Processing device, processing method, and processing program

Abstract

To improve convenience compared to before.SOLUTION: A call center device 10 is provided with: a first processing unit 30 that acquires, from a customer telephone 4, a telephone number of the customer telephone 4 and message information of a customer using the customer telephone 4 associated with the customer telephone 4 when it is confirmed that transfer processing cannot be performed from an operator terminal 12a to another operator terminal 12 within a predetermined period of time after detecting fault information on the operator terminal 12a during call processing between the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12a; a second processing unit 32 that, when acquiring information indicating that there is another operator terminal 12b capable of processing a call with the customer telephone 4, transmits the telephone number of the customer telephone 4 and the message information of the customer to the operator terminal 12b; and a third processing unit 34 that executes call processing between the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device, a processing method, and a processing program, and is suitable for application to a system for conducting calls between a customer and an operator, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in a call center, when a call between a customer and an operator is unable to continue due to a malfunction of the operator device, which is the telephone used by the operator, the call center has been able to continue the call by playing a hold tone to the customer's device and transferring the call to an operator device used by another operator (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-243385 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-71858 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in such call centers, calls cannot be transferred to another operator unless that other operator is available, and a hold tone continues to play on the customer's device until another operator becomes available, which can lead to the customer becoming impatient and hanging up the call.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a processing device, a processing method, and a processing program that can improve convenience compared to conventional devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve this problem, the processing device of the present invention is provided with a first processing unit that, when it detects fault information about the operator device during call processing between the customer device and the operator device and confirms that transfer processing from the operator device to another operator device is not possible for a predetermined period of time, acquires from the customer device identification information of the customer device linked to the customer device and message information of the customer using the customer device, a second processing unit that, when it acquires information indicating that there is another operator device that is capable of call processing with the customer device, transmits the identification information of the customer device and the customer message information to the other operator device, and a third processing unit that executes call processing between the customer device and the other operator device.

[0007] Furthermore, the processing method of the present invention is a processing method of a processing device connected to a customer device used by a user and an operator device used by an operator, and when the processing device detects fault information of the operator device during call processing between the customer device and the operator device and confirms that transfer processing from the operator device to another operator device is not possible for a predetermined period of time, the processing device has a first processing step of acquiring from the customer device identification information of the customer device linked to the customer device and message information of the customer using the customer device, a second processing step of transmitting the identification information of the customer device and the customer message information to the other operator device upon acquiring information indicating that there is another operator device that is capable of call processing with the customer device, and a third processing step of executing call processing between the customer device and the other operator device.

[0008] Furthermore, in the processing program of the present invention, a processing device connected to a customer device used by a user and an operator device used by an operator is configured to function as a first processing unit that, when detecting fault information about the operator device during call processing between the customer device and the operator device and confirming that transfer processing from the operator device to another operator device is not possible for a predetermined period of time, acquires from the customer device identification information of the customer device linked to the customer device and message information of the customer using the customer device; a second processing unit that, when acquiring information indicating the existence of another operator device that is capable of call processing with the customer device, transmits the identification information of the customer device and the customer message information to the other operator device; and a third processing unit that executes call processing between the customer device and the other operator device.

[0009] As a result, the present invention can prevent a user from disconnecting a call because they cannot wait while waiting for an available operator other than the operator operating the operator device where the failure occurred, and can smoothly transfer the call to another operator who will call back. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a processing device, a processing method, and a processing program that can improve convenience compared to the prior art. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a call center system. [Figure 2] 10 is a sequence chart showing a customer response processing procedure (1). [Figure 3] 10 is a sequence chart showing a customer response processing procedure (2). [Figure 4] 10 is a sequence chart showing a customer response processing procedure (3). [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a call center device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [1. Call center system configuration] 1, the call center system 1 is made up of a call center 2 of a company or the like and a customer telephone set 4 operated by a customer. The call center 2 is connected to the customer telephone set 4 via a public network 6.

[0014] The public network 6 is a network that relays public telephone lines, and mainly handles processes such as connecting, disconnecting, and relaying voice calls. Incidentally, multiple customer telephones 4 are connected to the call center 2 via the public network 6, but for the sake of explanation, only one customer telephone 4 is shown in Figure 1.

[0015] A plurality of operators OP (OPa, OPb, ...) work in the call center 2, and the operators OP respond to customers, i.e., communicate with the customers by phone (conversation via telephone lines). The call center 2 is provided with a gateway device 8, a call center device 10, and a plurality of operator terminals 12 (12a, 12b, ...), which are interconnected via a communication network 14.

[0016] The gateway device 8 is connected to the public network 6 and connects the customer telephone 4 and the call center 2 via the public network 6 by relaying call data and call control procedures.

[0017] Each operator terminal 12 (12a, 12b, ...) has a configuration similar to that of a general personal computer (PC), is a terminal device operated by each operator OP (OPa, OPb, ...), and has a function (for example, a telephone function) to respond to customer inquiries. Here, it is assumed that the operator terminals 12a and 12b are operated by the operators OPa and OPb, respectively.

[0018] The call center device 10 is a server device that executes processes related to call center services (i.e., customer support services) provided to customers. The call center device 10 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), not shown, a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a hard disk, and a network interface. The CPU reads out a predetermined program from the ROM or the like, and executes the program while using the RAM as a work area to perform various processes.

[0019] The call center device 10 has a control unit 20 and a call recording processing unit 22. The control unit 20 mainly has a call control function, a voice playback function, and a PB detection processing function. The call control function performs ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) processing, which checks available operators and automatically distributes the incoming call (voice call) to an appropriate operator OP when an incoming call is received from a customer telephone 4 via the gateway device 8. The call control function also controls telephone line connection processing to establish a call when a call is made between the customer telephone 4 and an operator terminal 12, i.e., when a customer and an operator OP converse over the phone. The voice playback function controls the transmission of hold tones and guidance to the customer telephone 4. The PB detection processing function controls the detection of a PB (Push Button) signal from the customer telephone 4. The call recording processing unit 22 records the content of the call between the operator terminal 12 and the customer telephone 4.

[0020] Furthermore, the customer telephone 4 connected to the call center 2 via the public network 6 is a voice communication device used by the customer, and is a communication device for using the call center services provided by the call center 2. The customer telephone 4 is, for example, a fixed telephone terminal or a mobile phone terminal.

[0021] [2. Customer Service Processing] 2, 3, and 4, which is a process for making a call between the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12 in the call center system 1. When the control unit 20 of the call center device 10 receives an incoming call from the customer telephone 4 in step SP1 via the gateway device 8 in step SP2, it performs ACD processing using the call control function in step SP3 to determine the operator OPa as an available operator, and proceeds to step SP4. In step SP4, the control unit 20 sends an incoming call notification to the operator terminal 12a operated by the operator OPa using the call control function.

[0022] Upon receiving the incoming call notification from the control unit 20, in step SP5 the operator terminal 12a transmits a response to the control unit 20 based on an operation of the operator OPa, such as pressing the call button or lifting the receiver (going off-hook).

[0023] Upon receiving the response from the operator terminal 12a, in steps SP6 and SP7, the control unit 20 uses the call control function to transmit the response to the customer telephone 4 via the gateway device 8. As a result, as in step SP8, the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12a are in a voice call state.

[0024] When a voice call is initiated, in step SP9 the control unit 20 diagnoses a failure on the operator terminal 12a side by sending an operation confirmation message to the operator terminal 12a using the call control function. Upon receiving the operation confirmation message from the control unit 20, in step SP10 the operator terminal 12a automatically sends an operation confirmation response message to the control unit 20 without being based on an operation by the operator OPa. Upon receiving the operation confirmation response message from the operator terminal 12a, the control unit 20 determines that the operator terminal 12a side is operating normally. The control unit 20 periodically determines whether the operator terminal 12a side is operating normally by repeatedly sending the operation confirmation message to the operator terminal 12a at regular time intervals.

[0025] Here, in step SP11, if a failure occurs in the operator terminal 12a, for example, due to a failure occurring in the operator terminal 12a itself or a network failure occurring between the operator terminal 12a and the communication network 14, then even if the control unit 20 sends an operation confirmation message to the operator terminal 12a in step SP12, it will no longer receive an operation confirmation response message from the operator terminal 12a. At this time, in step SP13, the control unit 20 determines using its call control function that a failure has occurred on the operator terminal 12a side (i.e., detects the failure), and proceeds to step SP14.

[0026] In step SP14, the control unit 20 plays a hold tone by transmitting it to the customer's telephone 4 via the gateway device 8 using the audio playback function, and then proceeds to step SP15. In step SP15, the control unit 20 searches for an available operator using the call control function, and then proceeds to step SP16. In step SP16, the control unit 20 determines whether or not an available operator is present using the call control function. If a positive result is obtained here, the control unit 20 proceeds to step SP17, where the call is transferred by the call control function to an available operator, for example, the operator terminal 12b operated by operator OPb, thereby continuing the call, and the customer handling processing procedure RT1 is terminated.

[0027] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP16, then the control unit 20 proceeds to step SP18 (FIG. 3). In step SP18, the control unit 20 determines whether a certain time has elapsed since the control unit 20 started checking for available operators. If a negative result is obtained here, then the control unit 20 returns to step SP15 (FIG. 2) and repeatedly searches for available operators for a certain time. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP18 (FIG. 3), then the control unit 20 proceeds to step SP19.

[0028] Here, if the hold tone continues to be played for a long time, there is a possibility that the customer will simply hang up the phone. Therefore, in this embodiment, if there is no available operator after a certain period of time has elapsed, the control unit 20 performs control from step SP19 onwards. In step SP19, the control unit 20 uses the voice playback function to send a telephone number input guidance to the customer's telephone 4 via the gateway device 8, instructing the customer to input their own telephone number using a PB signal, so that the operator OP can call the customer back as soon as an operator OP becomes available, and then proceeds to step SP20. In step SP20, the control unit 20 starts PB detection processing using the PB detection processing function. This telephone number input guidance may, for example, say, "We are currently unable to speak to an operator. Please enter your telephone number so that we can call you back later from the call center."

[0029] When the customer inputs the telephone number, the customer's telephone 4 transmits the input telephone number, that is, the call-back telephone number, to the control unit 20 via the gateway device 8 as a PB signal in step SP21.

[0030] When the callback telephone number is received from the customer telephone 4, the control unit 20 stores the callback telephone number using the call control function in step SP22, and proceeds to step SP23. In step SP23, the control unit 20 sends a call recording start instruction to the call recording processing unit 22 using the call control function, and proceeds to step SP24.

[0031] When receiving a call recording start instruction from the control unit 20, the call recording processing unit 22 starts recording the call in step SP24, thereby starting recording processing so that the customer can leave a message in advance to, for example, another operator OP who will call back.

[0032] In step SP25, the control unit 20 uses the voice playback function to send a call recording start guidance to the customer's telephone 4 via the gateway device 8, informing the customer that a message or the like can be recorded, thereby letting the customer know when to start recording and allowing them to start speaking to record. This call recording start guidance may, for example, say, "A call center will call you back later, so if you have a message for the operator, recording will begin. When you hear the beep, please speak and then hang up."

[0033] When the customer inputs voice, in step SP26 the customer's telephone 4 transmits the input voice to the call recording processor 22 via the gateway device 8. After the customer inputs their own voice into the customer's telephone 4, they operate the customer's telephone 4 to disconnect the call, thereby ending the recording.

[0034] When the control unit 20 receives the disconnection of the call from the customer telephone 4 in step SP27 via the gateway device 8 in step SP28, it sends a call recording stop instruction to the call recording processing unit 22 using the call control function in step SP29, and proceeds to step SP31 (Figure 4).

[0035] When the call recording stop instruction is received from the control unit 20, the call recording processing unit 22 stops recording the call in step SP30 and saves the recorded content.

[0036] In steps SP31 and SP32 (FIG. 4), the control unit 20 repeatedly searches for an available operator using the call control function, and when it confirms, for example, operator OPb as an available operator, it proceeds to step SP33. In step SP33, the control unit 20 uses the call control function to send a callback telephone number and a call recording information notification indicating that the recording content exists in the call recording processing unit 22 to the operator terminal 12b operated by operator OPb.

[0037] Upon receiving the callback telephone number and call recording information notification from the control unit 20, the operator terminal 12b, in step SP34, based on the operation of the operator OPb, has the operator OPb confirm the recorded content stored in the call recording processing unit 22 based on the call recording information notification received from the control unit 20, and proceeds to step SP35. In steps SP35, SP36, and SP37, the operator terminal 12b makes a call to the customer telephone 4 indicated by the callback telephone number received from the control unit 20 via the control unit 20 and the gateway device 8.

[0038] Next, the operator terminal 12b receives the response from the customer telephone 4 in step SP38 via the gateway device 8 in step SP39 and via the control unit 20 in step SP40. As a result, as in step SP41, the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12b are in a voice call state.

[0039] [3. Functional configuration of call center equipment] Here, the basic functions related to customer support processing in the call center device 10 are shown in a functional block diagram in FIG.

[0040] The first processing unit 30 corresponds to the control unit 20 (Figure 1), and when it detects fault information of the operator terminal 12a during call processing between a customer telephone 4 as a customer device and an operator terminal 12a as an operator device, and confirms that transfer processing from the operator terminal 12a to another operator terminal 12 as an operator device is not possible for a predetermined period of time, it obtains from the customer telephone 4 the telephone number as identification information of the customer telephone 4 linked to the customer telephone 4 and message information of the customer using the customer telephone 4.

[0041] The second processing unit 32 corresponds to the control unit 20 (Figure 1), and when it acquires information indicating that there is an operator terminal 12b as another operator device that can process calls with the customer telephone 4, it transmits the telephone number of the customer telephone 4 and the customer's message information to the operator terminal 12b.

[0042] The third processing unit 34 corresponds to the control unit 20 (FIG. 1), and executes call processing between the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12b.

[0043] [4. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, when the call center device 10 detects that a failure has occurred on the operator terminal 12a side during a call between a customer and an operator OPa, and if an available operator cannot be found even after searching for a certain period of time and it is determined that it is difficult to continue the call by transferring the call, the call center device 10 acquires a call back phone number for the operator OP to call back the customer later by having the customer input the call back phone number into the customer telephone 4. Subsequently, after the call between the customer and operator OP is temporarily disconnected, the call center device 10 searches for an available operator again and transmits the call back phone number to the operator terminal 12b operated by the found available operator OPb, thereby causing the operator terminal 12b to make a call back to the customer telephone 4 indicated by the call back phone number.

[0044] Therefore, when an available operator cannot be found for a while after the call center device 10 starts to play the hold tone, the call center device 10 can prevent the customer from getting impatient and disconnecting the call while waiting for another available operator.

[0045] Furthermore, the call center device 10 acquires a message by having the customer speak a message for the operator OP and input it into the customer's telephone set 4 after having the customer input a call-back telephone number into the customer's telephone set 4. Subsequently, the call center device 10 transmits a call recording information notification to the operator terminal 12b operated by the operator OPb, who is an available operator found after the call between the customer and the operator OP is temporarily disconnected, thereby allowing the operator OPb, who is the recipient of the call, to check the recorded content stored in the call recording processing unit 22.

[0046] Therefore, the call center device 10 can have the operator OPb, who is the destination of the call transfer, check the contents of the message from the customer and then call back, thereby smoothly transferring the call.

[0047] In this way, when the call center device 10 detects that a failure has occurred on the operator terminal 12a side during a call between a customer and an operator OP, and if an available operator cannot be found even after searching for a certain period of time and it is determined that it is difficult to continue the call by transferring the call, it acquires the callback telephone number and message content by having the customer input them into the customer telephone 4, and after the call between the customer and operator OP is temporarily disconnected, it searches for an available operator again and sends the callback telephone number and call recording information notification to the operator terminal 12b operated by operator OPb, who is the found available operator, so that the operator OPb, who is the recipient of the call, can check the recording content stored in the call recording processing unit 22 and then make a call back.

[0048] Therefore, the call center device 10 can prevent the customer from getting impatient and disconnecting the call while waiting for another operator other than the operator OP operating the operator terminal 12a where the failure occurred, and can smoothly transfer the call to another operator who will call back.

[0049] According to the above configuration, the call center device 10 is provided with a first processing unit 30 that, when it detects fault information of the operator terminal 12a during call processing between the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12a and confirms that transfer processing from the operator terminal 12a to another operator terminal 12 is not possible for a predetermined period of time, acquires from the customer telephone 4 the telephone number of the customer telephone 4 linked to the customer telephone 4 and message information of the customer using the customer telephone 4, a second processing unit 32 that, when it acquires information indicating that there is another operator terminal 12b that is capable of call processing with the customer telephone 4, transmits the telephone number of the customer telephone 4 and the customer message information to the operator terminal 12b, and a third processing unit 34 that executes call processing between the customer telephone 4 and the operator terminal 12b.

[0050] This allows the call center device 10 to prevent the customer from getting impatient and disconnecting the call while waiting for another operator other than the operator OP operating the operator terminal 12a where the failure occurred, and also allows the call to be smoothly handed over to another operator who will call back.

[0051] 5. Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the case where the customer is prompted to input a telephone number in step SP21 of the customer support processing procedure RT1 has been described. The present invention is not limited to this. When an incoming call from a customer telephone 4 is accepted in step SP2, the telephone number of the customer telephone 4 may be stored, and the customer may not be prompted to input a telephone number in step SP21. In this case, the effort of having the customer input a telephone number can be eliminated. However, in this case, it is assumed that the voice call in step SP41 will be made using the customer telephone 4 used in steps SP2 to SP21.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the customer is prompted to input a phone number in step SP21 of the customer support processing procedure RT1, and then the customer is prompted to input voice in step SP26. The present invention is not limited to this, and the customer may be prompted to input a phone number after inputting voice without disconnecting the call. However, because there is a possibility that the wireless communication status of the customer's phone 4 may deteriorate during call recording, causing the call to be disconnected, it is preferable to have the customer input a phone number first, have the control unit 20 store the call return phone number, and then have the customer input voice, and have the control unit 20 record the call.

[0053] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 20 may continue to send and play the hold tone to the customer telephone 4 while repeating the processing of steps SP15 to SP18 after starting to send and play the hold tone to the customer telephone 4 in step SP14 of the customer support processing procedure RT1.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in step SP33 of the customer support processing procedure RT1, the control unit 20 has confirmed that operator OPb is an available operator, and therefore has transmitted a callback telephone number and a call recording information notification to the operator terminal 12b operated by operator OPb. The present invention is not limited to this, and when the failure in the operator terminal 12a is recovered and operator OPa becomes an available operator, the control unit 20 may transmit a callback telephone number and a call recording information notification to the operator terminal 12a operated by operator OPa.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 20 sends a call recording stop instruction to the call recording processing unit 22 in step SP29 of the customer support processing procedure RT1, and then starts searching for an available operator in step SP31. The present invention is not limited to this. If a positive result is obtained in step SP18, a search for an available operator may be performed between steps SP19 and SP29, and as soon as an available operator is found, the available operator may be reserved. In this case, however, a callback phone number and a call recording information notification may be sent to the operator terminal 12 operated by the available operator in step SP33. However, in this case, although a callback can be made promptly to the customer telephone 4 indicated by the callback phone number, the reserved operator OP may not be assigned to respond to other customer telephones 4, which may reduce the operational efficiency of the operators.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a call center system 1, which is a specific example of a processing system. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to a processing system with a configuration different from that of the call center system 1. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a call center device 10, which is a specific example of a processing device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to a processing device with a configuration different from that of the call center device 10.

[0057] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments. That is, the scope of application of the present invention also extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments are combined in part or in whole with any of the above-described other embodiments. Furthermore, the scope of application of the present invention also extends to cases in which part of the configuration described in any of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments is extracted and replaced or diverted with part of the configuration of any of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments, or where part of the extracted configuration is added to any of the above-described embodiments.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the call center device 10 as a processing device is described as being configured by the first processing device 30 as the first processing device, the second processing device 32 as the second processing device, and the third processing device 34 as the third processing device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing device may be configured by the first processing device, the second processing device, and the third processing device having various other configurations. [Industrial Applicability]

[0059] The present invention can be widely used in customer support systems such as call center systems. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1...call center system, 2...call center, 4...customer telephone, 6...public network, 8...gateway device, 10...call center device, 12...operator terminal, 14...communication network, 20...control unit, 22...call recording processing unit, 30...first processing unit, 32...second processing unit, 34...third processing unit, OP...operator.

Claims

1. a first processing unit that, when detecting fault information of an operator device during call processing between a customer device and an operator device and confirming that a call cannot be transferred from the operator device to another operator device for a predetermined period of time, acquires, from the customer device, identification information of the customer device associated with the customer device and message information of a customer using the customer device; a second processing unit that, upon receiving information indicating that there is another operator device that can process a call with the customer device, transmits identification information of the customer device and message information of the customer to the other operator device; a third processing unit that executes call processing between the customer device and the other operator device; A processing device comprising:

2. The first processing unit The identification information is acquired from the customer device, and then the message information is acquired.

2. The processing device according to claim 1.

3. The first processing unit If it is confirmed that the transfer process from the operator device to another operator device cannot be performed within the predetermined time period, the search for another operator device is interrupted; The second processing unit is After the first processing unit acquires the identification information and the message information, the search for another operator device is resumed.

2. The processing device according to claim 1.

4. The customer device identification information is the telephone number of the customer device.

2. The processing device according to claim 1.

5. A processing method of a processing device connected to a customer device used by a user and an operator device used by an operator, comprising: The processing device includes: a first processing step of acquiring, from the customer device, identification information of the customer device associated with the customer device and message information of the customer using the customer device when detecting fault information of the operator device during call processing between the customer device and the operator device and confirming that transfer processing from the operator device to another operator device is not possible for a predetermined time period; a second processing step of, when acquiring information indicating that there is another operator device that can process a call with the customer device, transmitting identification information of the customer device and message information of the customer to the other operator device; a third processing step of executing call processing between the customer device and the other operator device; A processing method comprising the steps of:

6. A processing device connected to a customer device used by a user and an operator device used by an operator, a first processing unit that, when detecting fault information of the operator device during call processing between the customer device and the operator device and confirming that transfer processing from the operator device to another operator device is not possible for a predetermined time period, acquires, from the customer device, identification information of the customer device associated with the customer device and message information of the customer using the customer device; a second processing unit that, upon receiving information indicating that there is another operator device that can process a call with the customer device, transmits identification information of the customer device and message information of the customer to the other operator device; a third processing unit that executes call processing between the customer device and the other operator device; A processing program to make it function as such.

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