203 may determine the means of providing the answer and the answer content for the inquiry. The inquiry response unit 203 determines the answer content for the inquiry based on at least one of the QA model, the answer history information, and the member medical record, or a combination thereof.

[0067] The inquiry response unit 203 obtains the QA model. The inquiry response unit 203 obtains the answer history information. The inquiry response unit 203 obtains the member medical record. The inquiry response unit 203 determines the answer content for the inquiry based on the QA model.

[0068] The inquiry response unit 203 may determine the answer content based on the answer history information. The inquiry response unit 203 refers to the answer history information related to the inquiry content based on the answer history information and determines the answer content for the inquiry content.

[0069] The inquiry response unit 203 may determine the response content based on the member's medical record. The inquiry response unit 203 obtains the past inquiry history and inquiry content from the usage history and activity history. The inquiry response unit 203 may determine the response content based on the inquiry history, inquiry content, etc. The inquiry response unit 203 may determine the response content based on the processing result. For example, the inquiry response unit 203 may determine the response content based on whether the user is satisfied with the response content of the past inquiry. The inquiry response unit 203 may determine the means of providing the response based on the inquiry history and inquiry content.

[0070] The inquiry response unit 203 may determine the response content based on the user's attribute information. For example, the inquiry response unit 203 may refer to the response history information based on the user's attribute information and determine the response content. For example, when the user is "in his 30s, male", the information associated with "in his 30s, male" in the response history information may be referred to and the response content may be determined.

[0071] The inquiry response unit 203 responds according to the means of providing the response to the inquiry based on the response content. The inquiry response unit 203, for example, performs a process of generating response items for the inquiry. The process of generating response items includes automatic response and dispatch. The inquiry response unit 203, for example, generates information indicating the response items. The information indicating the response items includes, for example, a text message indicating a response example.

[0072] The process of generating a response item will be described for the case where it is an automatic response. The inquiry response unit 203 generates a text message indicating the response item. When the means for providing the response is a telephone, the inquiry response unit 203 converts the text message into voice data. The inquiry response unit 203 may instruct the inquiry reception unit 202 to call the telephone number of the inquiring user and play the voice based on the voice data. When the means for providing the response is an email, the inquiry response unit 203 may instruct the inquiry reception unit 202 to generate an email including the text message, activate an email client, etc., and send the email to the email address of the inquiring user. When the means for providing the response is a chat, the inquiry response unit 203 may instruct the inquiry reception unit 202 to activate a chat application and send a chat message including the text message to the account of the inquiring user. When the means for providing the response is a FAX, the inquiry response unit 203 may instruct the inquiry reception unit 202 to send a FAX including the text message to the FAX number of the inquiring user. The automatic response may be a process by the inquiry response unit 203 or a process via the inquiry reception unit 202.

[0073] The process of generating a response content will be described for the case where it is a dispatch. The inquiry response unit 203 identifies the responder who is the dispatch destination. The inquiry response unit 203 transmits information including a text message indicating the response item to the operator terminal 6 at the dispatch destination. The inquiry response unit 203 may also transmit the inquiry details, etc. to the operator terminal 6 at the dispatch destination. The operator terminal 6 may display the text message on a display device. The operator may respond to the inquiry based on the text message. For example, the operator may call the telephone number of the user to respond. The responder may be at least one service provider. For example, when the inquiry is an inquiry regarding two or more services, the responder may be each of the providers of the two or more services. When the inquiry is an inquiry regarding two or more services, the responder may be one of the service providers of the two or more services.

[0074] The inquiry response unit 203 requests, for example, the devices 3-1 to 3-3 for service providers to perform processing corresponding to the inquiry. The inquiry response unit 203 may send an instruction indicating the processing to the devices 3-1 to 3-3 for service providers. The devices 3-1 to 3-3 for service providers perform the processing based on the instruction indicating the processing.

[0075] The inquiry response unit 203 provides the inquiry reception unit 202 with the response content to the inquiry and the processing result. The inquiry reception unit 202 may provide the response content and the processing result to the user terminal 4. The inquiry response unit 203 stores the response content to the inquiry and the processing result in the response history information storage unit 212. The response history information storage unit 212 updates the response history information. The response content and the processing result correspond to the current response history information. The inquiry response unit 203 stores the response content to the inquiry and the processing result in the member medical record storage unit 213. The member medical record storage unit 213 updates the member medical record. The response content and the processing result correspond to the current activity history. The current activity history is information linked to the usage history indicating the inquiry history regarding the current inquiry.

[0076] According to this example, the response support system 1 can accept inquiries regarding any of a plurality of services. Therefore, a member can inquire of the response support device 2 regarding any of the plurality of services. The response support system 1 can integrally process inquiries regarding a plurality of services. The response support system 1 can accept inquiries by any of a plurality of inquiry means. Therefore, a member can inquire of the response support device 2 using any of the plurality of inquiry means. The response support system 1 can integrally process inquiries via a plurality of inquiry means. The response support system 1 can provide an answer by any of a plurality of answer means. Therefore, a member can receive an answer by any of the plurality of answer means. The response support system 1 can integrally process the provision of answers via a plurality of answer means. Thereby, the response support system 1 can streamline the processing related to inquiries.

[0077] Also, the response support system 1 can determine the content of an answer based on a learned model using response service information regarding a plurality of services and answer history information regarding a plurality of members. Therefore, the response support system 1 can easily determine the optimal answer content for each inquiry. Thereby, the response support system 1 can streamline the processing related to inquiries.

[0078] Furthermore, the response support system 1 can determine the optimal answer content for each inquiring user based on the member's medical record. Thereby, the response support system 1 can streamline the processing related to inquiries. The response support system 1 can support user-friendly customer service operations.

[0079] (4-2) Operation of the model management unit 201 FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the model management unit 201 in the response support apparatus 2 according to the first embodiment. The model management unit 201 includes, as functional components, a service information management unit 2011 and a model generation unit 2012.

[0080] The service information management unit 2011 acquires service-related information from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. For example, assume that the service provider device 3-1 is a device used by a service provider who provides service A. Assume that the service provider device 3-2 is a device used by a service provider who provides service B. Assume that the service provider device 3-3 is a device used by a service provider who provides service C. Note that service A, service B, and service C may each be a single service or may include a plurality of services. Assume that service A is a service that sells physical objects such as products to members in physical stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. Service A may include a service that sells products and the like on an EC (Electronic Commerce) site or the like. Assume that service B is a service that provides services related to travel, such as reservation of accommodation facilities, to members on an EC site or the like. Assume that service C is a service that gives points to members according to the use of services in affiliated stores or EC sites.

[0081] Service A, service B, and service C may assign a common ID to a member. Service A, service B, and service C may manage the member information of the member based on the common ID. Note that each of service A, service B, and service C may assign an individual member ID to the member in addition to the common ID. Each of service A, service B, and service C may manage the customer or member information of the member based on the member ID.

[0082] The service information management unit 2011 stores the corresponding service information in the corresponding service information storage unit 211 based on the service-related information. For each of, for example, Service A, Service B, and Service C, the service information management unit 2011 stores the corresponding service information in the corresponding service information storage unit 211. Each time the service information management unit 2011 acquires service-related information from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, it may update the corresponding service information. The service information management unit 2011 may update the corresponding service information based on having acquired an update request from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The service information management unit 2011 may output an update notification indicating that the corresponding service information has been updated to the model generation unit 2012.

[0083] The model generation unit 2012 generates a QA model by machine learning or the like using the corresponding service information stored in the corresponding service information storage unit 211. Based on having acquired an update notification from the service information management unit 2011, the model generation unit 2012 may acquire the corresponding service information from the corresponding service information storage unit 211. According to this example, the model generation unit 2012 can generate a QA model for extracting question-and-answer responses corresponding to the registration information set by each of the service providers of Service A, Service B, and Service C. Therefore, the response support device 2 can, for example, accept questions by the desired means of the service providers of the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 and provide answers by the desired means.

[0084] The model generation unit 2012 may update the QA model by machine learning or the like using the updated corresponding service information. The model generation unit 2012 stores the generated QA model in the learned model storage unit 214. The model generation unit 2012 stores the updated QA model in the learned model storage unit 214. For example, when the provider of Service A changes the desired answer means from a phone call to a chat, the model generation unit 2012 can update the QA model based on the information of the changed answer means.

[0085] The model generation unit 2012 may refer to the answer history information stored in the answer history information storage unit 212 and update the QA model. Each time the model generation unit 2012 updates the QA model, it may also update the QA model stored in the learned model storage unit 214. The model generation unit 2012 may acquire the answer history information at predetermined intervals and update the QA model. According to this example, the model generation unit 2012 can periodically correct the statistical QA model.

[0086] The model generation unit 2012 may request the current answer history information from the inquiry response unit 203. The model generation unit 2012 may update the QA model based on the current answer history information obtained from the inquiry response unit 203. The model generation unit 2012 may update the QA model based on part or all of the current answer history information. Each time the model generation unit 2012 updates the QA model, it may also update the QA model stored in the learned model storage unit 214. For example, a case where the current inquiry is about service A will be described. The model generation unit 2012 can generate a QA model that reflects information such as the answer content and processing result for inquiries about service A based on the current answer history information.

[0087] The model generation unit 2012 may update the QA model at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be based on a fixed time interval such as every day or every week. Note that the model generation unit 2012 may update the QA model in real time.

[0088] Each time the model generation unit 2012 updates the QA model, it may provide an update notification to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3.

[0089] The model management unit 201 may provide the QA model to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 may refer to the QA model. According to this example, the users of the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 can refer to the QA model and check whether the answer to the inquiry is the desired answer of the user. Therefore, the response support device 2 can support the response to the inquiry according to the needs of the users of the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. If the answer to the inquiry is not the desired answer of the user, the users of the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 can update service-related information, etc. and reflect it in the QA model.

[0090] (4-3) Operation of the inquiry reception unit 202 FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the inquiry reception unit 202 in the response support device 2 according to the first embodiment. The inquiry reception unit 202 includes a reception unit 2021 and a response format generation unit 2022 as functional configurations.

[0091] The reception unit 2021 receives an inquiry from the user terminal 4. The reception unit 2021 acquires the member chart of the user of the user terminal 4 from the member chart storage unit 213 based on the common ID. The reception unit 2021 may perform user authentication of the user terminal 4 based on the common ID. The user of the user terminal 4 is an example of an inquiry user. In this example, it is assumed that the inquiry user is a user having a common ID. Assume that the inquiry user has made an inquiry about the campaign of Service A. Assume that the inquiry user has made the inquiry by phone. Assume that the inquiry user hopes to receive the answer by email as the means of providing the answer.

[0092] The reception unit 2021 identifies the inquiring user by referring to the member's medical record based on the common ID. The reception unit 2021 may refer to the usage history and activity history of the inquiring user to obtain information regarding the usage status of Service A. Information regarding the usage status of Service A includes, for example, the activity history of Service A, the campaigns of Service A, and the activity history of events and the like. The reception unit 2021 may, for example, identify the campaigns to which the inquiring user has applied. The reception unit 2021 may refer to the usage history and activity history of the inquiring user to obtain information regarding past inquiries. Information regarding past inquiries includes, for example, the inquiry history and the content of the inquiry. The reception unit 2021 may, for example, obtain information such as whether the inquiring user has made a past inquiry regarding Service A and the content of the inquiry. The reception unit 2021 may obtain information regarding the means of providing an answer to a past inquiry. The reception unit 2021 may obtain information regarding the satisfaction level with respect to the answer to a past inquiry. The reception unit 2021 may determine the content of the inquiry, the means of providing an answer, and the like based on the information obtained.

[0093] For example, a case where the inquiring user X inquires about the application method of Campaign AA2 of Service A will be described. Assume that the inquiring user X has a history of inquiring about the application method of Campaign AA1 of Service A in the past. Assume that the answer to the past inquiry was provided to the inquiring user X by email and the satisfaction level with respect to the answer was high. In this case, the reception unit 2021 may determine that, for the inquiring user X, the content of the inquiry is "the application method of Campaign AA2" and the means of providing an answer to the current inquiry is "email".

[0094] The reception unit 2021 acquires corresponding service information from the corresponding service information storage unit 211. The reception unit 2021 identifies the service corresponding to the current inquiry based on the content of the inquiry. The service corresponding to the current inquiry is an example of the respondent. In this example, the reception unit 2021 identifies service A as the respondent. The reception unit 2021 may refer to, for example, the corresponding service information associated with service A. The reception unit 2021 may further narrow down the respondent by referring to the corresponding service information associated with service A. For example, the reception unit 2021 may identify the department in charge of campaign AA2 as the respondent.

[0095] The reception unit 2021 may output a message or the like requesting the provision of additional information to the user terminal 4. In the following description, the message may include a text message, a voice message, or the like. For example, when the respondent cannot be identified from the inquiry, the reception unit 2021 may output a message or the like requesting the provision of additional information to the user terminal 4 in order to obtain information that can identify the respondent from the inquiring user. When the means for providing an answer to the current inquiry cannot be identified, the reception unit 2021 may output a message or the like requesting the provision of additional information to the user terminal 4 in order to obtain information that can identify the means for providing an answer from the inquiring user. The reception unit 2021 may output a message or the like for confirming or repeating the inquiry content to the user terminal 4. The message for confirming or repeating the inquiry content may include, for example, options for the inquiry content. The message for confirming or repeating the inquiry content may include, for example, "Which of the following does your inquiry relate to?", "Does your inquiry relate to XXX?", or the like.

[0096] The reception unit 2021 creates inquiry detail information based on the inquiry and the above-described processing results. The inquiry detail information may include, for example, information regarding the inquiring user, the inquiry content, the means of the inquiry, and the means for providing an answer to the inquiry.

[0097] The reception unit 2021 may store the usage history in the member medical record storage unit 213 based on the inquiry details information. The usage history may include, for example, the inquiry date and time, the means of inquiry, the content of the inquiry, the means of providing an answer, and the like. In this example, the reception unit 2021 stores, in the member medical record storage unit 213, as the usage history of the inquiring user X, "means of inquiry: phone", "content of inquiry: method of applying for campaign AA2", "means of providing an answer: email", and the like.

[0098] The response guideline generation unit 2022 generates response guidelines based on the inquiry details information created by the reception unit 2021. The response guidelines are information indicating a response flow for the inquiry and the like. The response guidelines correspond to tentative answer contents.

[0099] The response guideline generation unit 2022 acquires response service information from the corresponding service information storage unit 211. The response guideline generation unit 2022 may refer to the response service information and determine whether the respondent can accept inquiries by the means of the current inquiry. Based on the determination result, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may switch the inquiry channel. The inquiry channel is, for example, an example of the means of inquiry. The inquiry channel is also called an inquiry interface. The channel is also called a communication channel. If the respondent can accept inquiries by the means of the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may accept the inquiry without switching the inquiry channel. If the respondent cannot accept inquiries by the means of the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may switch the inquiry channel. For example, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may determine whether Service A can accept inquiries by phone. If Service A can accept inquiries by phone, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may accept inquiries by phone. If Service A can only accept inquiries by email, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may convert the inquiry by phone into an inquiry by email (character string). In this case, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may, for example, acquire voice data from the inquiry by phone and perform text conversion on the voice data. The response guideline generation unit 2022 may output the text-converted inquiry to the device 3-1 for the service provider of Service A.

[0100] When the inquiry means is different from the inquiry means acceptable to the respondent, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may convert the inquiry means into an inquiry means acceptable to the respondent. For example, when the inquiry means is a phone call and the inquiry means acceptable to the respondent is an email, the response guideline generation unit 2022 converts the inquiry received by phone into a form acceptable for receiving by email. For example, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may perform voice recognition on the inquiry received by phone and convert it into text. The response guideline generation unit 2022 provides the inquiry converted into the form of an email to the respondent. The response guideline generation unit 2022 may output the text information of the inquiry converted into text to the respondent via email. The response guideline generation unit 2022 converts the inquiry means according to the respondent.

[0101] The response support device 2 receives an inquiry regarding at least one of a plurality of services, identifies a respondent to the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and the corresponding service information associated with the plurality of services, and determines an inquiry means acceptable to the respondent. The response support device 2 converts the inquiry means according to the respondent. For example, when the inquiry means is different from the inquiry means acceptable to the respondent, the response support device 2 converts the inquiry means into an inquiry means acceptable to the respondent.

[0102] According to this example, the response support system 1 can convert the inquiry means at the time of receiving the inquiry according to the respondent. Thereby, the response support system 1 can have flexibility in the inquiry response window. Thus, the response support system 1 can improve the efficiency of processing related to the inquiry.

[0103] In addition, when the respondent is not able to receive the inquiry by the current inquiry means, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may output to the user terminal 4 a message or the like indicating that the inquiry cannot be received by the current inquiry means. When the respondent is not able to receive the inquiry by the current inquiry means, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may output to the user terminal 4 a message or the like prompting the respondent to make an inquiry by other means.

[0104] The response format generation unit 2022 may refer to the corresponding service information and determine whether the respondent can provide an answer by the means of answer for the current inquiry. Based on the determination result, the response format generation unit 2022 may switch the answer channel. The answer channel is, for example, an example of the means of answer. The answer channel is also referred to as an answer interface. When the respondent can provide an answer by the means of answer for the current inquiry, the response format generation unit 2022 may provide the answer through the same channel as the inquiry channel. When the respondent cannot provide an answer by the means of answer for the current inquiry, the response format generation unit 2022 may switch the answer channel. For example, the response format generation unit 2022 may determine whether Service A can provide an answer to an inquiry by phone. When Service A can provide an answer to an inquiry by phone, the response format generation unit 2022 may provide the answer by phone. When Service A can only provide an answer by email, the response format generation unit 2022 may convert the answer channel to an answer channel by email (string).

[0105] When the means of answer provided by the respondent is different from the means of answer desired by the user, the response format generation unit 2022 may convert the means of answer to the means of answer desired by the user. For example, when the means of answer provided by the respondent is chat and the means of answer desired by the user is email, the response format generation unit 2022 converts the answer content received from the respondent in chat to a format that can be sent by email. The response format generation unit 2022 provides the user with the answer converted to the email format. The response format generation unit 2022 converts the means of answer according to the user. The response format generation unit 2022 may obtain the means of answer desired by the user based on, for example, the membership record, the inquiry content, the inquiry detailed information, etc.

[0106] The response support device 2 receives an inquiry regarding at least one service among a plurality of services, identifies a responder to the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and the corresponding service information associated with the plurality of services, and determines a means for providing a response that can be provided by the responder. The response support device 2 converts the means for providing a response according to the means for providing a response desired by the user. For example, when the means for providing a response by the responder is different from the means for providing a response desired by the user, the response support device 2 converts the means for providing a response to the means for providing a response desired by the user.

[0107] According to this example, the response support system 1 can convert the means for providing a response to the inquiry according to the means for providing a response desired by the user. Thereby, the response support system 1 can have flexibility in the window for handling inquiries. The response support system 1 can use a means different from the inquiry means as the means for providing a response. In this way, the response support system 1 can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0108] Note that when the responder is unable to provide a response by the means for providing a response to the current inquiry, the response outline generation unit 2022 may output a message or the like indicating that the response cannot be provided by the means for providing a response to the user terminal 4. When the responder is unable to provide a response by the means for providing a response to the current inquiry, the response outline generation unit 2022 may output a message or the like proposing to provide a response by other means to the user terminal 4.

[0109] The response outline generation unit 2022 refers to the corresponding service information and identifies the response method specified by the responder. The response outline generation unit 2022 determines whether to provide a response by any method such as an automatic response, automatic processing, or dispatch.

[0110] The response guideline generation unit 2022 acquires the QA model from the learned model storage unit 214. The response guideline generation unit 2022 determines the tentative response content for the current inquiry based on the QA model. The response guideline generation unit 2022 may determine the tentative response content for the current inquiry. For example, for the current inquiry content "How to apply for Campaign AA2", the response guideline generation unit 2022 may determine, as the tentative response content, the response means "e-mail", the response item "Apply via the Internet", and the response method "Automatic response".

[0111] The response guideline generation unit 2022 acquires response history information from the response history information storage unit 212. The response guideline generation unit 2022 refers to the response history information and determines the tentative response content for the current inquiry. The response guideline generation unit 2022 may change the tentative response content determined based on the QA model based on the response history information. For example, for the current inquiry content "How to apply for Campaign AA2", the response guideline generation unit 2022 may determine, as the tentative response content, the response means "e-mail", the response item "Apply via the Internet or by phone", and the response method "Automatic response". The response guideline generation unit 2022 may change the tentative response content based on the attribute information included in the response history information. The response guideline generation unit 2022 may update the tentative response content based on, for example, the attribute information that matches the attribute information of the inquiring user X. For example, when the attribute information of user X indicates "in his / her 30s, male", the response guideline generation unit 2022 may refer to the past response history information associated with "in his / her 30s, male" in the response history information and determine the tentative response content.

[0112] When the response content spans multiple service providers and when a combination of multiple processes is required, the response guideline generation unit 2022 may assemble an appropriate flow (procedure). Note that the response guidelines include listing content, generating, or assembling a flow (procedure). For example, the response guidelines include assembling the details of the procedures necessary to respond to the content of the inquiry.

[0113] When the response to an inquiry includes multiple processes, the response procedure generation unit 2022 may define the multiple processes and determine an executable procedure (for example, the procedure of the process, the content of the process, the settings of the service provider that performs the process, etc.).

[0114] The response procedure generation unit 2022 responds to the inquiry based on at least one of the corresponding service information, the QA model, and the answer history information. When the response to the inquiry includes multiple processes, the response procedure generation unit 2022 determines the multiple processes. The response procedure generation unit 2022 may determine the procedures of the multiple processes, the content of the multiple processes, and the respondents corresponding to the multiple processes.

[0115] According to this example, for the response support system 1 to return an answer to the inquiry to the user terminal 4, various exchanges are required. When it is difficult to answer at once, the content of the process required to obtain the answer (for example, dispatch or automatic processing, etc.) is defined, and an executable procedure (for example, the procedure of the process, the content of the process, the settings of the service provider that performs the process, etc.) can be determined. As a result, the user of the user terminal 4 can request the necessary procedures in a batch with a single question. Thereby, the response support system 1 can improve the efficiency of the process related to the inquiry. In addition, the response support system 1 can improve user satisfaction with the response to the inquiry.

[0116] The response procedure generation unit 2022 outputs the inquiry details information and the information indicating the provisional answer content to the inquiry response unit 203.

[0117] The response procedure generation unit 2022 obtains the response result from the inquiry response unit 203. The response result includes information such as, for example, the inquiry content, the answer content, and the processing result. The response procedure generation unit 2022 outputs the response result to the reception unit 2021. The reception unit 2021 may output the response result to the user terminal 4.

[0118] According to this example, the response support device 2 can determine inquiry details information and provisional response content based on a learned model using response service information regarding a plurality of services and response history information regarding a plurality of members. Therefore, the response support device 2 can support providing an optimal response for each service for each inquiry. In addition, the response support device 2 can support providing an optimal response for each member for each inquiry. Thereby, the response support device 2 can streamline the processing regarding the inquiry.

[0119] (4-4) Operation of the inquiry response unit 203 FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the inquiry response unit 203 in the response support device 2 according to the first embodiment. The inquiry response unit 203 includes a response management unit 2031 and a history management unit 2032 as functional configurations.

[0120] The response management unit 2031 acquires inquiry details information and information indicating provisional response content from the inquiry reception unit 202. The response management unit 2031 responds to the inquiry based on the provisional response content. The response management unit 2031 responds according to the means for providing a response to the inquiry.

[0121] The response management unit 2031 acquires the QA model from the learned model storage unit 214. The response management unit 2031 determines the response content for the current inquiry based on the QA model.

[0122] The response management unit 2031 acquires response history information from the response history information storage unit 212. The response management unit 2031 determines the response content for the current inquiry based on the response history information. The response management unit 2031 may determine the response content based on the QA model and the response history information. According to this example, the response management unit 2031 can determine the response content by referring to past history information and the like not included in the QA model that can be periodically updated. The response management unit 2031 can determine the response content by referring to the most recent history information and the like not included in the QA model.

[0123] The correspondence management unit 2031 retrieves the member medical record from the member medical record storage unit 213. The correspondence management unit 2031 determines the response content for the current inquiry based on the member medical record of the inquiring user. The correspondence management unit 2031 may refer to the past activity history information of the inquiring user to determine the response content. The correspondence management unit 2031 may determine the response content based on the QA model, response history information, and member medical record. According to this example, the correspondence management unit 2031 can determine the optimal response content for the inquiring user based on the information about the inquiring user. For example, when the inquiring user has made a similar inquiry in the past, the correspondence management unit 2031 may determine the response content based on information such as the past response content and processing result.

[0124] For example, the correspondence management unit 2031 will explain the case where the inquiring user made an inquiry about the campaign of Service A two days ago in the same way as the current one. The correspondence management unit 2031 may determine whether the current inquiry is a continuation of the previous inquiry based on information such as the previous response content and processing result. If the current inquiry is a continuation of the previous inquiry, the correspondence management unit 2031 may determine the response content as a continuation of the answer to the previous inquiry. For example, if the inquiring user is not satisfied with the answer to the previous inquiry, the correspondence management unit 2031 may determine a response content different from the previous answer.

[0125] The correspondence management unit 2031 may determine the response content based on the user's attribute information. For example, the correspondence management unit 2031 may refer to the response history information and determine the response content based on the user's attribute information included in the member medical record. For example, it will explain the case where the inquiring user is "in his / her 30s, male". The correspondence management unit 2031 may refer to the information associated with "in his / her 30s, male" in the response history information and determine the response content with high satisfaction as the response content for the current inquiry as the answer for "in his / her 30s, male".

[0126] Based on the determined response content, the correspondence management unit 2031 responds according to the means of providing a response to the inquiry. In one example, the correspondence management unit 2031 performs a process of generating response content for the inquiry. The process of generating response content includes automatic response and dispatching, etc.

[0127] When the correspondence management unit 2031 performs an automatic response, it outputs a response result including information indicating the response content to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The correspondence management unit 2031 may output a completion notice indicating the completion of the response to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The correspondence management unit 2031 outputs the response result to the history management unit 2032. The correspondence management unit 2031 may output the completion notice to the history management unit 2032.

[0128] When the correspondence management unit 2031 performs dispatching, it may obtain the response result from the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The correspondence management unit 2031 may output the response result to the inquiry reception unit 202. The inquiry reception unit 202 may output the response result to the user terminal 4.

[0129] For example, the case where the inquiry from the inquiring user X is "How to apply for Campaign AA2 of Service A" will be described. When the response management unit 2031 permits automatic response for Service A, the response management unit 2031 performs automatic response processing on the user terminal 4 of the inquiring user X. For example, the response management unit 2031 determines "Apply via the Internet or by phone" as the answer to the inquiry. The response management unit 2031 may create a message indicating the answer. The case where the means of providing the answer desired by the inquiring user X is email and Service A permits automatic response by email will be described. The response management unit 2031 outputs an instruction to send a message indicating the answer content by email to the inquiry reception unit 202. The inquiry reception unit 202 activates a mailer or the like and sends an email to the email address of the inquiring user. The case where the means of providing the answer desired by the inquiring user X is phone and Service A permits automatic response by phone will be described. The response management unit 2031 outputs an instruction to output a message indicating the answer content by phone to the inquiry reception unit 202. The inquiry reception unit 202 outputs an audio message to the phone number of the inquiring user X. The response management unit 2031 outputs the response result to the service provider device 3-1.

[0130] For example, a case where the inquiry from inquiring user X is "Prize winning results of Campaign AA2 of Service A" will be described. For example, the correspondence management unit 2031 outputs an instruction to request the winning results of inquiring user X to the device 3-1 for service providers of Service A. The device 3-1 for service providers may output the winning results of inquiring user X to the correspondence management unit 2031. In this case, the correspondence management unit 2031 may provide the winning results by a means of providing an answer desired by inquiring user X. The correspondence management unit 2031 may request the device 3-1 for service providers of Service A to perform a process of providing the winning results of inquiring user X. The correspondence management unit 2031 may transmit information including a text message indicating matters to be answered to the operator terminal 6 corresponding to the device 3-1 for service providers. The operator of the operator terminal 6 may respond based on the text message indicating matters to be answered. The operator terminal 6 may output the response result to the device 3-1 for service providers. The correspondence management unit 2031 may acquire the response result from the device 3-1 for service providers.

[0131] In another example, the correspondence management unit 2031 requests a process corresponding to the inquiry. The correspondence management unit 2031 requests, for example, devices 3-1 to 3-3 for service providers to perform a process corresponding to the inquiry.

[0132] When the correspondence management unit 2031 requests a process corresponding to the inquiry, the correspondence management unit 2031 may acquire a response result including information indicating the process result from devices 3-1 to 3-3 for service providers. The correspondence management unit 2031 may output the response result to the inquiry reception unit 202. The inquiry reception unit 202 may output the response result to the user terminal 4. The correspondence management unit 2031 outputs the response result to the history management unit 2032. The correspondence management unit 2031 may output a completion notice to the history management unit 2032.

[0133] For example, a case where the inquiry from inquiring user X is "I want to transfer the points of Service A to the points of Service C" will be described. For example, the response management unit 2031 determines the procedures (point transfer process) necessary to transfer the points of Service A to the points of Service C. The response management unit 2031 may output an instruction for performing the point transfer process to the service provider device 3-1 and the service provider device 3-3. The response management unit 2031 may output an instruction for performing the point transfer process to other devices that perform the point transfer process. The response management unit 2031 may obtain the response result from the service provider device 3-1.

[0134] The history management unit 2032 updates the history information based on the response result. For example, the history management unit 2032 stores the activity history regarding this inquiry in the member medical record storage unit 213 based on the response result. The history management unit 2032 stores the activity history regarding this inquiry in association with the usage history regarding this inquiry. The activity history may include, for example, the responder, the response content, the response result, etc. In this example, the history management unit 2032 stores "Responder: Service A", "Response content: Automatic response", "Response result: Sending an email", etc. in the member medical record storage unit 213 as the activity history regarding the "Inquiry content: Method of applying for Campaign AA2" of the inquiring user X.

[0135] For example, the history management unit 2032 stores the response history regarding this inquiry in the response history information storage unit 212 based on the response result. The response history may include the inquiry date and time, the means of inquiry, the inquiry content, the means of providing the response, the responder, the response content, the response result, etc. The history management unit 2032 may update the response history information each time the response result is obtained.

[0136] The history management unit 2032 outputs, for example, the response history regarding the current inquiry to the model management unit 201 based on the response result. The history management unit 2032 may also output the response history regarding the current inquiry to the model management unit 201 based on the response history request from the model management unit 201. The model management unit 201 may update the QA model based on the response history regarding the current inquiry.

[0137] According to this example, the response support device 2 can determine the response content based on the learned model using the response service information regarding a plurality of services and the response history information regarding a plurality of members. The response support device 2 can further determine the optimal response content based on the provisional response content. Therefore, the response support device 2 can support the provision of an optimal response for each service for each inquiry. Also, the response support device 2 can support the provision of an optimal response for each member for each inquiry. Thereby, the response support device 2 can streamline the processing regarding the inquiry. When the response content spans multiple service providers and when a combination of multiple processes is required, the response support device 2 can assemble an appropriate flow (procedure). Thereby, the response support device 2 can also efficiently process the response content consisting of a combination of multiple processes by multiple service providers.

[0138] (4-5) Processing procedure of the response support system 1 An example of the processing procedure by the response support system 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the entire response support system 1.

[0139] In the following description mainly focused on the response support device 2, the response support device 2 may be read as the response processing unit 200. In the description mainly focused on the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3, the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 may be read as the management devices of the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. In the description mainly focused on the user terminal 4, the user terminal 4 may be read as the management device of the user terminal 4.

[0140] Note that the processing procedures described below are merely examples, and each process may be changed as much as possible. Also, regarding the processing procedures described below, steps can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate according to the embodiment.

[0141] In the following processing, it is assumed that the user of the user terminal 4 has launched the common service application and logged in. In the following processing, the case where the user of the user terminal 4 makes an inquiry about Service A using an inquiry form or the like on the common service application will be described as an example.

[0142] The user terminal 4 outputs the inquiry to the response support device 2 (step S1). The inquiry includes the input information entered in the inquiry form. The input information may include the inquiry content and the means for providing an answer, etc. The user terminal 4 may output the common ID of the user of the user terminal 4 to the response support device 2.

[0143] The response support device 2 receives the inquiry (step S11). In step S11, for example, the response support device 2 identifies the user of the user terminal 4 based on the common ID. The response support device 2 may also identify the user of the user terminal 4 based on the login information. The response support device 2 acquires information regarding the inquiry content and the means for providing an answer.

[0144] The response support device 2 determines the response content (step S12). In step S12, for example, the response support device 2 refers to at least one of the corresponding service information, QA model, response history information, and member medical records, or a combination thereof, and determines the response content for the inquiry. For example, the response support device 2 identifies the service provider (responder) of the service corresponding to the inquiry. In this example, the response support device 2 identifies service A or the device 3-1 for service providers as the responder. The responder may span multiple services. The response support device 2 determines whether the responder can receive inquiries by the inquiry means. The response support device 2 determines whether service A can receive inquiries via the inquiry form of the common service application. The response support device 2 determines whether the means for providing a response corresponding to the inquiry desired by the user is applicable. For example, the response support device 2 determines whether service A can provide a response by email. For example, if the means for providing the desired response by the user is not applicable, the response support device 2 may output a message or the like to the user terminal 4. The response support device 2 determines the optimal response content for the user based on the user's member medical record or the like. According to this example, based on the common ID that can be commonly used for multiple services, the response content spanning multiple services or multiple service providers can be determined. Therefore, when a response or process spanning multiple services or multiple service providers is required for an inquiry, the response support device 2 can determine the appropriate response content.

[0145] During the process of determining the response content for the inquiry, the response support device 2 may make an inquiry to the user terminal 4. For example, the response support device 2 may request the user terminal 4 for information necessary for creating inquiry details information. The information necessary for creating inquiry details information includes, for example, information necessary for clarifying the inquiry content and information necessary for automating the process. The information necessary for clarifying the inquiry content is, for example, information that can identify the service corresponding to the inquiry, etc. The information necessary for automating the process is, for example, information on the means for providing a response, etc.

[0146] The response support device 2 can send an inquiry to the user terminal 4 based on the membership identification information about the user of the user terminal 4. For example, the response support device 2 acquires information such as attribute information, usage history, and activity history based on the common ID of the user of the user terminal 4 or an individual membership ID. The response support device 2 requests additional information from the user terminal 4 based on information such as attribute information, usage history, and activity history. The additional information includes information necessary for clarifying the inquiry content and information necessary for automating the process. The response support device 2 determines the content of the answer to the inquiry based on the additional information acquired from the user terminal 4.

[0147] According to this example, the response support system 1 can not only simply return an answer to the inquiry to the user terminal 4, but also clarify the inquiry content by requesting additional information from the user terminal 4. In addition, the response support system 1 acquires information necessary for automating the response to the inquiry or the process corresponding to the inquiry (for example, how to answer, asking questions in chat but wanting the answer by phone, etc.), generates a response format, and can perform processing according to the response format. The response support system 1 can refer to past history and response content by acquiring information based on membership identification information, enabling a more flexible response to the inquiry. Thereby, the response support system 1 can improve the efficiency of processing related to the inquiry.

[0148] The user terminal 4 adjusts the answer providing means based on a message or the like from the response support device 2 (step S2). In step S2, for example, the user terminal 4 can change the desired answer providing means. The user terminal 4 may notify the response support device 2 of the changed answer providing means. The response support device 2 can communicate with the user terminal 4 and determine the answer providing means.

[0149] The response support device 2 refers to the response service information and determines whether dispatch is possible (step S13). In step S13, for example, the response support device 2 refers to the response method specified by the service corresponding to the inquiry and determines whether dispatch is possible. If dispatch is possible, the process transitions from step S13 to step S14. If dispatch is not possible, the process transitions from step S13 to step S3. The response support device 2 may determine whether dispatch is necessary based on the inquiry content, response service information, etc. If dispatch is necessary, the process transitions from step S13 to step S14. Dispatch is a process including a plurality of procedures. Therefore, when the response support device 2 performs dispatch, it assembles and executes a process including a plurality of procedures. If dispatch is not necessary, the process transitions from step S13 to step S3.

[0150] When the response support device 2 does not perform dispatch, it performs an automatic response based on the response method. The user terminal 4 receives the response (step S3). In step S3, for example, the user terminal 4 receives the response according to the means for providing the desired response. The user terminal 4 may receive the response via, for example, an email. Note that depending on the response method, a plurality of responses by a plurality of service providers may be made. For example, the response method may include an automatic response for an inquiry regarding service A, a dispatch to the service provider of service B for an inquiry regarding service B, and an automatic process for an inquiry regarding service C. The response method includes assembling the flow of those processes.

[0151] The response support device 2 refers to the response service information and determines whether the responder can receive the inquiry by the inquiry means (step S14). If it is acceptable, the process transitions from step S14 to step S21. If it is not acceptable, the process transitions from step S14 to step S15.

[0152] The response support device 2 converts the inquiry means (step S15). In step S15, for example, the response support device 2 switches the inquiry channel. The response support device 2 receives an inquiry via the switched inquiry channel.

[0153] The service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 generate an answer (step S21). In step S21, for example, the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 generate an answer to be provided to the user of the user terminal 4 based on the answer content received from the response support device 2. The response support device 2, for example, generates answer items for the inquiry. The response support device 2 outputs a text message indicating the answer items to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The response support device 2 may output a notification requesting the responder to handle the response to the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3. The notification may include, for example, a message requesting to generate an answer and provide the answer to the user of the user terminal 4. The service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 may display a text message showing an example answer on the display device. The user of the service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 or the operator of the operator terminal 6 may create an answer to be provided to the user of the user terminal 4 based on the example answer.

[0154] When the operator can directly answer (step 22), the operator directly provides an answer to the user of the user terminal 4. The operator may, for example, provide an answer to the user terminal 4 via email. The user terminal 4 receives the answer in step S3. The service provider devices 3-1 to 3-3 may output information regarding the answer provided to the user terminal 4 to the response support device 2. The response support device 2 may record or update the answer history information based on the information regarding the answer in step S18.

[0155] When the operator cannot directly answer, the process transitions from step S22 to step S16.

[0156] The response support device 2 determines whether it is necessary to convert the means for providing an answer to an inquiry (step S16). In step S16, for example, the response support device 2 determines whether to switch the answer channel based on the answer content. If it is necessary to convert the means for providing the answer, the process transitions from step S16 to step S17. If it is not necessary to convert the means for providing the answer, the process transitions from step S16 to step S3. Here, the response support device 2 may record or update the answer history information based on the answer content in step S18.

[0157] The response support device 2 converts the means for providing the answer (step S17). In step S17, for example, the response support device 2 switches the answer channel. The response support device 2 provides the answer to the user terminal 4 according to the answer channel. The case where the means for providing the answer is a phone call will be described. For example, the response support device 2 switches the answer channel to a phone call. The response support device 2 converts the text message indicating the answer items into voice data. The response support device 2 makes a phone call to the phone number of the user of the user terminal 4. Making a phone call includes accessing the user terminal 4 via the phone. The user terminal 4 receives the answer in step S3. The response support device 2 may record or update the answer history information based on the answer items in step S18.

[0158] According to this example, the response support apparatus 2 can respond to inquiries from an inquiry form on an application. The response support apparatus 2 can receive an inquiry according to the inquiry means acceptable to the service provider of the service corresponding to the inquiry. Therefore, the response support apparatus 2 can support the provision of an optimal answer for the service provider. The response support apparatus 2 enables the user of the user terminal 4 to provide an answer by the means of answer provision desired by the user. Therefore, even when the user of the user terminal 4 makes an inquiry from an inquiry form, the user can receive an answer by various means of answer provision. Thereby, the response support apparatus 2 can streamline the processing related to the inquiry. The response support apparatus 2 can support user-friendly customer service operations. For example, the user can make an inquiry from an inquiry form using a home PC and obtain an answer via chat, email, or phone using a smartphone or the like while away from home.

[0159] (5) Effects The response support apparatus 2 of the first embodiment can receive, by an information processing program, an inquiry from a user having a common ID regarding at least one service among a plurality of services associated with the common ID, identify an answerer for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and first information associated with the plurality of services, and respond according to the means of providing an answer for the inquiry. For example, the response support apparatus 2 can receive, by an information processing program, an inquiry regarding any of the plurality of services from a user having a common ID. Further, the response support apparatus 2 can identify an answerer from among the plurality of services and provide an answer by any of the plurality of answer means by an information processing program. Therefore, the response support apparatus 2 can integrally process inquiries regarding a plurality of services and streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0160] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on second information associated with a plurality of services, response history information regarding the plurality of services, and information regarding the user's history regarding the plurality of services by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can integrally determine the response content based on various types of information. As a result, the response support device 2 can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0161] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on information regarding the user's history regarding a plurality of services including information regarding the user's past inquiry history by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can cause the computer to determine the optimal response content for the user based on the user's past inquiry history. As a result, the response support device 2 can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0162] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on second information which is information generated based on information regarding question-and-answer examples in at least a plurality of services by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can determine the optimal response content for the service provider based on the question-and-answer examples for each service. As a result, the response support device 2 can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0163] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on second information which is information updated based on response history information regarding a plurality of services by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can determine the optimal response content for the service provider based on the response history for each service. As a result, the response support device 2 can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0164] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can perform a process of generating response items for an inquiry by an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can perform a response based on the generated response items. Further, the response support device 2 can provide the generated response items to an operator. Thereby, the response support device 2 can improve the efficiency of the process related to the inquiry.

[0165] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can request a process corresponding to an inquiry by an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can request a process corresponding to the inquiry to another device and cause the other device to perform a response to the inquiry. Thereby, the response support device 2 can improve the efficiency of the process related to the inquiry.

[0166] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can further determine the response content for an inquiry based on the attribute information of the user by an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can determine the optimal response content according to the user's attribute based on the attribute information of the user. Thereby, the response support device 2 can improve the efficiency of the process related to the inquiry.

[0167] The response support device 2 according to the first embodiment can provide an answer by the same means as the means for the inquiry or different means by an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2 can provide an answer by any one of a plurality of answer providing means. Thereby, the response support device 2 can cause an answer to be provided by an optimal means to the user or the service provider, and can improve the convenience of the inquiry response service.

[0168] (Second Embodiment) Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment is a response support system that performs response processing for inquiries by a response support device, similar to the first embodiment. Different from the first embodiment, the response support system 1A is a system that supports responses to inquiries from specific users. The response support system 1A realizes an inquiry response service in a closed network. The closed network is, for example, a network within an organization, etc. The response support system 1A handles various types of information including information that is not publicly disclosed and shared within the closed network. Information that is not publicly disclosed includes, for example, confidential information within the organization, regulations, and rules, etc. The organization is, for example, a company, corporation, or office, etc. The organization is not limited to the above, and may be a community including multiple users, etc. Information that is not publicly disclosed includes knowledge information managed within the organization. The knowledge information indicates, for example, information created or managed by at least one department within the organization. The department indicates a division divided according to business, function, etc. The department may be, for example, a unit that classifies different multiple businesses, operations, information, processes, etc., such as a department, team, project, campaign, etc. The department may be a unit for classifying knowledge information. The department may be a unit classified by the management entity that manages the knowledge information. The knowledge information of multiple departments may be managed by different management entities. The department may be read as, for example, a field, area, category. The department may indicate, for example, an area or field where inquiries can be received. The department may indicate an area or field that can provide answers to inquiries. The department may indicate an area or field that can determine an appropriate answer entity for an inquiry. The department may indicate an area or field that can provide information as an answer to an inquiry.

[0169] In the second embodiment, for example, it is assumed that inquiries regarding knowledge information shared within an organization such as a company are handled. It is assumed that the knowledge information is information classified by each business department. The organization includes a plurality of business departments. The plurality of business departments are an example of a plurality of categories. A business department is also simply referred to as a department. The knowledge information is also referred to as information of a plurality of departments. It is assumed that the user is an employee belonging to the organization. For example, for knowledge information managed by a plurality of departments, a great deal of cost is incurred in information collection and information management. Also, when obtaining appropriate information from the knowledge information, it is necessary to improve the search accuracy. Therefore, there is a need to streamline the processing related to inquiries regarding the knowledge information. When the user wants to refer to the knowledge information of a plurality of departments and investigate past results such as a sales promotion campaign, when considering a new plan, or when wanting to investigate past campaigns with frequent inquiries, etc., the user can make an inquiry using the response support system. Note that the user is not limited to an employee, and any user who can access the knowledge information may be sufficient. The customer or member in the first embodiment may be read as an employee, a company employee, an institute member, or a user in the second embodiment.

[0170] The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment, mainly, the parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0171] (1) Overall configuration of the response support system 1A FIG. 9 is an overhead view showing an example of the overall configuration of the response support system 1A according to the second embodiment. The response support system 1A shown in FIG. 9 includes a response support device 2A and a user terminal 4A. The response support device 2A and the user terminal 4A are communicably connected to each other via a network 7A. For example, the network 7A is a LAN (Local Area Network). The network 7A may include a wireless network or a wired network. Note that the response support device 2A and the user terminal 4 may be communicably connected to each other via the Internet or the like. Note that the response support system 1A may refer to a system including at least two devices among the response support device 2A and the user terminal 4A. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the response support system 1A includes two user terminals 4A, but the number of user terminals is not limited to this. The configuration of a plurality of user terminals may be the same as that of the user terminal 4A.

[0172] The response support system 1A is a system for responding to inquiries regarding a plurality of departments. The inquiries include questions, notifications, requests, complaints, etc. regarding each department from the user. The user is a user who can use the knowledge information of a plurality of departments. The user may be managed by user identification information (user ID). The knowledge information of a plurality of departments may be integrally managed by an administrator or the like within the organization. The user can log in using the user ID and use the knowledge information of a plurality of departments. The plurality of departments are an example of a plurality of categories associated with the user ID. The user may include a user with access restrictions who can use only a part of the knowledge information of a plurality of departments. The user's access to information regarding a plurality of departments may be restricted based on attribute information or the like. The user can make inquiries regarding a plurality of departments using the user ID. The user ID is an example of the user's ID.

[0173] The response support device 2A is a device that collects data and processes the collected data, similar to the response support device 2. The response support device 2A is communicably connected to the user terminal 4A via the network 7A. The response support device 2A receives various data from the user terminal 4A and outputs various data to the user terminal 4A. The response support device 2A may be communicably connected to other devices (not shown). The response support device 2A is an example of an information processing device. A configuration example of the response support device 2A will be described later.

[0174] The user terminal 4A is a device capable of communicating with other devices. The user terminal 4A is a PC, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. The user terminal 4A is an example of an information processing terminal. When the user of the user terminal 4A has an inquiry regarding a category, the user makes an inquiry from the user terminal 4A to the response support device 2A. The user can make an inquiry by chat, e-mail, or the like. For example, the user can log in to an inquiry response service via an application provided by the response support device 2A, a website, or the like, and make an inquiry.

[0175] (2) Hardware Configuration (2-1) Response Support Device 2A The response support device 2A has the same hardware configuration as the response support device 2.

[0176] (3) Functional Configuration (3-1) Response Support Device 2A FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the response support device 2A according to the present embodiment. The response support device 2A of the present embodiment includes, as a functional configuration, a response processing unit 200A, a storage unit 210A, and a communication control unit 220A. The communication control unit 220A controls communication with the user terminal 4A via the network 7A according to an instruction from the response processing unit 200A.

[0177] (3-1-1) Storage Unit 210A The storage unit 210A includes a knowledge information storage unit 215, a response history information storage unit 216, a user information storage unit 217, and a learned model storage unit 218. The storage unit 210A can be implemented by the storage 23. Here, an example in which the response support device 2A includes the knowledge information storage unit 215, the response history information storage unit 216, the user information storage unit 217, and the learned model storage unit 218 will be described, but each storage unit may be included in a device different from the response support device 2A.

[0178] The knowledge information storage unit 215 is a storage unit for centrally storing and holding knowledge information related to a plurality of departments. The knowledge information indicates knowledge information created or managed for each department. The knowledge information includes information related to operations. The information related to operations includes materials created or managed in each department. The materials include document data, image data, audio data, etc. The materials may include, for example, circulars, minutes of meetings, regulations, rules, and workflows. For example, the information related to the operations of the personnel department may include information related to applications, employment rules, and employees. The information related to the operations of the sales department may include information related to projects, services, and customers. The information related to operations includes information on the person in charge. The person in charge indicates, for example, the creator, manager, or person in charge of the material. The information on the person in charge may include information that can identify the person in charge and information such as the contact information of the person in charge. The knowledge information may include, for example, information based on audio data of a video conference, information based on data recording communications such as threads on an in-organization communication tool. The knowledge information is an example of information associated with a plurality of categories. The knowledge information is also referred to as first information associated with a plurality of categories.

[0179] The knowledge information includes, for example, settings related to inquiries. The settings related to inquiries include reception means capable of receiving inquiries from users, response means capable of responding to users for inquiries, methods of answering inquiries, and the like. The reception means indicates, for example, communication means such as e-mail and chat, or contact means. The reception means may include a plurality of means. When the reception means includes a plurality of means, the reception means may include information indicating the priority order of the plurality of means. The reception means is an example of an inquiry means. The response means indicates, for example, communication means such as e-mail and chat, or contact means. The response means may include a plurality of means. When the response means includes a plurality of means, the response means may include information indicating the priority order of the plurality of means. The response means is an example of a response providing means. The response means may be the same means as the reception means or a different means from the reception means.

[0180] The method of answering inquiries includes automatic response, automatic processing, dispatch, and the like. Automatic response indicates, for example, automatically sending a response to the user for the inquiry. Automatic response includes a process of generating response items for the inquiry. The response items are information indicating response examples or response sentences, etc. Automatic processing indicates requesting a process corresponding to the inquiry. Automatic processing includes identifying a process corresponding to the inquiry and performing a process corresponding to the inquiry. Performing a process corresponding to the inquiry includes performing an appropriate process according to the specified process flow. The process corresponding to the inquiry indicates a process necessary for responding to the inquiry. For example, when the inquiry is about the method of applying for transportation expenses, the process corresponding to the inquiry includes a series of processes necessary for applying for transportation expenses.

[0181] Dispatch includes transferring a call to a responder, requesting a responder to handle a business, etc. In this example, the responder indicates an organization, entity, person in charge, etc. that should answer an inquiry. Dispatch may include a process of generating an answer item for an inquiry. Dispatch may include a process of providing an answer example to a responder. The inquiry answering method may include a plurality of answering methods. When the inquiry answering method includes a plurality of answering methods, the inquiry answering method may include information indicating the priority order of the plurality of answering methods. The response support device 2A may respond to an inquiry according to the inquiry answering method set by an administrator or the like of each department. The inquiry answering method is also simply referred to as an answering method. In the following description, "answer" may be read as "response".

[0182] The knowledge information may include question-and-answer examples (FAQs) related to the business of each department, etc. The question-and-answer example may include information indicating the flow of processing for an inquiry. The knowledge information may include information related to access restrictions. The information related to access restrictions is, for example, access restriction setting information. The access restriction setting information may be information set based on the attributes of a user. The access restriction may include information for identifying a user who can access the knowledge information. The access restriction may be information indicating whether access is permitted according to the attributes of a user. The knowledge information can be updated as appropriate. The knowledge information may be updated, for example, periodically. The knowledge information may include update information. The update information includes, for example, information related to the updater, information related to the update date and time, etc. The knowledge information is an example of first information associated with a plurality of categories.

[0183] The response history information storage unit 216 is a storage unit for centrally storing and holding response history information. The response history information indicates history information regarding responses to inquiries. The response history information may be history information regarding the processing of inquiries by the response support device 2A. The response history information includes, for example, information such as inquiry content, response content, and processing results. The inquiry content includes, for example, inquiry type, inquiry source information, inquiry items, etc. The response content includes response means, response items, response methods, etc. The processing result includes information indicating the user's response to the response. The response includes information indicating satisfaction with the response, reaction to the response, etc. The response history information can correspond to information linked to the inquiry history included in the user information described later. The response history information may be information excluding information that can identify an individual among the user's attribute information. The response history information is an example of response history information regarding a plurality of categories. The response history information includes response history information about a plurality of users. The response history information is an example of information associated with a plurality of categories.

[0184] The user information storage unit 217 is a storage unit for centrally storing and holding user information. The user information includes user information for each user. The user information is an example of information regarding users.

[0185] The user information will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of user information managed by the response support device 2A according to the second embodiment.

[0186] The user information includes information such as user identification information, attribute information, usage history, and activity history. The user identification information is the user ID. The attribute information is information unique to each user and may include information such as name, age, gender, affiliated department, affiliated team, affiliated meeting body, affiliated project, employment form, length of service, and work experience. The attribute information may include information indicating the work content, etc.

[0187] The usage history includes the inquiry history. The inquiry history includes information such as the presence or absence of an inquiry, the inquiry date and time, and the inquiry means. The inquiry history includes information regarding the user's past inquiry history.

[0188] The activity history includes detailed information about the usage history. For example, there may be multiple activity histories for the usage history. The activity history may have a "1:n (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1)" relationship with the usage history. The activity history includes inquiry detailed information. The inquiry detailed information includes information such as the inquiry content, the answer content, and the processing result. User information is an example of information regarding the user's past inquiry history related to multiple departments.

[0189] The learned model storage unit 218 is a storage unit for storing and holding the learned model in a unified manner. The learned model is a learned model generated by machine learning or the like based on knowledge information. For example, the learned model can be generated based on at least information regarding question-and-answer examples in multiple departments. The learned model may be generated based on the answer history information of multiple users. The learned model is a question-and-answer model (QA model) that combines an inquiry and an example answer to the inquiry. The learned model can be updated based on the answer history information of multiple users related to multiple departments. The learned model is also referred to as a QA model. The learned model is an example of information associated with multiple categories. The learned model is also referred to as the second information associated with multiple categories.

[0190] (3-1-2) Response Processing Unit 200A The response processing unit 200A functions as a model management unit 201A, an inquiry reception unit 202A, and an inquiry response unit 203A when the processor 21 executes a program stored in the memory 22.

[0191] The model management unit 201A manages or updates knowledge information. The model management unit 201A generates a learned model (QA model) for handling inquiries constructed by machine learning or the like using the knowledge information. The model management unit 201A generates a learned model based on information regarding question-and-answer cases in at least a plurality of services. The learned model is information generated based on information such as information regarding question-and-answer cases in at least a plurality of services. The model management unit 201A may generate a learned model based on the answer history information of a plurality of users regarding a plurality of services.

[0192] The QA model is a model that takes information regarding an inquiry as input and outputs the answer content for the inquiry. The information regarding the inquiry includes the time of the inquiry (inquiry date and time) and the content of the inquiry. The answer content may include the answer means, answer items, and answer method. The QA model may be a model that outputs information regarding the process corresponding to the inquiry. The model management unit 201A learns the answer content for the inquiry by machine learning. The model management unit 201A estimates the answer content for the inquiry based on the correspondence between the content of the inquiry and the answer content for the inquiry. Machine learning is, but not limited to, a neural network or the like. Since the answer content changes according to the time and content of the inquiry, there may be a certain correlation between the time and content of the inquiry and the answer content. Therefore, the combination of the time and content of the inquiry and the answer content may also be managed in time series. The model management unit 201A updates the QA model based on the update of the knowledge information. The model management unit 201A updates the QA model using the answer history information. The model management unit 201A may request the answer history information from the inquiry handling unit 203A. In this case, the model management unit 201A may obtain the answer history information from the inquiry handling unit 203A. The model management unit 201A may update the QA model using the answer history information. Note that the model management unit 201A may update the QA model based on the user information.

[0193] The inquiry reception unit 202A receives an inquiry regarding a department from the user terminal 4A. The inquiry is an inquiry for at least one department among a plurality of departments. The inquiry for at least one department includes an inquiry regarding information managed by one department among the plurality of departments. The inquiry for at least one department may be an inquiry regarding information managed by a plurality of departments. The inquiry includes the inquiry content. The inquiry may include a user ID. The inquiry may include information regarding the means for providing a desired answer of the user of the user terminal 4A. The user of the user terminal 4A is also referred to as the inquiring user.

[0194] Based on the inquiry content and the knowledge information, the inquiry reception unit 202A identifies the answering entity that provides information corresponding to the inquiry. The answering entity responds to the inquiry. The answering entity can indicate an organization, entity, person, etc. that should answer the inquiry. The answering entity may indicate a department related to the inquiry. The answering entity may indicate the person in charge, the department in charge, or the section in charge of the business related to the inquiry. The answering entity may be the creator, administrator, or person in charge of the knowledge information related to the inquiry. The answering entity may be one that performs response processing. The answering entity may be one that has a function of receiving the inquiry and outputting an answer. The function may be realized by, for example, a chatbot, AI (Artificial Intelligence), a procedure, or a program.

[0195] For example, based on the user ID, the inquiry reception unit 202A identifies the user of the user terminal 4A. Based on the user information, the inquiry reception unit 202A acquires the attribute information of the user. Based on the user information, the inquiry reception unit 202A acquires the activity history of the user regarding the inquiry. The inquiry reception unit 202A acquires a QA model. Based on the knowledge information, the QA model, the answer history information, and the activity history of the user, the inquiry reception unit 202A determines the tentative answer content for the inquiry.

[0196] The inquiry reception unit 202A may create inquiry detail information based on the inquiry content. The inquiry detail information is information indicating the content of the inquiry described in a certain format based on the inquiry content. The inquiry detail information may include, for example, information such as user ID, activity history related to the inquiry, inquiry type, inquiry content, and answer entity.

[0197] The inquiry reception unit 202A may request the user terminal 4A for information necessary for creating the inquiry detail information. The information necessary for creating the inquiry detail information includes information for concretizing the inquiry content. For example, the inquiry reception unit 202A may output, via a chatbot or the like, information on questions for concretizing the inquiry content to the user terminal 4A of the inquiry user. The information on questions for concretizing the inquiry content is information indicating the question message. The inquiry user can input an answer to the question using an input device or the like. The answer to the question is information for concretizing the inquiry content. The inquiry reception unit 202A acquires, via the network 7A, information for concretizing the inquiry content from the user terminal 4A. The inquiry reception unit 202A concretizes the inquiry content based on the information for concretizing the inquiry content. The response support device 2A can specify the inquiry content specifically and in detail through interaction with the inquiry user. The response support device 2A can collect, through interaction with the inquiry user, information for concretizing the inquiry content as information for improving the determination accuracy of the response to the inquiry. The information for concretizing the inquiry content may be information necessary for searching for an answer to the inquiry. The information for concretizing the inquiry content may be keywords or the like necessary for searching for an answer to the inquiry. The questions for concretizing the inquiry content are also called additional questions. The additional questions include questions in free description form and selective questions. The selective questions include questions for confirming the inquiry content. The information for concretizing the inquiry content is also called additional information.

[0198] For example, when the inquiry is "I want to predict the number of participants in a new campaign", the inquiry reception unit 202A may output questions regarding the content of the new campaign to the user terminal 4A of the inquiring user. Questions for specifying the inquiry content may be, for example, "What kind of campaign is it?" and the like. Questions for specifying the inquiry content may be in the form of a conversation message. Questions for specifying the inquiry content may also be information for obtaining keywords. The inquiry reception unit 202A obtains information regarding the type, period, outline, etc. of the new campaign, for example, through additional questions.

[0199] The inquiry response unit 203A responds according to the means of providing an answer to the inquiry. The inquiry response unit 203A determines the means of providing an answer and the answer content based on the provisional answer content determined by the inquiry reception unit 202A. The inquiry response unit 203A determines the means of providing an answer and the answer content to the inquiry based on the QA model, answer history information, and user information. The inquiry response unit 203A may generate answer items for the inquiry according to the means of providing an answer and the answer content. The inquiry response unit 203A may further determine the answer content to the inquiry based on the attribute information of the user of the user terminal 4A. The inquiry response unit 203A may determine, for example, the information accessible to the user based on the attribute information of the user. The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the answer content to the inquiry based on the information accessible to the user.

[0200] The means for providing an answer may be the same means as the means for making an inquiry, or may be different means. Responding includes determining the content of the answer to the inquiry. Responding includes a process of generating answer items for the inquiry. Responding includes executing a process corresponding to the inquiry. Responding may include requesting a process corresponding to the inquiry. The answer content may include a plurality of independent processes by a plurality of answer providers. The answer content may include a combination of a plurality of processes by a plurality of answer providers. The combination of a plurality of processes by a plurality of answer providers includes processes spanning a plurality of answer providers. The means for providing an answer may be a combination of a plurality of means for providing an answer.

[0201] The inquiry response unit 203A may generate a plurality of answer items for the inquiry according to the means for providing an answer and the answer content. The inquiry response unit 203A may execute a plurality of processes for the inquiry according to the means for providing an answer and the answer content. The inquiry response unit 203A may request a plurality of processes for the inquiry according to the means for providing an answer and the answer content.

[0202] The response support device 2A receives an inquiry regarding a plurality of departments from the user of the user terminal 4A, identifies a plurality of answer providers for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry regarding the plurality of departments and the knowledge information associated with the plurality of departments, and responds according to the means for providing an answer to the inquiry regarding the plurality of departments.

[0203] According to this example, even when the response support system 1A receives an inquiry that spans multiple departments instead of a one-on-one question and answer, it can execute multiple processes or request dispatching and processing to multiple response entities, thereby unifying the inquiry window from the user and providing a seamless response. As a result, the response support system 1A can improve the efficiency of processing related to the user's inquiry. In addition, the response support system 1A can facilitate the determination of response processing by specifying the user's inquiry. Therefore, the response support system 1A can further improve the efficiency of processing related to the user's inquiry. The response support system 1A can perform more appropriate response processing for the user's inquiry.

[0204] (4) Operation of the response support system 1A (4-1) Overall operation of the response support system 1A FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of the overall operation of the response support system 1A according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation in which the response support device 2A and the user terminal 4A constituting the response support system 1A cooperate with each other.

[0205] The model management unit 201A acquires the knowledge information stored in the storage unit 210A. The knowledge information may be information provided from multiple departments. The knowledge information is, for example, information provided in advance by the administrator of the knowledge information of multiple departments, etc. The model management unit 201A may update the knowledge information every time the knowledge information of multiple departments is updated. The model management unit 201A may update the knowledge information periodically.

[0206] The model management unit 201A generates a QA model by machine learning or the like using knowledge information. The model management unit 201A stores the QA model in the learned model storage unit 218. The model management unit 201A may generate a QA model by referring to the answer history information stored in the answer history information storage unit 216. The model management unit 201A may update the QA model by referring to the answer history information. The answer history information includes past answer history information. The past answer history information includes information regarding answers to inquiries that were handled prior to the current inquiry being handled. The model management unit 201A may request the current answer history information from the inquiry handling unit 203A. The current answer history information includes information regarding answers to the current inquiry being handled. The model management unit 201A may update the QA model based on the current answer history information acquired from the inquiry handling unit 203A. The model management unit 201A may update the QA model at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be a timing based on a fixed time interval such as every day or every week.

[0207] The inquiry reception unit 202A receives an inquiry from the user terminal 4A. The inquiry reception unit 202A may perform an authentication process based on the user ID. The authentication process may include user authentication of the user terminal 4A. The authentication process may determine whether access to the knowledge information of multiple departments is permitted. The authentication process may determine access restrictions to the knowledge information of multiple departments for each user. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine whether there are access restrictions on the knowledge information based on the attribute information of the user. The inquiry reception unit 202A may acquire the user ID together with the inquiry or separately.

[0208] The inquiry reception unit 202A refers to the knowledge information, the QA model, the answer history information, and the user information, and determines provisional answer content for the inquiry. For example, the inquiry reception unit 202A refers to the knowledge information and identifies the answer subject corresponding to the inquiry.

[0209] The inquiry reception unit 202A determines the means of providing an answer based on the knowledge information associated with the answer subject.

[0210] The inquiry reception unit 202A determines tentative response content for an inquiry based on the QA model. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the tentative response content based on other information.

[0211] The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the tentative response content based on the response history information. The response history information may include, for example, past response history information not reflected in the QA model. The response history information may include the most recent response history information not reflected in the QA model. The inquiry reception unit 202A may refer to the response history information related to the inquiry content based on the response history information, and determine the tentative response content for the inquiry content.

[0212] The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the tentative response content based on the user information. The inquiry reception unit 202A identifies the inquiring user based on the user ID. The inquiry reception unit 202A acquires the user information associated with the identified inquiring user. The inquiry reception unit 202A may acquire, for example, past inquiry history and inquiry content from the usage history and activity history. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the tentative response content based on information related to past inquiries of the inquiring user, such as the inquiry history and inquiry content. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine, for example, whether the inquiring user has made an inquiry in the past, whether the content of the inquiry is the same as a past inquiry, etc. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the tentative response content based on the response content of past inquiries. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the tentative response content based on whether the inquiring user is satisfied with the response content of past inquiries. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the means of providing a response based on the inquiry history and inquiry content.

[0213] The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine tentative response content based on the attribute information of the inquiring user. The inquiry reception unit 202A may narrow down the inquiry content based on, for example, the department to which the inquiring user belongs or the business, etc. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine access restrictions on the knowledge information based on the attribute information of the inquiring user. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine tentative response content based only on the knowledge information to which the inquiring user has access rights. For example, the inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the presence or absence of access rights to the knowledge information based on the attribute information of the inquiring user. For example, the inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the accessible knowledge information based on the department to which the inquiring user belongs or the employment form, etc. According to this example, the response support device 2 can restrict access to the knowledge information based on the attribute information of the inquiring user and enhance the security level of the knowledge information in the inquiry response process.

[0214] The inquiry reception unit 202A may refer to the response history information based on the attribute information of the inquiring user and determine tentative response content. For example, when the inquiring user belongs to the "Sales Department", information linked to the "Sales Department" among the response history information may be referred to and tentative response content may be determined.

[0215] Note that the inquiry reception unit 202A may determine the relevance between the business of the inquiring user and the inquiry based on the attribute information. The inquiry reception unit 202A may determine whether the inquiry is necessary for business based on information regarding the past inquiries of the inquiring user and the attribute information, etc. For example, when the inquiring user is making an inquiry about a matter with low relevance to the business, the inquiry reception unit 202A may restrict access to the knowledge information. According to this example, the response support device 2 can enhance the security level of the knowledge information in the inquiry response process.

[0216] The inquiry reception unit 202A stores the usage history in the user information storage unit 217 based on the inquiry details and the like. The inquiry reception unit 202A stores the inquiry history regarding the current inquiry as the usage history. The inquiry reception unit 202A stores the inquiry history in the user information storage unit 217. The inquiry history may include information such as the inquiry date and time, the means of inquiry, the inquiry content, and the means of providing an answer. The user information storage unit 217 updates the user information.

[0217] The inquiry response unit 203A obtains the provisional answer content from the inquiry reception unit 202A. The inquiry response unit 203A determines the answer content for the inquiry based on the provisional answer content. The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the means of providing the answer to the inquiry and the answer content. The inquiry response unit 203A determines the answer content for the inquiry based on at least one of the QA model, the answer history information, and the user information, or a combination thereof.

[0218] The inquiry response unit 203A obtains the QA model. The inquiry response unit 203A obtains the answer history information. The inquiry response unit 203A obtains the user information. The inquiry response unit 203A determines the answer content for the inquiry based on the QA model.

[0219] The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the answer content based on the answer history information. The inquiry response unit 203A refers to the answer history information related to the inquiry content based on the answer history information and determines the answer content for the inquiry content.

[0220] The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the response content based on the user information. The inquiry response unit 203A obtains the past inquiry history and inquiry content from the usage history and activity history. The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the response content based on the inquiry history, inquiry content, etc. The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the response content based on the processing result. For example, the inquiry response unit 203A may determine the response content based on whether the user is satisfied with the response content of past inquiries. The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the means of providing the response based on the inquiry history and inquiry content.

[0221] The inquiry response unit 203A may determine the response content based on the user's attribute information. For example, the inquiry response unit 203A may refer to the response history information based on the user's attribute information and determine the response content. For example, when the user belongs to the "Sales Department", among the response history information, the information linked to the "Sales Department" may be referred to and the response content may be determined. For example, the inquiry response unit 203A may determine the response content based on the satisfaction level of other users with the same past inquiries who are linked to the "Sales Department". For example, the inquiry response unit 203A may change the response content according to the satisfaction level with the response content. For example, for the response content indicating dispatch, if the satisfaction level is low, the current response content may be changed from dispatch to automatic processing.

[0222] The inquiry response unit 203A responds according to the means of providing the response to the inquiry based on the response content. The inquiry response unit 203A, for example, performs a process of generating response items for the inquiry. The process of generating response items includes automatic response and dispatch. The inquiry response unit 203A, for example, generates information indicating the response items. The information indicating the response items includes, for example, a text message indicating a response example.

[0223] The process of generating a response will be described for the case of an automatic response. The inquiry response unit 203A generates a text message indicating the response. When the means of providing the response is chat, the inquiry response unit 203A may instruct the inquiry reception unit 202A to start the chat application and send a chat message including the text message to the account of the inquiring user. When the means of providing the response is an email, the inquiry response unit 203A may instruct the inquiry reception unit 202A to generate an email including the text message, start an email client, etc., and send the email to the email address of the inquiring user. For example, the inquiry response unit 203A may attach information related to the response to the email and send it to the email address of the inquiring user. The automatic response may be a process by the inquiry response unit 203A or a process via the inquiry reception unit 202A. Note that the means of providing the response is not limited to those described above. The inquiry response unit 203A performs automatically according to the means of providing the response.

[0224] The process of generating a response will be described for the case of a dispatch. The inquiry response unit 203A identifies the respondent who is the dispatch destination. The inquiry response unit 203A may send information including a text message indicating the response to the user terminal 4A of the dispatch destination. The inquiry response unit 203A may send the inquiry content, etc. to the user terminal 4A of the dispatch destination. The user who received the dispatch request responds to the inquiry based on the text message.

[0225] The inquiry response unit 203A may, for example, request another user terminal 4A to perform a process corresponding to the inquiry. The inquiry response unit 203A may send an instruction indicating the process to another user terminal 4A.

[0226] The inquiry response unit 203A provides the response result to the inquiry reception unit 202A for an inquiry. The response result includes information such as the inquiry content, the response content, and the processing result. The inquiry reception unit 202A may provide the response result to the user terminal 4A. The inquiry response unit 203A stores the response content and the processing result for the inquiry in the response history information storage unit 216. The response history information storage unit 216 updates the response history information. The response content and the processing result correspond to the current response history information. The inquiry response unit 203A stores the response content and the processing result for the inquiry in the user information storage unit 217. The user information storage unit 217 updates the user information. The response content and the processing result correspond to the current activity history. The current activity history is information linked to the usage history indicating the inquiry history related to the current inquiry.

[0227] According to this example, the response support system 1A can receive inquiries regarding any of a plurality of departments. Therefore, the user can consistently make inquiries to the response support device 2A regardless of which department the inquiry is regarding among the plurality of departments. The response support system 1A can integrally process inquiries for a plurality of departments. The response support system 1A can receive inquiries by any of a plurality of inquiry means. Therefore, the user can make inquiries to the response support device 2A using any of the plurality of inquiry means. The response support system 1A can integrally process inquiries via a plurality of inquiry means. The response support system 1A can provide responses by any of a plurality of response means. Therefore, the user can receive responses by any of the plurality of response means. The response support system 1A can integrally process the provision of responses via a plurality of response means. Thereby, the response support system 1A can streamline the processing related to inquiries.

[0228] In addition, the response support system 1A can determine the response content based on a learned model that uses knowledge information related to multiple departments and response history information about multiple users. Therefore, the response support system 1A can easily determine the optimal response content for each inquiry. As a result, the response support system 1A can streamline the processing related to inquiries.

[0229] Furthermore, the response support system 1A can determine the optimal response content for each inquiring user based on the user information. As a result, the response support system 1A can streamline the processing related to inquiries. The response support system 1A can support user-friendly inquiry response operations.

[0230] (4-2) Operations of the model management unit 201A FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operations of the model management unit 201A in the response support apparatus 2A according to the second embodiment. The model management unit 201A includes, as functional components, a knowledge information management unit 2013 and a model generation unit 2014.

[0231] The knowledge information management unit 2013 acquires knowledge information from the storage unit 210A. The knowledge information is, for example, information created or managed by each of multiple departments. In this example, the departments are assumed to be departments belonging to a company. The multiple departments are assumed to be the personnel department, the sales department, the information systems department, etc. The knowledge information is assumed to be managed by department, but may be managed, for example, in units of projects including information created by multiple departments.

[0232] The knowledge information management unit 2013 stores knowledge information in the knowledge information storage unit 215. For example, the knowledge information management unit 2013 stores knowledge information in the knowledge information storage unit 215 for each of a plurality of departments. Each time the knowledge information management unit 2013 acquires knowledge information from an administrator or the like of a plurality of departments, it may update the knowledge information. The knowledge information management unit 2013 may update the knowledge information based on obtaining an update request from a user terminal such as an administrator of a plurality of departments. An update notification indicating that the knowledge information has been updated from the knowledge information management unit 2013 may be output to the model generation unit 2014.

[0233] The model generation unit 2014 generates a QA model by machine learning or the like using the knowledge information stored in the knowledge information storage unit 215. The model generation unit 2014 may acquire knowledge information from the knowledge information storage unit 215 based on obtaining an update notification from the knowledge information management unit 2013. According to this example, the model generation unit 2014 can generate a QA model for extracting question-and-answer responses according to information set by each of a plurality of departments. Therefore, the response support device 2A can receive inquiries by a desired means for each department and provide answers by a desired means.

[0234] The model generation unit 2014 may update the QA model by machine learning or the like using the updated knowledge information. The model generation unit 2014 stores the generated QA model in the learned model storage unit 218. The model generation unit 2014 stores the updated QA model in the learned model storage unit 218. For example, when the desired answer means is changed by the administrator of the knowledge information of the personnel department, the model generation unit 2014 can update the QA model based on the information of the changed answer means.

[0235] The model generation unit 2014 may generate a QA model by machine learning or the like using the response history information stored in the response history information storage unit 216. The model generation unit 2014 may refer to the response history information and update the QA model. Each time the model generation unit 2014 updates the QA model, it may update the QA model stored in the learned model storage unit 218. The model generation unit 2014 may acquire the response history information at predetermined intervals and update the QA model. According to this example, the model generation unit 2014 can periodically correct the statistical QA model.

[0236] The model generation unit 2014 may request the current response history information from the inquiry response unit 203A. The model generation unit 2014 may update the QA model based on the current response history information acquired from the inquiry response unit 203A. The model generation unit 2014 may update the QA model based on part or all of the current response history information. Each time the model generation unit 2014 updates the QA model, it may update the QA model stored in the learned model storage unit 218. For example, a case where the current inquiry is related to a personnel relationship application will be described. The model generation unit 2014 can generate a QA model that reflects information such as the response content and processing result for inquiries related to personnel relationship applications based on the current response history information.

[0237] The model generation unit 2014 may update the QA model at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be a timing based on a fixed time interval such as every day or every week. Note that the model generation unit 2014 may update the QA model in real time.

[0238] (4-3) Operation of the inquiry reception unit 202A FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the inquiry reception unit 202A in the response support device 2A according to the second embodiment. The inquiry reception unit 202A includes a reception unit 2023 and a response format generation unit 2024 as functional configurations.

[0239] The reception unit 2023 receives an inquiry from the user terminal 4A. The reception unit 2023 acquires user information of the user of the user terminal 4A from the user information storage unit 217 based on the user ID. The reception unit 2023 may perform user authentication of the user of the user terminal 4A based on the user ID. The user of the user terminal 4A is an example of an inquiring user. In this example, it is assumed that the inquiring user is a user having a user ID. It is assumed that the inquiring user has made an inquiry about a new campaign. It is assumed that the inquiring user has made the inquiry via chat. It is assumed that the inquiring user hopes to receive an answer via chat as the means of providing an answer.

[0240] The reception unit 2023 refers to user information based on the user ID and identifies the inquiring user. The reception unit 2023 may identify which department the inquiry is related to among a plurality of departments from the content of the inquiry. The reception unit 2023 may refer to the usage history and activity history of the inquiring user and acquire the past inquiry history regarding the department related to the current inquiry. The reception unit 2023 may acquire information on the means of providing an answer to the past inquiries of the inquiring user. The reception unit 2023 may acquire information on the satisfaction level with respect to the answers to the past inquiries. The reception unit 2023 may determine the content of the inquiry, the means of providing an answer, etc. based on the acquired information.

[0241] For example, a case where the inquiring user XA makes an inquiry about the expected number of participants in a new campaign will be described. It is assumed that the inquiry about the new campaign is an inquiry related to the sales department. It is assumed that the inquiring user XA has a history of making inquiries related to the sales department in the past. It is assumed that an answer to the past inquiry has been provided to the inquiring user XA via chat and the satisfaction level with respect to the answer is high. In this case, the reception unit 2023 determines that the content of the inquiry to the inquiring user XA is "the expected number of participants in the new campaign" and the means of providing an answer to the current inquiry is "chat".

[0242] The reception unit 2023 acquires knowledge information from the knowledge information storage unit 215. Based on the content of the inquiry, the reception unit 2023 identifies the department corresponding to the current inquiry. The department corresponding to the current inquiry is an example of the answering entity. In this example, the reception unit 2023 identifies the sales department as the answering entity. The answering entity may be an administrator who manages the knowledge information of the sales department. The answering entity may also be a program that processes the workflow within the sales department. The reception unit 2023 may, for example, refer to the knowledge information associated with the sales department. The reception unit 2023 may further narrow down the answering entity by referring to the knowledge information associated with the sales department. For example, the reception unit 2023 may identify the department in charge of campaign planning as the answering entity.

[0243] The reception unit 2023 may output a message or the like requesting to provide additional information to the user terminal 4A. In the following description, the message may include a text message, a voice message, or the like. For example, when the respondent cannot be identified from the inquiry, the reception unit 2023 may output a message or the like requesting to provide additional information to obtain information that can identify the respondent from the inquiring user. When the means for providing an answer to the current inquiry cannot be identified, the reception unit 2023 may output a message or the like requesting to provide additional information to obtain information that can identify the means for providing an answer from the inquiring user. The reception unit 2023 may output a question for specifying the inquiry content to the user terminal 4A. For example, the reception unit 2023 may output a message or the like indicating a question for obtaining detailed information about a new campaign to the user terminal 4A. The reception unit 2023 may output a message such as "What kind of campaign is it?" to the user terminal 4A. The reception unit 2023 obtains an answer to the question from the user terminal 4A. For example, the reception unit 2023 obtains an answer such as "For every purchase of XXX yen or more, 50 people will be randomly selected and points will be presented" from the user terminal 4A. The reception unit 2023 narrows down the inquiry content based on the answer obtained from the user terminal 4A. Note that the reception unit 2023 may output different questions to the user terminal 4A multiple times until the information necessary to respond to the inquiry is obtained.

[0244] Based on the inquiry and the above-described processing result, the reception unit 2023 creates inquiry detailed information. The inquiry detailed information may include, for example, information regarding the inquiring user, the inquiry content, the means of the inquiry, and the means for providing an answer to the inquiry.

[0245] The reception unit 2023 may store the usage history in the user information storage unit 217 based on the inquiry details. The usage history may include, for example, the inquiry date and time, the means of inquiry, the content of the inquiry, the means of providing an answer, and the like. In this example, the reception unit 2023 stores, as the usage history of the inquiring user XA, "means of inquiry: chat", "content of inquiry: estimated number of participants in the new campaign, present points to 50 people by lottery for every purchase of XXX yen or more", "means of providing an answer: chat", etc. in the user information storage unit 217.

[0246] The response guideline generation unit 2024 generates response guidelines based on the inquiry details created by the reception unit 2023. The response guidelines are information indicating the response flow for the inquiry and the like. The response guidelines correspond to the tentative answer content.

[0247] The response guideline generation unit 2024 acquires knowledge information from the knowledge information storage unit 215. The response guideline generation unit 2024 may refer to the knowledge information and determine whether the answering entity can accept inquiries by the means of the current inquiry. Based on the determination result, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may switch the inquiry channel. The inquiry channel is, for example, an example of the means of inquiry. The inquiry channel is also referred to as an inquiry interface. The channel is also referred to as a communication channel. If the answering entity can accept inquiries by the means of the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may accept the inquiry without switching the inquiry channel. If the answering entity cannot accept inquiries by the means of the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may switch the inquiry channel. Note that the response guideline generation unit 2024 may determine whether the inquiry by the means of the current inquiry can be accepted according to the inquiry content. For example, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may determine whether inquiries regarding a new campaign can be accepted via chat. If the response guideline generation unit 2024 can accept inquiries regarding a new campaign via chat, it may accept the chat-based inquiry. If the means of inquiry is different from the inquiry means that the answering entity can accept, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may convert the means of inquiry into an inquiry means that the answering entity can accept. For example, if the response guideline generation unit 2024 can accept inquiries regarding a new campaign only via email, it may convert the chat-based inquiry into an email-based inquiry. In this case, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may, for example, acquire text data from the chat-based inquiry, create an email containing the text data, and output it to the answering entity. Note that the receiving entity that accepts the inquiry and the answering entity may be the same or different entities.

[0248] The response support device 2A receives an inquiry regarding at least one department among a plurality of departments, identifies the entity responsible for answering the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and the knowledge information associated with the plurality of departments, and determines the inquiry means acceptable to the entity responsible for answering. The response support device 2A converts the inquiry means according to the entity responsible for answering. For example, when the inquiry means is different from the inquiry means acceptable to the entity responsible for answering, the response support device 2A converts the inquiry means into the inquiry means acceptable to the entity responsible for answering.

[0249] According to this example, the response support system 1A can convert the inquiry means at the time of receiving the inquiry according to the entity responsible for answering. Thereby, the response support system 1A can have flexibility in the inquiry response window. Thus, the response support system 1A can improve the efficiency of the processing related to the inquiry.

[0250] Note that when the entity responsible for answering cannot accept the inquiry by the means of the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may output a message or the like indicating that the inquiry by the means of the inquiry cannot be accepted to the user terminal 4A. When the entity responsible for answering cannot accept the inquiry by the means of the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may output a message or the like prompting the user to make an inquiry by other means to the user terminal 4A.

[0251] The response guideline generation unit 2024 may refer to the knowledge information and determine whether the answering entity can provide an answer by the means of answer provision for the current inquiry. Based on the determination result, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may switch the answer channel. The answer channel is, for example, an example of the means of answer provision. The answer channel is also referred to as the answer interface. If the answering entity can provide an answer by the means of answer provision for the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may provide the answer on the same channel as the inquiry channel. If the answering entity cannot provide an answer by the means of answer provision for the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may switch the answer channel. For example, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may determine whether an answer to an inquiry regarding a new campaign can be provided by chat. For an inquiry regarding a new campaign, if an answer by chat can be provided, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may provide the answer by chat. For an inquiry regarding a new campaign, if only an answer by email can be provided, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may convert the answer channel to the answer channel by email (string). For example, if the answer content for the inquiry is to provide materials, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may change the answer channel to email in order to provide the answer by email with the materials attached. For example, if the inquiry is about parental leave, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may change the answer channel to email in order to provide the answer by email with materials such as employment rules regarding parental leave attached.

[0252] When the means of providing an answer by the answer provider is different from the means of providing an answer desired by the user, the response format generation unit 2024 may convert the means of providing the answer to the means of providing the answer desired by the user. For example, when the means of providing an answer by the answer provider is chat and the means of providing an answer desired by the user is email, the response format generation unit 2024 converts the content of the answer received from the answer provider in chat into a format that can be sent by email. The response format generation unit 2024 provides the user with the answer converted into the email format. The response format generation unit 2024 converts the means of providing the answer according to the user. The response format generation unit 2024 may obtain the means of providing the answer desired by the user based on, for example, user information, inquiry content, inquiry detailed information, and the like.

[0253] The response support device 2A receives an inquiry regarding at least one of a plurality of departments, identifies an answer provider for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and knowledge information associated with the plurality of departments, and determines the means of providing an answer that can be provided by the answer provider. The response support device 2A converts the means of providing the answer according to the means of providing the answer desired by the user. For example, when the means of providing an answer by the answer provider is different from the means of providing an answer desired by the user, the response support device 2A converts the means of providing the answer to the means of providing the answer desired by the user.

[0254] According to this example, the response support system 1A can convert the means of providing an answer to the inquiry according to the means of providing the answer desired by the user. Thereby, the response support system 1A can make the window for handling inquiries flexible. The response support system 1A can use a means different from the inquiry means as the means of providing the answer. In this way, the response support system 1A can improve the efficiency of processing related to inquiries.

[0255] In addition, when the response guideline generation unit 2024 determines that the answer provider is unable to provide an answer by the means for providing an answer to the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may output to the user terminal 4A a message or the like indicating that the answer cannot be provided by the means for providing an answer. When the answer provider is unable to provide an answer by the means for providing an answer to the current inquiry, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may output to the user terminal 4A a message or the like proposing to provide an answer by other means.

[0256] The response guideline generation unit 2024 refers to the knowledge information and identifies the answer method specified by the answer provider. The response guideline generation unit 2024 may determine the answer method based on the answer content. The response guideline generation unit 2024 determines whether to provide an answer by any method such as automatic response, automatic processing, or dispatch.

[0257] The response guideline generation unit 2024 acquires the QA model from the learned model storage unit 218. Based on the QA model, the response guideline generation unit 2024 determines tentative answer content for the current inquiry. The response guideline generation unit 2024 may determine tentative answer content for the current inquiry. For example, for the current inquiry content "Expected number of participants in the new campaign, 50 people will be randomly selected and given points for every purchase of XXX yen or more", the response guideline generation unit 2024 may determine, as tentative answer content, the answer means "chat", the answer item "Expected to be 5000 people based on the number of participants in past similar campaigns", and the answer method "automatic response".

[0258] The response guideline generation unit 2024 acquires answer history information from the answer history information storage unit 216. By referring to the answer history information, the response guideline generation unit 2024 determines tentative answer content for the current inquiry. Based on the answer history information, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may change the tentative answer content determined based on the QA model.

[0259] Based on the attribute information of the inquiring user XA, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may refer to the accessible knowledge information and modify the tentative response content. For example, if there is an access restriction to the knowledge information of the sales department for the inquiring user XA, the tentative response content may be modified so that the response content is based only on the accessible information.

[0260] When the response guideline includes content that spans multiple departments and requires a combination of multiple processes, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may assemble an appropriate flow (procedure). Note that the response guidelines include listing content, generating, or assembling a flow (procedure). For example, the response guidelines include assembling the details of the procedures necessary to respond to the content of the inquiry.

[0261] When the response to an inquiry includes multiple processes, the response guideline generation unit 2024 may define multiple processes and determine an executable setup (for example, the procedure of the process, the content of the process, the department performing the process, the settings of the system performing the process, etc.).

[0262] The response guideline generation unit 2024 responds to an inquiry based on at least one of knowledge information, a QA model, and answer history information. When the response to an inquiry includes multiple processes, the response guideline generation unit 2024 determines multiple processes. The response guideline generation unit 2024 may also determine the procedures of multiple processes, the content of multiple processes, and the answer entity corresponding to multiple processes.

[0263] According to this example, for the response support system 1A, various interactions are required to return an answer to an inquiry to the user terminal 4A. When it is difficult to provide an answer in one go, the content of the processing necessary to obtain the answer (for example, dispatch, or automatic processing, etc.) is defined, and an executable procedure (for example, the procedure of the processing, or the content of the processing, the department that performs the processing, the settings of the system that performs the processing, etc.) can be determined. As a result, the user of the user terminal 4A can request all the necessary procedures in one question at once. Thereby, the response support system 1A can streamline the processing related to the inquiry. Also, the response support system 1A can improve user satisfaction regarding the response to the inquiry.

[0264] The response format generation unit 2024 outputs the inquiry details information and the information indicating the provisional answer content to the inquiry response unit 203A.

[0265] The response format generation unit 2024 obtains the response result from the inquiry response unit 203A. The response result includes information such as the inquiry content, the answer content, and the processing result, for example. The response format generation unit 2024 outputs the response result to the reception unit 2023. The reception unit 2023 may output the response result to the user terminal 4A.

[0266] According to this example, the response support device 2A can determine the inquiry details information and the provisional answer content based on a learned model using the knowledge information regarding a plurality of departments and the answer history information regarding a plurality of users. Therefore, the response support device 2A can support providing an optimal answer for each inquiry. Also, the response support device 2A can support providing an optimal answer for each user for each inquiry. Thereby, the response support device 2A can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0267] (4-4) Operation of the Inquiry Response Unit 203A FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the inquiry response unit 203A in the response support apparatus 2A according to the second embodiment. The inquiry response unit 203A includes, as a functional configuration, a response management unit 2033 and a history management unit 2034.

[0268] The response management unit 2033 acquires inquiry detail information and information indicating provisional response content from the inquiry reception unit 202A. The response management unit 2033 responds to the inquiry based on the provisional response content. The response management unit 2033 responds according to the means for providing an answer to the inquiry.

[0269] The response management unit 2033 acquires the QA model from the learned model storage unit 218. The response management unit 2033 determines the response content for the current inquiry based on the QA model.

[0270] The response management unit 2033 acquires response history information from the response history information storage unit 216. The response management unit 2033 determines the response content for the current inquiry based on the response history information. The response management unit 2033 may determine the response content based on the QA model and the response history information. According to this example, the response management unit 2033 can determine the response content by referring to past history information and the like that are not included in the QA model that can be periodically updated. The response management unit 2033 can determine the response content by referring to the most recent history information and the like that are not included in the QA model.

[0271] The response management department 2033 acquires user information from the user information storage unit 217. The response management department 2033 determines the response content for the current inquiry based on the user information of the inquiring user. The response management department 2033 may refer to the past activity history information of the inquiring user to determine the response content. The response management department 2033 may determine the response content based on the QA model, response history information, and user information. According to this example, the response management department 2033 can determine the optimal response content for the inquiring user based on the information about the inquiring user. For example, when the inquiring user has made a similar inquiry in the past, the response management department 2033 may determine the response content based on information such as the past response content and processing results.

[0272] For example, the response management department 2033 will explain the case where the inquiring user has made an inquiry about a new campaign in the same way as the current one in the past. When the satisfaction with the previous response is high based on information such as the previous response content and processing results, the response management department 2033 may determine the same response content as the previous time for the current inquiry. When the satisfaction with the previous response is low, the response management department 2033 may determine a different response content for the current inquiry. According to this example, the response management department 2033 can provide a more appropriate response to the user by updating the response content according to the satisfaction.

[0273] The response management department 2033 may determine the response content based on the user's attribute information. For example, the response management department 2033 may determine the access restriction to the knowledge information based on the attribute information of the inquiring user included in the user information. The response management department 2033 may determine the response content by referring only to the information that the inquiring user can access. According to this example, the response management department 2033 can determine the response content by using the information within the organization according to the access restriction. Therefore, the response management department 2033 can handle inquiries considering the information security within the organization. The response management department 2033 can streamline the processing related to inquiries considering information security.

[0274] Based on the determined response content, the correspondence management unit 2033 responds according to the means of providing a response to the inquiry. In one example, the correspondence management unit 2033 performs a process of generating response content for the inquiry. The process of generating response content includes automatic response and dispatch, etc.

[0275] When the correspondence management unit 2033 completes the response process, it outputs the response result to the inquiry reception unit 202A. The inquiry reception unit 202A may output the response result to the user terminal 4A. When the correspondence management unit 2033 performs an automatic response, it outputs a response result including information indicating the response content to the inquiry reception unit 202A. The correspondence management unit 2033 may output a completion notice indicating the completion of the response to the inquiry reception unit 202A. The correspondence management unit 2033 outputs the response result to the history management unit 2034. The correspondence management unit 2033 may output the completion notice to the history management unit 2034.

[0276] A case where the response method is an automatic response will be described. For example, a case where the inquiry from inquiring user XA is "I want to predict the number of participants in the new campaign" will be described. It is assumed that the response support device 2 has received a chat-based inquiry from the user terminal 4A. The response management unit 2033 determines whether to perform an automatic response for the current inquiry based on the inquiry detail information acquired from the inquiry reception unit 202A and the provisional response content. For example, the response management unit 2033 determines that, as an answer item for the inquiry, "It is expected to be 5000 people from the number of participants in past similar campaigns". The response management unit 2033 may create a message indicating the answer item. A case where the means of providing the answer desired by the inquiring user XA is chat and the answer entity can be an automatic response by chat will be described. The response management unit 2033 outputs an instruction to transmit a message indicating the answer content in the chat to the inquiry reception unit 202A. The inquiry reception unit 202A transmits a message indicating the answer content to the inquiring user XA in the chat. When the response management unit 2033 determines that, as the answer content for the inquiry, materials on past similar campaigns are to be transmitted by email, the response management unit 2033 outputs an instruction to transmit a message indicating the answer content by email to the inquiry reception unit 202A. The inquiry reception unit 202A activates a mailer or the like and transmits an email with the materials attached to the email address of the inquiring user. The response management unit 2033 outputs the result of the automatic response as the response result to the inquiry reception unit 202A.

[0277] A case where the response method is automatic processing will be described. For example, a case where the inquiry from the inquiring user XB is "I want to apply for transportation expenses" will be described. It is assumed that the response support device 2 has received a chat inquiry from the user terminal 4A. The response management unit 2033 determines whether to perform automatic processing for the current inquiry based on the inquiry detail information acquired from the inquiry reception unit 202A and the provisional response content. For example, the response management unit 2033 determines to perform a transportation expense application workflow as an answer item for the inquiry. The response management unit 2033 may create a message indicating that a transportation expense application workflow is to be performed and send the created message to the inquiring user XB via chat. If the information necessary for the execution of the workflow is insufficient, the response management unit 2033 may request the necessary information from the user XB via the inquiry reception unit 202A. Note that the response management unit 2033 may also send link information or the like that enables access to a page for performing a transportation expense application workflow to the inquiring user XB via chat. The response management unit 2033 outputs the result of the automatic processing to the inquiry reception unit 202A as a response result.

[0278] A case where the response method is dispatch will be described. For example, a case where the inquiry from inquiring user XC is "want to consult with the personnel in charge" will be described. It is assumed that the response support device 2 has received a chat-based inquiry from the user terminal 4A. The response management unit 2033 determines to perform dispatch for this inquiry based on the inquiry detailed information acquired from the inquiry reception unit 202A and the provisional response content. For example, the response management unit 2033 may determine to perform dispatch when an automatic response or automatic processing cannot be performed as an answer to the inquiry. The response management unit 2033 may also determine to perform dispatch when it determines that it is appropriate to request an answer from the answer entity as an answer to the inquiry. The response management unit 2033 determines the answer entity as the personnel in charge and requests the personnel in charge to answer. For example, the response management unit 2033 may create a message requesting the personnel in charge to handle the inquiry. The response management unit 2033 may send the created message to the user terminal 4A of the personnel in charge. Note that the response management unit 2033 may request the external system or the like to perform processing corresponding to the inquiry as the answer entity.

[0279] The history management unit 2034 updates the history information based on the response result. The history management unit 2034, for example, stores the activity history regarding this inquiry in the user information storage unit 217 based on the response result. The history management unit 2034 stores the activity history regarding this inquiry in association with the usage history regarding this inquiry. The activity history may include, for example, the answer entity, the answer content, the response result, and the like.

[0280] The history management unit 2034, for example, stores the answer history regarding this inquiry in the answer history information storage unit 216 based on the response result. The answer history may include the inquiry date and time, the means of inquiry, the inquiry content, the means of providing the answer, the answer entity, the answer content, the response result, and the like. The history management unit 2034 may update the answer history information every time it acquires the response result.

[0281] The history management unit 2034 outputs, for example, the response history regarding the current inquiry to the model management unit 201A based on the response result. The history management unit 2034 may output the response history regarding the current inquiry to the model management unit 201A based on a response history request from the model management unit 201A. The model management unit 201A may update the QA model based on the response history regarding the current inquiry.

[0282] According to this example, the response support device 2A can determine the response content based on a learned model that uses knowledge information regarding a plurality of departments and response history information regarding a plurality of users. The response support device 2A can further determine an optimal response content based on the provisional response content. Therefore, the response support device 2A can support the provision of an optimal response for each inquiry. In addition, the response support device 2A can support the provision of an optimal response for each user for each inquiry. Thereby, the response support device 2A can streamline the processing regarding the inquiry. When the response content spans a plurality of departments and requires a combination of a plurality of processes, the response support device 2A can assemble an appropriate flow (procedure). Thereby, the response support device 2A can efficiently process the response content consisting of a combination of a plurality of processes.

[0283] (4-5) Processing procedure of the response support system 1A An example of the processing procedure by the response support system 1A will be described. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the entire response support system 1A.

[0284] In the following description mainly focused on the response support device 2A, the response support device 2A may be read as the response processing unit 200A. In the description mainly focused on the user terminal 4A, the user terminal 4A may be read as the management device of the user terminal 4A.

[0285] Note that the processing procedures described below are merely examples, and each process may be changed as much as possible. Also, regarding the processing procedures described below, steps can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate according to the embodiments.

[0286] In the following process, it is assumed that the user of the user terminal 4A has launched the inquiry response application within the organization and logged in. In the following process, the case where the user of the user terminal 4A uses the chat function on the inquiry response application to make an inquiry regarding the sales department will be described as an example.

[0287] The user terminal 4A outputs the inquiry to the response support device 2A (step S101). The inquiry includes the input information entered using the chat function. The input information may include the inquiry content and the means of providing an answer, etc. The means of providing an answer may have a chat set in advance. The user terminal 4A may output the user ID of the user of the user terminal 4A to the response support device 2A.

[0288] The response support device 2A receives the inquiry (step S111). In step S111, for example, the response support device 2A identifies the user of the user terminal 4A based on the user ID. The response support device 2A may identify the user of the user terminal 4A based on the login information. The response support device 2A obtains information regarding the inquiry content and the means of providing an answer.

[0289] The response support device 2A determines the answer content (step S112). In step S112, for example, the response support device 2A refers to at least one of the knowledge information, QA model, answer history information, and user information, or a combination thereof, and determines the answer content for the inquiry.

[0290] For example, the response support device 2A identifies the entity responsible for answering the inquiry. In this example, the response support device 2A identifies the sales department as the entity responsible for answering. The entity responsible for answering may span multiple departments. The response support device 2A determines whether the entity responsible for answering can receive an inquiry by the inquiry means. The response support device 2A determines whether a chat-based inquiry can be received as an inquiry to the sales department. The response support device 2A may determine whether a chat-based inquiry can be received based on the inquiry content. The response support device 2A determines whether the means for providing an answer corresponding to the inquiry desired by the user is applicable. For example, the response support device 2A determines whether a chat-based answer can be provided for an inquiry to the sales department. For example, if the means for providing the desired answer by the user is not applicable, the response support device 2A may output a message or the like to the user terminal 4A.

[0291] For example, the response support device 2A determines the answer content based on information accessible to the user, such as the user information of the user. According to this example, based on the user ID, the answer content spanning multiple departments can be determined. Therefore, when a response or process spanning multiple departments is required for an inquiry, the response support device 2A can determine appropriate answer content.

[0292] During the process of determining the answer content for the inquiry, the response support device 2A may make an inquiry to the user terminal 4A. For example, the response support device 2A may request the user terminal 4A for information necessary for creating the inquiry details. The information necessary for creating the inquiry details includes, for example, information necessary for specifying or clarifying the inquiry content, and information necessary for automating the process. The information necessary for specifying or clarifying the inquiry content is, for example, information that can identify the department corresponding to the inquiry. The information necessary for automating the process is, for example, information on the means for providing the answer.

[0293] According to this example, the response support system 1A can not only simply return an answer to an inquiry to the user terminal 4A, but also request additional information from the user terminal 4A to make the inquiry content more specific or clearer. In addition, the response support system 1A can obtain information necessary for automating a response to an inquiry or processing according to the inquiry (for example, how to answer, the user is asking questions in a chat but wants the answer by email, etc.), generate a response format, and perform processing according to the response format. The response support system 1A can refer to past history and response content by obtaining information based on user identification information, enabling a more flexible response to the inquiry. Thereby, the response support system 1A can improve the efficiency of processing related to the inquiry.

[0294] Based on a message from the response support device 2A or the like, the user terminal 4A adjusts the means for providing an answer (step S102). In step S102, for example, the user terminal 4A can change the means for providing a desired answer. The user terminal 4A may notify the response support device 2A of the changed means for providing an answer. The response support device 2A can communicate with the user terminal 4A and determine the means for providing an answer.

[0295] The response support device 2A refers to the knowledge information and determines whether dispatching is possible (step S113). In step S113, for example, the response support device 2A refers to the knowledge information of the department corresponding to the inquiry and determines whether dispatching is possible. The response support device 2A may determine that dispatching is possible, for example, when it can obtain the information of the person in charge of the knowledge information corresponding to the inquiry. If dispatching is possible, the process transitions from step S113 to step S114. If dispatching is not possible, the process transitions from step S113 to step S103. The response support device 2A may determine whether dispatching is necessary based on the inquiry content, knowledge information, etc. If dispatching is necessary, the process transitions from step S113 to step S114. Dispatching is a process including a plurality of procedures. Therefore, when the response support device 2A performs dispatching, it assembles and executes a process including a plurality of procedures. If dispatching is not necessary, the process transitions from step S113 to step S103.

[0296] When the response support device 2A does not perform dispatching, it performs an automatic response or automatic processing based on the response method. The user terminal 4A receives the response (step S103). In step S103, for example, the user terminal 4A receives the response according to the desired response providing means. The user terminal 4A may receive the response via e-mail, for example. Note that depending on the response method, it may include a plurality of processes. The response method includes assembling the flow of those processes.

[0297] The response support device 2A refers to the knowledge information and determines whether the inquiry by the inquiry means can be received by the response entity (step S114). If it can be received, the process transitions from step S114 to step S121. If it cannot be received, the process transitions from step S114 to step S115.

[0298] The response support device 2A converts the inquiry means (step S115). In step S115, for example, the response support device 2A switches the inquiry channel. The response support device 2A receives an inquiry via the switched inquiry channel.

[0299] The user terminal 4A of the responder generates a response (step S121). In step S121, for example, the user terminal 4A of the responder generates a response to be provided to the user terminal 4A of the inquiring user based on the response content received from the response support device 2A. The response support device 2A may, for example, generate response items for the inquiry. The response support device 2A outputs a text message indicating the response items to the user terminal 4A of the responder. The response support device 2A may output a notification requesting the response operation to the responder to the user terminal 4A of the responder. The notification may include, for example, a message requesting to generate a response and provide the response to the user terminal 4A of the inquiring user. The user terminal 4A of the responder may display a text message showing an example response on the display device. The user terminal 4A of the responder may create a response to be provided to the user of the user terminal 4A based on the example response.

[0300] When the responder can directly answer (step 122), the responder directly provides a response to the user terminal 4A of the inquiring user. The responder may, for example, provide a response to the user terminal 4A via email. The user terminal 4A receives the response in step S103. The user terminal 4A of the responder may output information about the response provided to the user terminal 4A of the inquiring user to the response support device 2A. The response support device 2A may record or update the response history information based on the information about the response in step S118.

[0301] When the responder cannot directly answer, the process transitions from step S122 to step S116.

[0302] The response support device 2A determines whether it is necessary to convert the means for providing an answer to an inquiry (step S116). In step S116, for example, the response support device 2A determines whether to switch the answer channel based on the answer content. If it is necessary to convert the means for providing the answer, the process transitions from step S116 to step S117. If it is not necessary to convert the means for providing the answer, the process transitions from step S116 to step S103. Here, the response support device 2A may record or update the answer history information based on the answer content in step S118.

[0303] The response support device 2A converts the means for providing the answer (step S117). In step S117, for example, the response support device 2A switches the answer channel. The response support device 2A provides the answer to the user terminal 4A according to the answer channel. The case where the means for providing the answer is an e-mail will be described. For example, the response support device 2A switches the answer channel to an e-mail. The response support device 2A creates an e-mail including a text message indicating the answer items. The response support device 2A sends the e-mail to the e-mail address of the inquiring user. The user terminal 4A receives the answer in step S3. The response support device 2A may record or update the answer history information based on the answer items in step S118.

[0304] According to this example, the response support device 2A can respond to inquiries via chat. The response support device 2A can receive an inquiry according to the inquiry means acceptable to the department for the inquiry. The response support device 2A can receive an inquiry according to the inquiry means acceptable according to the inquiry content. Therefore, the response support device 2A can support the provision of an optimal answer according to the inquiry content. The response support device 2A can enable the user of the user terminal 4A to provide an answer by the desired answer providing means. Therefore, the user of the user terminal 4A can receive an answer by various answer providing means even when making an inquiry via chat. Thereby, the response support device 2A can streamline the processing related to the inquiry. The response support device 2A can support user-friendly customer service operations. For example, the user can make an inquiry via chat and obtain an answer via email.

[0305] (Modification example) The knowledge information may include regulations and contracts. In this example, when the contract or regulations are changed, the response support device 2A performs a confirmation process on the changes and impacts with the past history. According to this example, the response support device 2A can receive the execution of a pre-measure review of a contract or the like as an inquiry and output feedback such as mistakes or omissions in the contract or the like as an answer. Therefore, the burden of content and legal compliance confirmation of the contract or the like can be reduced.

[0306] The knowledge information may include video data such as video conferences, audio data, etc. In this example, the response support device 2A can store the discussion content in the meeting as knowledge information as it is. The response support device 2A may organize or manage the text information obtained by converting video data, audio data, etc. of a video conference or the like into text for each category. According to this example, the response support device 2A can output the decisions made in the meeting as an answer. The user can search for decisions or the like in the form of questions via the response support device 2A without referring to the minutes of the meeting.

[0307] The knowledge information may include data such as threads of communication tools within the organization. The response support device 2A may organize or manage, for each category, information based on data recording communications on the communication tool within the organization. According to this example, the response support device 2A can determine an answer to an inquiry based on information on the communication tool within the organization. The response support device 2A can formulate a solution from the inquiry content and response history.

[0308] The knowledge information may include business processes and procedure manuals. According to this example, the response support device 2A can receive, as an inquiry, the confirmation of business processes related to multiple departments or the inquiry destination, and determine an answer thereto. A user can obtain the confirmation of the process and the inquiry destination regarding the business of other departments.

[0309] The knowledge information may be subject to version management and always updated with the latest information. According to this example, the registration work of knowledge information by the user can be minimized, and the user can always access the latest information.

[0310] (5) Effects The response support device 2A of the second embodiment can, by means of an information processing program, receive an inquiry from a user regarding at least one category out of a plurality of categories associated with the user ID, identify an answer entity for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and the information associated with the plurality of categories, and respond according to the means for providing an answer to the inquiry. For example, the response support device 2 can, by means of an information processing program, receive any inquiry from a user having a user ID regarding any of a plurality of departments. Further, the response support device 2 can, by means of an information processing program, identify an answer entity from among a plurality of departments and provide an answer by any of a plurality of answer means. Therefore, the response support device 2 can integrally process inquiries regarding a plurality of departments and improve the efficiency of processing regarding inquiries.

[0311] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on information associated with a plurality of categories and information about the user by means of an information processing program. For example, the response support device 2A can determine the response content to an inquiry based on information associated with a plurality of departments and information about the user. Therefore, the response support device 2A can cause the computer to determine the integrated response content according to the inquiring user based on the knowledge information of a plurality of departments. Thereby, the response support device 2A can improve the efficiency of the processing related to the inquiry.

[0312] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on information about the user's past inquiry history by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2A can cause the computer to determine the optimal response content for the user based on the user's past inquiry history. Thereby, the response support device 2A can improve the efficiency of the processing related to the inquiry.

[0313] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on the user's attribute information by means of an information processing program. For example, the response support device 2A can determine the access restriction to the knowledge information based on the attribute information of the inquiring user, and can determine the response content based on the access restriction. Therefore, the response support device 2A can cause the computer to determine the optimal response content for the user based on the user's attribute information. Thereby, the response support device 2A can improve the efficiency of the processing related to the inquiry.

[0314] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on the response history information related to a plurality of categories by means of an information processing program. For example, the response support device 2A can determine the optimal response content for each department based on the response history for each department. Thereby, the response support device 2A can improve the efficiency of the processing related to the inquiry.

[0315] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can determine the response content to an inquiry based on information associated with a plurality of categories, which is updated based on response history information regarding the plurality of categories, by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2A can determine the optimal response content based on the response history updated for each department. As a result, the response support device 2A can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0316] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can perform a process of generating response items for an inquiry by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2A can perform a response based on the generated response items. Further, the response support device 2A can provide the generated response items to the user who is the subject of the response. As a result, the response support device 2A can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0317] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can request a process corresponding to an inquiry by means of an information processing program. For example, the response support device 2A can perform an appropriate process according to the processing flow specified for the inquiry. Therefore, the response support device 2A can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0318] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can further request the user for information necessary for creating inquiry detail information by means of an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2A can obtain the information necessary for determining the response content by making additional inquiries to the user. As a result, the response support device 2A can clarify and specify the inquiry content and perform a more appropriate response process for the inquiry. In this way, the response support device 2A can streamline the processing related to the inquiry.

[0319] The response support device 2A according to the second embodiment can provide an answer by the same means as, or different means from, the means for inquiry through an information processing program. Therefore, the response support device 2A can provide an answer by any one of a plurality of answer-providing means. Thereby, the response support device 2A can cause the user or the service provider to provide an answer by an optimal means, and can improve the convenience of the inquiry response operation.

[0320] Note that the "service" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "category" described in the second embodiment. The "common ID" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "user ID" described in the second embodiment. The "corresponding service information" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "information associated with a plurality of services" described in the second embodiment. The "answer history information" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "information associated with a plurality of services" described in the second embodiment. The "member medical record" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "information about the user" described in the second embodiment. The "information about the user's history" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "information about the past inquiry history" described in the second embodiment. The "learned model" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "information associated with a plurality of services" described in the second embodiment. The "answerer" described in the first embodiment is an example of the "answer subject" described in the second embodiment. Therefore, the above-described effects described in the second embodiment can be similarly obtained in the first embodiment.

[0321] (Other embodiments) In the above-described first embodiment, the case where inquiries are received from a user having a common ID for a plurality of services associated with the common ID has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the user may be a user having a member ID set for each service. The member ID may include information that can uniquely identify the user as a member for each service. Whether it is a case of a common ID or a case of individual member IDs, the information processing program may be an information processing program that causes a computer to determine the response content to an inquiry based on second information associated with a plurality of services, response history information regarding the plurality of services, and information regarding the user history regarding the plurality of services.

[0322] The response support device may be realized by one device such as the response support device 2 or the response support device 2A, or may be realized by a plurality of devices with distributed functions.

[0323] The above-described embodiments may be applied not only to the device but also to the method executed by the device. The above-described embodiments may be applied to a program that can cause a computer of the device to execute each function. The above-described embodiments may be applied to a recording medium that stores the program. The above-described embodiments may be applied not only to the system but also to the method executed by a plurality of elements included in the system.

[0324] The program may be transferred in a state stored in the device, or may be transferred in a state not stored in the device. In the latter case, the program may be transferred via a network or may be transferred in a state recorded on a recording medium. The recording medium is a non-temporary tangible medium. The recording medium is a computer-readable medium. The recording medium may be any medium that can store a program and is readable by a computer, such as a CD-ROM or a memory card, regardless of its form.

[0325] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. That is, in practicing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted.

[0326] In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist thereof. Also, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0327] (Appended Note) The above-described embodiments may be expressed as follows. (1) An information processing program that causes a computer to receive an inquiry from a user having a user ID for at least one service among a plurality of services associated with the user ID, specify a response entity for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and first information associated with the plurality of services, and respond according to the means for providing a response to the inquiry. (2) The information processing program according to (1), wherein the responding includes determining the content of the response to the inquiry based on second information associated with the plurality of services, response history information regarding the plurality of services, and information regarding the user's history regarding the plurality of services. (3) The information regarding the user's history includes information regarding the user's past inquiry history. The information processing program according to (2). (4) The information processing program according to (2), wherein the second information associated with the plurality of services is information generated based on at least information regarding question-and-answer cases in the plurality of services. (5) The information processing program according to (4), wherein the second information associated with the plurality of services is information updated based on answer history information regarding the plurality of services. (6) The act of responding includes a process of generating answer items for the inquiry. (1) The information processing program according to (1). (7) The act of responding includes requesting a process corresponding to the inquiry. (1) The information processing program according to (1). (8) The information processing program according to (2), wherein the act of responding further includes determining answer content for the inquiry based on the attribute information of the user. (9) The information processing program according to (1), wherein the means for providing the answer is the same means as or different from the means for the inquiry. (10) A memory, An information processing apparatus including a processor connected to the memory, wherein the memory records the program according to any one of (1) to (9). An information processing apparatus.

[0328] The above-described embodiment may be further expressed as follows. (1)' Causing a computer to execute receiving an inquiry from a user regarding at least one category among a plurality of categories associated with the user ID, identifying an answer subject for the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and information associated with the plurality of categories, and responding according to a means for providing an answer to the inquiry. An information processing program. (2)' The act of responding includes determining the content of the answer to the inquiry based on the information associated with the plurality of categories and the information about the user, as described in (1)'. (3)' The information about the user includes information regarding the user's past inquiry history. (2)' The information processing program according to (2)'. (4)' The information about the user includes the user's attribute information. (2)' The information processing program according to (2)'. (5)' The information associated with the plurality of categories includes answer history information regarding the plurality of categories, as described in (1)'. (6)' The information associated with the plurality of categories is updated based on the answer history information regarding the plurality of categories, as described in (5)'. (7)' The act of responding includes generating the answer items for the inquiry. (1)' The information processing program according to (1)'. (8)' The act of responding includes requesting a process corresponding to the inquiry. (1)' The information processing program according to (1)'. (9)' The act of responding further includes requesting the user for the information necessary for creating the inquiry details. (1)' The information processing program according to (1)'. (10)' The means for providing the answer is the same means as or a different means from the means for the inquiry, as described in (1)'. (11)' A memory and An information processing apparatus including a processor connected to the memory, The memory records the program according to any one of (1)' to (10)'. Information processing apparatus.

Explanation of Signs

[0329] 1…Response support system, 1A…Response support system, 2…Response support device, 2A…Response support device, 3-1~3-3…Service provider device, 4…User terminal, 4A…User terminal, 5…Operator telephone, 6…Operator terminal, 7…Network, 7A…Network, 21…Processor, 22…Memory, 22…Step, 23…Storage, 24…Communication interface, 25…Input / output interface, 26…Bus, 31A…Management device, 32A…Storage device, 122…Step, 200…Response processing unit, 200A…Response processing unit, 201…Model management unit, 201A…Model management unit, 202…Reception unit, 202A…Reception unit, 203…Response unit, 203A…Response unit, 210…Storage unit, 210A…Storage unit, 211…Response service information storage unit, 212…Answer history information storage unit, 213…Member medical record storage unit, 214…Learned model storage unit, 215…Knowledge information storage unit, 216…Answer history information storage unit, 217…User information storage unit, 218…Learned model storage unit, 220…Communication control unit, 220A…Communication control unit, 2011…Service information management unit, 2012…Model generation unit, 2013…Knowledge information management unit, 2014…Model generation unit, 2021…Reception unit, 2022…Response guideline generation unit, 2023…Reception unit, 2024…Response guideline generation unit, 2031…Response management unit, 2032…History management unit, 2033…Response management unit, 2034…History management unit.

Claims

1. Receiving, from a user, an inquiry regarding at least one category among a plurality of categories associated with the user ID that can uniquely identify the user across the plurality of categories; Identifying a respondent who should respond to the inquiry regarding the category corresponding to the inquiry based on the content of the inquiry and information associated with the plurality of categories; Responding to the inquiry according to the inquiry response method and response providing means set by the identified respondent; Causing a computer to execute; The responding includes determining the content of the response to the inquiry based on information regarding the user including information associated with the plurality of categories and information regarding the user's past inquiry history associated with the user ID. An information processing program.

2. The information regarding the user includes the user's attribute information. The information processing program according to Claim 1.

3. The responding includes determining the content of the response to the inquiry based on response history information regarding the plurality of categories. The information processing program according to Claim 1.

4. The responding includes determining the content of the response to the inquiry based on the updated response history information regarding the plurality of categories. The information processing program according to Claim 1.

5. The responding includes a process of generating response items for the inquiry. The information processing program according to Claim 1.

6. The responding includes requesting a process corresponding to the inquiry. The information processing program according to Claim 1.

7. The responding further includes requesting the user for information necessary for creating detailed inquiry information. The information processing program according to Claim 1.

8. The response providing means is the same means as or a different means from the means of the inquiry. The information processing program according to Claim 1.

9. A memory; An information processing apparatus comprising a processor connected to the memory, wherein the memory records the program according to any one of Claims 1 to 8. An information processing apparatus.

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