JP2007087080A - Call control method for counter calling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To take a customer's waiting time into consideration or take a response when a customer cannot come to a counter in response to a call. <P>SOLUTION: The counter calling device adapted to issue numbered tickets to customers for operations at a counter and call the customers in order of the numbers of the numbered tickets is connected to an operation system comprising an operation terminal for counter work. The operation system detects pulling-out of a numbered ticket from a ticket issuing machine of the counter calling device, acquires and stores a clock value at the detection time as a ticket issuing time, acquires and stores the number of the numbered ticket and an operation corresponding to the numbered ticket, and displays a waiting time of the customer determined by subtracting the ticket issuing time from the current clock value on the operation terminal at a predetermined time interval. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a call control method in a window calling device.

  In a counter calling device that guides customers to multiple counters at financial institutions, public institutions, etc., when a remote operation is performed by the customer, a numbered ticket with a reference number is issued, and the customer contacts the counter in the order of the reference number. (See Patent Document 1).

  In addition, when a different business is assigned to each window, there is a system in which a reference number is stored in association with the business content, and a customer is guided for each business and in the order of the reference number (see Patent Document 2).

  However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the numbered ticket is issued and the customer is called to the window in the order of ticketing, and the customer's waiting time is conscious or the customer cannot come to the window for the call. Could not respond.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 63-41105 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-320482 Japanese Patent No. 2618531

  The problem to be solved is that the customer is not aware of the waiting time of the customer or cannot cope with the case where the customer cannot come to the window for the call.

  The call control method in the window calling device of the present invention is the window calling device in the window calling device that issues a numbered ticket to the customer and calls the customer to the window in the order of the numbered number of the numbered ticket when performing the business at the window. Is connected to a business system equipped with a business terminal for performing business at the window, and the business system detects the withdrawal of the numbered ticket from the ticketing machine of the window calling device, and acquires and stores the clock value at the time of the detection as the ticketing time. And acquiring and storing the number of the numbered ticket and the business corresponding to the numbered ticket, and displaying the waiting time of the customer obtained by subtracting the ticketing time from the current clock value every predetermined time on the business terminal Is the most important feature.

  The call control method in the window calling device of the present invention detects the withdrawal of the numbered ticket from the ticket issuing machine of the window calling device, acquires and stores the clock value at the time of the detection as the ticketing time, the number of the numbered ticket and the number The work corresponding to the numbered ticket is acquired and stored, and the waiting time of the customer obtained by subtracting the ticket issuing time from the current clock value at predetermined time intervals is displayed on the work terminal, and the reference number is stored. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is possible to be aware of the waiting time of the customer, and to deal with the case where the customer cannot come to the window, such as calling again later by the stored reference number.

  The bank's business system has realized the purpose of being aware of the customer's waiting time and responding to calls when the customer cannot come to the counter.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system according to the present invention.
The illustrated system comprises a business system 1 such as a bank and a window calling device 2.

  The business system 1 includes a plurality of business terminals 11, 12, 13, 14, a management device 15, a branch store server 16, and a network printer 17.

  The plurality of business terminals 11, 12, 13, and 14 are terminal devices used by bank employees at each window, and perform processing corresponding to the business classification handled at each window. For example, at the counter for transfers, taxes, and exchanges, these are processed.

The management device 15 is a device that manages the entire business system 1.
The sales office server 16 manages data necessary for providing each business of the bank sales office.
The network printer 17 is a printer that can be commonly used in the system.

The window calling device 2 is connected to the management device 15 of the business system 1.
The window calling device 2 includes an interface 21, a voice amplifier 22, a voice speaker 23, a plurality of counter displays 24, 25, 26, 27, a plurality of ticketing machines 28, 29, a plurality of monitor displays 30, 31, 32.

  The interface 21 controls an interface between the business system 1 and a plurality of counter displays 24, 25, 26, 27, a plurality of ticket issuing machines 28, 29, a plurality of monitor displays 30, 31, 32.

The audio amplifier 22 amplifies an audio signal output from an audio synthesis unit (not shown) of the business system 1 and outputs the amplified audio signal to the audio speaker 23.
The voice speaker 23 outputs a reference number and a message to be communicated to the customer by voice.

The plurality of counter displays 24, 25, 26, and 27 are displays that display the serial number currently being processed in the counter at the window.
The plurality of ticket issuing machines 28 and 29 are for printing the numbered tickets printed in the order of consecutive numbered numbers and presenting them to the customer.

  The plurality of monitor displays 30, 31, and 32 are displays that display reference numbers currently being processed at customer waiting seats and the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the call screen 200.
This is a screen displayed on the plurality of business terminals 11, 12, 13, 14. In the present invention, a bank clerk can call a customer from the screen of FIG. At that time, the waiting time of the customer of the target reference number can be confirmed.

In the field of the target ticket issue number 201, the reference number that the bank clerk wants to call can be entered.
In the business category 202 field, the business category number targeted by the business terminal is not displayed.

The fields of the business category list 203 indicate the business contents included in each business category.
In the waiting time 204 field, the waiting time of the customer of the reference number that the bank clerk wants to call entered in the target ticketing number 201 field is displayed.

In the field of the number of reserved persons 205, the total number of customers whose reference numbers are reserved without being brought to the window at the time of calling is displayed.
In the field of the hold number 206, the reference number put on hold is displayed.

  The call button 207 is operated by pressing a function key corresponding to calling a reference number that the bank clerk inputs in the field of the target ticket issue number 201 to be called. Call control is started by detecting an operation of the call button 207 by an input unit (not shown) in the window call control device at each terminal, and a data transfer unit (not shown) is input to the field of the target ticket issuing number 201 to store a predetermined memory. The reference number data stored as code data in the unit is transferred to the voice synthesis unit (not shown), the reference number data transferred by the voice synthesis unit is converted into voice data, and further converted into an analog voice signal, The audio amplifier 22 amplifies the audio signal and outputs it from the audio speaker 23.

The hold button 208 is operated by pressing a corresponding function key when the bank clerk puts the reference number displayed in the field of the target ticket issue number 201 on hold. The hold is an operation for setting the hold bit of the storage unit 44 in FIG. 5 to “1”.
The delete button 209 is operated by pressing a corresponding function key when deleting the reference number displayed in the field of the hold number 206. Deletion is an operation of setting the reserved bit in the storage unit 44 in FIG. 5 to “0”.
The end button 211 is operated by pressing the corresponding function key when the work on the call screen is ended.
The operation of each button is not limited to the case of pressing the function key described above, and a touch panel made of a known transparent electrode plate may be provided on the CRT screen so that it can be directly operated.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the waiting / holding status inquiry screen 300.
This is also a screen displayed on the plurality of business terminals 11, 12, 13, 14 or the management device 15. In the screen of FIG. 3, the waiting control number / waiting time, the number of reserved persons and the list of reserved numbers for each business are displayed by a display control unit (not shown). The bank clerk can check the waiting time of each job by using the screen of FIG. 3, and the operator who is a bank clerk judges a job having a long waiting time and can call it with priority by pressing the call button 304. It becomes possible.

In the field of the waiting number / waiting time list 301, the waiting number of customers and the waiting time are displayed for each business category.
The number of customers put on hold is displayed in the field of the hold number 302.

In the field of the hold number 303, the reference number of the customer put on hold is displayed.
The call button 304 is operated by pressing a corresponding function key when calling a reference number designated by clicking or the like in the field of the hold number 303.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ticket issuing device and the window calling control device.
The illustrated ticket issuing device includes a ticket issuing sensor 40, a reference number assigning unit 41, and a time acquiring unit 43. The window calling control device includes a clock 42, a storage unit 44, a time calculating unit 45, and a display unit 46. And a hold instruction unit 47. Here, the ticket issuing device is a program or sensor provided in the ticket issuing machines 28 and 29, and the window calling control device is a program or memory provided in the business terminals 11 to 14 or the management device 15.

The ticket issuing sensor 40 is a sensor provided in the ticket issuing machines 28 and 29, and detects the withdrawal of the numbered ticket by the customer at the numbered ticket outlet of the ticket issuing machine.
The reference number assigning unit 41 is a counter provided in the ticket issuing machines 28 and 29, and assigns consecutive reference numbers in the ticket issuing machine. In this case, for example, the ticketing machine 28 is a ticketing machine for business categories 1 to 3, and the ticketing machine 29 is a ticketing machine for business categories 4 to 7. These ticket issuing machines are provided with a business selection button (not shown) operated by a customer or a bank clerk, and a numbered ticket printed with a serial number assigned to each business is issued when the business selection button is pressed.

The clock 42 is a CPU clock or the like in the business terminals 11 to 14 or the management device 15.
The time acquisition unit 43 is a program executed by the CPU in the ticket issuing machines 28 and 29, and stores the time of withdrawal of the numbered ticket in the storage unit 44 of the window calling control device in association with the number when the numbered ticket is issued.

The storage unit 44 is a storage device in the business terminals 11 to 14 or the management device 15.
The time calculation unit 45 is a program executed by the CPU in the business terminals 11 to 14 or the management device 15, and calculates the waiting time of the customer from the current time indicated by the clock 42 and the time of the serial number stored in the storage unit 44. calculate.

The display unit 46 is a display device such as a CRT in the business terminals 11 to 14 or the management device 15, and displays a waiting time and a hold number on the screen of FIG. 2 or FIG.
The hold instructing unit 47 stores the reference number in the storage unit 44 when the hold button 208 is pressed while the target ticket issuing number 201 is displayed on the screen of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the contents stored in the storage unit 44.
In the example shown in the figure, the business division 51, the reference number 52, and the ticketing time 53 are associated with each other, and a holding bit 54 is provided. Here, the reference number is given as a series of numbers for each business category. In the illustrated example, only the reference numbers “9” to “12” for the business category “1” are shown. The hold bit 54 is turned on “1” by operating the hold button 208 and turned off “0” by operating the delete button 209.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the ticket issuing process.
When a customer presses a selection button (not shown) of a corresponding business on the ticketing machine and pulls out the numbered ticket of the ticketing machine, the sensor detects this and the business terminal 11 to 14 of the business system 1 or the management device via the interface 21 15 to inform the CPU.

  4 detects the withdrawal of the numbered ticket in step S601, acquires and stores the clock value in step S602, and acquires and stores the number corresponding to the reference number in step S603. Here, the corresponding job is detected by a signal output when the customer presses a job selection button (not shown).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the waiting time display process.
The time calculation unit 45 in FIG. 4 is activated at predetermined time intervals, and subtracts the ticket issuing time from the clock value in step S701. In step S702, a display control unit (not shown) of the business terminal rewrites the waiting time value in the image memory (not shown) to perform known display control, and updates the waiting time display value.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the calling process.
When the call button is pressed on the screen of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, a call control unit (not shown) of the business terminal detects this in step S801, acquires the target reference number in step S802, and synthesizes and outputs the speech in step S803.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the hold process.
When the hold button is pressed on the screen of FIG. 2, an input unit (not shown) of the business terminal detects this in step S901, and a data transfer unit (not shown) detects the target serial number from the image memory to the storage unit 44 of FIG. 5 in step S902. Transfer, store, and hold.

  As a result, the reserved number is read from the storage unit 44 of FIG. 5 by a display control unit (not shown) and additionally displayed in the list of the reserved number 303. That is, the display control unit (not shown) reads the serial number in which the hold bit 54 is on “1” from the storage unit 44 of FIG. 5 and writes it to the image memory, and displays it on the business terminal screen by known display control. Thereby, the operator can always confirm the reserved number. The confirmed hold number is input to the target ticketing number 201 on the screen of FIG. 2, and by pressing the call button 207, synthesized voice data corresponding to the code data of the target ticketing number is synthesized and output by a voice synthesizer (not shown), In FIG. 1, the sound is amplified by the sound amplifier 22 and is output as sound from the sound speaker 23, so that the call can be recalled. Further, when the customer brings the called numbered ticket, it can be confirmed that the number is a holding number.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of a call screen. It is a figure which shows the structure of a waiting / holding status inquiry screen. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a ticket issuing apparatus and a window calling control apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the memory content of a memory | storage part. It is a flowchart explaining ticket issuing processing. It is a flowchart explaining a waiting time display process. It is a flowchart explaining a calling process. It is a flowchart explaining a pending | holding process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Business system 2 Window call apparatus 11, 12, 13, 14 Business terminal 15 Management apparatus 21 Interface 22 Voice amplifier 23 Voice speaker 28, 29 Ticketing machine

Claims (3)

When doing business at the window, in the window calling device that issues a numbered ticket to the customer and calls the customer to the window in the order of the numbered number of the numbered ticket,
Connecting the window calling device to a business system having a business terminal for performing a window service;
Detecting the withdrawal of numbered tickets from the ticket issuing machine of the window calling device by the business system,
Obtain and store the clock value at the time of detection as the ticketing time,
Acquire and store the number of the numbered ticket and the work corresponding to the numbered ticket,
Displaying the waiting time of the customer obtained by subtracting the ticketing time from the current clock value every predetermined time on the business terminal,
A calling control method in a window calling device. When the customer called at the business terminal does not come to the window, the reference number is displayed on the business terminal as a hold,
Call the reference number again when desired,
The call control method in the window call device according to claim 1. The call control method in the window calling device according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of operations to be performed at the business terminal, and the waiting time of the customer is displayed at the business terminal for each business.

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