Message response system, message response method and program

Abstract

To make it possible to efficiently respond to messages from customers. [Solution] A message response system comprising a message receiving unit that receives messages sent from a customer terminal to a communication application account, a staff member selection unit that selects one of multiple staff members to respond to the message, and a message forwarding unit that sends the message to the account of the selected staff member.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a message response system, a message response method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A system for providing a data management service on the Internet has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2003-522342 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional systems, it has been difficult to efficiently respond to messages from customers.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and has an object to provide a technique that can improve the efficiency of responses to messages from customers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The main invention of the present invention for solving the above problem is a message response system characterized by comprising a message receiving unit that receives a message sent from a customer terminal to an account of a communication application, a staff member selection unit that selects one of multiple staff members to respond to the message, and a message forwarding unit that sends the message to the account of the selected staff member.

[0007] Other problems and solutions disclosed in this application will be made clear in the section on preferred embodiments of the invention and the drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently respond to messages from customers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a message response system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a message response server 2. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a message response server 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a customer terminal 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of the person in charge terminal 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a leader terminal 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a customer management system 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic processing flow in a message response system. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing for associating a customer with a person in charge. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process flow for linking information with a customer management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <System Overview> A message response system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The message response system of this embodiment receives a message sent from a customer terminal to a communication application account, selects an appropriate person from among multiple people who will respond to the message, and forwards the message to the account of the selected person. This system can improve the efficiency of responses to messages from customers.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a message response system. The message response system of this embodiment is configured to include a message response server 2. The message response server 2 is communicably connected to a customer terminal 1, a staff member terminal 3, a leader terminal 4, and a customer management system 5 via a communication network. The communication network is, for example, the Internet, and is constructed using a public telephone line network, a mobile phone line network, a wireless communication path, Ethernet (registered trademark), etc.

[0012] The customer terminal 1 is a computer operated by a customer. The customer terminal 1 can be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a personal computer. The staff terminal 3 is a computer operated by a staff member. The leader terminal 4 is a computer operated by a department leader.

[0013] The message response server 2 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing. The customer management system 5 is a system for managing customer information and operates in cooperation with the message response server 2.

[0014] <Message Response Server 2> FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the message response server 2. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may also be used. The message response server 2 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a storage device 203, a communication interface 204, an input device 205, and an output device 206. The storage device 203 stores various data and programs, and is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or a flash memory. The communication interface 204 is an interface for connecting to a communication network, and is, for example, an adapter for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), a modem for connecting to a public telephone network, a wireless communication device for wireless communication, or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector or an RS232C connector for serial communication. The input device 205 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a button, a microphone, or the like for inputting data. The output device 206 is, for example, a display, a printer, a speaker, or the like for outputting data. Each functional unit of the message response server 2 described below is realized by the CPU 201 reading a program stored in the storage device 203 into the memory 202 and executing it, and each storage unit of the message response server 2 is realized as part of the storage area provided by the memory 202 and the storage device 203.

[0015] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of the message handling server 2. The message handling server 2 includes a message receiving unit 211, a person in charge selecting unit 212, a message forwarding unit 213, an associating unit 214, a viewing control unit 215, an information linking unit 216, an updating unit 217, a broadcasting unit 218, an event management unit 219, a label storage unit 231, a customer information storage unit 232, a person in charge information storage unit 233, an associating information storage unit 234, and a message information storage unit 235.

[0016] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the customer terminal 1. The customer terminal 1 includes a code reading unit 111, an access unit 112, a message sending unit 113, a message receiving unit 114, a display unit 115, and a storage unit 131.

[0017] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the person in charge terminal 3. The person in charge terminal 3 includes a message receiving unit 311, a message sending unit 312, a view request unit 313, and a display unit 314.

[0018] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the leader terminal 4. The leader terminal 4 includes a view request unit 411 and a display unit 412.

[0019] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the customer management system 5. The customer management system 5 includes an event management unit 511, a data transmission unit 512, a customer data storage unit 531, and an event queue storage unit 532.

[0020] <Message Response Server 2> The functional units of the message response server 2 will be described below.

[0021] The label storage unit 231 stores labels and staff member identification information in association with each other. For example, the label storage unit 231 stores a label "Consultation on Product A" in association with staff member identification information "TANTO001." The label storage unit 231 can also store a single label in association with multiple staff member identification information.

[0022] The customer information storage unit 232 stores information about customers. The customer information storage unit 232 stores customer information such as customer account identification information, customer name, contact information, purchase history, inquiry history, etc. The customer information stored in the customer information storage unit 232 is updated based on information acquired by the information linking unit 216 from the customer management system 5.

[0023] The person in charge information storage unit 233 stores information about the person in charge. The person in charge information storage unit 233 stores person in charge identification information, the name of the person in charge, department identification information that identifies the department to which the person belongs, account information of the person in charge, etc. The person in charge information storage unit 233 can also store information about the specialty field of each person in charge and the business content that the person in charge can handle.

[0024] The association information storage unit 234 stores association information between customer account identification information and person in charge identification information. The association information storage unit 234 stores customer account identification information, person in charge identification information, department identification information, labels, etc. in association with each other. The association information storage unit 234 can also store information such as the date and time when the association was made and the expiration date of the association.

[0025] The message information storage unit 235 stores messages. The message information storage unit 235 stores messages in association with person in charge identification information. The message information storage unit 235 may also store messages in association with information indicating the date the message was sent, the sender, etc.

[0026] The message receiving unit 211 receives a message sent from the customer terminal 1 to an account of the communication application. The message receiving unit 211 receives the message via an API (Application Programming Interface) of the communication application. The message receiving unit 211 also acquires information such as the sender's customer account identification information, the date and time the message was sent, and the type of message along with the received message. The message receiving unit 211 can register the acquired message in the message information storage unit 235 in association with the customer account identification information.

[0027] The staff member selection unit 212 selects one of a plurality of staff members to respond to the message. The staff member selection unit 212 refers to the association information storage unit 234 to identify staff member identification information that is pre-associated with the customer account identification information that sent the message. The staff member selection unit 212 selects the staff member corresponding to the identified staff member identification information.

[0028] The message forwarding unit 213 sends the message to the account of the selected person in charge. The message forwarding unit 213 refers to the person in charge information storage unit 233, acquires account information corresponding to the person in charge identification information of the selected person in charge, and forwards the message to that account. The message forwarding unit 213 can also send related information such as customer information and past interaction history together with the content of the original message. For example, when the person in charge logs in, the message forwarding unit 213 can read a message corresponding to the person in charge identification information indicating the person in charge from the message information storage unit 235 and send it to the person in charge terminal 3 (including the leader terminal 4).

[0029] The associating unit 214 reads a machine-readable code in which a URL including the person in charge identification information as a parameter is encoded, and when the customer terminal 1 accesses the URL, it associates and stores the customer account identification information and the person in charge identification information acquired by the message response system. The machine-readable code can be generated by various encoding methods including two-dimensional codes such as QR Code (registered trademark), barcode, data matrix, and PDF417.

[0030] When accessed from the customer terminal 1, the association unit 214 automatically acquires customer account identification information by utilizing a framework function of the communication application. The association unit 214 extracts person in charge identification information from the parameters of the URL, associates it with the acquired customer account identification information, and stores it in the association information storage unit 234. When both person in charge identification information and department identification information are included as parameters, the association unit 214 associates the customer account identification information, person in charge identification information, and department identification information and stores them.

[0031] When the person in charge identification information and the label are included as parameters, the associating unit 214 associates and stores the customer account identification information, the person in charge identification information, and the label. The label is information indicating the type of inquiry, such as "product consultation," "after-sales service," or "technical support," and enables the inquiry from the customer to be assigned to an appropriate person in charge according to the content of the inquiry.

[0032] In response to a request from the leader terminal 4 of the leader of a department, the viewing control unit 215 enables viewing of messages addressed to personnel belonging to the department. The viewing control unit 215 authenticates the leader when accessing from the leader terminal 4, and identifies the department managed by the authenticated leader. The viewing control unit 215 can, for example, refer to the association information storage unit 234 and the personnel information storage unit 233, extract messages addressed to personnel belonging to the department from the message information storage unit 235, and transmit them to the leader terminal 4.

[0033] The viewing control unit 215 enables a person in charge of a department to view messages addressed to other people in the department in response to a request from the person in charge terminal 3 of the person in charge. The viewing control unit 215 authenticates the person in charge when accessing from the person in charge terminal 3, and identifies the department to which the authenticated person in charge belongs. For example, the viewing control unit 215 can extract messages addressed to other people in the same department from the message information storage unit 235 and send them to the person in charge terminal 3.

[0034] The viewing control unit 215 refers to the label storage unit 231 to allow messages from customers corresponding to labels to be viewed by accounts of other staff members different from the staff member identification information. The viewing control unit 215 controls messages from customers to which a specific label has been assigned so that multiple staff members associated with the label can view the messages. This allows multiple staff members with specialized knowledge to work together to handle customer inquiries.

[0035] The information linking unit 216 links with the customer management system 5 that manages customer information, and acquires customer information related to the event and copies it to the message response system when an event related to the customer information occurs in the customer management system 5. The information linking unit 216 receives an event notification from the customer management system 5 and acquires related customer information based on the customer identification information included in the event.

[0036] The information linking unit 216 can employ multiple linking methods, such as periodically accessing the customer management system 5 to check for updates to customer information, receiving push notifications from the customer management system 5, or synchronizing information in real time via an API. The information linking unit 216 converts the acquired customer information into a predetermined format and stores it in the customer information storage unit 232.

[0037] The update unit 217 updates the customer information stored in the customer information storage unit 232 based on the customer information acquired by the information linkage unit 216 from the customer management system 5. The update unit 217 compares the acquired customer information with existing customer information and performs a differential update, updating only the changed items. The update unit 217 records an update history, making it possible to track when each item was updated, and to what value.

[0038] When a broadcast notification instruction is received, the broadcast transmission unit 218 transmits the same notification message to multiple customer account identifiers registered in the message response system from the account of the communication application. The broadcast transmission unit 218 can set conditions for narrowing down the customers to whom the message is to be sent, and can broadcast the message to, for example, customers who have purchased a specific product, customers in a specific region, or customers who have made an inquiry within a specific period of time.

[0039] The event management unit 219 stores events related to customer information in a first-in, first-out queue, and when a new event occurs for the same item, it updates the old event in the queue with the new event.To improve processing efficiency, when multiple events related to the same item for the same customer occur within a short period of time, the event management unit 219 retains only the most recent event and deletes the older events.

[0040] <Customer terminal 1> The functional units of the customer terminal 1 will be described below.

[0041] The storage unit 131 is a storage device of the customer terminal 1. The storage unit 131 stores account information, message history, setting information, and the like of the communication application.

[0042] The code reading unit 111 reads the machine-readable code. The code reading unit 111 photographs the machine-readable code using a camera mounted on the customer terminal 1, and decodes the encoded information to obtain the URL. The code reading unit 111 can handle various machine-readable codes such as QR Code (registered trademark), barcode, and data matrix.

[0043] The access unit 112 accesses the URL acquired by the code reading unit 111. The access unit 112 uses a framework function of the communication application to access the URL and establish communication with the message response server 2. The access unit 112 transmits customer account identification information to the message response server 2 upon accessing.

[0044] The message sending unit 113 sends a message via a communication application. The message sending unit 113 sends messages of various formats, such as text messages, images, audio, and video, entered by the customer to an account in the communication application.

[0045] The message receiving unit 114 receives messages via a communication application, and displays them on the display unit 115 when it receives a reply message from a person in charge or a message that has been sent to multiple people.

[0046] The display unit 115 displays messages and various information. The display unit 115 displays message history, received messages, transmission forms, and the like on the display of the customer terminal 1.

[0047] <Staff terminal 3> The functional units of the person in charge terminal 3 will be described below.

[0048] The message receiving unit 311 receives a message transferred from the message response server 2. The message receiving unit 311 receives related information such as customer information and past exchange history along with the message from the customer.

[0049] The message sending unit 312 sends a reply message to the customer. The message sending unit 312 sends the reply message created by the person in charge to the customer terminal 1 via the message handling server 2.

[0050] The view request unit 313 requests the viewing of messages addressed to other staff members. The view request unit 313 transmits a view request for messages addressed to other staff members in the same department or messages related to a specific label to the message handling server 2.

[0051] The display unit 314 displays the received message and customer information. The display unit 314 displays the message content, customer information, response history, etc. on the display of the person in charge terminal 3.

[0052] <Leader Terminal 4> The functional units of the leader terminal 4 will be described below.

[0053] The view request unit 411 requests to view messages addressed to the person in charge who belongs to the department. The view request unit 411 transmits a view request for messages addressed to the person in charge who belongs to the department that it manages to the message handling server 2.

[0054] The display unit 412 displays messages addressed to the person in charge of the department and the response status. The display unit 412 displays management information such as the message response status of the entire department, the number of messages handled by each person in charge, and response time on the display of the leader terminal 4.

[0055] <Customer Management System 5> The functional parts of the customer management system 5 will be described below.

[0056] The customer data storage unit 531 is a storage device that stores master data related to customers. The customer data storage unit 531 stores detailed customer information such as basic customer information, purchase history, contract information, and support history.

[0057] The event queue storage unit 532 is a storage device that stores events related to customer information in a first-in, first-out manner. The event queue storage unit 532 stores events such as creation, update, and deletion of customer information in the order in which they occur.

[0058] The event management unit 511 stores events related to customer information in a first-in, first-out queue, and when a new event occurs for the same item, it updates the old event in the queue with the new event.When multiple update events for the same item for the same customer occur within a short period of time, the event management unit 511 holds only the most recent event to improve processing efficiency.

[0059] The data transmission unit 512 transmits related customer information to the message response server 2 based on the events stored in the event queue storage unit 532. The data transmission unit 512 periodically checks the event queue, extracts customer information corresponding to events that have not yet been transmitted, and transmits the extracted customer information to the message response server 2.

[0060] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a basic processing flow in the message response system.

[0061] The message receiving unit 211 of the message handling server 2 receives a message sent from the customer terminal 1 to an account of the communication application (S101). The staff member selecting unit 212 refers to the association information storage unit 234 and selects a staff member who is pre-associated with the customer account identification information that sent the message (S102). The message forwarding unit 213 forwards the message to the account of the selected staff member (S103). The staff member terminal 3 receives the forwarded message (S104), and the staff member creates and sends a reply message (S105). The message handling server 2 sends the reply message from the staff member to the customer terminal 1 (S106).

[0062] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the process of associating a customer with a person in charge.

[0063] The code reading unit 111 of the customer terminal 1 reads a machine-readable code in which a URL including the person in charge identification information as a parameter is encoded (S201). The access unit 112 accesses the read URL (S202). The association unit 214 of the message response server 2 acquires the customer account identification information using a framework function of the communication application (S203). The association unit 214 extracts the person in charge identification information from the URL parameter (S204). The association unit 214 associates the customer account identification information with the person in charge identification information and stores the associated information in the association information storage unit 234 (S205).

[0064] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of information linkage processing with the customer management system.

[0065] When an event related to customer information occurs, the event management unit 511 of the customer management system 5 stores the event in the event queue storage unit 532 (S301). The data transmission unit 512 checks the event queue and extracts customer information corresponding to an unsent event (S302). The data transmission unit 512 transmits the extracted customer information to the message response server 2 (S303). The information linking unit 216 of the message response server 2 receives the customer information from the customer management system 5 (S304). The update unit 217 updates the customer information stored in the customer information storage unit 232 based on the received customer information (S305).

[0066] As described above, the message response system of this embodiment can automatically assign messages sent from a customer terminal to a communication application account to the appropriate person in charge. Prior association using machine-readable codes allows efficient management of the correspondence between customers and personnel, enabling prompt and accurate responses to customer inquiries. Furthermore, department-based management functions and classification functions using labels enable organized customer responses, simultaneously achieving improved customer satisfaction and improved business efficiency. Furthermore, by linking with a customer management system, high-quality customer responses can be provided based on the latest customer information.

[0067] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention.

[0068] For example, the processing by each functional unit of the message response server 2 described above may be performed by any functional unit. Also, a different functional unit that performs part of the processing by each functional unit described above may be added. Also, the functional units of the message response server 2 may be distributed across multiple computers.

[0069] Furthermore, the information stored in each storage unit of the message response server 2 may be stored in any of the storage units. That is, the information stored in the above-mentioned multiple storage units may be stored in one storage unit, or part of the information stored in one of the above-mentioned storage units may be stored in another storage unit.

[0070] <Variation 1> In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the person in charge selection unit 212 refers to the association information storage unit 234 to select a pre-associated person in charge, but it is also possible to automatically select a person in charge by analyzing the content of the message. In this case, the person in charge selection unit 212 extracts the type of inquiry and keywords from the content of the message using natural language processing technology, and selects the most suitable person in charge by comparing them with the areas of expertise of each person in charge stored in the person in charge information storage unit 233. For example, if the message contains the keyword "returned goods," a person who specializes in handling returned goods will be selected, and if the message contains the keyword "technical problem," a technical support person will be selected.

[0071] <Variation 2> In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which a QR code (registered trademark) was mainly used as the machine-readable code, but association may also be performed using an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag. In this case, the customer terminal 1 has an NFC reader function and acquires the staff identification information by holding the customer terminal 1 over an NFC tag on which the staff identification information is recorded. The association unit 214 associates and stores the staff identification information acquired from the NFC tag with the customer account identification information acquired using the framework function of the communication application. NFC tags can be attached to business cards, pamphlets, store counters, etc., and customers can easily associate them with staff with a simple operation.

[0072] <Variation 3> In the above-described embodiment, the broadcast sending unit 218 sends the same message to all registered customers. However, the message content may be personalized based on the customer's attributes and past interaction history. In this case, the broadcast sending unit 218 references the customer information stored in the customer information storage unit 232 and selects a message template based on the customer's purchase history, inquiry history, attribute information, and the like. For example, a message containing information related to a specific product may be sent to a customer who has previously purchased the product, and a message containing basic service information may be sent to a customer making an inquiry for the first time. The broadcast sending unit 218 generates a personalized message by inserting individual information such as the customer's name and the name of the purchased product into the message template.

[0073] <Variation 4> In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the agent terminal 3 was provided separately, but the message response system may also be configured to be accessed via a web browser. In this case, the message response server 2 has a web server function and delivers a web page that provides functions such as receiving messages, creating replies, and viewing customer information when accessed by an agent via a web browser. The agent can access the message response system using a web browser from any device, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, to perform customer support tasks. The web server function also provides functions such as agent authentication, session management, and real-time message notification.

[0074] <Variation 5> In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which customer information was acquired when an event occurred as a trigger for information linkage with the customer management system 5. However, customer information may also be synchronized by periodic batch processing. In this case, the information linking unit 216 accesses the customer management system 5 according to a preset schedule (e.g., late at night every day, every hour, etc.) and acquires all customer information updated since the previous synchronization. The information linking unit 216 compares the update date and time of the customer information acquired from the customer management system 5 with the update date and time of the customer information stored in the customer information storage unit 232, extracts only new information, and performs update processing. The batch processing method distributes the system load and enables stable information synchronization.

[0075] <Variation 6> In the above-described embodiment, the message forwarding unit 213 directly forwards a message to the account of the selected person in charge. However, message forwarding may be controlled taking into consideration the person in charge's work status and availability. In this case, the message response server 2 includes a work status management unit that manages the person in charge's work schedule, the number of current cases, online status, etc. The message forwarding unit 213 refers to the work status management unit to determine whether the selected person in charge is available to respond, and if the selected person in charge is unavailable, selects an alternative person in charge or puts the message on hold until the person in charge becomes available. The work status management unit monitors the person in charge's response status in real time by monitoring status updates from the person in charge terminal 3 and message response times.

[0076] <Disclosures> The present disclosure also includes the following configurations. [Item 1] a message receiving unit that receives a message sent from a customer terminal to an account of the communication application; a person in charge selection unit for selecting one of a plurality of persons in charge of responding to the message; a message forwarding unit for sending the message to the selected contact person's account; A message response system comprising: [Item 2] The message response system described in item 1 further includes an association unit that, when the customer terminal reads a machine-readable code in which a URL containing agent identification information that identifies the agent as a parameter is encoded and the URL is accessed, associates and stores the customer account identification information acquired by the message response system with the agent identification information. [Item 3] The message response system described in item 2, wherein the association unit reads a machine-readable code in which a URL containing the person in charge identification information and department identification information that identifies the department to which the person in charge belongs as parameters when the customer terminal accesses the URL, associates and stores the customer account identification information, the person in charge identification information, and the department identification information. [Item 4] Item 4. The message response system according to item 3, further comprising a viewing control unit that enables the message addressed to the person in charge belonging to the department to be viewed in response to a request from the leader terminal of the leader of the department. [Item 5] The message response system described in item 3 further includes a viewing control unit that enables messages addressed to other staff members belonging to the department to be viewed in response to a request from the staff member terminal of the staff member belonging to the department. [Item 6] The message response system described in item 3 further includes an association unit that, when the customer terminal reads a machine-readable code that encodes a URL containing agent identification information and a label that identify the agent as parameters and accesses the URL, associates and stores the customer account identification information, agent identification information, and label acquired by the message response system. [Item 7] a label storage unit that stores the label and the person in charge identification information in association with each other; a viewing control unit that, by referring to the label storage unit, allows an account of another person in charge different from the person in charge identification information to view messages from customers corresponding to the labels; Item 6. A message response system according to item 6. [Item 8] The message response system described in item 1 further comprises an information linking unit that links with a customer management system that manages customer information, and that, when an event related to the customer information occurs in the customer management system, acquires the customer information related to the event and copies it to the message response system. [Item 9] The message response system described in item 8, wherein the customer management system stores the events related to the customer information in a first-in, first-out queue, and includes an event management unit that updates the old event in the queue with the new event when a new event occurs for the same item. [Item 10] The message response system described in Item 8 includes a customer information storage unit that stores customer information, and further includes an update unit that updates the customer information stored in the customer information storage unit based on the customer information acquired by the information linking unit from the customer management system. [Item 11] The message response system described in item 1 further comprises a mass transmission unit that, when receiving a mass notification instruction, transmits a notification message of the same content from the account of the communication application to multiple customer account identifiers registered in the message response system. [Item 12] receiving a message sent from a customer terminal to an account of the communication application; selecting one of a plurality of personnel to respond to the message; sending the message to the selected contact's account; The computer implements a message-handling method. [Item 13] receiving a message sent from a customer terminal to an account of the communication application; selecting one of a plurality of personnel to respond to the message; sending the message to the selected contact's account; A program that causes a computer to execute the following. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1. Customer terminal 2 Message response server 3. Personnel terminal 4. Reader terminal 5. Customer Management System

Claims

1. An association unit that, when a customer terminal reads a machine-readable code in which a URL containing a staff member identification information that identifies a staff member as a parameter is encoded and the URL is accessed, associates the customer account identification information corresponding to the customer terminal with the staff member identification information and stores the associated information in an association information storage unit; a message receiving unit that receives a message sent from the customer terminal to an account of a communication application; a person in charge selection unit that refers to the association information storage unit and identifies the person in charge indicated by the person in charge identification information corresponding to the customer account identification information that sent the message; a message forwarding unit that sends the message to the identified person's account; A message response system comprising:

2. The message response system of claim 1, wherein the association unit reads a machine-readable code in which a URL is encoded, the URL including as parameters the person in charge identification information and department identification information that identifies the department to which the person in charge belongs, and when the customer terminal accesses the URL, associates the customer account identification information, the person in charge identification information, and the department identification information and stores them in the association information storage unit.

3. The message response system according to claim 2 , further comprising a viewing control unit that enables the message addressed to the person in charge of the department to be viewed in response to a request from a leader terminal of the leader of the department.

4. The message response system according to claim 2, further comprising a viewing control unit that enables messages addressed to other staff members belonging to the department to be viewed in response to a request from the staff member terminal of the staff member belonging to the department.

5. The message response system of claim 2 further comprises an association unit that, when the customer terminal reads a machine-readable code encoding a URL that includes agent identification information and a label as parameters to identify the agent, and accesses the URL, associates and stores the customer account identification information, the agent identification information, and the label acquired by the message response system.

6. a label storage unit that stores the label and the person in charge identification information in association with each other; a viewing control unit that, by referring to the label storage unit, allows an account of another person in charge different from the person in charge identification information to view messages from customers corresponding to the labels; The message response system according to claim 5.

7. 2. The message response system according to claim 1, further comprising an information linking unit that links with a customer management system that manages customer information, and that, when an event related to the customer information occurs in the customer management system, acquires the customer information related to the event and copies it to the message response system.

8. 8. The message response system according to claim 7, wherein the customer management system includes an event management unit that stores the events related to the customer information in a first-in, first-out queue, and when a new event occurs for the same item, updates the old event in the queue with the new event.

9. 8. The message response system according to claim 7, further comprising a customer information storage unit that stores customer information, and an update unit that updates the customer information stored in the customer information storage unit based on the customer information acquired by the information linking unit from the customer management system.

10. The message response system of claim 1, further comprising a mass sending unit that, when receiving a mass notification instruction, sends a notification message of the same content from the account of the communication application to multiple customer account identifiers registered in the message response system.

11. A step in which a customer terminal reads a machine-readable code in which a URL containing a person in charge identification information that identifies the person in charge as a parameter is encoded, and when the URL is accessed, the customer account identification information corresponding to the customer terminal and the person in charge identification information are associated and stored in an associated information storage unit; receiving a message sent from the customer terminal to an account of a communication application; referring to the association information storage unit to identify the person in charge indicated by the person in charge identification information corresponding to the customer account identification information that sent the message; sending the message to the identified contact person's account; The computer implements a message-handling method.

12. A step in which a customer terminal reads a machine-readable code in which a URL containing a person in charge identification information that identifies the person in charge as a parameter is encoded, and when the URL is accessed, the customer account identification information corresponding to the customer terminal and the person in charge identification information are associated and stored in an associated information storage unit; receiving a message sent from the customer terminal to an account of a communication application; referring to the association information storage unit to identify the person in charge indicated by the person in charge identification information corresponding to the customer account identification information that sent the message; sending the message to the identified contact person's account; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

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