JP2001109815A - System and method for absent person support using position information and recording medium with program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To grasp the current place of going out person by using a position information system such as PHS at a request for urgent dispatch made by a customer, to confirm the present place, skill, and schedule of the going out person, and to efficiently determines and instructs a person to dispatched. SOLUTION: A request for dispatch is accepted from a customer. an going out person who has the skill, manual, tool, etc., for the kind of the machine that the customer is using and is at a place out of schedule and free is selected as a dispatch candidate, and the actual schedule of the going out person as the dispatch candidate is confirmed to optimize the schedule including the expected time of arrival at the customer; and the going out person as the dispatch candidate is confirmed in accepting the dispatch, the going out person which understands the dispatch and can arrive at the customer eariest is determined and instructed to visit the customer, and necessary information of the customer is reported.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a plurality of maintenance personnel and sales persons (such as "going out"
Related to the management system. In particular, the present invention relates to an out-of-home support system for efficiently dispatching out-of-home based on the current location, skills, and schedule of out-of-home in response to an urgent dispatch request from a customer due to equipment failure or supply of consumables.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in response to an urgent dispatch request from a customer, a person in charge of a sales office receiving a telephone call from a customer checks the current location of all outgoing persons and the status of the next schedule from a schedule table. The method of determining the dispatcher is taken. That is, the person in charge selects an outsider who has a vacant schedule and is close to the customer, calls the outsider using a pager, mobile phone, PHS, or the like, checks the schedule and location, and dispatches the customer to the customer. And decided to go out to the customer.

[0003] Therefore, a person in charge of a sales office must manually manage all the current locations and schedules of a plurality of out-goers, especially when the number of out-goers is large, management of out-goers is extremely complicated. As a result, not only was the response process to the customer delayed, but errors were also likely to occur.

On the other hand, an out-of-home support system that uses a PHS location information system to ascertain the current location of an out-of-home has been developed and started to be used. As a result, the salesperson in charge of the sales office can easily find the current location of the out-of-home traveler and check out schedules and the like by narrowing down the out-of-home people who are close to the customer. I have.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned PHS
The out-of-home support system using the location information system described in this section does not link to the out-of-home schedule or the manuals and tools owned by the out-goer, but cannot access the requested customer. Were also candidates for dispatch and were still wasteful. further,
Requests for dispatches to outsiders also had to be made manually by phone or the like, and the weight of manual work by receptionists was still high and inefficient.

[0006] An automatic system for determining dispatch candidates in association with the schedule of out-of-home travelers has also been tried. However, since the system has not been constructed on the premise that the schedule fluctuates, there is a problem that the schedule interlocking function cannot be utilized. there were. In addition, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) has conventionally been required as a means for communicating customer information such as a customer's name and address to an outsider, and there has been a problem of increasing costs.

The present invention is based on the premise that in response to an urgent dispatch request from a customer, the current location of the outsider is grasped using a location information system such as a PHS, and the schedule of the outsider changes. To provide an out-of-home support system, out-of-home support method for determining outgoing outgoing dispatches and dispatching instructions efficiently, confirming the present location, skills and schedule of outgoing outgoers, and providing a recording medium recording the program thereof. Aim.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in response to a dispatch request from a customer who is not scheduled to visit, the positions and positions of each outgoing person are grasped in consideration of the skills and schedules of a plurality of outgoing people. The out-of-home support system using out-of-location information that determines the out-of-home person that can arrive at the customer's place and performs the dispatching process, the out-of-home support method, and the recording medium on which the program is recorded. Reception, collate the model used by the customer with information on the skills of the out-goer, the owner's manual, owned tools, etc., collate the location information of the out-goer with the schedule, possess the skills, manuals, tools, etc. for the model used by the customer In addition, outgoing persons who are out of schedule or have the next scheduled time are selected as dispatch candidates, and actual Confirm the schedule and update the schedule including the estimated time of arrival at the customer, and then confirm the dispatch acceptance to the candidate who is a candidate for dispatch, and obtain the consent for dispatch and arrive at the customer as soon as possible. It is characterized in that a person who can arrive is determined as a dispatcher, a dispatch instruction is issued to a person who is determined to be dispatched, and necessary information of the customer is notified.

That is, according to the present invention, an outpatient who can be a dispatch candidate can be selected in consideration of not only the skills possessed by the outpatient but also manuals and tools. Also,
The current location and the schedule of the day are compared for a plurality of outsiders, the schedule (scheduled work end time, etc.) is checked with the outsider, and the schedule is updated. Can be selected and decided.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A description will be given below of an example of a case where a customer who has failed in equipment used urgently requests a sales office to dispatch a maintenance worker (outgoing person).

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an out-of-home support system using position information according to the present invention. In the figure, a telephone 10 of a customer and PHSs 21, 22 and PHSs of out-of-towners
The location information center 23 and the out-of-office support system 100 of the business office are connected via a network 30. The outsider support system 100 includes a switch 101 connected to the network 30, a reception telephone 102, a voice response device 103, a voice storage device 104, a PB signal receiver 105, and a voice recognition device 106 connected to the switch 101.
And a control device 107 for controlling the switch 101, a customer database 108, a storage device 109, an outsider database 110, and a terminal 111.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the contents of the customer database 108. In the customer database 108, the name, address, telephone number, FAX number, position information, and model of the customer are registered as a set.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the contents of the outsider database 110. The out-of-home database 110 contains the name, PH
An S number, presence / absence of a PHS mail function, an e-mail address, skills indicating a model that can be accommodated by an outsider, a possession manual, a possession tool, and a schedule are registered as a set.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the contents of the schedule in the out-of-home database 110. In the schedule, a name, a visit destination for each time zone, and position information of the visit destination are registered as a set.

FIG. 7 shows an outline of the processing procedure of the out-of-home support system 100. In the figure, an out-of-home support system 100 includes a reception S 1 from a customer, a selection S 2 of candidates who can be dispatched from out-of-homes, a confirmation S 3 of a schedule of out-going candidates, and an out-of-office to dispatch out of out-of-out candidates. Processing corresponding to the dispatch request from the customer is performed by the procedure of decision S4 and notification S5 to the customer and the outsider to be dispatched.

The details of each of the processing steps S1 to S5 will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG.
Shows an example of a processing procedure of reception S1 from a customer. When the customer dials the telephone number of the office of the device to be used from his / her telephone 10, the reception telephone 102 is called via the network 30 and the switch 101 of the outsider support system 100 of the office. When the receptionist of the sales office picks up the receiver of the reception telephone 102 and starts talking with the customer (S11), the control device 107 controls the switch 101 to draw the call between the customer and the receptionist into the voice storage device 104. At the same time, the voice storage device 104 is activated to start recording the call (S12). Next, the control device 10
7 searches the customer database 108 based on the telephone number (caller ID) of the customer's telephone 10 and displays the customer name and other customer data on the terminal 111 (S13). During the exchange with the customer, the receptionist confirms that the customer data displayed on the terminal 111 and the customer who made the call are the same, further hears the status of the failure, etc., and makes a request to call again. Then, the call is disconnected (S14). If there is a change in the customer data (for example, the model used by the customer), the customer database 108 is corrected. On the other hand, the control device 1
07 detects the disconnection of the telephone, stops the voice storage device 104 that has recorded the call between the customer and the receptionist, and controls the switch 101 to open the path to the voice storage device 104 (S15). .

FIG. 9 shows an example of a processing procedure of the selection S2 of dispatchable candidates from outsiders. The receptionist who hangs up the call with the customer operates the terminal 111 and
Is instructed to request an emergency dispatch of an outsider (S21).
The control device 107 searches the outsider database 110 in response to this emergency dispatch request, and (2) possesses a manual and tools for the models used by the customer registered in the customer database 108. Outgoings that satisfy the two conditions of
2), and store it in the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 (S23). Next, the control device 107 acquires the location information from the PHS location information center 23 by a known method for all the outgoing persons listed as dispatch candidates, and adds the location information to the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 ( S2
4). Then, the control device 107 extracts the outsider whose obtained schedule information matches each schedule information stored in the outsider database 110 and whose next schedule is closed (S25). Storage device 109
Is deleted from the list stored in the dispatch candidate area (S26).

That is, when the out-of-home visitor is at the scheduled visit destination and the next visit destination is determined, or when the visitor is moving to the next visit destination, he / she is moving according to the schedule, and is dispatched to a place other than the schedule. Judges that it is difficult and removes him from the dispatch candidate list. On the other hand, if a person who is out of the office is in an unscheduled place or is on a scheduled visit, he or she is going to return to the next office or is moving to return to the office. The PHS location information center 23
Since there is a predetermined error in the outsider's location information obtained from the above, it is determined whether or not the location information and the schedule information match in consideration of the error range.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a processing procedure of confirmation S3 of the schedule of the dispatch candidate. The control device 107 sends a call to each PHS of all the outgoing persons stored in the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 (S31).
01, the voice response device 103 is connected, and a message for instructing to input the “scheduled end time of today's final work” by PB is issued (S32). Next, the control device 10
7 controls the switch 101 to control the PB signal receiver 105
Is connected, and the scheduled end time of the final work of the day to which the outsider responds is received and added to the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 (S33). However, a person who is returning home after completing the scheduled work responds with the current time with a PB signal, so that the current time is recorded as the scheduled end time of the final work. If there is no response from the outsider, the outsider is deleted from the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109. In this case, the outsider reports the scheduled end time of the final work using the PB signal. However, the speech recognition device 106 is used instead of the PB signal receiver 105, and the scheduled end time of the final work is received by voice. It is also possible.

Next, the control device 107 stores the data in the storage device 109.
Based on the location information of the outsider stored in the dispatch candidate area, the distance between each outsider and the customer is calculated, and the distance is converted into the required time. (S34). Further, the control device 1
07 calculates the estimated time of arrival at the customer by adding the required time to the customer to the expected end time of the final work of each of the respondents who have responded (response time in the case of returning home). It is added to the dispatch candidate area (S35). FIG. 5 shows the state of the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 at this time. Next, the control device 107 sorts the outgoing persons in ascending order based on the expected arrival time of each of the outsiders to the customer, and rewrites the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 with the result (S3).
6). FIG. 6 shows the state of the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 at this time.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a processing procedure of the decision S4 of an out-patient to be dispatched from dispatch candidates. Control device 10
7 counts the number of outpatients who are dispatch candidates from the storage device 109, and determines whether or not there are dispatch candidates (S41). Here, when the number of persons is zero, the terminal 11
In step S42, a message "No suitable dispatch candidate exists" is displayed to notify the receptionist (S42). on the other hand,
If the number of persons is not zero, the control device 107 transmits the call to the PHS of the highest outgoing person (the person expected to arrive at the customer earliest) in the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 (S4).
3) Further, the voice response device 1 is controlled by controlling the switch 101.
Connect 03 and say, "Once the work is done today, please go to XX in □ city, town. Please press 0 if you agree, press 1 if it is not convenient. You can hear the status of the request in a recording, so please do not hang up. "
Is sent (S44). The PB signal of “0” or “1” to which the outsider who has heard this guidance responds is received by the PB signal receiver 105, and the controller 107 determines the outsider's response (S45).

The control unit 107 includes a PB signal receiver 105
Receives “0” and recognizes that the outsider has accepted, activates the voice storage device 104 and plays back the recording of the call contents between the customer and the receptionist (S46). On the other hand, when the control device 107 recognizes that the PB signal receiver 105 has received “1” and the outsider has not acknowledged, the storage device 1
The top outgoing person in the dispatch candidate area of 09 is excluded, the order of the following dispatch candidates is advanced (S47), and the process returns to the determination of whether there is a dispatch candidate (S41). Thereafter, the same processing is repeated, and if all the outsiders in the dispatch candidate area of the storage device 109 are inconvenient, the control device 107
In step S42, a message "No suitable dispatch candidate exists" is output to notify the receptionist (S42). In addition,
The voice recognition device 106 may be used instead of the PB signal receiver 105, and the convenience of the person who goes out may be confirmed by voices of "Yes" and "No".

The receptionist who is notified that there is no dispatch candidate determines the urgency of the request (immediately,
Whether it is during today or at a later date) is determined, and when an immediate visit is necessary, each outgoing person is contacted and the schedule for the day is canceled and the customer is returned to the customer.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the processing procedure of the notification S5 to the customer and the out-going person to be dispatched. The control device 107
When the out-going person to be dispatched is determined by S46, the out-going person database 110 is searched to determine whether the out-going person has a PHS with a mail function (S5).
1). When the dispatcher has a PHS with a mail function, the name, address, telephone number, and the like of the customer are extracted from the customer database 108, and the estimated time of arrival at the customer calculated by the control device 107 is included. The dispatcher is notified by e-mail (S52). On the other hand, when the out-going person does not have a PHS with a mail function, the voice response device 103 notifies the customer of the name, address, telephone number, and the like extracted from the customer database 108 by voice (S53). .

The dispatched outsider calls the customer of the notified telephone number and notifies that "it is scheduled to arrive at about time xx" (S54). Note that the voice response device 103 is used instead of the outsider dispatched by the control device 107 to make “○
It may be notified that our xx is scheduled to arrive around the hour. In addition, after the notification to the outsider to be dispatched ends, the control device 107 displays, on the terminal 111, the fact that the dispatch request arrangement has been completed, and notifies the receptionist (S55).

Here, if it is inconvenient for the customer to make a visit at the estimated arrival time, the customer or the outsider who calls the customer calls the office, and the receptionist considers the outsider's schedule as before, Consult with the customer to determine the date and time of the visit.

In the above description, the outsider has a PHS and uses the location information management system to obtain the location information of the outsider. However, instead of the PHS, the GPS is used instead of the PHS.
The same function can be realized by using a communication device combining a (Global Positioning System) and a mobile phone or the like.

In the above description, for ease of explanation, one reception telephone line and one receptionist were used. The application of the invention is possible.

Also, in the above description, the dispatch candidate
When confirming whether or not dispatch is possible in S, the procedure was described in which the convenience was sequentially asked from the outsiders who could arrive at the customer in the shortest time,
It is also possible to simultaneously transmit to the PHSs of a plurality of dispatch candidates, receive the respective conveniences in parallel, and select a person who can arrive at the customer earliest from the convenient outsiders.

Also, as an application example of the present invention, it is assumed that a customer whose equipment used has failed has urgently requested a dispatch of a maintenance person (outgoing person) to a business office. The present invention is applicable to a system for dispatching an appropriate person from among a plurality of outsiders, such as dispatching a sales person or a salesperson.

The operation flow of the out-of-home support system shown in FIGS. 8 to 12 can be realized by software as an out-of-home support program as it is, and can be recorded on a recording medium and used.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Considering the skills, manuals, tools, etc. possessed by the out-patients, the current location and the schedule on the day are selected for each out-patient to select a dispatch candidate, and furthermore, a schedule (work (Scheduled end time, etc.), and the optimal dispatcher can be determined on the assumption that the schedule fluctuates.

Further, by using the voice response device and the PB signal receiver, it is possible to automatically confirm the schedule for the out-of-home person and to confirm the acceptance of dispatch, so that the dispatcher can be selected without error and efficiently. It can be carried out. Further, since the dispatcher can hear the contents of the call between the customer and the receptionist by recording, the contents of the customer's request (failure status, etc.) can be transmitted without fail. In addition, out-of-towners can easily grasp the current location by carrying PHS or GPS and a mobile phone. According to the above functions, it is possible to promptly, efficiently and economically dispatch an optimal outsider in response to a dispatch request from a customer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an out-of-home support system using position information according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of the contents of a customer database 108;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an out-of-office database 110.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of the contents of a schedule of a person outside the house database 110;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of a dispatch candidate area in the storage device 109;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of a dispatch candidate area in the storage device 109;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of a processing procedure of the out-of-home support system 100;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a reception S1 from a customer.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of selecting a dispatchable candidate from outsiders S2.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of confirmation S3 of a dispatch candidate's schedule.

FIG. 11: Decision S of an out-patient to be dispatched from dispatch candidates
9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of No. 4;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a notification S5 to a customer and a dispatcher.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Customer's telephone 21, 22 PHS of out-of-home person 23 PHS location information center 30 Network 100 Out-of-home support system 101 Switch 102 Reception telephone 103 Voice response device 104 Voice storage device 105 PB signal receiver 106 Voice recognition device 107 Control device 108 Customer Database 109 Storage device 110 Out-of-home database 111 Terminal

Claims (14)

[Claims] In response to a dispatch request from a customer who is not scheduled to visit, an out-of-office location information management means is used which considers the skills and schedules of a plurality of out-goers and further grasps the location of each out-goer. In the out-of-home support system that uses location information to determine the outsider who can arrive at the customer's earliest location and perform dispatch processing, the customer data such as the customer's name, address, telephone number, location information, and model used Customer data management means for managing the name of the out-of-home person, the telephone number of the phone being carried, skills indicating compatible models, owned manuals, owned tools,
An out-of-home data management unit for managing out-of-home data such as a schedule; accepting a dispatch request from the customer; and collating data of the customer data management unit, the out-of-home data management unit, and the out-of-home location information management unit. Control means for selecting a dispatch candidate from the outsiders, confirming the schedule of the outsider who has become the dispatch candidate, determining the outsider to dispatch, and notifying the outsider. Out-of-home support system using location information characterized by: 2. The out-of-home support system using position information according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is obtained from the out-of-home data management unit and a model of a customer obtained from the customer data management unit. The information of the outsider's skill, the owner's manual, the owning tool, etc. is compared, and the location information of the outsider obtained from the outsider location information management means and the schedule of the outsider obtained from the outsider data management means are compared. Collating, possessing skills, manuals, tools, etc. for the customer's used model, and selecting out-patients who are out of schedule or have the next schedule vacant as dispatch candidates. Out-of-home support system using location information. 3. The out-of-home support system using the location information according to claim 1, wherein the control unit confirms an actual schedule with the out-of-office who has become the dispatch candidate and estimates a scheduled arrival time at the customer. The schedule is updated to include the following, followed by confirmation of dispatch acceptance for the dispatch candidate who is a candidate for dispatch, and a decision on the dispatcher who can get the consent to the dispatch and arrive at the customer's earliest as the dispatcher. An out-of-home support system using location information, which is characterized by the fact that there is one. 4. An out-of-home person support system using position information according to claim 1, further comprising a voice response device and a PB signal receiver, wherein the control means confirms a schedule and accepts dispatch to the out-of-home person. An out-of-home support system using location information, wherein confirmation is performed by a voice response device and a response from the out-of-home is received by a PB signal receiver. 5. The out-of-home person support system using position information according to claim 4, further comprising a voice recognition device instead of the PB signal receiver, wherein the control means receives a response from the out-of-home person by voice. An out-of-home support system using location information, characterized in that: 6. An out-of-home support system using location information according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a voice storage unit, wherein the control unit stores a call between the customer and a receptionist in the voice storage unit. An out-of-home support system using location information, wherein the out-of-home person determined to be dispatched to the customer is configured to be able to reproduce and hear the contents of the call with the customer from the voice storage means. 7. The out-of-home support system using the location information according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a voice response device, wherein the control means transmits the call to the customer who has requested the dispatch, and An out-of-home support system using location information, wherein a name of an out-going visitor and a scheduled visit time are reported. 8. The out-of-home support system using the location information according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the control means sends a name and address of the out-of-home to the out-of-home who is determined to be dispatched to the customer. An out-of-home support system using location information, which is configured to notify, by e-mail, information on a telephone number, equipment used, and the like, and an estimated time of arrival at a customer. 9. The out-of-home person support system using the position information according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines a predetermined number of the out-of-home person information obtained from the out-of-home person position information managing unit. An out-of-home support system using location information, characterized in that it is configured to determine whether or not the out-of-home is at a place according to a schedule in consideration of an error range. 10. In response to a dispatch request from a customer who is not scheduled to visit, taking into account the skills and schedules of a plurality of outsiders, the location of each outsider can be ascertained to arrive at the customer's earliest. In an out-of-home support method using location information that determines a go-out person and performs a process of dispatching, a dispatch request from the customer is received, and a model used by the customer and skills of the go-out person, a possession manual, a possession tool, etc. Information, the location information of the out-of-home traveler and the schedule, the skills, manuals, tools, etc., for the customer's used model, and further out-of-schedule locations or the next available schedule. The dispatcher selects the dispatcher as a dispatch candidate, confirms the actual schedule with the outpatient who has become the dispatch candidate, and sets a schedule including the estimated time of arrival at the customer. To confirm the dispatch acceptance of outpatients who have become dispatch candidates, decide who will be able to reach the customer at the earliest time with the consent to dispatch, and dispatch the dispatcher. An out-of-home support method using location information, in which a dispatch instruction is issued to a predetermined out-of-home person and necessary information of the customer is notified. 11. In response to a dispatch request from a customer who is not scheduled to visit, taking into account the skills and schedules of a plurality of outsiders, the location of each of the outsiders can be ascertained to arrive at the customer's earliest. In a recording medium recording an out-of-home support program using position information for performing a process of determining an out-goer and dispatching, the out-of-home support program includes, after receiving a dispatch request from the customer, use of the customer Skills of the model and the out-of-home person, owned manual, collated with information such as tools, collated with the out-of-home location information and schedule, possesses skills, manuals, tools, etc. for the model used by the customer, A step of selecting a person who is out of the schedule or has a next schedule available as a dispatch candidate; and To confirm the actual schedule and update the schedule including the estimated time of arrival at the customer, and then confirm the dispatch acceptance to the outpatient who has become a dispatch candidate. A procedure for determining a person who can arrive at the place as soon as possible as a dispatcher, and a procedure for issuing a dispatch instruction to the person who is determined to be dispatched and notifying the customer of necessary information, A recording medium that stores an out-of-home support program using positional information to be performed. 12. A recording medium storing an out-of-home support program using the location information according to claim 11, wherein a call between the customer and a receptionist is recorded and dispatched to the customer. A recording medium storing an out-of-home support program using location information, comprising a procedure for reproducing and listening to the contents of the call. 13. A recording medium storing an out-of-home support program using the location information according to claim 11, wherein the out-of-home name to be transmitted to the customer after the out-home to be dispatched to the customer is determined and to be visited. A recording medium storing an out-of-home visitor support program using location information, including a procedure of notifying a scheduled visit time. 14. A recording medium on which an out-of-home support program using the location information according to claim 11 is recorded, wherein the out-of-home person determined to be dispatched to the customer is transmitted, and the name, address, and telephone number of the customer are transmitted. A recording medium storing an out-of-home person support program using location information, which includes a procedure for notifying, by electronic mail, information on a device to be used and an estimated time of arrival to a customer.