Remote customer service system and remote customer service method

Abstract

To remotely dealing with customers while reducing customers' labor and suppressing sales opportunity loss.SOLUTION: A remote customer dealing system holds condition information indicating a condition regarding a detection value obtained by a sensor that detects motion of a customer with respect to a production arranged in a facility, and shop staff information indicating a shop in which staff who can deal with a customer for the product is arranged, acquires a detection value obtained by the sensor, creates a customer dealing request when determining that the acquired detection value satisfies the condition, transmits the customer dealing request to a computer arranged in the shop indicated by the shop staff information, and performs remote communication between the computer having received the customer dealing request and a computer arranged in the facility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote customer service system and a remote customer service method.

Background Art

[0002] As the background art in this technical field, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-79269 (Patent Document 1). This publication states that "the remote customer service program causes a computer to execute a process of receiving, from a customer's terminal, input or selection of information identifying a product and information identifying a region where use of the product is planned. The remote customer service program causes a computer to execute a process of identifying a salesperson related to the region who handles the product. Further, the remote customer service program causes a computer to execute a process of causing communication to occur between the terminal of the selected salesperson and the terminal of the customer." (See the abstract).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary for a customer to input or select information about a product in which the customer is interested on a terminal, it is troublesome for the customer. Further, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, if a customer who has picked up a product in which the customer is interested dislikes the above-mentioned trouble and does not perform input or selection on the terminal, customer service by a store clerk at a store in a remote location does not start, so there is a risk of loss of sales opportunities.

[0005] Therefore, one aspect of the present invention realizes remote customer service that reduces the customer's trouble and suppresses loss of sales opportunities.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention adopts the following configuration. The remote customer service system includes a sensor processing unit that holds condition information indicating conditions for detection values ​​by a sensor that detects customer actions toward products placed in a facility, and employee information indicating stores where employees capable of providing customer service for the products are located, and acquires the detection values ​​by the sensor and generates a customer service request when it is determined that the acquired detection values ​​satisfy the conditions; a customer service management unit that transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store indicated by the employee information; and a remote communication unit that performs remote communication between the computer that received the customer service request and a computer located in the facility. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize remote customer service that reduces the effort required from customers and suppresses the loss of sales opportunities.

[0008] Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the remote customer service system in Example 1. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the customer service management server in Example 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the terminal configuration in Example 1. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example of the robot configuration in Example 1. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the employee management table in Example 1. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the customer service request condition management table in Example 1. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the sample product management table in Example 1. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the data structure of the employee image table in Example 1. [Figure 9] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall processing of the remote customer service system in Example 1. [Figure 10] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall processing of the remote customer service system in Example 1. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of detailed processing by the terminal in Example 1. [Figure 12] This flowchart shows an example of detailed processing by the customer service management server in Example 1. [Figure 13] This flowchart shows an example of detailed processing by the robot in Example 1. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of the screen configuration for the staff waiting status screen in Example 1. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of the screen configuration of the customer service request screen in Example 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for identical components, and repeated descriptions are omitted. It should be noted that this embodiment is merely one example for realizing the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. [Examples]

[0011] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a remote customer service system. In this embodiment, the participating company has one or more stores with staff (in this embodiment, there are two stores, Store A and Store B). Furthermore, in this embodiment, shopThe enterprise arranges sample products in one or more facilities that are different from the one or more stores and where no store employees are deployed, but where remote customer service by the store employees deployed in the one or more stores is possible (in this embodiment, it is assumed to be one commercial facility). That is, the employees in Store A and Store B explain products face-to-face to customers who visit the store and also provide remote customer service to customers who visit the commercial facility.

[0012] The remote customer service system includes, for example, a customer service management server 1, a terminal 2, robots 3a and 3b, sensors 11a and 11b, sample products 12a, and sample products 12b. The customer service management server 1, the terminal 2, the robots 3a, and the robots 3b are connected by a network 5 such as the Internet, for example.

[0013] The customer service management server 1 executes mediation processing for executing remote customer service between a customer in the commercial facility where the terminal 2 is deployed and a store employee in the store where the robots 3a or 3b are deployed.

[0014] In the commercial facility, a terminal 2, sensors 11a and 11b, sample products 12a, and sample products 12b are arranged. Note that in the commercial facility, it is sufficient to arrange one or more sample products and sensors corresponding to the one or more sample products. In this embodiment, an example where two sample products and two sensors are arranged will be described.

[0015] The sensor 11a is a sensor for detecting information for inferring whether a customer in the commercial facility has taken an action indicating a desire to receive an explanation of the sample product 12a. Similarly, the sensor 11b is a sensor for detecting information for inferring whether a customer in the commercial facility has taken an action indicating a desire to receive an explanation of the sample product 12b. A robot is arranged in each store. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the robot 3a is arranged in Store A and the robot 3b is arranged in Store B.

[0016] When terminal 2 infers that a customer in a commercial facility has taken an action that indicates they wish to receive an explanation of sample product 12a or sample product 12b, it sends a customer service request to robot 3a and / or robot 3b via customer service management server 1. Using terminal 2 and robot 3a or robot 3b, remote customer service is realized between the customer in the commercial facility and the store clerk in the store where robot 3a or robot 3b is deployed.

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the customer service management server 1. The customer service management server 1 is composed of a computer having, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, memory 102, auxiliary storage device 103, communication device 104, input device 105, and output device 106.

[0018] The CPU 101 includes a processor and executes programs stored in memory 102. Memory 102 includes non-volatile memory elements such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and volatile memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory). ROM stores immutable programs (e.g., BIOS (Basic Input / Output System)). RAM is a high-speed, volatile memory element such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and data used during program execution.

[0019] The auxiliary storage device 103 is a high-capacity, non-volatile storage device such as a magnetic storage device (HDD (Hard Disk Drive)) or flash memory (SSD (Solid State Drive)), and stores the program executed by the CPU 101 and the data used when the program is executed. In other words, the program is read from the auxiliary storage device 103, loaded into memory 102, and executed by the CPU 101.

[0020] The input device 105 is a device that receives input from the operator, such as a keyboard or mouse. The output device 106 is a device that outputs the program execution results in a format that the operator can see, such as a display device or printer.

[0021] The communication device 104 is a network interface device that controls communication with other devices according to a predetermined protocol. The communication device 104 may also include a serial interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0022] Some or all of the program executed by the CPU 101 may be provided to the customer service management server 1 via the network from a removable media (such as a CD-ROM or flash memory) or an external computer equipped with a non-temporary storage device, and stored in the non-volatile auxiliary storage device 103, which is also a non-temporary storage device. For this reason, the customer service management server 1 should have an interface for reading data from the removable media. The same applies to terminal 2, robot 3a, and robot 3b.

[0023] The customer service management server 1 is a computer system that operates on a single physical computer or on multiple logically or physically configured computers. It may operate on the same computer in separate threads, or it may operate on a virtual computer built on multiple physical computer resources. The same applies to terminal 2, robot 3a, and robot 3b.

[0024] The CPU 101 includes, for example, a customer service management unit 111. The customer service management unit 111 controls the processing for performing remote customer service between the terminal 2 and robots 3a and 3b.

[0025] For example, the CPU 101 functions as a customer service management unit 111 by operating according to the customer service program loaded into memory 102. The relationship between the program and the functional units described later is the same for the CPU 201 of terminal 2, which will be described later, and the CPU 301 of robots 3a and 3b, which will be described later.

[0026] Furthermore, some or all of the functions provided by the functional units included in CPU 101, CPU 201 of terminal 2, and CPU 301 of robots 3a and 3b may be implemented by hardware such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0027] The auxiliary storage device 103 holds, for example, a staff management table 121. The staff management table 121 holds information indicating the products that staff members at each store can explain and their skills related to explaining (customer service for) those products.

[0028] Furthermore, some or all of the information stored in the auxiliary storage device 103, the auxiliary storage device 203 of terminal 2 (described later), and the auxiliary storage devices 303 of robots 3a and 3b (described later) may be stored in memory 102, memory 202, and memory 302, respectively, or they may be stored in an external database.

[0029] In this embodiment, the information used by the remote customer service system is not dependent on the data structure and may be represented in any data structure. In this embodiment, the information is represented in a table format, but for example, a data structure appropriately selected from a list, database, or queue can store the information.

[0030] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of terminal 2. Terminal 2 is composed of a computer having, for example, a CPU 201, memory 202, auxiliary storage device 203, communication device 204, input device 205, and output device 206.

[0031] The hardware descriptions of CPU 201, memory 202, auxiliary storage device 203, communication device 204, input device 205, and output device 206 are the same as the hardware descriptions of CPU 101, memory 102, auxiliary storage device 103, communication device 104, input device 105, and output device 106, and are therefore omitted. Note that for customers of a commercial facility to receive remote customer service, input device 205 may further include a camera and microphone, and output device 206 may further include a speaker.

[0032] The CPU 201 includes, for example, a sensor input processing unit 211 and a remote communication unit 212. The sensor input processing unit 211 infers, based on the values ​​detected by sensors 11a and 11b, whether a customer in the commercial facility has taken action indicating a desire to receive an explanation of sample products 12a and 12b (i.e., whether they are requesting customer service). The remote communication unit 212 performs processing to realize remote communication with store employees using robots 3a and 3b.

[0033] The auxiliary storage device 203 holds, for example, a customer service request condition management table 221 and a sample product management table 222. The customer service request condition management table 221 holds information indicating customer service request conditions (for example, conditions for determining that a customer in a commercial facility has taken an action that indicates they wish to receive an explanation of sample product 12a and sample product 12b). The sample product management table 222 holds information for managing sample products placed in the commercial facility and sensors corresponding to those sample products.

[0034] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of robot 3a. The example configuration of robot 3b is the same as that of robot 3a, so its explanation is omitted. Robot 3a includes, for example, a computer mechanism having a CPU 301, memory 302, auxiliary storage device 303, communication device 304, input device 305, and output device 306, and a mobile mechanism 307. The hardware descriptions of the CPU 301, memory 302, auxiliary storage device 303, communication device 304, input device 305, and output device 306 are the same as the hardware descriptions of the CPU 101, memory 102, auxiliary storage device 103, communication device 104, input device 105, and output device 106, so they are omitted. In addition, for store clerks to provide remote customer service, the input device 305 may further include a camera and microphone, and the output device 306 may further include a speaker. The camera is also used for recognizing store clerks, as described later.

[0035] The CPU 301 includes, for example, a customer service request processing unit 311, a movement control unit 312, and a remote communication unit 313. The customer service request processing unit 311 performs processing for customer service requests and notifications of waiting staff, which will be described later. The movement control unit 312 performs processing to control the movement mechanism 307 in order to move the robot 3a. The remote communication unit 313 performs processing to realize remote communication with customers of the commercial facility using terminal 2.

[0036] The auxiliary storage device 303 holds, for example, a store employee image table 321. The store employee image table 321 holds information indicating images of store employees working at the store where the robot is deployed. The movement mechanism 307 includes, for example, a mechanism for the robot 3a to move, such as wheels, crawlers, or motors.

[0037] Figure 5 shows an example of the data structure of the employee management table 121. The employee management table 121 includes, for example, a store ID column 1211, an employee ID column 1212, a explainable product ID column 1213, and a skill column 1214. The store ID column 1211 holds a store ID that identifies the store. The employee ID column 1212 holds an employee ID that identifies the employee. The explainable product ID column 1213 holds product IDs that can be explained by the employee at the store. The skill column 1214 holds an index value indicating the skills (e.g., explanation skills) that the employee at the store possesses for the explainable product.

[0038] Figure 6 shows an example of the data structure of the customer service request condition management table 221. The customer service request condition management table 221 includes, for example, a time column 2211 and a count of reaching column 2212. The time column 2211 indicates the conditions related to the time for which a customer service request is sent. The count of reaching column 2212 indicates the conditions related to the number of times the customer reached for the sample product for a customer service request to be sent. For example, if sensors 11a and 11b are cameras, the sensor input processing unit 211 can use the images captured by the cameras to determine the time and the number of times the customer reached for the sample product 12a and sample product 12b. Furthermore, for example, if sensors 11a and 11b are 3D LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors, the sensor input processing unit 211 can use the detection results of objects passing in front of the shelf on which the sample products 12a and 12b are placed, obtained by the 3D LiDAR sensors, to determine the time and number of times the customer reached for the sample products 12a and 12b.

[0039] In the customer service request condition management table 221 in Figure 6, the condition for sending a customer service request is that the customer reaches for the sample product three times in 10 seconds. The customer service request condition management table 221 may also include a product ID column for the sample product; that is, conditions may be defined for each product ID in the customer service request condition management table 221.

[0040] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 6, the customer service requirement management table 221 shows conditions related to time and conditions related to the number of times the hand is reached out. However, only one of the conditions related to time or the number of times the hand is reached out may be used (for example, the customer holds the sample product for 3 seconds or more, or the customer reaches out for the sample product), or there may be conditions based on indicators other than time or the number of times the hand is reached out (for example, the customer in the commercial facility enters information that identifies the sample product they want to be explained about (for example, product ID) into the input device 205 of terminal 2).

[0041] Figure 7 shows an example of the data structure of the sample product management table 222. The sample product management table 222 includes, for example, a product ID column 2221 and a sensor ID column 2222. The product ID column 2221 holds the product ID of the sample product placed in the commercial facility. The sensor ID column 2222 holds the sensor ID of the sensor corresponding to the sample product (i.e., the sensor that detects customer actions that trigger a customer service request for the sample product).

[0042] Figure 8 shows an example of the data structure of the employee image table 321. The employee image table 321 includes, for example, an employee ID column 3211 and an image column 3212. The employee ID column 3211 holds the employee ID of the employee at the store where the robot holding the employee image table 321 is installed. The image column 3212 holds image data such as the face of the employee.

[0043] Figures 9 and 10 are sequence diagrams illustrating an example of the overall processing of a remote customer service system. Figure 9 shows an example where no staff waiting state occurred, while Figure 10 shows an example where a staff waiting state occurred. Figures 9 and 10 provide an overview of the overall processing (some processes are omitted), and detailed processing by each device will be explained using Figures 10 to 12. First, let's explain Figure 9.

[0044] The sensor input processing unit 211 of terminal 2 detects that the conditions for a customer service request have been met in the commercial facility where terminal 2 is installed (S201). The sensor input processing unit 211 sends the customer service request to the customer service management server 1 (S202). The customer service management unit 111 of the customer service management server 1 is activated (S203), and the customer service management unit 111 selects a robot to send the customer service request to (i.e., a robot placed in a store with staff capable of providing remote customer service) (in the example in Figure 9, at least robot 3a is assumed to be selected), and sends the customer service request to the selected robot (S204).

[0045] Upon receiving a customer service request, the customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3a executes the customer service request processing (S205). In the example in Figure 9, it is assumed that store A, where robot 3a is located, has an employee capable of providing remote customer service to customers in the commercial facility. The customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3a sends a customer service OK response to the customer service management server 1 (S206).

[0046] The customer service management unit 111 of the customer service management server 1 sends the received customer service OK response to the terminal 2 that sent the customer service request (S207). The robot 3a that sent the customer service OK response activates the remote communication unit 313 (S208), and the remote communication unit 313 sends a remote communication start request message to the terminal 2 that sent the customer service request (S209).

[0047] Upon receiving the remote communication start request message, terminal 2 activates its remote communication unit 212 (S210) and sends a remote communication OK response to robot 3a, which sent the remote communication start request message (S211). Subsequently, remote customer service is performed using terminal 2 and robot 3a. Upon completion of the remote customer service, the remote communication unit 212 of terminal 2 is shut down (S212), and the remote communication unit 313 of robot 3a is shut down (S213).

[0048] Next, let's explain Figure 10. First, steps S201 to S205 are processed. In the example in Figure 10, the customer service management unit 111 selects robots 3a and 3b as robots to send customer service requests (i.e., robots placed in stores with employees capable of providing remote customer service). Furthermore, the customer service management unit 111 determines that robot 3a has a higher priority for sending customer service requests than robot 3b, and therefore sends the customer service request to robot 3a first.

[0049] In the example shown in Figure 10, the customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3a determines that there are no staff members capable of providing remote customer service in store A where robot 3a is located (for example, because they are currently serving a customer in store A), and therefore sends a customer service NG response to the customer service management server 1 (S236). Upon receiving the customer service NG response from robot 3a, the customer service management unit 111 of the customer service management server 1 sends a customer service request to robot 3b, which has the next highest priority after robot 3a (S237).

[0050] Upon receiving a customer service request, the customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3b executes the customer service request processing (S238). The customer service request processing in step S238 is the same as the customer service request processing in step S205. In the example in Figure 10, the customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3b determines that there are no staff members capable of providing remote customer service in store B where robot 3b is located who are available to provide customer service (for example, because they are currently serving a customer in store B), and therefore sends a customer service NG response to the customer service management server 1 (S239).

[0051] The customer service management unit 111 receives a "customer service NG" response from all selected robots, and therefore sends a "waiting for staff" notification to the robot 3a with the highest priority (S240). The customer service request processing unit 311 and the movement control unit 312 of robot 3a, which received the "waiting for staff" notification, execute the processing required in the "waiting for staff" state (S241). After executing the processing required in the "waiting for staff" state, the customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3a sends a "waiting for staff OK" response to the customer service management server 1 (S242). The customer service management unit 111 of the customer service management server 1, which received the "waiting for staff OK" response, sends a "waiting for staff" notification to the terminal 2 that sent the customer service request (S243).

[0052] When the customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3a, which has sent a "waiting for staff OK" response, recognizes that a staff member capable of providing remote customer service at store A has become available to serve customers, robot 3a activates the remote communication unit 313 (S244). Subsequently, the processes in steps S209 to S213 are executed.

[0053] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing by terminal 2. The sensor input processing unit 211 receives sensor values ​​from sensor 11a and sensor 11b and determines that at least one of the sensor values ​​from sensor 11a and sensor 11b satisfies the conditions indicated in the customer service request condition management table 221 (S301). Specifically, the sensor input processing unit 211 determines, based on the received sensor values, that the number of times the customer service request condition management table 221 has reached out has occurred within the time indicated in the customer service request condition management table 221. The processing in step S301 corresponds to the processing in step S201.

[0054] The sensor input processing unit 211 identifies the product ID of the sample product corresponding to the sensor that detected a sensor value satisfying the conditions indicated in the customer service request condition management table 221 by referring to the sample product management table 222, and sends a customer service request including the identified product ID and the commercial facility ID to the customer service management server 1 (S302). The commercial facility ID is assumed to be registered in terminal 2 in advance. The processing in step S302 corresponds to the processing in step S202.

[0055] The sensor input processing unit 211 determines whether it has received a remote communication start request message from any of the robots (S303). If the sensor input processing unit 211 determines that it has received a remote communication start request message from any of the robots (S303: Yes), the remote communication unit 212 is activated (S304). The processing in step S304 corresponds to the processing in step S210.

[0056] The remote communication unit 212 sends a remote communication OK response to the robot that sent the remote communication start request message (S305). The processing in step S305 corresponds to the processing in step S211. The remote communication unit 212 executes the remote communication processing (S306). Specifically, for example, the remote communication unit 212 controls the camera and microphone included in the input device 205, and the speaker included in the output device 206, etc., to realize a video call function, etc., between the store clerk using the robot and the customer using terminal 2, thereby realizing remote communication.

[0057] Upon the completion of customer service, the remote communication unit 212 is terminated (S307), and processing by terminal 2 ends. This termination may occur, for example, when a customer in a commercial facility inputs a customer service completion instruction using the input device 205 of terminal 2, or when an employee of the store where the robot is deployed inputs a customer service completion instruction using the robot's input device 305. The processing in step S307 corresponds to the processing in step S212.

[0058] If the sensor input processing unit 211 determines that it has not received a remote communication start request message from any of the robots (S303: No), it determines whether it has received a notification that it is waiting for a store clerk from any of the robots (S308). If the sensor input processing unit 211 determines that it has not received a notification that it is waiting for a store clerk from any of the robots (S308: No), it returns to step S303.

[0059] If the sensor input processing unit 211 determines that it has received a notification from any robot that a store clerk is waiting (S308: Yes), it displays the store clerk waiting status screen on the display included in the output device 206 (S309) and returns to step S303. The store clerk waiting status screen displays messages such as, for example, a message indicating that a store clerk at a remote store can explain (provide customer service) to a sample product that a customer in the commercial facility has picked up, or a message indicating that the store clerk is currently serving a customer and the customer should wait for service.

[0060] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of detailed processing by the customer service management server 1. When the customer service management server 1 receives a customer service request from terminal 2, it activates the customer service management unit 111 (S401). The customer service management unit 111 retrieves a record from the employee management table 121 that contains the product ID included in the customer service request as an explainable product ID, and identifies the store ID, employee ID, and skills of the employee indicated by that record (S402).

[0061] The customer service management unit 111 identifies the unselected staff members from among those identified in step S402, identifies the store ID and staff member ID of the staff member with the highest skill level among those unselected staff members, and sends a customer service request including the staff member ID to the robot installed in the store indicated by the store ID (S403). The processing in step S403 corresponds to the processing in step S204 and step S237.

[0062] The customer service management unit 111 determines whether it has received a customer service OK response from the robot as a reply to the customer service request sent in the most recent step S403 (S404). The customer service management unit 111 determines that the reply is "Customer service OK". response If it is determined that the message has been received (S404: Yes), a customer service OK response is sent to terminal 2, which sent the customer service request in step S401 (S405), and processing by the customer service management server 1 is terminated. Note that the processing in step S405 corresponds to the processing in step S207.

[0063] If the customer service management unit 111 determines that the message received as a reply is not a customer service OK response (i.e., a customer service NG response was received) (S404: No), it determines whether there are any unselected staff members among those identified in step S402 (S406). If the customer service management unit 111 determines that there are unselected staff members (S406: Yes), it returns to step S403.

[0064] If the customer service management unit 111 determines that there are no unselected staff members (S406: No), it identifies the store ID and staff member ID of the staff member with the highest skill level among those identified in step S402, and sends a staff member waiting notification, including the staff member ID, to the robot installed in the store indicated by that store ID (S407). The processing in step S407 corresponds to the processing in step S240.

[0065] When the customer service management unit 111 receives an OK response from the robot as a reply to the customer service waiting notification, it sends a customer service waiting notification to the terminal 2 that sent the customer service request in step S401 (S408), and terminates processing by the customer service management server 1. The processing in step S408 corresponds to the processing in step S243.

[0066] Furthermore, the customer service management department 111 does not need to consider skills in steps S403 and S407. Specifically, for example, in steps S403 and S407, the customer service management department 111 may randomly select an employee from those identified in step S402 (however, in step S403, the condition of selecting an unselected employee is also added).

[0067] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 12, the customer service management unit 111 performs selection processing on an employee basis in step S403, but it may also perform selection processing on a store basis. Specifically, for example, in step S403, the customer service management unit 111 may identify the stores where the employee identified in step S402 is located and the number of employees of that employee in those stores, select the store that is not yet selected and has the largest number of employees, and send a customer service request to the robot stationed in the selected store, including the employee ID and skills of the employee identified in step S402 who is stationed in that store. In this case, in step S406, the customer service management unit 111 determines whether there are any unselected stores among the identified stores. Also, in this case, the robot that receives the customer service request determines in steps S503 and S504, described later, whether the target employees are currently serving customers in order of the skill level indicated by the customer service request, and proceeds to step S511 only if all target employees are currently serving customers.

[0068] Furthermore, in step S407, the customer service management unit 111 may send a notification of waiting for staff to the robot located in the store with the largest number of staff members identified in step S402.

[0069] Furthermore, in step S403, the customer service management unit 111 may send a customer service request, including the employee ID and skills of the employee identified in step S402, to all robots stationed in the store where the employee identified in step S402 is located. In this case, the robot that sends the "Customer Service OK" response first will perform customer service via remote communication (at this time, if the "Customer Service OK" response is also sent to other robots, it can be recognized that remote communication by those other robots is unnecessary). Also, in this case, the robots that receive the customer service request will determine in steps S503 and S504, described later, whether the target employee is currently serving a customer in order of the skill level indicated by the customer service request, and will proceed to step S511 only if all target employees are currently serving a customer.

[0070] Furthermore, in step S403, the customer service management unit 111 may send a notification to all robots stationed in the store where the employee identified in step S402 is working, including the employee ID of the employee with the highest skill level among those identified in step S402. In this case, the robot that sends the remote communication start request message first will perform customer service via remote communication (at this time, if the remote communication start request message is also sent to other robots, it can be recognized that remote communication by those other robots is unnecessary).

[0071] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing performed by robot 3a. Since robot 3b performs the same processing as robot 3a, a detailed explanation of robot 3b's processing is omitted.

[0072] The customer service request processing unit 311 of robot 3a receives a message from the customer service management server 1 (S501). The customer service request processing unit 311 determines whether the message received in step S501 is a customer service request or a notification that the customer is waiting for a staff member (S502).

[0073] If the customer service request processing unit 311 determines that the message received in step S501 is a customer service request (S502: customer service request), the movement control unit 312 controls the movement mechanism 307 to move the robot 3a to the vicinity of the employee (target employee) whose employee ID is included in the customer service request (S503).

[0074] Specifically, for example, the customer service request processing unit 311 obtains an image of the employee ID indicated by the customer service request from the employee image table 321, and the movement control unit 312 but Robot 3a of While the robot is moving, the system performs person recognition using the image captured by the camera included in the input device 305. If it determines that the captured image contains the person in the acquired image, the movement control unit 312 stops the movement. Alternatively, for example, each store employee may have a tag, and the movement control unit 312 may move the robot 3a to the tag corresponding to the employee ID indicated by the customer service request.

[0075] The customer service request processing unit 311 determines whether the target employee is currently serving a customer (S504). Specifically, for example, the customer service request processing unit 311 takes an image including the target employee using the camera included in the input device 305. If the image includes a person other than the person shown in the image included in the employee image table 321 (i.e., if a person (customer) other than the employee of the store is also shown in the image), it determines that the target employee is currently serving a customer. If the image does not include a person other than the person shown in the image included in the employee image table 321, it determines that the target employee is not currently serving a customer.

[0076] If the customer service request processing unit 311 determines that the target employee is not currently serving a customer (S504: No), it displays the customer service request screen on the display included in the output device 306 (S505). The customer service request screen also indicates that there is a customer service request from a remote location (commercial facility). For example, the customer service request sent from terminal 2 via customer service management server 1 may include a commercial facility ID or a sample product ID, and in this case, the commercial facility ID or product ID may be displayed on the customer service request screen. The processing in steps S503 to S505 corresponds to the processing in step S205.

[0077] The customer service request processing unit 311 sends a customer service OK response to the customer service management server 1 (S506). The processing in step S506 corresponds to the processing in step S206. The robot 3a activates the remote communication unit 313 (S507), and the remote communication unit 313 sends a remote communication OK response to the terminal 2 that sent the customer service request (S508). The processing in step S507 corresponds to the processing in step S208 and part of the processing in step S244, and the processing in step S508 corresponds to the processing in step S209.

[0078] The remote communication unit 313 performs remote communication processing (S509). Specifically, for example, the remote communication unit 313 controls the camera and microphone included in the input device 305, and the speaker included in the output device 306, etc., to realize a video call function between the store clerk using the robot 3a and the customer using the terminal 2, thereby realizing remote communication.

[0079] Upon the completion of customer service, the remote communication unit 313 is terminated (S510), and processing by robot 3a ends. This trigger may include, for example, a customer in a commercial facility inputting a customer service completion instruction using the input device 205 of terminal 2, or an employee in a store where robot 3a is deployed inputting a customer service completion instruction using the robot's input device 305. The processing in step S510 corresponds to the processing in step S213.

[0080] If the customer service request processing unit 311 determines that the target employee is currently serving a customer (S504: Yes), it sends a customer service NG response to the customer service management server 1 (S511), and the processing by the robot 3a ends. The processing in step S511 corresponds to the processing in step S236.

[0081] If the customer service request processing unit 311 determines that the message received in step S501 is a notification of waiting for a staff member (S502: Staff member waiting notification), it sends a staff member waiting OK response to the customer service management server 1 (S512). The processing in step S512 corresponds to the processing in step S240.

[0082] The movement control unit 312 controls the movement mechanism 307 to position robot 3a behind customers who are around the employee with the employee ID included in the employee waiting notification (target employee) (S513). Specifically, for example, robot 3a moves to the vicinity of the target employee in the same manner as in step S503, and then the customer service request processing unit 311 takes an image including the target employee with the camera included in the input device 305, recognizes a person other than the person shown in the image included in the employee image table 321 as a customer, and the movement control unit 312 controls the movement mechanism 307 so that robot 3a moves behind the customer.

[0083] The customer service request processing unit 311 displays the customer service request screen on the display included in the output device 306. S 514). Details of the customer service request screen will be described later using Figure 15.

[0084] The customer service request processing unit 311 recognizes that the target employee has become available to serve customers (S515). Specifically, for example, the customer service request processing unit 311 may recognize that the target employee has become available to serve customers when a button included in the input device 305 is operated, or it may recognize that the target employee has become available to serve customers when it determines that the customer is no longer included in the image captured by the camera included in the input device 305. The processing in step S515 corresponds to a part of the processing in step S244. Following the processing in step S515, the process proceeds to step S507.

[0085] Figure 14 shows an example of the screen configuration of the waiting screen for a store employee. On the waiting screen 1400, for example, a store employee will ask a customer in a commercial facility about a sample product they have picked up. guidance A message indicating availability, a message indicating that the availability of staff at the store is being checked, and the product ID of the sample product are displayed. Additionally, images of each sample product may be stored in the sample product management table 222, in which case the staff waiting status screen 1400 may display an image of the sample product picked up by a customer at the commercial facility.

[0086] In this way, by displaying the staff waiting status screen 1400, customers can recognize that they are ready to receive staff assistance, thus avoiding the loss of sales opportunities caused by customers leaving before remote service begins.

[0087] Figure 15 shows an example of the screen configuration of the customer service request screen. The customer service request screen 1500 displays, for example, a message indicating that there is a customer service request from a remote location (commercial facility), and a button 1501 that is selected when the target store employee becomes available to provide service (selecting this button 1501 sends a remote communication OK response).

[0088] Furthermore, the sample product management table 222 may store images of each sample product, the customer service request sent from terminal 2 may include the commercial facility ID, the product ID of the sample product, and the sample image, and the staff waiting notification sent from customer service management server 1 may also include the commercial facility ID, the product ID of the sample product, and the sample image, in which case the customer service request screen 1500 may display the commercial facility ID, the product ID of the sample product, and the sample image.

[0089] Furthermore, the customer service request processing unit 311 may recognize the number of customers included in the image, including the target staff member, in which case the recognized number of customers may be displayed on the customer service request screen 1500. In addition, the customer service request screen 1500 may display the elapsed time since the customer service request was received (or since the staff member waiting notification was received) (for example, measured by the customer service request processing unit 311) as the waiting time for customers in a remote location (commercial facility).

[0090] Furthermore, robot 3a may be equipped with a lamp 1510, which, in order to make it easier for the target store staff to recognize that there is a request for customer service from the commercial facility, will illuminate when the customer service request screen 1500 is displayed. of You may turn it on.

[0091] Furthermore, in order to make it easier for the target store staff to recognize that there is a request for customer service from the commercial facility, warning sounds or messages displayed on the customer service request screen 1500 may be output from the speaker included in the output device 306 of the robot 3a.

[0092] In this embodiment of the remote customer service system, sample products and sensors are placed in a remote commercial facility. When the sensors detect that a customer in the commercial facility has picked up one of the sample products, a customer service request is sent to a robot located in the store where a store employee is present. This eliminates the need for customers in the commercial facility to select products they are interested in on a screen, and allows the store to provide accurate remote customer service to customers who have shown interest in the products.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the remote customer service system, customer service requests can be sent to robots in multiple stores that have staff capable of explaining sample products picked up by customers in the commercial facility, thereby reducing the time customers have to wait for remote customer service.

[0094] Furthermore, in this remote customer service system, if a store employee capable of explaining a sample product picked up by a customer in a commercial facility is busy assisting another customer, a waiting notification is sent to the robot, allowing for prompt remote customer service as soon as an employee becomes available.

[0095] Thus, the remote customer service system of this embodiment can realize remote customer service that reduces the effort required for businesses to set up shop in commercial facilities, reduces the effort required for customers in commercial facilities, and shortens the waiting time for customers in commercial facilities.

[0096] In this embodiment, an example was described in which the customer service management server 1 controls remote customer service, but the customer service management system does not necessarily have to include the customer service management server 1. Specifically, for example, terminal 2 may also perform the functions of the customer service management server 1, in which case the communication between the customer service management server 1 and terminal 2 in this embodiment is omitted.

[0097] Furthermore, for example, the customer service management system may not include the customer service management server 1, and robots 3a and 3b may perform the functions of the customer service management server 1. In this case, communication between the customer service management server 1 and robots 3a and 3b in this embodiment is omitted. Also, in this case, by sending customer service OK responses, customer service NG responses, and remote communication responses to each other, for example, the robot that sends the customer service OK response first should perform remote communication, and if all robots send customer service NG responses, all robots should perform the waiting state processing for staff, and the robot that sends the remote communication response first should perform remote communication.

[0098] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. It is also possible to replace parts of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0099] Furthermore, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them as integrated circuits, for example. Alternatively, each of the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by having the processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0100] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanatory purposes, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0101] 1 Customer service management server, 2 Terminal, 3a Robot, 3b Robot, 11a Sensor, 11b Sensor, 12a Sample product, 12b Sample product, 101 CPU, 102 Memory, 103 Auxiliary storage device, 111 Customer service management unit, 121 Staff management table, 201 CPU, 202 Memory, 203 Auxiliary storage device, 205 Input device, 206 Output device, 211 Sensor input processing unit, 212 Remote communication unit, 221 Customer service request condition management table, 222 Sample product management table, 301 CPU, 302 Memory, 303 Auxiliary storage device, 305 Input device, 306 Output device, 307 Moving mechanism, 311 Customer service request processing unit, 312 Moving control unit, 313 Remote communication unit, 321 Staff image table

Claims

1. It is a remote customer service system, Conditional information indicating conditions related to detection values ​​from sensors that detect customer actions toward products placed in the facility, The system maintains employee information indicating the stores where employees capable of providing customer service for the aforementioned products are located, A sensor processing unit that acquires a value detected by the sensor and generates a customer service request when it is determined that the acquired value satisfies the conditions, A customer service management unit transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store, as indicated by the aforementioned employee information. The system includes a computer that receives the customer service request and a computer located in the facility, and a remote communication unit that performs remote communication between the two computers. The aforementioned employee information indicates the employee's customer service skills regarding the aforementioned products. The customer service management unit transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store where the store clerk with the highest skills, as indicated by the store clerk information, is stationed, as part of a remote customer service system.

2. A remote customer service system, Conditional information indicating conditions related to detection values ​​from sensors that detect customer actions toward products placed in the facility, The system maintains employee information indicating the stores where employees capable of providing customer service for the aforementioned products are located, A sensor processing unit that acquires a value detected by the sensor and generates a customer service request when it is determined that the acquired value satisfies the conditions, A customer service management unit transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store indicated by the aforementioned employee information. The system includes a computer that receives the customer service request and a computer located in the facility, and a remote communication unit that performs remote communication between the two computers. The aforementioned employee information indicates an employee who is capable of providing customer service regarding the aforementioned product at the aforementioned store. The customer service management unit transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store with the largest number of staff members capable of providing customer service for the product, as indicated by the staff member information, as part of a remote customer service system.

3. A remote customer service system, Conditional information indicating conditions related to detection values ​​from sensors that detect customer actions towards products placed in the facility, The system maintains employee information indicating the stores where employees capable of providing customer service for the aforementioned products are located, A sensor processing unit that acquires a value detected by the sensor and generates a customer service request when it is determined that the acquired value satisfies the conditions, A customer service management unit transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store indicated by the aforementioned employee information. The system includes a computer that receives the customer service request and a computer located in the facility, and a remote communication unit that performs remote communication between the two computers. The aforementioned employee information indicates an employee who is capable of providing customer service regarding the aforementioned product at the aforementioned store. The customer service management unit includes, in the customer service request transmitted to the computer located in the store indicated by the employee information, information indicating an employee who is capable of providing customer service for the product indicated by the employee information and who is located in that store. The remote customer service system includes a customer service request processing unit that determines whether the employee indicated by the customer service request is currently serving a customer. The remote communication unit is a remote customer service system that, when the customer service request processing unit determines that the employee indicated by the customer service request is not currently serving a customer, performs remote communication between a computer located in the store where the employee is located and a computer located in the facility.

4. A remote customer service system according to Claim 3, If the customer service request processing unit determines that the employee indicated in the customer service request is currently serving customers in all stores where the computer that received the customer service request is located, the customer service management unit sends an employee waiting notification to the computer that sent the customer service request, indicating the employee indicated in the employee information who is located in the store where the computer is located. The aforementioned customer service request processing unit is a remote customer service system that displays a customer service request screen on a display device provided by a computer that has received the notification of a waiting staff member, indicating that there is a customer service request from a customer at the facility.

5. A remote customer service system according to Claim 4, A remote customer service system in which, when the customer service request processing unit determines that an employee located in a store where the computer that received the employee waiting notification is located is available to serve customers, the remote communication unit performs remote communication between the computer that received the employee waiting notification and the computer located in the facility.

6. A remote customer service system according to Claim 4, The aforementioned employee information indicates the employee's customer service skills regarding the aforementioned products. Remote customer service system: When the customer service request processing unit determines that the staff member indicated by the customer service request is currently serving a customer in all stores where the computer that received the customer service request is located, the customer service management unit sends a staff member waiting notification to the computer located in the store where the staff member with the highest skill level, as indicated by the staff member information, is located.

7. A remote customer service system according to Claim 4, The aforementioned customer service request processing unit is The computer that received the aforementioned notification of waiting for a store clerk measures the elapsed time since receiving the notification of waiting for a store clerk. A remote customer service system that displays the measured elapsed time on the customer service request screen.

8. A remote customer service system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned conditions include the customer reaching for the product more than a predetermined number of times, in a remote customer service system.

9. A remote customer service system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, A remote customer service system in which, when the sensor processing unit generates the customer service request, displays a staff waiting status screen on a display device provided by a computer located in the facility, indicating that a store employee is available to provide customer service for the product and that the availability of a store employee is being checked.

10. A remote customer service method using a remote customer service system, The aforementioned remote customer service system is Conditional information indicating conditions related to detection values ​​from sensors that detect customer actions towards products placed in the facility, The system maintains employee information indicating the stores where employees capable of providing customer service for the aforementioned products are located, The aforementioned remote customer service method is Sensor processing that acquires the detected value from the sensor and generates a customer service request when it is determined that the acquired detected value satisfies the conditions, A customer service management process that transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store indicated by the aforementioned employee information, This includes remote communication processing that performs remote communication between a computer that receives the customer service request and a computer located in the facility, The aforementioned employee information indicates the employee's customer service skills regarding the aforementioned products. A remote customer service method comprising the customer service management process, wherein the customer service request is transmitted to a computer located in the store where the store clerk with the highest skill level, as indicated by the store clerk information, is stationed.

11. A remote customer service method using a remote customer service system, The aforementioned remote customer service system is Conditional information indicating conditions related to detection values ​​from sensors that detect customer actions towards products placed in the facility, The system maintains employee information indicating the stores where employees capable of providing customer service for the aforementioned products are located, The aforementioned remote customer service method is Sensor processing that acquires the detected value from the sensor and generates a customer service request when it is determined that the acquired detected value satisfies the conditions, A customer service management process that transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store indicated by the aforementioned employee information, The system includes remote communication processing that performs remote communication between a computer that receives the customer service request and a computer located in the facility. The aforementioned employee information indicates an employee who is capable of providing customer service regarding the aforementioned product at the aforementioned store. A remote customer service method comprising the customer service management process, wherein the customer service request is transmitted to a computer located in the store with the largest number of staff members capable of providing customer service for the product, among the stores indicated by the staff member information.

12. A remote customer service method using a remote customer service system, The aforementioned remote customer service system is Conditional information indicating conditions related to detection values ​​from sensors that detect customer actions towards products placed in the facility, The system maintains employee information indicating the stores where employees capable of providing customer service for the aforementioned products are located, The aforementioned remote customer service method is Sensor processing that acquires the detected value from the sensor and generates a customer service request when it is determined that the acquired detected value satisfies the conditions, A customer service management process that transmits the customer service request to a computer located in the store indicated by the aforementioned employee information, This includes remote communication processing that performs remote communication between a computer that receives the customer service request and a computer located in the facility, The aforementioned employee information indicates an employee who is capable of providing customer service regarding the aforementioned product at the aforementioned store. In the customer service management process described above, the customer service request transmitted to the computer located in the store indicated by the employee information includes information indicating an employee who is capable of providing customer service for the product indicated by the employee information and who is located in that store. The remote customer service method includes processing customer service requests, which determines whether the employee indicated by the customer service request is currently serving a customer. A remote customer service method in which, if it is determined in the customer service request processing that the employee indicated by the customer service request is not currently serving a customer, remote communication is performed in the remote communication processing between a computer located in the store where the employee is located and a computer located in the facility.

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