Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

This information processing device (10) comprises a behavior information acquiring unit (110), a skill information generating unit (120), and a skill information output unit (130). The behavior information acquiring unit (110) acquires behavior information pertaining to a behavior of a person in charge of a task relevant to a sales task for a product or service. The skill information generating unit (120) generates skill information about the person in charge by processing the behavior information acquired by the behavior information acquiring unit (110). The skill information output unit (130) outputs the skill information generated by the skill information generating unit (120) to a display device of the person in charge.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.

[0002] Employees are engaged in work at stores that sell and provide products and services. As an example of technology related to the work skills of employees, Patent Document 1 below discloses technology that enables a cashier to notify shoppers waiting to check out of the average time required to register one product. Patent Document 1 discloses that the average time required to register one product and the average processing time required to process one shopper's checkout are displayed on a lane display provided for customers.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 listed below discloses a technology for making it possible to know the reading speed of each individual checker. Patent Document 2 discloses measuring the reading time of each checker for one product, and comparing the measured reading time with the average reading time to evaluate the working speed of each checker. Patent Document 2 also discloses displaying the evaluation results for each checker to the customer.

[0004] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-053643 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-243226

[0005] In the technologies described in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, the information measured about the work of a worker is basically directed to the customer, not to the worker himself / herself, which poses a problem in that information about the worker's work skills is not properly fed back to the worker himself / herself.

[0006] One example of the object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that solves the problem that information regarding the business skills of business personnel is not being properly fed back to the personnel.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing device comprising: an action information acquisition means for acquiring action information relating to actions taken by a person in charge of a sales business of goods or services; a skill information generation means for generating skill information of the person in charge by processing the acquired action information; and a skill information output means for outputting the skill information to a display device for the person in charge.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method including: at least one computer acquiring action information regarding actions taken by a sales representative in a sales business of goods or services; processing the acquired action information to generate skill information of the sales representative; and outputting the skill information on a display device for the sales representative.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores a program that, when executed by at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to function as: an action information acquisition means that acquires action information regarding actions taken by a sales representative in the sales of goods or services; a skill information generation means that processes the acquired action information to generate skill information for the sales representative; and a skill information output means that outputs the skill information to a display device for the sales representative.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium are provided that solve the problem that information regarding the business skills of business personnel is not properly fed back to the personnel.

[0011] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that realizes an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an overview of the operation of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a configuration of a system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow in which an information processing device according to the first embodiment acquires activity information. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of activity information stored in a storage device. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a flow in which an information processing device according to the first embodiment generates and outputs skill information. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of information output by a skill information output unit. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing performed by an information processing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for transmitting a processing request from a second terminal to an information processing device (skill information output unit). FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen generated using information output from an information processing device (skill information output unit) in response to a processing request transmitted from a second terminal. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a system according to a third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of information output by a skill information output unit according to the third embodiment.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, similar components are designated by similar reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, each block in each block diagram represents a functional configuration, not a hardware configuration. Furthermore, when elements such as blocks in a diagram are linked by arrows, the direction of the arrows is merely intended to make the flow of information easier to understand. In this case, the direction of the arrows does not limit the direction of communication (one-way communication / two-way communication) unless otherwise specified.

[0013] In the following description, "acquisition" includes at least one of the following: a device going to retrieve data or information stored in another device or storage medium (active acquisition), and a device inputting data or information output from another device (passive acquisition). Examples of active acquisition include making a request or inquiry to another device and receiving a reply, and accessing and reading information from another device or storage medium. Examples of passive acquisition include receiving information that is distributed (or transmitted, push notification, etc.). Furthermore, "acquisition" may also mean selecting and acquiring data or information from received data or information, or selecting and receiving distributed data or information.

[0014] Overview Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the present invention. Note that Fig. 1 is merely for explaining the overview of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. In the example of Fig. 1, an information processing device 10 is connected to sensors 20 and a terminal 30.

[0015] The sensors 20 are installed around the terminal 30 to acquire information about a person who sells products or services (hereinafter also referred to as a "salesperson"). Although not particularly limited, the sensors 20 include an image sensor, a microphone, etc.

[0016] The terminal 30 is a terminal used by a salesperson. For example, if the salesperson is in charge of cash register operations at a retail store, the terminal 30 is a device used to register products purchased by customers (hereinafter also referred to as a "product registration device").

[0017] The information processing device 10 acquires information about actions performed by a worker in the course of work (hereinafter also referred to as "action information"). Here, the information processing device 10 acquires output from the sensors 20 and / or operation information of the terminal 30 by the worker as action information or information for generating action information. The information processing device 10 uses the acquired information to generate information indicating the worker's work skills (hereinafter also referred to as "skill information"). Then, the information processing device 10 outputs the generated skill information to the monitor 32 of the terminal 30. Here, the monitor 32 is provided for the worker. The worker can visually check the skill information indicating his or her own work skills on the monitor 32.

[0018] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 10 according to the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 2, the information processing device 10 includes an activity information acquisition unit 110, a skill information generation unit 120, and a skill information output unit 130.

[0019] The activity information acquisition unit 110 acquires activity information relating to activities taken by sales staff in the sales of goods or services. This flow is indicated by solid arrows in FIG.

[0020] The skill information generating unit 120 generates skill information of the worker by processing the activity information acquired by the activity information acquiring unit 110. The detailed processing of the skill information generating unit 120 will be described later.

[0021] The skill information output unit 130 outputs the generated skill information to a display device for the worker (the monitor 32 in the example of FIG. 1). This flow is indicated by the dotted arrows in FIG.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1000 that realizes the information processing device 10 according to the present disclosure.

[0023] The computer 1000 has a bus 1010 , a processor 1020 , a memory 1030 , a storage device 1040 , an input / output interface 1050 , and a network interface 1060 .

[0024] The bus 1010 is a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data among the processor 1020, memory 1030, storage device 1040, input / output interface 1050, and network interface 1060. However, the method of connecting the processor 1020 and the like to each other is not limited to bus connection.

[0025] The processor 1020 is a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU).

[0026] The memory 1030 is a main storage device realized by a random access memory (RAM) or the like.

[0027] The storage device 1040 is an auxiliary storage device realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a memory card, a read only memory (ROM), etc. The storage device 1040 stores at least a program module corresponding to the function of the activity information acquisition unit 110, a program module corresponding to the function of the skill information generation unit 120, and a program module corresponding to the skill information output unit 130.

[0028] The processor 1020 loads a program module read from the storage device 1040 onto the memory 1030 and executes the program module, thereby realizing the function corresponding to the program module. For example, the processor 1020 reads a program module corresponding to the activity information acquisition unit 110 onto the memory 1030 and executes the program module, thereby realizing the function of the activity information acquisition unit 110 described in the present disclosure. Similarly, the processor 1020 reads a program module corresponding to the skill information generation unit 120 onto the memory 1030 and executes the program module, thereby realizing the function of the skill information generation unit 120 described in the present disclosure. Similarly, the processor 1020 reads a program module corresponding to the skill information output unit 130 onto the memory 1030 and executes the program module, thereby realizing the function of the skill information output unit 130 described in the present disclosure. The operation of the processor 1020 is common to each embodiment included in the present disclosure.

[0029] The above-described program modules may be recorded on a recording medium other than the storage device 1040. The recording medium on which the program modules are recorded includes any non-transitory, tangible medium usable by the computer 1000. The recording medium on which the program modules are recorded may have embedded therein program code that is readable by the computer 1000 (processor 1020).

[0030] The input / output interface 1050 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 with various input / output devices. The input / output interface 1050 may also function as a communication interface for performing short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0031] The network interface 1060 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to a network. This network may be, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The network interface 1060 may connect to the network wirelessly or by wire.

[0032] The computer 1000 can be connected to necessary devices via an input / output interface 1050 or a network interface 1060. The "necessary devices" referred to here include, for example, input devices such as operation buttons, a keyboard, a touch panel, and a mouse, and output devices such as a display, a camera, a speaker, a microphone, and a printer.

[0033] The hardware configuration of the computer 1000 (information processing device 10) is not limited to the configuration shown in this figure. Furthermore, the storage device 1040 that stores program modules corresponding to each function of the information processing device 10 may be provided in another computer (not shown) that is communicatively connected to the computer 1000 (information processing device 10). In this case, the information processing device 10 transmits necessary information to the other computer via the network interface 1060 and obtains processing results from the other computer. Furthermore, for example, the program modules corresponding to each function of the information processing device 10 may be stored in the memory 1030. In this case, the computer 1000 (information processing device 10) does not need to be provided with the storage device 1040.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an outline of the operation of the information processing device 10 according to the present disclosure.

[0035] First, the activity information acquisition unit 110 acquires activity information of the worker (step S102). The activity information acquisition unit 110 can acquire, for example, information output from the sensors 20 as the activity information. Furthermore, for example, the activity information acquisition unit 110 can acquire, from the terminal 30, information on operations performed on the terminal 30 as the worker's activity information.

[0036] Next, the skill information generating unit 120 processes the activity information acquired in step S102 to generate skill information of the worker (step S104).

[0037] Next, the skill information output unit 130 outputs the skill information generated in step S104 to a display device provided for the worker, such as the monitor 32 (step S106). The worker can check the skill information indicating his or her own work skills via the monitor 32, for example.

[0038] As shown in the above-described configuration and operation examples, the present disclosure provides an information processing device, an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that solves the problem of information regarding the business skills of business personnel not being properly fed back to the personnel.

[0039] A specific example (embodiment) of the information processing device 10 according to the present disclosure will be described below.

[0040] First Embodiment Fig. 5 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the configuration of a system according to a first embodiment. The system illustrated in Fig. 5 includes an information processing device 10, a camera 22, a microphone 24, and a terminal 30. In the example of Fig. 5, the information processing device 10, the camera 22, the microphone 24, and the terminal 30 are connected via a network 40. Note that each processing unit of the information processing device 10 (the action information acquisition unit 110, the skill information generation unit 120, and the skill information output unit 130) may be provided in the terminal 30. In that case, the information processing device 10 may not be present.

[0041] The camera 22 and microphone 24 are specific examples of the sensors 20 in Fig. 1. The camera 22 is installed in a position where it can capture an image of a person (salesperson) selling goods and services. The microphone 24 is installed in a position where it can pick up the voice of the person (salesperson) selling goods and services.

[0042] The terminal 30 is used, for example, for selling goods or services. The terminal 30 has a monitor 32 as a display device for the sales staff. This is the same as the example in FIG.

[0043] An example of the operation of the information processing device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow in which the information processing device 10 according to the first embodiment acquires activity information.

[0045] First, the activity information acquisition unit 110 monitors whether first trigger information has been acquired (step S202). Here, "first trigger information" refers to "information indicating the start of a transaction in a sales operation." One example of first trigger information is information indicating that an operation to start a transaction (e.g., scanning the first product or pressing a button to start product registration) has been performed on the terminal 30. Another example of first trigger information is information indicating that a customer has approached the location where the terminal 30 is located. The activity information acquisition unit 110 can acquire information regarding the former example by, for example, acquiring information regarding operations performed on the terminal 30 (e.g., operation logs) from the terminal 30. Furthermore, the activity information acquisition unit 110 can acquire information regarding the latter example from various sensors installed in the vicinity of the terminal 30, such as an image sensor (e.g., the camera 22) or an infrared sensor.

[0046] In response to the detection of the first trigger information, the activity information acquisition unit 110 starts an operation of acquiring activity information (step S204). Here, the activity information acquisition unit 110 acquires, as activity information, at least one of the image information output from the camera 22, the audio information output from the microphone 24, and the operation information (operation log) of the terminal 30 recorded in the terminal 30.

[0047] After acquiring the first trigger information, the activity information acquisition unit 110 monitors whether second trigger information has been acquired (step S206). Here, the "second trigger information" refers to "information indicating the completion of a transaction in a sales operation." An example of the second trigger information is information indicating that an operation to complete a transaction (e.g., printing a receipt, pressing a "subtotal" button, etc.) has been performed on the terminal 30. Another example of the second trigger information is information indicating that a customer has left the location where the terminal 30 is located. The activity information acquisition unit 110 can acquire information regarding the former example by, for example, acquiring information regarding operations performed on the terminal 30 (e.g., an operation log) from the terminal 30. Furthermore, the activity information acquisition unit 110 can acquire information regarding the latter example from various sensors installed in the vicinity of the terminal 30, such as an image sensor (e.g., the camera 22) or an infrared sensor.

[0048] The activity information acquisition unit 110 terminates the activity information acquisition operation in response to the detection of the second trigger information. The activity information acquisition unit 110 then associates the activity information acquired between the detection of the first trigger information and the detection of the second trigger information with the identification information of the business operator and stores it in a storage device (e.g., storage device 1040) (step S208). FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of activity information stored in a storage device. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the activity information acquisition unit 110 associates the acquired activity information (image information, audio information, operation information, etc.) with the identification information of the transaction (transaction ID) corresponding to the activity information and the information identifying the business operator (business operator identification information) and stores it in the storage device. Although not illustrated, the activity information acquisition unit 110 also stores the time when the first trigger information and the second trigger information were detected in association with the transaction identification information (transaction ID). This allows the time (time period) when the various activity information illustrated in this diagram was acquired to be stored.

[0049] Here, the activity information acquisition unit 110 can acquire identification information of the person (worker) appearing in the image based on personal characteristic information (e.g., facial characteristic information) obtained by analyzing the image obtained from the camera 22. In this case, the activity information acquisition unit 110, for example, compares the personal characteristic information obtained from the image with personal characteristic information (registered information) pre-registered in the storage device 1040 or the like. Based on the comparison result, the activity information acquisition unit 110 identifies one piece of registered information whose degree of match exceeds a standard. Then, the activity information acquisition unit 110 acquires identification information linked to the identified registered information as the identification information of the workman. The activity information acquisition unit 110 may also acquire identification information associated with the activity information in advance. For example, when the login information of the workman is entered on the terminal 30, the terminal 30 may provide the login information to the activity information acquisition unit 110. In this case, the activity information acquisition unit 110 can start the process of this figure while already having the identification information of the person (workman) operating the terminal 30.

[0050] Next, another operation of the information processing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a flow in which the information processing device 10 according to the first embodiment generates and outputs skill information. The processing in this figure is executed in parallel with the processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 6.

[0051] First, the skill information generation unit 120 acquires identification information assigned to each worker (hereinafter also referred to as "worker identification information") (step S302). The skill information generation unit 120 can acquire the worker identification information of the target worker, for example, based on the analysis results of an image generated by the camera 22 or login information provided by the terminal 30. In response to acquiring the worker identification information, the skill information generation unit 120 executes the process described below.

[0052] The skill information generation unit 120 reads out the activity information stored in the storage device in association with the person identification information of the worker (step S304). For example, assume that the information shown in Fig. 7 is stored in the storage device, and the skill information generation unit 120 acquires information indicating "Person A" as the person identification information of the worker. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 reads out the activity information related to "Person A," i.e., the activity information associated with the worker identification information of "Person A," as information for generating skill information, which will be described later.

[0053] Here, the skill information generation unit 120 may acquire information specifying a period (period designation information) and read out the activity information acquired during the period indicated by the information as information for generating the skill information described below. The period designation information is stored in advance in a storage area such as the memory 1030 or the storage device 1040. The period designated by the period designation information is arbitrary. For example, the period designated by the period designation information may be a period of one day (the current day) or a period spanning multiple days (from several days in the past to the current day). Furthermore, for example, the period designated by the period designation information may be a period a predetermined time before the execution of the process shown in this figure. Furthermore, the skill information generation unit 120 may be configured to accept the period designation information via an input screen for designating a specific period.

[0054] As an example, assume that the period indicated by the period designation information is "a period a predetermined time before the time point at which the process shown in this figure is executed." In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 reads out only the activity information acquired during that period from the storage device. Note that the skill information generation unit 120 can determine whether the activity information was acquired during the period designated by the period designation information by using, for example, the detection time of the first trigger information or the detection time of the second trigger information stored by the activity information acquisition unit 110.

[0055] Furthermore, if information indicating the degree of congestion of customers waiting for processing at the terminal 30 is further acquired and associated with each piece of activity information, the information to be read may be narrowed down by referring to the degree of congestion indicated by the associated information. In this case, for example, skill information indicating the level of ability with which a worker can perform a task when the task is crowded to a certain extent or more can be generated.

[0056] Then, the skill information generating unit 120 generates skill information of the worker using the action information read in the process of step S304 (step S306).

[0057] As an example, assume that the behavior information includes at least one of image information output from the camera 22 and audio information output from the microphone 24. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 generates information indicating the attentiveness of the customer service provided by the employee based on at least one of the image information and audio information. The skill information generation unit 120 then includes the generated information indicating the attentiveness of the customer service provided in the skill information of the employee.

[0058] For example, the skill information generation unit 120 analyzes the audio information to calculate the total amount of time that the worker speaks. Then, based on the calculated total amount of time that the worker speaks and the time required for one transaction, the skill information generation unit 120 calculates the proportion of the time required that the worker speaks. The skill information generation unit 120 can determine that the higher the calculated proportion of time that the worker speaks, the more attentive the worker is to customer service. The skill information generation unit 120 can calculate the time required for one transaction based on, for example, the detection times of the first trigger information and the second trigger information stored by the activity information acquisition unit 110. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 calculates the difference between the detection times of the second trigger information and the first trigger information as the time required for one transaction.

[0059] For example, the skill information generation unit 120 analyzes image information to obtain information indicating actions taken by an employee during work. Specifically, the skill information generation unit 120 first identifies the employee's body parts (e.g., head, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, shoulders, arms, hands, waist, legs, etc.) in the image information (e.g., for each frame image). The skill information generation unit 120 then identifies the employee's actions based on the results of identifying the various body parts obtained using a single frame image or multiple temporally consecutive frame images. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 extracts facial feature points of the employee, such as the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth, from a single frame image. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 can identify the employee's attitude toward a customer during work (e.g., smiling at a customer) based on the positions of each feature point. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 extracts feature points of the employee's upper body, such as the head, shoulders, arms, and hands, from each of multiple frame images. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 can identify the behavior of the worker (e.g., bowing to a customer) based on the temporal positional changes of the feature points extracted from each frame image. The skill information generation unit 120 can also use other known image processing techniques to identify a person's attitude, such as facial expression, or the behavior of the person. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 may use a machine learning model trained to output an identification result of the behavior of a person included in image information when image information is received as input. The skill information generation unit 120 then includes a score or the like corresponding to the worker's behavior identified from the image information in the skill information of the worker.

[0060] As another example, assume that the image information output from the camera 22 includes the behavior information and further includes an image of a customer. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 may generate information indicating the customer's satisfaction level based on the customer's image. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 extracts features from an image region corresponding to the customer's face. Then, the skill information generation unit 120 uses the extracted features to estimate the customer's emotion, such as "anger" or "joy." Alternatively, the skill information generation unit 120 may use a machine learning model that receives image information as input and is trained to estimate and output the emotion of the person included in the image information. Here, if the emotion "anger" is estimated, the skill information generation unit 120 generates information indicating low customer satisfaction. On the other hand, if the emotion "joy" is estimated, the skill information generation unit 120 generates information indicating high customer satisfaction. Then, the skill information generation unit 120 includes the generated information indicating customer satisfaction in the skill information of the worker. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 may further estimate the strength of the customer's emotion from the customer's image. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 is configured to calculate a numerical value indicating the intensity of a customer's emotion from image features of the customer's face. Furthermore, the skill information generation unit 120 may use a machine learning model that is trained to receive image information as input and estimate and output the type and intensity of emotion of a person included in the image information. The skill information generation unit 120 may generate information indicating the degree of customer satisfaction according to the intensity of the customer's emotion, and include the information in the skill information of the employee.

[0061] As another example, suppose that the behavior information includes voice information output from the microphone 24, and that the voice information further includes the voice of a customer. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 may generate information indicating the customer's satisfaction level based on the customer's voice. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 identifies the customer's speech portion from the voice information and analyzes the customer's speech portion to extract emotional information, such as the intonation and content of the customer's speech. Here, the skill information generation unit 120 can identify the section in the voice information in which the customer is speaking by using voiceprint information (characteristic information about the voice of each worker) pre-registered for each worker. In this case, the voiceprint information of each worker is pre-stored in a storage area, such as the storage device 1040. The skill information generation unit 120 can use the pre-stored voiceprint information to identify and extract sections in the voice information in which someone other than the worker is speaking, i.e., sections in which the customer is speaking. The skill information generation unit 120 may also identify the customer's speech section based on the output sound pressure (sound intensity) of the microphones provided on the worker's side and the customer's side. Specifically, when the customer is speaking, the output sound pressure of the microphone on the customer's side is greater than the output sound pressure of the microphone on the worker's side. Based on this difference in the output sound pressure of the two microphones, the skill information generation unit 120 can identify and extract the part of the customer's speech from the voice information. The skill information generation unit 120 then uses the extracted information to estimate the customer's emotion, such as "anger" or "joy." Here, if the emotion "anger" is estimated, the skill information generation unit 120 generates information indicating low customer satisfaction. On the other hand, if the emotion "joy" is estimated, the skill information generation unit 120 generates information indicating high customer satisfaction. The skill information generation unit 120 then includes the generated information indicating customer satisfaction in the worker's skill information. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 may further estimate the intensity of the customer's emotion from the customer's voice. For example, the skill information generating unit 120 can convert the volume of the customer's voice into a numerical value indicating the strength of the customer's emotion.The skill information generating unit 120 may generate information indicating the degree of customer satisfaction depending on the strength of the customer's emotion, and include the information in the skill information of the worker.

[0062] In addition, if the image information acquired as the activity information further includes an image of the customer and the audio information acquired as the activity information further includes a voice of the customer, the skill information generation unit 120 may use both the image of the customer and the voice of the customer to comprehensively determine the satisfaction level of the customer.

[0063] As another example, assume that the activity information includes operation information of the terminal 30. In this case, the skill information generation unit 120 may generate information indicating at least one of the worker's work speed and the worker's work accuracy based on the operation information included in the activity information. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 may generate, as information indicating the worker's work speed, the time required for the worker to complete a transaction based on the operation information of the terminal 30. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 may generate, as information indicating the worker's work speed, the average time required for the worker to register one product based on the operation information of the terminal 30. For example, the skill information generation unit 120 may generate, as information indicating the worker's work accuracy, the number or rate of occurrence of the worker's operation errors (e.g., retyping information) based on the operation information of the terminal 30. The skill information generation unit 120 then includes the generated information indicating the worker's work speed and / or the generated information indicating the worker's work accuracy in the worker's skill information.

[0064] Then, the skill information output unit 130 outputs information based on the skill information related to the worker generated by the skill information generation unit 120 to a display device (e.g., monitor 32) provided for the worker (step S308). For example, the skill information output unit 130 outputs at least one of information indicating the skill level of the worker and information indicating the ranking of the worker's skills based on the skill information generated by the skill information generation unit 120.

[0065] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of information output by the skill information output unit 130. In the example of FIG. 9, the skill information output unit 130 displays information based on the skill information generated by the skill information generation unit 120 on a screen (monitor 32) used by the worker in his / her work. The screen illustrated in FIG. 9 is a screen used by the worker when registering a customer's purchase. Specifically, the skill information output unit 130 outputs information indicating the worker's skill level in an area A1 surrounded by a dashed line on the screen used by the worker in his / her work. Also, in the example of FIG. 9, the skill information output unit 130 outputs information indicating the worker's skill ranking in an area A2 surrounded by a dotted line on the screen used by the worker in his / her work. Note that the skill information output unit 130 can generate the skill information of the target worker in the area A2 surrounded by a dotted line by comparing the skill information of the target worker with the skill information of other workers in the store. For example, the skill information output unit 130 can add up the information for each item included in the skill information (evaluation values ​​for each item) and determine the ranking of the target worker based on the total result. Furthermore, the skill information output unit 130 may also determine the ranking of the target worker by comparing it with information from other stores located not only within the store but also in a specific region or specific district. In this case, the information processing device 10 is connected so as to be able to communicate with other information processing devices 10 similarly installed in other stores.

[0066] As described above, the skill information generation unit 120 may generate skill information that indicates the skills of an operator divided into multiple categories (e.g., skill information that indicates the skills of an operator divided into categories of “work speed” and “work accuracy”). In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , the skill information output unit 130 may output information indicating the skill level of the operator for each of the multiple categories. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 9 , the skill information output unit 130 may switch the display of information by category at regular intervals. For example, as illustrated, the skill information output unit 130 first outputs information related to the “work speed” category in a layer higher than information related to the “work accuracy” category. Thereafter, after a certain period of time has elapsed, the skill information output unit 130 switches the display so that information related to the “work accuracy” category is output in a layer higher than information related to the “work speed” category. Furthermore, the skill information output unit 130 may switch the display at any timing in response to an operation by the operator (e.g., a selection operation on area A1).

[0067] Furthermore, the skill information output unit 130 may compile information by category, such as "work speed" and "work accuracy," in a table format and output it on the screen.

[0068] In addition, when the skill information generation unit 120 generates skill information that shows the skills of a business employee divided into multiple items, the skill information output unit 130 may display the skill information of the business employee in the form of a radar chart with each item as an axis.

[0069] As described above, according to this embodiment, skill information for a worker is generated by processing information indicating actions taken by the worker during work. The generated skill information is then output to a display device provided for the corresponding worker. This allows information about the measured work skills of the worker to be fed back to the worker. As a result, the strengths of the worker can be visualized, which is expected to have the effect of improving the worker's motivation for work. It is also expected to have the effect of making the worker aware of areas where they need to focus, thereby improving the quality of work in the store.

[0070] Modifications of the First Embodiment For example, the information processing device 10 may further have a function to output an alarm based on the work performance of the worker. For example, the skill information output unit 130 compares the skill information generated for the target worker with the following conditions. If at least one of the following conditions is satisfied, the skill information output unit 130 may further output alarm information to alert the target worker. (Condition 1) The work speed per transaction (e.g., the average time required for one transaction) is below a predetermined target value. (Condition 2) The accuracy of the work per transaction (e.g., the average number of operational errors per transaction or the rate of operational errors per transaction) is below a predetermined target value. (Condition 3) The carefulness of the work per transaction (e.g., the average speech time per transaction or the ratio of the average speech time to the average time required) is below a predetermined target value. (Condition 4) The customer satisfaction per transaction (e.g., the average number of times the emotion of "anger" is estimated per transaction) is below a predetermined target value.

[0071] According to the configuration of this modified example, it is expected that the work accuracy and work efficiency of the worker can be improved.

[0072] Second Embodiment The skill information of the staff members described in the first embodiment is also useful information for, for example, a store manager. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described that further utilizes the skill information of the staff members described in the first embodiment.

[0073] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to the second embodiment. The system in Fig. 10 includes a second terminal 50 and a second monitor 52 in addition to the system configuration according to the first embodiment (Fig. 5).

[0074] The second terminal 50 is installed in a location different from the terminal 30 used for cash register operations. For example, the second terminal 50 is placed in a backroom of a store where sales of goods and services are carried out. The second monitor 52 is connected to the second terminal 50. That is, the second monitor 52 can also be considered a display device for a manager who performs management operations in a backroom or the like. In response to a processing request from the second terminal 50, the information processing device 10 (skill information output unit 130) transmits information based on the skill information of the manager to the second terminal 50. The second terminal 50 outputs information acquired from the information processing device 10 (skill information output unit 130) to the second monitor 52.

[0075] In this embodiment, the skill information output unit 130 is configured to change the information to be output (contents of the output screen) depending on the location where the communication destination terminal or the display device connected to that terminal is installed.

[0076] For example, assume that the display device connected to the device with which the skill information output unit 130 communicates is the monitor 32, i.e., a display device for a worker connected to the terminal 30. In this case, the skill information output unit 130 outputs information for displaying screen elements such as those described in the first embodiment (e.g., screen elements output in area A1 and / or area A2 in FIG. 9 ) to the terminal 30. The terminal 30 uses the information output from the skill information output unit 130 to output, for example, a screen such as that described in the first embodiment to the monitor 32.

[0077] On the other hand, suppose that the display device connected to the device with which the skill information output unit 130 communicates is the second monitor 52, that is, a display device for a manager connected to the second terminal. In this case, the skill information output unit 130 outputs information customized for a management task, as described below, to the second terminal 50. The second terminal 50 uses the information output from the skill information output unit 130 to output a screen for a management task, as described below, to the second monitor 52.

[0078] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing executed by the information processing device 10 according to the second embodiment.

[0079] The process in this figure is initiated in response to receiving a processing request from terminal 30 or second terminal 50. When the skill information output unit 130 receives a processing request, it identifies the terminal that sent the processing request (steps S402 to S404). The skill information output unit 130 can identify the terminal that sent the processing request, for example, from information indicating the sender included in the processing request packet. The skill information output unit 130 then generates information according to the identification result of the terminal that sent the processing request and outputs the information to that terminal (steps S406 to S408).

[0080] Here, it is assumed that the terminal that sent the processing request is the terminal 30 connected to the monitor 32, which is a display device for the operator. In this case, the skill information output unit 130 outputs information for the screen for the operator (e.g., FIG. 9 ) to the terminal 30.

[0081] On the other hand, suppose that the terminal that sent the processing request is the second terminal 50 connected to the second monitor 52, which is a display device for the manager. In this case, the skill information output unit 130 outputs information for the management task screen to the terminal 30.

[0082] A specific example of outputting information to the second monitor 52 connected to the second terminal 50 will now be described with reference to Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for transmitting a processing request from the second terminal 50 to the information processing device 10 (skill information output unit 130). Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen generated using information output from the information processing device 10 (skill information output unit 130) in response to a processing request transmitted from the second terminal 50.

[0083] The screen illustrated in Fig. 12 has buttons for selecting each item of skill information. When a button corresponding to a certain item is pressed on the screen illustrated in Fig. 12, a processing request corresponding to that item is output to the information processing device 10 (skill information output unit 130). In this diagram, for example, when the item "speed (work speed)" is selected, a processing request related to the item "speed (work speed)" is output to the information processing device 10 (skill information output unit 130). Using information output from the information processing device 10 (skill information output unit 130) in response to this processing request, the second terminal 50 outputs, for example, a screen such as that illustrated in Fig. 13 (a screen for outputting statistical information based on information on the work speed of each worker).

[0084] As described above, in this embodiment, the content of the screen displaying the skill information obtained by the process described in the first embodiment and the location where the skill information is output are changed depending on the screen. This makes it possible to utilize the skill information in aspects of management work.

[0085] Third Embodiment The skill information of the staff members described in the first embodiment is also useful information for customers who use the store. In this embodiment, another configuration will be described that further utilizes the skill information of the staff members described in the first embodiment.

[0086] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to the third embodiment. The system in Fig. 14 includes a projector 60 and a third monitor 62 in addition to the system configuration according to the first embodiment (Fig. 5).

[0087] The projector 60 projects information for customers based on the skill information generated in the first embodiment onto, for example, the floor or walls of the store. The third monitor 62 is provided at any position within the store to display information for customers. The third monitor 62 is provided, for example, near an area where product shelves (not shown) and terminals 30 are located.

[0088] In this embodiment, the skill information generation unit 120 generates skill information for each worker by, for example, accessing a storage device that stores the activity information acquired by the activity information acquisition unit 110 at regular intervals. Then, the skill information output unit 130 provides the skill information generated by the skill information generation unit 120 to customers in the store via the projector 60 or the third monitor 62.

[0089] For example, as illustrated in Fig. 15, the skill information output unit 130 provides the skill information of each worker to customers in the store via the projector 60 and the third monitor 62. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of information output by the skill information output unit 130 according to the third embodiment.

[0090] In this embodiment, the skill information output unit 130 provides the customer with the skill information of the staff members via the projector 60 or the third monitor 62. This allows the customer to select a staff member that suits their preferences. For example, a customer who places importance on work speed can determine which staff member has the fastest work speed from the information output via the projector 60 or the third monitor 62. This is expected to have the effect of further improving customer satisfaction with the store.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the skill information generating unit 120 generates skill information that indicates the skills of a worker by dividing them into multiple items, the skill information output unit 130 may switch the information related to the multiple items at regular intervals. This allows the customer to grasp the skill information of the worker in more detail.

[0092] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various other configurations can also be adopted.

[0093] In addition, although the flowcharts used in the above description show multiple steps (processes) in a sequential order, the order of steps executed in each embodiment is not limited to the order shown. In each embodiment, the order of the steps shown in the drawings can be changed as long as it does not cause any problems in terms of content. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as long as the content is not contradictory.

[0094] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. 1. An information processing device comprising: an action information acquisition means for acquiring action information related to actions taken by a sales representative in the sales of goods or services; a skill information generation means for generating skill information of the sales representative by processing the acquired action information; and a skill information output means for outputting the skill information to a display device for the sales representative. 2. The information processing device described in 1., wherein the action information acquisition means starts and ends an operation for acquiring the action information in accordance with the start and end of a transaction in the sales business. 3. The information processing device described in 1. or 2., wherein the skill information generation means acquires period designation information that designates a period, and generates the skill information using the action information acquired during the period indicated by the period designation information. 4. The information processing device described in any one of 1. to 3., wherein the action information includes at least one of image information, audio information, and operation information of a device used in the sales business. 5. The information processing device described in any one of 1. to 7., wherein the skill information generation means, when the activity information includes the operation information, includes at least one of the working speed of the agent and the accuracy of the agent's work in the skill information based on the operation information. 6. The information processing device described in 4., wherein the skill information generation means, when the activity information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information, includes information indicating the attentiveness of the agent's customer service in the skill information based on at least one of the image information and the audio information. 7. The information processing device described in 4., wherein, when the activity information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information and at least one of the image information and the audio information further includes an image or audio of a customer, includes information indicating the customer's satisfaction level in the skill information based on the image or audio of the customer. 8. The information processing device described in any one of 1. to 7., wherein the skill information output means, using the skill information, outputs information related to the skill level or ranking of the agent to a display device for the agent.9. The information processing device according to any one of 1. to 8., wherein the display device is a monitor of a device used in the sales operation or a monitor of a device located in a back room of a store where the sales operation is performed. 10. The information processing device according to 9., wherein the skill information output means changes the content of the output screen of the skill information depending on the location where the display device is installed. 11. The information processing device according to any one of 1. to 10., wherein the skill information output means outputs the skill information corresponding to the acquired person in charge identification information in response to acquiring person in charge identification information that identifies the person in charge. 12. The information processing device according to any one of 1. to 11., wherein the skill information generation means generates the skill information indicating the person in charge's skills divided into a plurality of items, and the skill information output means outputs the person in charge's skills for each item based on the generated skill information of the person in charge. 13. 14. An information processing method comprising: at least one computer acquiring action information related to actions taken by a sales representative in a sales transaction of a product or service, generating skill information of the sales representative by processing the acquired action information, and outputting the skill information on a display device for the sales representative. 15. The information processing method of 13. or 14., further comprising: at least one computer acquiring period designation information that designates a period, and generating the skill information using the action information acquired during the period indicated by the period designation information. 16. The information processing method of any one of 13. to 15., wherein the action information includes at least one of image information, audio information, and operation information of a device used in the sales transaction.17. The information processing method described in 16., further including: when the activity information includes the operation information, the at least one computer includes at least one of the agent's working speed and the agent's work accuracy in the skill information based on the operation information. 18. The information processing method described in 16., further including: when the activity information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information, the at least one computer includes information indicating the agent's attentiveness in customer service in the skill information based on at least one of the image information and the audio information. 19. The information processing method described in 16., further including: when the activity information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information and at least one of the image information and the audio information further includes an image or audio of a customer, the at least one computer includes information indicating the customer's satisfaction level in the skill information based on the image or audio of the customer. 20. The at least one computer further includes: using the skill information to output information regarding the agent's skill level or ranking to a display device for the agent. 21. The information processing method described in any one of 13. to 20., wherein the display device is a monitor of a device used in the sales operation or a monitor of a device located in a back room of a store where the sales operation is performed. 22. The information processing method described in 21., further including: the at least one computer changing the content of the output screen of the skill information depending on the location where the display device is installed. 23. The information processing method described in any one of 13. to 22., further including: the at least one computer, in response to acquiring person in charge identification information that identifies the person in charge, outputting the skill information corresponding to the acquired person in charge identification information.24. The information processing method described in any one of 13. to 23., further including: the at least one computer generating the skill information indicating the skills of the person in question divided into a plurality of items; and outputting the skills of the person in each item based on the generated skill information of the person in question. 25. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program that, when executed by at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to function as: behavior information acquisition means for acquiring behavior information related to actions taken by a person in a sales business of a product or service; skill information generation means for generating skill information of the person in question by processing the acquired behavior information; and skill information output means for outputting the skill information on a display device for the person in question. 26. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in 25., wherein the behavior information acquisition means starts and ends the operation of acquiring the behavior information in response to the start and end of one transaction of the sales business. 27. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in 25. or 26., wherein the skill information generation means acquires period designation information that designates a period, and generates the skill information using the activity information acquired during the period designated by the period designation information. 28. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in any one of 25. to 27., wherein the activity information includes at least one of image information, audio information, and operation information of a device used in the sales operation. 29. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in 28., wherein, when the activity information includes the operation information, the skill information includes at least one of the work speed of the person in charge and the accuracy of the person in charge's work based on the operation information. 30. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in 28., wherein, when the activity information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information, the skill information includes information indicating the attentiveness of the person in charge of customer service based on at least one of the image information and the audio information.31. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in 28., wherein the skill information generation means, when the action information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information and when at least one of the image information and the audio information further includes an image or audio of the customer, includes information indicating the customer's satisfaction level in the skill information based on the image or audio of the customer. 32. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in any one of 25. to 31., wherein the skill information output means uses the skill information to output information regarding the skill level or ranking of the staff member to a display device for the staff member. 33. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in any one of 25. to 32., wherein the display device is a monitor of a device used in the sales operation or a monitor of a device located in a back room of a store where the sales operation is performed. 34. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in 33., wherein the skill information output means changes the content of the skill information output screen depending on the location where the display device is installed. 35. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in any one of 25. to 34., wherein the skill information output means, in response to acquiring person in charge identification information that identifies the person in charge, outputs the skill information corresponding to the acquired person in charge identification information. 36. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium described in any one of 25. to 35., wherein the skill information generation means generates the skill information that indicates the skills of the person in charge by dividing them into a plurality of items, and the skill information output means outputs the skills of the person in each of the items based on the generated skill information of the person in charge.

[0095] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Information processing device 1000 Computer 1010 Bus 1020 Processor 1030 Memory 1040 Storage device 1050 Input / output interface 1060 Network interface 110 Action information acquisition unit 120 Skill information generation unit 130 Skill information output unit 20 Sensors 22 Camera 24 Microphone 30 Terminal 32 Monitor 40 Network 50 Second terminal 52 Second monitor 60 Projector 62 Third monitor

Claims

1. An action information acquisition means for acquiring action information regarding actions taken by a sales person in the sales business of goods or services; a skill information generating means for generating skill information of the person in charge by processing the acquired action information; a skill information output means for outputting the skill information to the display device for the person in charge; An information processing device comprising:

2. the activity information acquisition means starts and ends an operation of acquiring the activity information in response to the start and end of one transaction of the sales business; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The skill information generation means Obtain period specification information that specifies a period, generating the skill information using the action information acquired during the period indicated by the period designation information; 3. The information processing device according to claim 1.

4. The activity information includes at least one of image information, audio information, and operation information of a device used in the sales business.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1.

5. The skill information generation means If the action information includes the operation information, at least one of the work speed of the person in charge and the accuracy of the work of the person in charge is included in the skill information based on the operation information. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

6. The skill information generation means If the action information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information, information indicating the attentiveness of the customer service provided by the person in charge is included in the skill information based on at least one of the image information and the audio information. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

7. The skill information generation means When the action information includes at least one of the image information and the audio information, and when at least one of the image information and the audio information further includes an image or audio of a customer, information indicating a satisfaction level of the customer is included in the skill information based on the image or audio of the customer. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

8. The skill information output means Using the skill information, information regarding the skill level or ranking of the person in charge is output to a display device for the person in charge.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1.

9. At least one computer Obtaining behavioral information regarding actions taken by personnel in the sales of goods or services; generating skill information of the person in charge by processing the acquired behavior information; outputting the skill information to a display device for the person in charge; An information processing method including:

10. When executed by at least one computer, the method causes the at least one computer to: behavior information acquisition means for acquiring behavior information regarding behaviors taken by a person in charge of a sales business of goods or services; a skill information generating means for generating skill information of the person in charge by processing the acquired activity information; a skill information output means for outputting the skill information to a display device for the person in charge; A program to function as a