Customer Serving Control System with Operator Emotion Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

In customer serving systems, operators may not be able to appropriately serve customers due to their emotional states or other factors, leading to inconsistent service quality.

Innovation Solution

A customer serving system that includes robots and operator terminals connected via a server, allowing for autonomous customer interaction and seamless transition between autonomous and operator-assisted service based on emotional analysis of both customers and operators, ensuring appropriate resource allocation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If operators serve customers through customer serving apparatuses, then customer service can be provided, but service quality becomes inconsistent depending on operator states

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice quality consistencyVSAvoidoperator state dependency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables autonomous operation where the customer serving apparatus serves customers independently without operator intervention. The apparatus autonomously determines serving actions based on customer information and emotional states, eliminating dependency on operator states while maintaining consistent service quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors customer emotional states and apparatus operational states, using this feedback to dynamically adjust serving actions. When customer emotional states deteriorate or apparatus limitations are detected, the system automatically requests operator assistance, ensuring service quality consistency through closed-loop control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If the system transitions between autonomous and operator-assisted service, then service quality can be maintained, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice quality maintenanceVSAvoidservice mode transition mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The server acts as an intermediary that coordinates between autonomous operation and operator assistance. It manages the transition logic, monitors operational states, and routes customers to appropriate operators when needed, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining service quality through centralized control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system monitors emotional states of customers and operators, then appropriate service transitions can be made, but information processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemotional state-based service adjustmentVSAvoidemotional state data processing load

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the critical emotional state information needed for service decision-making from comprehensive customer and operator data. By focusing on key emotional indicators rather than processing all available information, the system achieves adaptive service adjustment while managing information processing loads efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10542149B2Customer serving control system, customer serving system and computer-readable medium

Publication Date: 2020.01.21 SOFTBANK GROUP CORP

AI summary

A customer serving control system includes: a customer information acquiring unit acquiring customer information about a customer that can be served by a customer serving apparatus; a presentation control unit causing the customer information to be presented to a first operator; a serving information generating unit generating, based on operation of the first operator, first serving information indicating a serving content according to which the customer serving apparatus should serve the customer; a serving control unit causing the first operator to serve the customer through the customer serving apparatus by instructing the customer serving apparatus to serve the customer based on the first serving information; an operator emotion identifying unit identifying an emotion of the first operator; and a serving determining unit determining, based on an emotion of the first operator, whether to maintain a state where the first operator is serving the customer through the customer serving apparatus.