Information processing methods, programs, and systems

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of easily grasping an amount of payment to a service used by a user.SOLUTION: According to an aspect of the present invention, an information processing method to be executed by a computer is provided. The information processing method includes an acquisition step, an access step, a specification step, and a display control step. The acquisition step acquires payment information for a use service being a used service. The payment information includes an amount of payment, and text information corresponding to the amount of payment. The access step accesses a database storing a plurality of service names. The specification step specifies a service name corresponding to the text information from among the plurality of service names stored in the accessed database. The display control step displays the specified service name, an amount of payment for a use service corresponding to the specified service name in a user terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method, a program, and a system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the use of various services in business has been increasing. Patent Document 1 discloses a cloud service usage management device that manages the use of cloud services by users.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when the number of services in use increases, it becomes troublesome to grasp the fees paid for these services.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a technology that can easily grasp the payment amount for the services used by users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing method performed by a computer is provided. This information processing method comprises an acquisition step, an access step, a identification step, and a display control step. In the acquisition step, payment information for a service being used is acquired. The payment information includes a payment amount and text information corresponding to the payment amount. In the access step, a database storing multiple service names is accessed. In the identification step, a service name corresponding to the text information is identified from among the multiple service names stored in the accessed database. In the display control step, the identified service name and the payment amount for the service being used corresponding to the identified service name are displayed on the user terminal.

[0007] According to this disclosure, we can provide technology that supports the management of information related to electronic contracts. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the configuration of system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of information processing system 1. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram showing the functions of Information Processing System 1. [Figure 4] This is an example of data stored in database 4. [Figure 5] This is an example of payment information obtained from accounting system 3. [Figure 6] Here is an example of a credit card statement, another example of payment information. [Figure 7] Here is an example of another type of payment information: an email. [Figure 8] This is an activity diagram illustrating an example of an information processing method performed by Information Processing System 1. [Figure 9] This is an example of a graph that visualizes the amount paid for services used. [Figure 10]This is an example of a graph showing the payment amount for each service used. [Figure 11] This diagram illustrates the process of selecting a service category. [Figure 12] This diagram illustrates the process of selecting the service name for the service you wish to use. [Figure 13] This is an example screen that includes the name of the service received and the payment amount for the service used corresponding to that service name. [Figure 14] This is an example screen containing selection images Ia-Ie, which indicate the selection to perform the integrated processing. [Figure 15] This is an example of the screen after the integration process has been executed. [Figure 16] This is an example of an engagement score. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below can be combined with each other.

[0010] The program for implementing the software described in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or it may be provided as a downloadable medium from an external server, or it may be provided so that the program is launched on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] In addition, in the present embodiment, the "unit" may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by a circuit in a broad sense and the information processing of software that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. Also, in the present embodiment, various types of information are handled. These types of information are represented, for example, by physical values of signal values representing voltage and current, the high and low of signal values as a set of binary bits composed of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculation can be executed on a circuit in a broad sense.

[0012] Also, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by appropriately combining at least a circuit (Circuit), circuitry (Circuitry), a processor (Processor), a memory (Memory), etc. That is, it includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic devices (for example, a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), etc.

[0013] 1. Overview of System 100 Including Information Processing System 1 As shown in FIG. 1, a system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an information processing system 1. In the present embodiment, the system 100 further includes a user terminal 2, an accounting system 3, a database 4, and a service system 5. Then, the information processing system 1, the user terminal 2, the accounting system 3, the database 4, and the service system 5 are connected to each other via a network NW.

[0014] The information processing system 1 is constituted by, for example, a server. Here, the information processing system 1 consists of one or more devices or components. That is, the information processing system 1 may be constituted by one server, or the information processing system 1 may be constituted as a system that realizes a plurality of processes by a plurality of services. Further, the server constituting the information processing system 1 may be installed within the country where this patent application is filed, or may be installed outside the country.

[0015] Also, the information processing system 1 provides a management service for managing services used by a user or an organization to which the user belongs. The management service may be provided in the form of SaaS (Software as a Service).

[0016] The user terminal 2 is a terminal used by a user and is constituted by an arbitrary computer. For example, it is constituted by a multifunctional terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a smartwatch, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a multifunctional music player, etc. Further, the user terminal 2 includes a display unit. The display unit displays text and images (including still images and moving images) and is constituted by an arbitrary display. Here, the user in the present embodiment is a person or a member of an organization that uses at least one paid service, and may be an employee of a company or a person conducting an individual business.

[0017] Also, by operating the user terminal 2, access can be made to the management service provided by the information processing system 1, and the usage services used by the user or the organization to which the user belongs can be managed.

[0018] The accounting system 3 is a system that realizes at least one of the functions of an expense application service and an invoice management service. The accounting system 3 is used by a management entity that manages the user terminal 2, and information such as daily expense applications and invoice management is managed by employees of the management entity. The accounting system 3 may be provided in the form of SaaS.

[0019] Database 4 stores multiple service names. Database 4 is constructed by the provider of Information Processing System 1 and stores multiple service names manually or automatically.

[0020] Service System 5 is a system that provides various services available to users. Service System 5 consists of, for example, servers that provide subscription-based services.

[0021] 2. Hardware configuration of Information Processing System 1 As shown in Figure 2, the information processing system 1 comprises a control unit 10, a communication unit 20, a storage unit 30, an input unit 40, and a display unit 50.

[0022] <Control Unit 10> The control unit 10 performs processing and control of the overall operation related to the information processing system 1. The control unit 10 is composed of, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown). The control unit 10 realizes various functions related to the information processing system 1 by reading predetermined programs stored in the memory unit 30. That is, information processing by software stored in the memory unit 30 is concretely realized by hardware (control unit 10) and can be executed as each functional unit (see Figure 3) included in the control unit 10. The control unit 10 may be composed of a single module, or it may be composed of multiple modules for each function.

[0023] <Communications Department 20> The communication unit 20 is configured to communicate data with other information processing devices or components via wired or wireless means. The communication unit 20 is configured by a combination of wired communication means such as USB, IEEE1394, Thunderbolt®, wired LAN network communication, and wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as 5G / LTE / 3G, and Bluetooth® communication.

[0024] <Storage section 30> The storage unit 30 stores various programs and data, and is composed of, for example, memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 30 also stores programs and various data. Based on the programs stored in the storage unit 30, the control unit 10 executes various processes, thereby realizing various functions.

[0025] <Input section 40> The input unit 40 is used to input various types of information into the information processing system 1 and consists of a mouse, keyboard, pointing device, etc. Alternatively, these devices connected to other information processing devices may be used to function as the input unit 40 via a network NW.

[0026] <Display section 50> The display unit 50 displays text, photographs, and images (including still images and videos), and is composed of any display. When the information processing system 1 is a server, the display unit 50 is composed of a display directly or indirectly connected to the information processing system 1.

[0027] 3. Functional configuration of Information Processing System 1 As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 10 of the information processing system 1 comprises an acquisition unit 11, an access unit 12, a specification unit 13, and a display control unit 14. The control unit 10 may further include a reception unit 15 and a calculation unit 16.

[0028] <Acquisition part 11> The acquisition unit 11 is configured to acquire payment information for the service being used. In this embodiment, payment information is acquired from the accounting system 3. In addition, or instead, payment information may be acquired from at least one of the card statement and / or email. Furthermore, the payment information may be CSV data uploaded from the user terminal 2 to the information processing system 1 or data in any format manually entered by the user. Moreover, any data attached to the user's email may be used as payment information by having the user forward the email used on the user terminal 2 or by granting access rights to the mail server that manages the email. The services used in this embodiment are subscription-based services, with usage fees incurred on a monthly or annual basis. Furthermore, the services used include not only SaaS-type services, but also regular or irregular delivery services for physical products, such as the delivery of water for use in water dispensers. In addition, the services used also include the use of facilities such as sports gyms and services such as newspaper delivery.

[0029] Payment information includes the payment amount and text information corresponding to the payment amount. The payment amount corresponds to the fee for the service used. The text information is information written in text format and includes at least one of the service name, the name of the service provider, and their abbreviations.

[0030] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 11 may be configured to acquire the number of user IDs associated with the service being used. Here, the number of user IDs associated with a service being used is, for example, 1,000 if a company uses a service and allows 1,000 employees to use this service.

[0031] <Access section 12> The access unit 12 is configured to be able to access the database 4 which stores multiple service names.

[0032] <Specific part 13> The identification unit 13 is configured to identify the service name corresponding to the text information from among multiple service names stored in the accessed database 4. This corresponds to a matching process that determines whether the service name identified by the text information contained in the payment information matches any of the multiple service names stored in the database 4.

[0033] <Display Control Unit 14> The display control unit 14 is configured to display the service name identified by the identification unit 13 and the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name on the user terminal 2. In this embodiment, the display control unit 14 displays various information on the user terminal 2 while it is accessing the management service provided by the information processing system 1.

[0034] Furthermore, the display control unit 14 may display a graph on the user terminal 2 that visualizes the payment amount in chronological order. Here, the display control unit 14 may generate a display image to be displayed on the user terminal 2 and send the display image to the user terminal 2 to display the image. Alternatively, the display control unit 14 may send a display command to the user terminal 2 and cause the user terminal 2 to generate a display image to display the image. A combination of these methods is also acceptable.

[0035] <Reception Desk 15> The reception unit 15 is configured to receive various commands and selections from the information processing system 1 or other terminals. In this embodiment, the reception unit 15 receives a selection of one service name from a specified number of service names from the user terminal 2.

[0036] <Calculation Section 16> The calculation unit 16 is configured to calculate at least one of the following (1) and (2) based on the number of acquired user IDs, the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name, and account information. (1) Payment amount per user (2) The total amount of payments made by a specific user or organization from the past to the present.

[0037] Furthermore, the calculation unit 16 may be configured to calculate an engagement score based on the frequency of access to the service and the number of user IDs. Here, the engagement score is a score that is higher when accessing the service at the first time point than when accessing the service at the second time point. The second time point is a time point earlier than the first time point. In other words, the information processing system 1 can acquire user access logs, usage history, and activity data indicating usage frequency for the service, and calculate an engagement score based on said activity data. Details will be described later with reference to Figure 16.

[0038] Furthermore, the calculation unit 16 may be configured to calculate the number of user IDs by various methods. Such methods will be described later.

[0039] 4. Data stored in Database 4 Figure 4 shows an example of data stored in database 4. Database 4 stores at least multiple service names. As shown in Figure 4, database 4 may also store, for each of the multiple service names, an associated service ID that identifies the service name, the service name, the service provider, the category, the price per user [yen / month], and a URL representing a link to a website containing a description of the service.

[0040] Here, the service names in Figure 4 mainly represent services provided in a subscription-based SaaS format. The categories of such services are classified by function and may include chat, video conferencing, project management, attendance management, and finance / accounting. Here, categories can be arbitrarily classified and may be classified by function, price, service area, affiliated company, department, team, or user. Furthermore, such categories may use the descriptions displayed in app stores where multiple services can be installed, or the builder of database 4 may classify them into their own categories. In other words, database 4 may store category information indicating the type of service for each of the multiple service names.

[0041] 5. Payment Information Figures 5 to 7 show examples of payment information. Figure 5 shows an example of payment information obtained by the information processing system 1 from the accounting system 3.

[0042] <When obtaining payment information from accounting system 3> Figure 5 shows payment or reimbursement information managed by accounting system 3. This payment information can be obtained in spreadsheet format by connecting information processing system 1 and accounting system 3 via API (Application Programming Interface). As shown in Figure 5, the payment information includes the payment amount (information contained in the amount column) and text information corresponding to the payment amount (information contained in the payee / details column). Here, the text information is information that can identify at least one of the following: the name of the service provider (Company A, Company B, Company C) and the name of the service (service_a, service_b, service_c). In the example in Figure 5, the text information corresponds to information that is a set of the name of the service provider and the name of the service. Here, the text information may be only the name of the service provider or only the name of the service.

[0043] In the example in Figure 5, each item number is managed in association with the "date" on which the service was used (or the starting point on which the expense was incurred), "payee / details" (an example of text information), "amount" (the payment amount for the service used), "expense category" (for expense accounting), and the current "tax category." Here, the content of the payment information can be arbitrarily determined by the person generating the payment information.

[0044] <When using credit card statements as payment information> Figure 6 shows an example of a card statement that can be used as payment information. In the example in Figure 6, for each card transaction, the "Date of Transaction" (the date the card payment was made), the "Store Name" (the store where the card payment was made), and the "Amount of Transaction" (the amount the card was used) are managed in association with each transaction.

[0045] In the example in Figure 6, some or all of the information in the "Store Name Used" column corresponds to text information. In the example in Figure 6, the service provider name (Company D) and the service name (service_e) correspond to text information.

[0046] Here, the card statement may be uploaded to the information processing system 1 by the user on user terminal 2, or the information processing system 1 may take custody of the user account and obtain the card statement from the card company's system by establishing an API connection with the card company's system used by the user.

[0047] <When using email as payment information> Figure 7 shows an example of an email that can be used as payment information. The example in Figure 7 represents an email sent when water is purchased from X Market, provided by Company X. This email includes order details such as order number, order date, product name, product price (subtotal), shipping and handling fees, order total, and payment method. In this case, the product name, "X Water (Regular Delivery)," corresponds to text information. In other words, such a product name is information that identifies the service name of the service used by the user.

[0048] 6. Information processing method executed by information processing system 1 Next, the information processing method executed by the information processing system 1 will be described using Figures 8 to 16. The information processing method in this embodiment is executed by the information processing system 1, which is an example of a computer. The information processing method comprises an acquisition step, an access step, a identification step, and a display control step. These will be described in detail below.

[0049] First, in A1, the acquisition step is performed. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 performs the acquisition step and acquires payment information for the services used from the accounting system 3. The payment information includes the payment amount and text information corresponding to the payment amount. In addition to acquiring payment information from the accounting system 3, or instead, payment information may be acquired from at least one of the card statement and / or email. Furthermore, the payment information may be CSV data uploaded from the user terminal 2 to the information processing system 1 or data in any format manually entered by the user. Moreover, any data attached to the user's email may be used as payment information by having the user forward the email used on the user terminal 2, or by being granted access rights to the mail server that manages the email.

[0050] Next, in A2, the access step is executed. In this embodiment, the access unit 12 executes the access step and accesses the database 4 which stores multiple service names.

[0051] Next, in A3, a specific step is executed. In this embodiment, the specific step is executed by the identification unit 13, which identifies the service name corresponding to the text information from among multiple service names stored in the accessed database 4. For example, if the text information included in the payment information is "Company A (service_a)" as shown in Figure 5, it checks whether a service name corresponding to "Company A (service_a)" exists in the data stored in database 4 (see Figure 4). If a service name "service_a" corresponding to "Company A (service_a)" exists in the data stored in database 4, "service_a", which is identified with service ID "1", is identified as the service name corresponding to the text information "Company A (service_a)".

[0052] Here, such identification can be carried out using any method that utilizes text information linked to the service name or service provider included in the payment information. For example, if the text information includes at least one of the service name of the service used, the name of the service provider, and their abbreviations, a table may be created that defines the correspondence between this information and the service name stored in database 4, and the correspondence between the text information and the service name may be identified using such a table. Alternatively, by using natural language processing, if the strings contained in the text information and the strings contained in the service name stored in database 4 match at a predetermined rate or higher, they may be identified as corresponding.

[0053] Next, in A4, the display control step is executed. In this embodiment, the display control unit 14 executes the display control step and displays the service name identified in the specific step and the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name on the user terminal 2.

[0054] Figure 9 shows an example of a screen displayed on user terminal 2. In the example in Figure 9, the vertical axis represents the amount spent on SaaS services used by the user or the organization to which the user belongs, and the horizontal axis represents the monthly amount spent, visualizing the monthly expenditure (payment amount) as an example of services used.

[0055] Figure 10 shows another example of a screen displayed on user terminal 2. In the example in Figure 10, an example of a service being used is shown, which includes the service names "service_a", "service_b", and "service_c" identified in a specific step, along with the expenditure (payment amount) for these services.

[0056] In this case, "service_a", "service_b", and "service_c" may be displayed together, or each service may be displayed individually. Here, as shown in Figure 10, in order to display multiple services together, it is necessary to obtain payment information for multiple services. In this case, the payment information obtained by the acquisition unit 11 pertains to multiple services used. The payment information includes multiple payment amounts and multiple text information corresponding to each of the payment amounts. In the example in Figure 5, one payment information contains multiple payment amounts. Of these, the items identified by the item numbers "2, 4, 5" are information related to the services used. In this case, the amounts for "service_a", "service_b", and "service_c" correspond to "multiple payment amounts", and "Company A (service_a)", "Company B (service_b)", and "Company C (service_c)" correspond to "multiple text information corresponding to each of the multiple payment amounts".

[0057] If the payment information includes multiple payment amounts and multiple text entries corresponding to each of the payment amounts, in a specific step, the service names corresponding to each of the text entries are identified from among the multiple service names stored in the accessed database 4.

[0058] As shown in Figure 10, the display control step may also display a graph on the user terminal 2 that visualizes the payment amount over time. This makes it possible to intuitively understand how much is being paid for each service. For example, the expenditure for "service_a" remained constant at approximately 350,000 yen from June 2022 to December 2021, but increased significantly to approximately 2,700,000 yen in February 2022. This is presumed to be because the number of internal users using "service_a" increased in February 2022, or because they switched to a higher-tier plan.

[0059] Furthermore, box b1 is a box for selecting the category of service to be displayed on user terminal 2. By operating user terminal 2 and pressing the pull-down icon PDI on the right side of box b1, the area r1 shown in Figure 11 expands at the bottom of box b1. Area r1 is an area where category information indicating the category of service being used is displayed. The user can select the category of service being used by operating user terminal 2. For example, if the category "Chat" is selected in the state shown in Figure 11, the screen of user terminal 2 will display the services belonging to the category "Chat" and the expenditure amount (payment amount) for those services.

[0060] In this display control step, the user terminal 2 is made to display the identified service names according to the categories identified by the category information.

[0061] Furthermore, box b2 is a box for selecting the service to be displayed on user terminal 2. By operating user terminal 2 and pressing the pull-down icon PDI on the right side of box b2, the area r2 shown in Figure 12 expands at the bottom of box b2. Area r2 is the area where the options for the service to be used are displayed. The user can select the service to be used by operating user terminal 2.

[0062] Then, when a specific option is selected from the options displayed in area r2, the reception step is executed in A5. In this embodiment, the reception step is executed by the reception unit 15, which receives the selection of one service name from the user terminal 2 from a plurality of identified service names.

[0063] Then, in A6, the display control step is executed. In this embodiment, the display control unit 14 executes the display control step and displays the received service name and the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the received service name on the user terminal 2.

[0064] For example, if the service name "service_a" is selected in the state shown in Figure 12, then, as shown in Figure 13, "service_a" and the expenditure amount (payment amount) for "service_a" will be displayed on the screen of user terminal 2. Note that the information processing system 1 may accept the selection of only one service, or it may accept the selection of multiple services at once.

[0065] Thus, the graph to be displayed on the user terminal 2 in the display control step may be represented in at least one of the following forms (1) to (3). (1) Visualize the total amount of payments for multiple services used in chronological order: (See Figure 9) (2) Visualize multiple services used in a way that allows them to be distinguished: Corresponds to Figure 10 (3) Visualize the service selected by the user terminal from among multiple services used: Corresponds to Figure 13 Furthermore, the functions implemented by the information processing system 1 may be capable of implementing all of the above (1) to (3), and the user may be able to select which of (1) to (3) to display.

[0066] <Integration Process> Next, the integration process will be described. In A7, the display control step is executed. In this embodiment, the display control step is executed by the display control unit 14.

[0067] In the display control step, a selection image is displayed on the user terminal, allowing the user to choose to perform integrated processing for the service being used. Here, the integrated processing is the process of making it possible to obtain the number of user IDs associated with the service and the payment amount from the service system 5 that provides the service being used. For example, by connecting the information processing system 1 and the service system 5 via an API, the information processing system 1 can obtain the number of user IDs and the payment amount from the service system 5.

[0068] Figure 14 shows an example of a screen displayed on user terminal 2, including selected images Ia to Ie. In the example in Figure 14, services that may be subject to integration processing are displayed as "Integration Candidates," and services for which integration processing has already been performed are displayed as "All Integrations."

[0069] Furthermore, by operating user terminal 2 and entering the service name of the service being used into box b3, a specific service can be searched for. Additionally, by pressing the output icon OI, information on detected SaaS, which are examples of integration candidates, can be output in CSV format or other formats.

[0070] Then, if any or all of the selected images Ia to Ie are selected, the control unit 10 performs integrated processing in A8. In this embodiment, the information processing system 1 and the service system 5 that provides the service are connected via API, making it possible to obtain the number of user IDs associated with the service and the payment amount from the service system 5.

[0071] For example, if images Ia to Ic are selected in Figure 14, the integration process is performed on "service_a" to "service_c". Subsequently, as shown in Figure 15, the services used ("service_a" to "service_c") for which the integration process has been completed are displayed in "All Integrations" and disappear from "Integration Candidates".

[0072] Then, in A9a, the acquisition step is executed. In this embodiment, after the integration process is executed, the acquisition step is executed by the acquisition unit 11, and the number of user IDs associated with the service used and the payment amount are acquired.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the integration process is performed, the acquisition unit 11 may perform an acquisition step to acquire account information relating to accounts using the service. Here, the account information is information that links the user ID and information about the organization to which the user of the user ID belongs. The account information may also include the usage plan and the fee for the usage plan for a specific user.

[0074] Next, in A10a, the calculation step is performed. In this embodiment, the calculation step is performed by the calculation unit 16. Here, in Figure 8, for the sake of explanation, the process performed in the calculation step is referred to as the calculation process.

[0075] In the calculation step, at least one of the following (1) and (2) may be calculated based on the number of user IDs obtained, the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name, and the account information. (1) Payment amount per user (2) The total amount of payments made by a specific user or organization from the past to the present. Furthermore, the functions implemented by the information processing system 1 may include the ability to calculate both (1) and (2) above.

[0076] (1) can be calculated by "the payment amount included in the payment information for the service used / the number of user IDs". (2) focuses on a specific user and calculates the total amount by summing up the payment amounts from the past to the present. In particular, if the account information includes the specific user's usage plan and its fees, the total amount of payments made by that specific user from the past to the present can be accurately calculated, even if the usage plan changed at some point during that period. Furthermore, by using information about the organization to which a specific user belongs, the total amount of payments made by that organization from the past to the present can be calculated.

[0077] Furthermore, the calculation step may also calculate an engagement score based on the frequency of access to the service used and the number of user IDs. Here, the engagement score is the score obtained when accessing the service at the first time point compared to when accessing it at the second time point. The second point in time is a point in time prior to the first point in time. In other words, the engagement score in this embodiment is used to consider a longer period of time without access to the service as indicating lower usage frequency and thus lower engagement with the service.

[0078] The engagement score can be determined using, for example, the following engagement coefficient. (Example of engagement coefficient) • If accessed within the last 3 days: Engagement coefficient = 10pt • If accessed within the last 10 days: Engagement coefficient = 5pt • If accessed within the last 30 days: Engagement coefficient = 2pt • If there has been no access for 31 days or more: Engagement coefficient = 0pt

[0079] Alternatively, the engagement score can be calculated as "engagement score = engagement coefficient × number of user IDs". For example, if 10 users accessed a particular service within the last 3 days, the engagement score for that service would be "100pt (= 10pt × 10 people)".

[0080] <If the integration process is not executed> On the other hand, if none of the selected images Ia to Ie are selected in A7, the process proceeds to A9b. In A9b, the acquisition unit 11 executes the acquisition step to acquire payment information. Here, if payment information has already been acquired in A1, the process in A9b can be skipped.

[0081] Then, in A10b, a calculation step is performed for cases where the integration process is not executed. In this embodiment, if the integration process is not executed, the calculation unit 16 may perform the calculation step and calculate the number of user IDs based on the payment amount and the charges stored in the database 4. In this embodiment, the number of user IDs can be calculated by dividing the payment amount acquired by the acquisition unit 11, that is, the total amount of payments for the entire organization, by the "charge per person [yen / month]" (an example of charges stored in the database 4) shown in Figure 4.

[0082] Furthermore, if no charges are stored in database 4, the calculation step may calculate the number of user IDs based on the access history of the services used over a predetermined period. For example, if a SaaS service accessed from a browser is used as the service used, the access history from the browser may be analyzed, and the number of users who accessed the SaaS service over a predetermined period (e.g., 3 months) may be calculated as the number of user IDs.

[0083] Additionally, engagement scores may be calculated for services that have not undergone integrated processing.

[0084] Thus, if the number of user IDs is calculated by at least one of A10a and A10b, the number of user IDs associated with each service may be displayed in some of the images included in "Integration Candidates" and "All Integrations," as shown in Figure 14. In the example in Figure 14, the number of user IDs associated with each service is displayed in the images corresponding to "service_o" to "service_z," which are services for which the integration process has been completed (e.g., 2,400 for service_o). Furthermore, even if the integration process has not been performed, the number of user IDs may be displayed for services for which the number of user IDs has already been calculated by A10b. In the example in Figure 14, for "service_a" and "service_c," although the integration process has not been performed, the number of user IDs is displayed because the number of user IDs has been calculated by A10b. On the other hand, for "service_b," neither the integration process nor the calculation process in A10b has been performed, so the number of user IDs is not displayed. On the other hand, when integration processing is performed on "service_b", the number of user IDs for "service_b" is displayed along with "service_b", as shown in Figure 15.

[0085] Then, in A11, the display control step is executed. In this embodiment, the display control step is executed by the display control unit 14. In the display control step, the service name identified in the identification step (A3), the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name, the number of user IDs calculated in the calculation step (at least one of A10a and A10b), and the engagement score may be displayed on the user terminal 2.

[0086] Figure 16 shows an example of a screen displayed on user terminal 2 that visualizes the engagement score. In the example in Figure 16, the amount spent on services used (payment amount) is plotted on the vertical axis, the number of months is plotted on the horizontal axis, and the engagement score is represented by the size of the bubbles. Here, bubbles a to e represent the engagement scores for "service_a" to "service_e," respectively. The larger the bubble size, the higher the engagement score. In the example in Figure 16, the engagement scores in descending order are bubble d > bubble a > bubble b > bubble e > bubble c. Here, instead of the size of the bubbles, the brightness, saturation, luminance, or distinguishable colors of the bubbles or other icons may be used to represent the magnitude of the engagement score.

[0087] Alternatively, information corresponding to the bubble overlaid by the cursor (not shown) operated by user terminal 2 may be displayed. In the example in Figure 16, when the cursor is overlaid on bubble b, region r3 is expanded in the vicinity of bubble b. Region r3 then displays "service_b", which is the service corresponding to bubble b, the number of user IDs (1200 IDs), the monthly expenditure amount (¥750,000), and the engagement score (40).

[0088] By visualizing engagement scores in this way, it becomes easier to decide whether or not to continue using a particular service (i.e., whether or not to cancel a service) among multiple services being used. For example, the following insights can be obtained for each service. Note that the following insights are merely examples, and the information that can be gleaned from the engagement score will vary from person to person. • service_a: The number of user IDs and spending amounts are high, and the engagement score is relatively high. In other words, a certain number of users are actually using service_a frequently, and should continue to use it. • service_b: The number of user IDs is relatively large, but the spending amount is low. The engagement score is also fairly high. Therefore, there is no need to discontinue using service_b. • service_c: The number of user IDs and spending amount are low, and the engagement score is also low. Therefore, service_c should be canceled as soon as possible. • service_d: The number of user IDs is small, but the expenditure is large. This indicates that the service has a high cost per user. At the same time, the engagement score is also high. In other words, although the number of users of service_d is small, those users use it frequently, and it is not recommended to cancel the subscription. • service_e: Although it has a large number of user IDs and high spending, its engagement score is low. Therefore, from a cost reduction perspective, some or all of the user IDs for service_e should be canceled.

[0089] Furthermore, the screen shown in Figure 16 may also include boxes b1 and b2, similar to those shown in Figure 10.

[0090] Furthermore, in the display control step, services whose engagement score falls below a threshold may be displayed on user terminal 2. At this time, a message recommending cancellation (or consideration of cancellation) of the service may be displayed on user terminal 2. The threshold may also change based on at least one of the current account balance of the administrator managing user terminal 2 and the predicted future account balance of the administrator. Here, the administrator managing user terminal 2 may be a user of user terminal 2, or a person in charge of the organization (especially a company) to which the user belongs. If the administrator is a person in charge of a company, the threshold may be increased as the account balance managed in the business account increases. This is because a larger account balance allows for more payments to be made, while a smaller account balance makes it desirable to save as much as possible. This makes it easy to identify services with low cost performance, and costs can be reduced by canceling such services as needed.

[0091] As described above, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment provides an information processing method comprising an acquisition step, an access step, a identification step, and a display control step. This makes it possible for users to easily understand the amount they are paying for the services they are using.

[0092] 7. Other Embodiments <Show services used under your subscription agreement> In the identification step performed by the identification unit 13 in A3 of Figure 8, if there are multiple instances of the same provider name in the text information, the service used under the subscription contract and the payment amount for that service may be identified. Here, the provider name is the name of the person who provides the service. Such identification, for example, as shown in Figure 5, includes "Company A," which is the same provider name, for items identified with item numbers "2" and "3." In this case, for "service_a" provided by Company A, if the "date" included in the payment information is the 13th, the service corresponding to the payment on the 13th can be identified as a service used under the subscription contract. In this way, if the monthly billing date is fixed, the billing date can be stored in advance in the storage unit 30 or database 4 of the information processing system 1, and by referring to this billing date, it is possible to identify whether it is a service used under a subscription contract or a one-time payment such as one identified with item number "3."

[0093] Furthermore, in the display control step performed by the display control unit 14 in A4, the service name identified in the specific step and the payment amount for the service used under the subscription contract that corresponds to the identified service name may be displayed on the user terminal 2.

[0094] This allows all services used under a subscription agreement to be displayed together on user device 2, making it easier to visualize monthly or annual usage fees and predict future payment amounts.

[0095] <Indicate monthly or annual payment options> In the identification step performed by the identification unit 13 in A3 of Figure 8, it may be determined whether the payment amount for the service used is monthly or annual based on at least one of the payment amount and the frequency of acquisition of payment information. This means that it is possible to determine whether the payment amount is monthly or annual based on the size of the payment amount or the frequency of payment. Specifically, if the payment amount is greater than the product of the monthly "usage fee per user" and the "number of user IDs" for the service used, it can be determined that the payment amount for the service used is annual. Also, if payments occur for several consecutive months, it can be determined that the payment amount for the service used is annual. Alternatively, the user may operate the user terminal 2 and input whether each service used is monthly or annual into the information processing system 1.

[0096] This makes it possible to further improve the accuracy of predicting future payment amounts compared to cases where there is no distinction between monthly and annual payments.

[0097] <Other examples> In the screen including the engagement score shown in Figure 16, services whose contribution to ROI (Return on Investment) is below a predetermined value may be displayed. This makes it easier to identify services with relatively low cost-effectiveness. At this time, a message recommending cancellation (or consideration of cancellation) of services identified as having relatively low cost-effectiveness may be displayed on user terminal 2.

[0098] Furthermore, if multiple services used by a user or the organization to which the user belongs belong to the same category, those services may be presented. Alternatively, services belonging to the same category may be displayed in descending order of their engagement score. For example, if multiple services belong to the same category, a message recommending cancellation (or consideration of cancellation) of services that are used infrequently and / or have not been used at all for a certain period may be displayed on user terminal 2. Services that are used infrequently and / or have not been used at all for a certain period are services whose engagement score falls below a threshold.

[0099] This allows you to reduce expenses by, for example, canceling services that you use infrequently or that haven't been used at all for a certain period of time, among multiple services categorized as "chat."

[0100] Furthermore, the expenditure amounts shown in Figures 9 and 10, etc., may be displayed in multiple formats. For example, they may be displayed in a so-called "cash flow basis," showing the actual expenditure amount as is. Alternatively, they may be displayed in a so-called "P / L basis," showing the actual expenditure amount prorated according to the payment period (e.g., divided into 12 parts).

[0101] Additionally, the amount of savings that can be achieved by canceling the accounts of user IDs may be displayed, based on the cost per user (see Figure 4) and the number of user IDs that have not accessed the service for a predetermined period of time. Specifically, "Amount of savings = Cost per user × Number of user IDs that have not accessed the service for a predetermined period of time." The number of user IDs that have not accessed the service for a predetermined period of time can be calculated at the same time as calculating the engagement score (see Figure 16).

[0102] Alternatively, data obtained as payment information in various formats, such as information on receipts, invoices, email titles and bodies, or information manually entered by users, can be compiled and managed in a spreadsheet format.

[0103] [others] Furthermore, they may be provided in the following embodiments.

[0104] (1) A computer-based information processing method comprising: an acquisition step; an access step; an identification step; and a display control step, wherein the acquisition step acquires payment information for a service being used, the payment information includes a payment amount and text information corresponding to the payment amount; the access step accesses a database storing a plurality of service names; the identification step identifies a service name corresponding to the text information from among the plurality of service names stored in the accessed database; and the display control step causes the identified service name and the payment amount for the service being used corresponding to the identified service name to be displayed on a user terminal.

[0105] (2) The method according to (1) above, comprising a reception step, wherein the payment information relates to a plurality of services used, the payment information includes a plurality of payment amounts and a plurality of text information corresponding to each of the plurality of payment amounts, the identification step identifies a plurality of service names corresponding to each of the plurality of text information from among the plurality of service names stored in the accessed database, the reception step accepts the selection of one service name from the identified plurality of service names from the user terminal, and the display control step displays the accepted service name and the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the accepted service name on the user terminal.

[0106] (3) The method according to (2) above, wherein the display control step involves displaying a graph on the user terminal that visualizes the payment amount in chronological order.

[0107] (4) In the method described in (3) above, the graph is represented in at least one of the following ways: (1) visualizing the total amount of payments for the multiple services used in a time series; (2) visualizing the multiple services used in a distinguishable manner; (3) visualizing the service used selected by the user terminal from among the multiple services used.

[0108] (5) A method according to any one of the above items (1) to (4), wherein the display control step displays a selection image on the user terminal that allows the user to select to perform an integrated process for the service being used, and the integrated process is a process that makes it possible to obtain from the service system that provides the service the number of user IDs associated with the service being used and the payment amount.

[0109] (6) The method according to (5) above, wherein in the acquisition step, after the integration process is performed, the number of user IDs associated with the service being used and the payment amount are acquired, and in the display control step, the identified service name, the payment amount for the service being used corresponding to the identified service name and the number of user IDs are displayed on the user terminal.

[0110] (7) The method according to (6) above, comprising a calculation step, wherein in the acquisition step, after the integration process is performed, account information relating to an account using the service is acquired, the account information is information that links the user ID and information relating to the organization to which the user of the user ID belongs, and in the calculation step, at least one of the following (1) and (2) is calculated based on the number of acquired user IDs, the payment amount for the service corresponding to the identified service name, and the account information: (1) the payment amount per user; (2) the total amount of payments made by a particular user or a particular organization from the past to the present.

[0111] (8) The method according to (6) or (7) above, comprising a calculation step, wherein the calculation step calculates an engagement score based on the frequency of access to the service being used and the number of user IDs, the engagement score being such that when the service is accessed at a first time point in time, it is a higher score than when the service is accessed at a second time point in time, the second time point being a time point earlier than the first time point, and the display control step displays the identified service name, the payment amount for the service being used corresponding to the identified service name, the number of user IDs, and the engagement score on the user terminal.

[0112] (9) The method according to (8) above, wherein the display control step causes the user terminal to display the service being used for which the engagement score is below a threshold, and the threshold changes based on at least one of the current account balance of the administrator managing the user terminal and the predicted future account balance of the administrator.

[0113] (10) A method according to any one of the above items (5) to (9), wherein the database stores a fee per user for each of the multiple service names, and in the calculation step, if the integration process is not performed, the number of user IDs is calculated based on the payment amount and the fees stored in the database.

[0114] (11) A method according to any one of the above items (5) to (10), comprising a calculation step, wherein the calculation step calculates the number of user IDs based on the access history of the service used over a predetermined period.

[0115] (12) A method according to any one of the above items (1) to (11), comprising a identification step, wherein if there are multiple instances of the same provider name in the text information, the identification step identifies the service used in the subscription contract and the payment amount for the service used in the subscription contract, the provider name being the name of the person providing the service, and the display control step causing the user terminal to display the identified service name and the payment amount for the service used in the subscription contract that corresponds to the identified service name.

[0116] (13) A method according to any one of the above items (1) to (12), comprising a specific step, wherein the specific step determines whether the payment amount for the service used is monthly or annual, based on at least one of the payment amount and the frequency of acquisition of the payment information.

[0117] (14) A method according to any one of the above items (1) to (13), wherein the database stores category information indicating the type of service for each of the plurality of service names, and in the display control step, the user terminal is made to display the identified service names according to the categories identified by the category information.

[0118] (15) A program that causes at least one computer to perform each step of the information processing method described in (1) to (14) above.

[0119] (16) A system comprising at least one device, the system comprising at least one processor capable of executing a program such that each step of the information processing method described in (1) to (14) above is performed. Of course, this is not always the case.

[0120] Finally, various embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 1: Information Processing System 2: User terminal 3: Accounting System 4: Database 5: Service System 10: Control Unit 11: Acquisition part 12: Access section 13: Specific part 14: Display Control Unit 15: Reception Department 16: Calculation section 20: Communications Department 30: Storage section 40: Input section 50:Display section 100: System NW: Network OI: Output icon PDI: Dropdown icon a: bubble b: bubble c: Bubble d: Bubble e: bubble b1: Box b2: Box Ia: Selected image Ib: Selected image Ic: Selected image ID: Selected Image Ie: Selected image r1 : area r2: area r3: area

Claims

1. A method of information processing performed by a computer, It comprises an acquisition step, an access step, a identification step, and a display control step, In the acquisition step described above, payment information for the service being used is acquired. The payment information includes the payment amount and text information corresponding to the payment amount. In the aforementioned access step, a database that stores multiple service names is accessed, In the aforementioned specific step, the service name corresponding to the text information is identified from among the multiple service names stored in the accessed database. In the display control step, the identified service name and the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name are displayed on the user terminal. In the display control step, a selection image is displayed on the user terminal to allow the user to choose whether or not to perform integration processing with an external service system that provides the service corresponding to the identified service name. The aforementioned integration process is performed in response to user actions on the selected image and involves configuring settings to enable the acquisition of information from the service system in the subsequent information acquisition process. In the subsequent information acquisition process, the number of user IDs associated with the service being used and the payment amount are acquired through communication with the service system. method.

2. In the method according to claim 1, Equipped with a reception step, The aforementioned payment information pertains to multiple services used, The payment information includes multiple payment amounts and multiple text information corresponding to each of the multiple payment amounts, In the aforementioned specific step, from among the multiple service names stored in the accessed database, multiple service names corresponding to each of the multiple pieces of text information are identified. In the aforementioned reception step, the user terminal receives the selection of one service name from the specified multiple service names. In the display control step, the received service name and the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the received service name are displayed on the user terminal. method.

3. In the method of claim 2, In the display control step, a graph visualizing the payment amount over time is displayed on the user terminal. method.

4. In the method according to claim 3, The graph is represented in at least one of the following ways (1) to (3): (1) Visualize the total amount of payments for the multiple services used in chronological order. (2) Visualize the multiple services used in a way that makes them distinguishable. (3) Visualize the service selected by the user terminal from among the multiple services used. method.

5. In the method according to claim 1, In the acquisition step, after the integration process is executed, the number of user IDs associated with the service used and the payment amount are acquired. In the display control step, the identified service name, the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name, and the number of user IDs are displayed on the user terminal. method.

6. In the method according to claim 5, With a calculation step, In the acquisition step, after the integration process is performed, account information relating to the account using the service is acquired. The aforementioned account information is information that links the user ID with information about the organization to which the user of the user ID belongs. In the calculation step, at least one of the following (1) and (2) is calculated based on the number of user IDs obtained, the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name, and the account information: (1) Payment amount per user (2) The total amount of payments made by a specific user or organization from the past to the present. method.

7. In the method according to claim 5, With a calculation step, In the calculation step described above, an engagement score is calculated based on the frequency of access to the service being used and the number of user IDs. The engagement score is such that when the user accesses the service at the first time point, the score is higher than when the user accesses the service at the second time point. The second point in time is a point in time earlier than the first point in time. In the display control step, the identified service name, the payment amount for the service used corresponding to the identified service name, the number of user IDs, and the engagement score are displayed on the user terminal. method.

8. In the method according to claim 7, In the display control step, the service being used whose engagement score falls below a threshold is displayed on the user terminal. The threshold changes based on at least one of the current account balance of the administrator managing the user terminal and the predicted future account balance of the administrator. method.

9. In the method according to claim 1, The aforementioned database stores the per-user fee for each of the multiple service names. In the calculation step, if the integration process is not performed, the number of user IDs is calculated based on the payment amount and the charges stored in the database. method.

10. In the method according to claim 1, With a calculation step, In the calculation step, the number of user IDs is calculated based on the access history to the service used during a predetermined period. method.

11. In the method according to claim 1, The second specific step is provided, In the second identification step, if the same provider name exists multiple times in the text information, the service used in the subscription agreement and the payment amount for the service used in the subscription agreement are identified. The provider name is the name of the person who provides the service. In the display control step, the identified service name and the payment amount for the service used in the subscription agreement, which corresponds to the identified service name, are displayed on the user terminal. method.

12. In the method according to claim 1, It includes a third specific step, In the third identification step, the payment amount for the service used is determined to be monthly or annual, based on at least one of the payment amount and the frequency of obtaining the payment information. method.

13. In the method according to claim 1, The database stores category information indicating the type of service for each of the multiple service names. In the display control step, the user terminal is made to display the identified service names according to the categories identified by the category information. method.

14. It is a program, To cause at least one computer to perform each step of the information processing method described in claims 1 to 13, program.

15. A system consisting of at least one device, The system comprises at least one processor capable of executing a program so that each step of the information processing method described in claims 1 to 13 is performed. system.

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