JP2002169580A - Automatic voice answering device and its operating method, and program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make avoidable the decrease of line efficiency by improving the operability by eliminating the need to input a guidance and an identifications signal input which is redundant for a user. SOLUTION: The automatic voice answering device stores information provision and service provision that a user regarding an origination-source terminal selects in a script storage part 74 according to the signal from the origination- source terminal and automatically executes information provision and service provision which are specified with a predetermined signal and registered when the signal is inputted from the terminal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided in an information communication system, and automates telephone services such as a telephone guide and an order reception for mail-order sales, and provides services such as voice guidance and fax transmission without human intervention. The present invention relates to an automatic voice response device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An information communication system of this type includes a client terminal, a server, and a network connection device.
There is an apparatus provided with an automatic voice response device that performs an automatic response by voice or the like to the user related to the terminal.

FIG. 5 shows a processing flow of a conventional example of this type of automatic voice response apparatus. First, after automatically responding to an incoming call, the automatic voice response apparatus sequentially performs processing from the top of the processing flow. First, step S
As 1, the message of the voice guidance 1 is transmitted.
In the voice guidance 1, in addition to the names of companies and organizations, guidance regarding the first menu selection is announced. On the other hand, in step S2, the user inputs an identification signal corresponding to the desired service, for example, the PB of the telephone.
When a signal or the like is input, the automatic voice response
3, the received PB signal is determined, and the next step S
4 to S6 are started.

[0004] Here, it is assumed that the user has pressed the key "1", and according to the processing flow of step S4-1, the automatic voice response apparatus performs voice guidance 1 as processing corresponding to "1".
1 message is sent out. In the voice guidance 11,
Guidance on submenu selection and guidance for returning to the first menu selection are announced. Also in this case, if the user presses the “1” key in steps S7 to S10 similar to the above steps S4 to S6, the automatic voice response apparatus performs the voice guidance 111 according to the processing flow.
Is sent out. In the voice guidance 111,
Guidance on the selection of the desired service and guidance for returning to the first menu and submenu selection are announced. Again, assuming that the user has pressed the '1' key, the interactive voice response system will prompt the user at step S1.
The service A is provided as 1.

As described above, the conventional automatic voice response apparatus selects a plurality of hierarchical menus and selects a desired service from the user.

[0006]

As described above, in the conventional automatic voice response apparatus, a process of transmitting voice guidance to a user and a process of inputting an identification signal by a user are performed a plurality of times in accordance with a process flow created in advance. After that, the selected service is provided to the user by an automatic voice service. In addition, the contents of the voice guidance have been described for all identification signals that can be input so that even a beginner can understand the operation. Furthermore, among services provided by a plurality of services, since the utilization rate of each service was unknown, services that are frequently used and services that are rarely used basically had to input the identification signal the same number of times. .

[0007] Thus, for a user who frequently uses the automatic voice response system of the information communication system, in order to enjoy the desired service, he or she listens to the guidance every time and inputs a predetermined number of identification signals from the terminal. Operability was not good. In addition, since you have to listen to unnecessary guidance,
The time that the line was occupied increased, and the line efficiency also decreased.

An object of the present invention is to improve the operability by eliminating the need for a user to input redundant guidance and identification signals, and to reduce the line occupation time to avoid a decrease in line efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide an enabled automatic voice response device, an operation method thereof, and the program and the storage medium.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention automatically responds to a call from a terminal connected to a network,
In an automatic voice response apparatus having a function of providing at least one of information provision and service provision to a user using the terminal, information provision and selection by a user associated with the source terminal based on a signal from the source terminal Means for registering service provision, and means for automatically executing the registered information provision and service provision specified by the signal when a predetermined signal is input from the terminal. Features.

According to the present invention, provision of registered information and service is selected by a signal from the user, so that the user can enjoy frequently used services in a short time with simple operations. In addition, as for the information communication system, the time for which the line is occupied by one incoming call is reduced, so that the line efficiency is improved.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an automatic voice response device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information communication system to which an automatic voice response device according to the present invention is applied.

This information communication system includes terminals 1a, 1b
A public network 2 to which the terminals 1a and 1b are connected; a line 3 connected to the public network 2; a network connection device 4 connected to the line 3; a LAN 5;
An exchange control server 6, an automatic voice response device 7, and client terminals 8a and 8b connected to N5.

Here, the exchange control server 6 has a LAN 5
Voice response device 7 and client terminal 8 connected to
The identification names and network addresses of a and 8b are set. The automatic voice response device 7 is registered with a voice guidance message and a processing flow in order to provide various services. Further, an identification name of the exchange control server and a network address are set in the network connection device 4. These identification names, network addresses, and the like are set manually or automatically by transmitting a search message on the network.

Here, the activation of the automatic voice response apparatus 7, that is, the terminal 1a (or 1b) connected to the public network 2 connects to the automatic voice response apparatus 7, and the user associated with the terminal 1a (or 1b) receives the automatic voice response. The process up to receiving the service provided by the response device 7 will be described.

First, in order to connect to the information communication system from the terminal 1a, the telephone number given to the line 3 is dialed. In the public network 2 receiving the dial signal, the line 3 is selected from the received dial number and an incoming message is sent out to the line 3. The network connection device 4 that has received the incoming message transmits the incoming message to the exchange control server 6 via the LAN 5. The exchange control server 6 transmits the incoming message received from the network connection device 4 to the automatic voice response device 7 that is the destination. Upon receiving the incoming message, the automatic voice response apparatus 7 automatically transmits the response message to the switching control apparatus 6 of the transmission source. Thereafter, the response message is sent to the switching control device 6 and the network connection device 4 via the LAN 5, and finally the line 3
The information is transmitted to the public network 2 via the public network. As a result, a communication path between the source terminal 1a and the destination automatic voice response apparatus 7 is established. Thereafter, the automatic voice response apparatus 7 can transmit voice guidance, provide various services, and the like in accordance with the processing flow registered in advance.

Next, referring to FIG.
The configuration of the functional block will be described. The automatic voice response device 7 includes a script generation unit 71 that provides a script generation function to the user, a script conversion / analysis unit 72 that converts the generated script so that the automatic voice response device can understand and analyzes the script, and provides voice guidance to the user. , A script storage unit 74 that stores a script created by the user, a main control unit 75 that performs processing according to the contents of the script, and a PB input by the user.
It comprises an identification signal processing section 76 for processing an identification signal such as a signal, and a communication control section 77 for controlling communication between the automatic voice response device and the network.

Under the control of the main controller 75, a storage medium 100 such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk can transmit and receive data to and from the automatic voice response apparatus 7. A program responsible for the operation of the automatic voice response device is loaded.

Next, a first example of the processing flow of the automatic voice response apparatus 7 having the above-described functional blocks will be described with reference to FIG. 3, description of the same portions as those of the conventional processing flow shown in FIG. 5 is omitted.

The processing flow of the first example in the automatic voice response apparatus 7 of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 is different from the conventional processing flow shown in FIG. 5 in two places. Steps T1 to T4 are the same as those in FIG. This is substantially the same as steps S1 to S4. The first difference is that the user follows the voice guidance as steps T1 to T4,
After the submenu is selected and the desired service is finally selected, a processing step T5 of transmitting voice guidance for service registration to a processing step T8 from registration of a service type are added.

For example, if the service A is a balance inquiry service of a bank or the like, the voice guidance for service registration is provided to the user as "Service for balance inquiry. To register a service number for the balance inquiry service, use # (Sharp. ) And a number from 1 to 9. "is announced to the user.

Here, the user can set # and 1 to 9 within a predetermined time.
After entering the keys up to, the service type (balance inquiry service), service registration number, and user identification information (calling number and account number, etc.) are registered in the database, and then the balance inquiry service, which is the service A in step T9 Is provided. If the service is not registered, a balance inquiry service is immediately provided.

The second difference is that the user selects the first service menu. In the voice guidance 1, an announcement regarding the input of the service number is given in addition to the guidance for selecting the service. For example, a message such as ".... If a service number is entered, enter * and the service number."

Here, as steps T10 and T11,
When the user inputs * and the service number registered at the time of the last incoming call, if there is a registered service in step T12,
The service (here, the balance inquiry service) registered immediately at T13 is provided. If there is no service, voice guidance for service registration is transmitted at Step T14.

As described above, the user can enjoy frequently used services in a short time by a simple operation. Further, also in the information communication system using the automatic voice response device, the time for which the line is occupied by one incoming call is reduced, so that the line efficiency is improved.

Next, a second example of the processing flow of the automatic voice response apparatus 7 having the above-described functional blocks will be described with reference to FIG. 4, description of the same portions as those of the conventional processing flow shown in FIG. 5 is omitted.

In FIG. 4, the present invention is a conventional example shown in FIG.
1 is different from the processing flow of FIG. 5 in that step U4 to step U6 correspond to step S1 to step S3 in FIG.

Conventionally, when a call is made from a telephone which cannot transmit an identification signal, such as a dial-type telephone, and arrives at an information communication system using an automatic voice response apparatus, the user cannot transmit the identification signal and cannot select a menu. Without
Unless the user listens to the voice guidance on menu selection and the like and waits until the input monitoring timer of the menu selection identification signal expires, the service is not transferred to the operator using the client terminal and the service cannot be received. However, the processing flow of FIG. 4 has solved this problem.

In the processing flow of FIG. 4, information as to whether or not the user has input an identification signal at the time of an incoming call is stored in step U8. If no identification signal such as a PB signal has been input, it is determined that no identification signal has been input from the transmission source, and the information is immediately transferred to the client terminal used by the operator in steps U7 and U9. I have.

As described above, in the processing flow of the second example, when the source terminal cannot transmit a PB signal or the like, or when the transmitting user cannot input an identification signal, unnecessary voice guidance is not heard. The transfer to the operator improves serviceability, shortens the line occupation time, and improves line efficiency.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, when various kinds of information are provided to a user by voice or image, the number of identification signals that the user must input from the communication terminal is optimized. The operability is improved, and the serviceability is also improved because it is not necessary to listen to unnecessary voice guidance for the user.Moreover, by eliminating the need to send unnecessary guidance to the user in the information communication system, It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic voice response apparatus, a method of operating the same, and a program and a storage medium that can reduce the time occupied by a line in one incoming call and improve the line efficiency.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information communication system to which an automatic voice response device according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary functional block diagram of the automatic voice response apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing a first example of a processing flow of the automatic voice response apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing a second example of the processing flow of the automatic voice response apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a conventional automatic voice response device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b terminal 2 public network 3 line 4 network connection device 5 LAN 6 exchange control server 7 automatic voice response device 71 script creation unit 72 script conversion / analysis unit 73 voice guidance transmission unit 74 script storage unit 75 main control unit 76 identification Signal processing unit 77 Communication control unit 8a, 8b Client terminal

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5D045 AA07 AB24 5K015 AA06 5K024 AA76 BB02 CC01 DD01 EE01 FF06 GG01

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An automatic voice having a function of automatically responding to a call from a terminal connected to a network and providing at least one of information provision and service provision to a user using the terminal. A response device, a means for registering information provision and service provision selected by a user associated with the source terminal based on a signal from the source terminal; and specifying a predetermined signal from the terminal when the signal is input from the terminal. Means for automatically executing the registered information provision and service provision performed. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for recording the number of times selected by the user for each information provision and service provision; and means for displaying the number of selections for each type of information provision and service provision. 2. The information communication system according to 1. 3. A means for improving a processing flow for executing the means so as to provide a service with a smaller number of input signals for the information provision and service provision having a high utilization rate according to the utilization rate of the information provision and service provision. 3. The automatic voice response system according to claim 1, further comprising: And means for recording the identification information of the source terminal, and means for recording whether or not the identification signal of the terminal has been received, and referring to the record of whether or not the identification signal has been received. ,
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when no identification signal has been received once for a predetermined number of incoming calls, the call is transferred to the client terminal, and a service is provided by an operator associated with the client terminal. The automatic voice response device according to claim 1. 5. A processing flow for executing the above-mentioned means for general users, and executing the above-mentioned means for specific users, which minimizes transmission of voice guidance and input of identification signals for frequently used users. 5. The automatic voice response apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for preparing a processing flow and selecting one of the processing flows as desired by the user. 6. A client terminal connected to an internal network and having communication control means and voice input / output means,
A server having an exchange control function for establishing a communication path between a terminal connected to an external network and a server connected to both the internal network and the external network and controlling connection between the network and the external network A network connection device having a function and a function of transmitting and receiving voice data between the external network and the internal network, and automatically receiving a call from a terminal connected to the internal network or a terminal connected to the external network And an automatic voice response device having a function of providing information and a service in response to a request from the source terminal in the information communication system. Register the information provision and service provision selected by the user according to Operating the automatic voice response apparatus, characterized in that when a predetermined signal is input thereto, the registered information provision and service provision specified by the signal are automatically executed. 7. A procedure for registering, in an automatic voice response system provided in an information communication system, information provision and service provision selected by a user associated with a source terminal based on a signal from the source terminal of the information communication system. Automatically executing the registered information provision and service provision specified by the signal when a predetermined signal is input from the terminal. 8. A procedure for registering, in an automatic voice response system provided in the information communication system, information provision and service provision selected by a user associated with the source terminal based on a signal from the source terminal of the information communication system. A computer-readable program recording a program for executing, when a predetermined signal is input from the terminal, a procedure for automatically executing the registered information provision and service provision specified by the signal. recoding media.