JP2011008464A - Inquiry processor and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inquiry processing technology for making an operator to appropriately process an inquiry from a customer.SOLUTION: An inquiry processor includes: an operator information storage means for storing operator information related to each operator; a customer information storage means for storing each customer information related to each customer; an inquiry information storage means for storing inquiry information including a processing status concerning each inquiry; and a distribution means for determining the processing situations of an inquiry in each operator based on the processing state of each inquiry included in the inquiry information, and for selecting a candidate operator from among the plurality of operators according to the processing situations, and for specifying an operator suitable for the content of a distribution object inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the transmission source of the distribution object inquiry from among the selected candidate operators based on the operator information and the customer information, and for assigning the distribution object inquiry to the specified operator.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inquiry processing technique for causing an operator to process an inquiry from a customer.

  Inquiry processing systems, such as call center systems and contact center systems, include a plurality of operator terminals and support window operations such as inquiries from customers. When such a response system receives an inquiry from a customer sent via a communication medium such as a telephone or an e-mail, the response system distributes the received inquiry so as not to concentrate on a specific operator terminal. As a result, each received inquiry is processed with as little waiting time as possible. In such an inquiry processing system, it is desirable to efficiently distribute incoming queries to operator terminals.

JP 2001-273310 A JP 2002-197260 A

  However, in the conventional query distribution method, the response time for each query varies for each operator, and the number of queries that remain unprocessed (number of devices in progress) tends to increase in each operator. When the number of unprocessed inquiries at each operator increases, the response time for each of the remaining inquiries becomes longer, and the response guarantee period (for example, within 24 hours) guaranteed by the service can be observed. The problem of not having occurred.

  In addition, in the conventional inquiry processing system, inquiries from customers who want immediate answers such as when re-inquiring are processed in the same way as other inquiries, so it was difficult to improve customer satisfaction. .

  The subject which concerns on the aspect of this invention is providing the inquiry processing technique which makes an operator process the inquiry from a customer appropriately in view of such a problem.

  Each aspect of the present invention employs the following configurations in order to solve the above-described problems.

According to the first aspect, the inquiry processing device that receives an inquiry from a customer and processes the inquiry by distributing the inquiry to any one of a plurality of operators, operator information each holding operator information relating to each operator Holding means, customer information holding means for holding customer information for each customer, inquiry information holding means for holding inquiry information including processing status for each inquiry, and processing status of each inquiry included in the inquiry information The operator determines the inquiry processing status based on the operator, selects a candidate operator from a plurality of operators according to the processing status, and selects from the selected candidate operators based on the operator information and customer information. , Content and minutes of inquiry for distribution Identify compatible operator on the characteristics of the originating customer object query, and a distributing means for assigning the distribution target query operator this identified.

  As another aspect of the present invention, there may be a method for executing the above configuration on a computer, a program for causing a computer to execute the above configuration, or such a program. The recording computer-readable storage medium may be sufficient.

  According to the said aspect, the inquiry processing technique which makes an operator process the inquiry from a customer appropriately can be provided.

1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system configuration of a contact center system in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a distribution server 4 in the first embodiment. The figure which shows the customer information table of customer DB56 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the operator information table of operator DB58 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the corresponding | compatible language table of operator DB58 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the corresponding | compatible age table of operator DB58 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the technical skill table of operator DB58 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the corresponding skill table of operator DB58 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the mail detail table of mail DB57 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the mail distribution table of mail DB57 in Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the answer template table of answer template DB59. 7 is a flowchart illustrating operator assignment processing for incoming mail in the distribution server 4 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a candidate operator table in the first embodiment. The flowchart which shows the detail of the extraction process of a candidate operator. The flowchart which shows the detail of the setting process of the priority of a candidate operator. 10 is a flowchart showing details of processing for setting incoming mail processing priority.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the embodiment will be described. Each example given below is an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration of each example below.

  Hereinafter, the contact center system according to the first embodiment will be described. The contact center system according to the first embodiment is used in, for example, a contact center or a call center, and supports an operation for responding to an inquiry from a customer sent via a communication medium such as a telephone or an e-mail. In the first embodiment, a mode in which an inquiry from a customer is received as electronic data is taken as an example. However, this embodiment does not limit the medium for accepting such inquiries from customers to electronic data, and may use a form for accepting via a medium such as a telephone.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a system configuration of a contact center system according to the first embodiment. The contact center system according to the first embodiment includes a reception server 3, a distribution server 4, a WFM (Work Force Management) server 6, a plurality of operator terminals 9, and the like. The reception server 3, the distribution server 4, the WFM server 6, and the operator terminal 9 are connected to a local area network (LAN).
work) and WAN (Wide Area Network).
For example, IP (Internet Protocol) is used as a communication protocol between the nodes. However, this embodiment does not limit the communication method between such nodes.

  The contact center system according to the first embodiment is connected to a public network 1 such as a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Networks) or the Internet via a gateway device (not shown). When a customer inquiry is received by telephone, the gateway device may mutually convert the call control protocol of the public network 1 and the call control protocol in the contact center system of the first embodiment.

[Device configuration]
Details of each node in the contact center system according to the first embodiment will be described below. In the first embodiment, the reception server 3, the distribution server 4, and the WFM server 6 are provided. However, the functions of the servers 3, 4, and 6 may be executed by a single computer. This embodiment does not limit the number of such servers.

[Reception server]
The reception server 3 has an interface function between the customer and the contact center system. The reception server 3 is realized by, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or a dedicated computer.

  The reception server 3 receives an inquiry from a customer and responds to the inquiry. Specifically, the reception server 3 has a WEB server function, provides a customer with a WEB page serving as an inquiry input screen, and receives data input via the WEB page as an inquiry from the customer. Hereinafter, the input data from the customer accepted as this inquiry is referred to as incoming mail or mail. The notation “inquiry” means the whole thing reflecting the voice of the customer, and includes the request, the impression, and the like. The reception server 3 sends the received mail to the distribution server 4.

  In addition to the title, the category indicating the mail content, and the mail text, the mail data includes transmission source information, transmission date and time information, incoming date and time information, a customer ID for identifying the requester customer, and the like. The customer ID indicating the mail category and the customer who sent the mail is set, for example, by being selected by the customer on the input screen provided from the reception server 3 to the customer. Either one of the transmission source information and the customer ID may be sent. When the customer ID is not sent, the distribution server 4 may determine the customer ID corresponding to the transmission source information based on the transmission source information such as an email address.

  On the other hand, the reception server 3 obtains answer data created by the operator in response to the mail from the customer from the distribution server 4, and provides the answer data to the customer via the public network 1 as a WEB page. The customer can refer to the answer data by accessing the reception server 3 using a WEB browser or the like. The reception server 3 may notify the customer that the answer data has been created by using a separate email.

This exchange of mail between the customer and the contact center system may be realized using the above-described WEB service, or a general protocol using a protocol such as POP or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). It may be realized by e-mail. Hereinafter, the reply created by the operator for the incoming mail is referred to as reply mail.

The reception server 3 performs customer registration processing using the WEB service. In this customer registration process, customer information is acquired from the customer, and the acquired customer information is sent to the distribution server 4.

  In addition, mail sent from the same customer to the reply mail is accepted by this WEB service. Specifically, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing the retransmission credit WEB page on the reception server 3 is described in the reply mail. The customer inputs the contents related to the re-inquiry on the input screen displayed by accessing the reception server 3 using the URL. Hereinafter, an inquiry sent again in response to an answer mail transmitted from the contact center system is referred to as a re-inquiry mail. This re-inquiry mail includes a mail ID for specifying the original customer mail as a related mail ID.

[WFM server]
The WFM server 6 manages the work of the operator. The WFM server 6 is realized by, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or a dedicated computer. The WFM server 6 detects attendance and leaving for each operator in response to an operation by the operator using the operator terminal 9, and transmits the attendance and departure times of each operator to the distribution server 4.

[Operator terminal]
The operator terminal 9 creates an answer mail for the customer mail distributed by the distribution server 4 and returns the answer mail to the customer who sent the answer. The operator terminal 9 is realized by, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or a dedicated computer.

  The operator terminal 9 refers to the customer mail distributed to the target operator by accessing the distribution server 4 and creates a reply mail to this customer mail. The reference to the customer mail and the creation of the reply mail are realized by, for example, a WEB service provided by the distribution server 4. In addition, since this embodiment does not limit the mail reference method and the reply mail creation method in the operator terminal 9, the mail and the reply mail are generally sent between the distribution server 4 and the operator terminal 9. You may make it communicate as.

[Distribution server]
When the distribution server 4 receives the incoming mail or the re-inquiry mail from the customer from the reception server 3, the distribution server 4 assigns the incoming mail or the re-inquiry mail to an appropriate operator among the plurality of operators. The distribution server 4 sends the reply mail created at the operator terminal 9 to the reception server 3 in response to the customer mail.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the configuration of the distribution server 4 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the distribution server 4 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a communication unit 45, and the like that are connected by a bus 40. The storage unit 42 is, for example, a hard disk, and stores various types of information used in processing executed by the control unit 41. The control unit 41 includes one or a plurality of processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and peripheral circuits (ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), interface circuit, etc.) used for processing of the processor. . The communication unit 45 is realized, for example, as a hardware component (see [Others]). The communication unit 45 is connected to the IP network 8 and transmits and receives IP packets.

The distribution server 4 includes a customer management unit 51, a mail management unit 52, an operator management unit 53, a distribution processing unit 54, a template management unit 55, a customer database (DB) 56, a mail DB 57, an operator DB 58, an answer template DB 59, and the like. The customer management unit 51, the mail management unit 52, the operator management unit 53, the distribution processing unit 54, and the template management unit 55 may be realized as hardware components, or a program stored in the storage unit 42 may be a control unit. It may be realized as a software component by being executed by 41 (see [Others]).

  The customer management unit 51 receives customer information from the reception server 3 at the time of customer registration or the like, and stores this customer information in the customer DB 56. Customer information is stored in a customer information table in the customer DB 56. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a customer information table of the customer DB 56 in the first embodiment. The customer information table stores a customer ID, name, date of birth, sex, address, proficiency level, etc. for each customer. The customer ID is identification information for specifying each customer, and is given by, for example, a customer registration process of the reception server 3. Customer information other than the customer ID is input by the customer during the customer registration process of the reception server 3. The proficiency level indicates the proficiency level of the customer regarding the products, technologies, etc. that are the subject of inquiries handled by this contact center system.

  The operator management unit 53 uses the operator DB 58 to manage operator information such as characteristics and skills for each operator. The operator DB 58 includes an operator information table, a corresponding language table, a corresponding age table, a technical skill table, a corresponding skill table, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operator information table in the operator DB 58 according to the first embodiment. The operator information table stores, for each operator, an operator ID, name, date of birth, sex, number of scheduled processes per hour, work hours, scheduled work hours, and the like. The operator ID is identification information for specifying each operator, and is given by, for example, the operator management unit 53 when adding a record. Information sent from the WFM server 6 is set in the attendance time. The scheduled leaving time is set to the scheduled leaving time for the day that is predetermined by the operator. The scheduled processing number per hour indicates the number of customer mails scheduled to be processed per hour, and is set in advance in the same manner as the name and the like. The number of scheduled processes per hour may be updated according to the skill level of the operator.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the correspondence language table of the operator DB 58 according to the first embodiment. The correspondence language table stores information for identifying languages that can be handled (local languages, foreign languages, etc.) for each operator. In the example of FIG. 5, fields indicating each region (Tohoku, Kanto, Kansai, Kyushu, etc.) and each foreign language (English, Chinese, Korean, etc.) are provided, and the local language and foreign language that can be handled by the operator. "1" is set in the field indicating "0", and "0" is set in the other fields. According to the example of FIG. 5, it is indicated that the operator whose operator ID is set to 90000002 can cope with the utterances in the Tohoku region and the Kanto region, and can correspond to English as a foreign language. Note that “supportable” means that the reply mail can be created using the local language or a foreign language.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the corresponding age table of the operator DB 58 in the first embodiment. In the corresponding age table, information for identifying the age group of customers that can be handled is stored for each operator. In the example of FIG. 6, a field indicating each age group is provided, “1” is set in a field indicating an age group that can be handled by the operator, and “0” is set in other fields. According to the example of FIG. 6, an operator whose operator ID is set to 90000001 can cope with teenagers or younger, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and cannot cope with 60s or more. Is shown. Here, “supportable” means that the reply mail can be created using sentences suitable for the age group. The sentence suitable for the age group includes, for example, a greeting of the time used for writing out in the age group of the 50s and over 60s.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the technical skill table of the operator DB 58 in the first embodiment. In the technical skill table, information for identifying a category that can be handled for each category indicating the contents of the customer mail is stored for each operator. The customer mail includes information indicating at least one of a plurality of categories. In the example of FIG. 7, a field indicating each category is provided, “1” is set in a field indicating a category that can be handled by the operator, and “0” is set in other fields. According to the example of FIG. 7, an operator whose operator ID is set to 90000003 can correspond to repair consultation, OS (Operating System), computer main body, and Internet categories, but not technical consultation and application categories. It is shown to be possible. Note that “capable of handling” here means that the operator has enough knowledge to answer the category.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence skill table of the operator DB 58 according to the first embodiment. The correspondence skill table stores information for identifying the proficiency level of the customer who can handle each operator. In the example of FIG. 8, a beginner field, an intermediate field, and an advanced field that indicate the proficiency level of the customer are provided, “1” is set in the field that indicates the proficiency level that can be handled by the operator, and “0” is set in the other fields. Is set. According to the example of FIG. 8, it is indicated that an operator whose operator ID is set to 90000003 can handle mails of customers having intermediate and advanced proficiency levels. In this case, “capable of handling” means that the operator can create an answer mail according to the proficiency level of the customer. The answer mail according to the proficiency level of the customer is, for example, an answer mail using technical terms for advanced customers, and an answer mail using simple terms for beginner customers.

  The operator management unit 53 employs, for example, an operator information table, a corresponding language table, a corresponding age table, a technical skill table, an operation from an administrator who manages the operator when a new operator is employed, when the operator leaves the company, The correspondence skill table can be updated. For example, the operator management unit 53 holds a WEB page for updating each table, and provides the WEB page to a terminal (not shown) of the administrator, thereby enabling each table to be updated. .

  The mail management unit 52 receives incoming mail data from the receiving server 3, stores various mail information included in the incoming mail data in the mail DB 57, and requests the distribution processing unit 54 to distribute the incoming mail to the operator. The mail information is stored in the mail distribution table and the mail detail table of the mail DB 57, respectively.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mail detail table of the mail DB 57 in the first embodiment. The mail detail table stores the mail ID, title, text, answer, category, etc. for each customer mail. The mail ID is identification information for identifying each customer mail, and is given by the mail management unit 52 when incoming mail data is received, for example. Each data included in the incoming mail data sent from the reception server 3 is set in each field of the title, text, and category. In the answer field, the answer data generated when an answer is generated by the operator to whom the incoming mail is assigned is set.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mail distribution table of the mail DB 57 according to the first embodiment. The mail distribution table includes a mail ID, a customer ID, an operator ID, a reception date / time, a response date / time, a status, a related mail ID, a priority, etc. for each customer mail. The mail ID is set to the same value as the mail ID in the mail detail table described above. Each data included in the incoming mail data sent from the reception server 3 is set in each field of the customer ID, the reception date and time, and the related mail ID. An operator ID indicating the distributed operator is set in the operator ID field when the incoming mail data is distributed to the operator by the distribution processing unit 54. The priority indicates a priority level for the operator to process the incoming mail, and is determined by the distribution processing unit 54. In the example of FIG. 9, a mail with a larger numerical value set in the priority field indicates a mail with a higher priority level.

  In the answer date field, the date and time when answer data generated by the operator is sent to the receiving server 3 is set. In the status field, an unallocated state, a waiting state, a answered state, etc. are set as the processing status of customer mail. The unassigned state means a state from when customer mail is received to before being allocated to the operator by the distribution processing unit 54. The processing waiting state means a state from when the distribution processing unit 54 assigns an operator to before an answer is created by the operator. The answered state means a state in which the answer data created by the operator is sent to the reception server 3 or the answer data is sent to the customer.

  When accessed by the operator using the operator terminal 9, the mail management unit 52 extracts the customer mail information assigned to the operator from the mail DB 57, and the customer with the highest priority among the extracted mails. Provide a reference screen to the operator for referring to the mail. In this reference screen, information stored in the above-described mail detail table and mail distribution table is displayed. This reference screen is realized by a WEB page, for example.

  Further, the mail management unit 52 provides an operator with an input screen for creating a reply to the customer mail to be referred to. At this time, when the mail management unit 52 obtains the response template data from the template management unit 55, the mail management unit 52 reflects the response template data on the input screen. The mail management unit 52 acquires the answer data input by the operator via the input screen, and stores this answer data in the mail detail table. After storing the response data in the mail detail table, the mail management unit 52 sends the response data to the reception server 3. At this time, the mail management unit 52 sets the date and time sent to the reception server 3 in the reply date and time field of the mail distribution table, and sets a value indicating that the answer has been completed in the status field of the table.

  When the distribution processing unit 54 receives a request from the mail management unit 52, the distribution processing unit 54 executes an operator assignment process for the target incoming mail. In this process, the distribution processing unit 54 uses the information stored in the customer DB 56, the mail DB 57, and the operator DB 58 to select an operator who should process the target incoming mail from among the operators who are attending work. The distribution processing unit 54 selects, as an operator who should process the target incoming mail, an operator who has a good mail processing status and has skills corresponding to the contents of the incoming mail and matches the characteristics of the customer who sent the incoming mail. Details of the operator assignment processing of the target incoming mail by the distribution processing unit 54 will be described in detail in the section of the operation example.

  When the distribution processing unit 54 selects an operator who should process the target incoming mail, the operator ID of the selected operator is set in the mail distribution table of the mail DB 57, and a value indicating processing waiting is set in the status field of the table. To do.

  When the template management unit 55 provides the operator with an input screen for creating an answer to a customer email, the template management unit 55 extracts answer template data suitable for the customer email from the answer template DB 59 and uses the answer template data as an answer template. The message is sent to the mail management unit 52. The answer template DB 59 includes a plurality of answer template data and an answer template table for managing each answer template data.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an answer template table in the answer template DB 59. In the answer template table, a template ID, a category, an age group, a skill, the number of times of use, etc. are stored for each answer template. The template ID is an identification number for specifying each answer template. For example, the template ID is given by the template management unit 55 when the answer template is registered in the answer template DB 59. In each of the category, age group, and skill fields, the characteristics of the answer template are stored. The data that can be stored in the category field is the same as the data that can be set in the category field of the mail detail table shown in FIG. 9, and the data that can be set in the age group field is each of the corresponding age table shown in FIG. The data set in the skill field corresponding to the age group field corresponds to each proficiency level field in the corresponding skill table shown in FIG.

  As an answer template corresponding to a category, for example, a contact template corresponding to each category is included in advance in an answer template corresponding to technical consultation and repair consultation. The answer template corresponding to the repair consultation includes, for example, the name of the repair part and the price of the repair part in advance. The answer template corresponding to the technical consultation includes an application name and the like in advance. In addition, in the answer template corresponding to the skill, for example, the answer template for beginners includes an annotation for the technical term in advance. In addition, in the answer template corresponding to the age group, for example, an answer template for customers in their 40s or more includes a timely greeting or the like.

  The template management unit 55 receives the mail ID of the customer mail and the customer ID of the originating customer from the mail management unit 52, and extracts the category of the customer mail from the mail detail table using this mail ID. Further, the template management unit 55 extracts the customer's age group, skill, and the like from the customer information table using the customer ID. The template management unit 55 extracts the template ID of the answer template having the category of the customer mail, the customer's age group, and the skills extracted from the answer template table. The template management unit 55 obtains answer template data matching the extracted template ID from the answer template DB 59 and sends this data to the mail management unit 52.

  When the answer template data is used, the template management unit 55 increments the number of times the record corresponding to the answer template data in the answer template table is used. The template management unit 55 may provide the contents of the answer template table in response to access from another terminal. In this way, the administrator can know the frequency of use of each answer template by referring to this answer template table, and therefore can provide an appropriate answer template.

[Operation example]
Hereinafter, an operation example of the contact center system in the first embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating operator assignment processing for incoming mail in the distribution server 4 according to the first embodiment.

  When the mail from the customer is acquired at the reception server 3, the incoming mail data is sent to the distribution server 4. This data includes transmission date / time information, incoming date / time information, a customer ID for identifying the customer who is the requester, etc., in addition to the title, the category indicating the mail content, and the mail text.

In the distribution server 4, the mail management unit 52 acquires the incoming mail data (S101). The mail management unit 52 determines a mail ID for specifying the incoming mail, and adds a record in which the determined mail ID is set to the mail detail table and the mail distribution table of the mail DB 57. The mail management unit 52 sets a title, a text, and a category in the added record of the mail detail table, and sets a customer ID, a reception date and time, a status, and a related mail ID in the added record of the mail distribution table. As the status, data indicating unassigned is set. If the incoming mail is a re-inquiry mail, the mail ID of the customer mail that has been received first is set as the related mail ID. When mail information is stored in the mail DB 57, the mail management unit 52 requests the distribution processing unit 54 to perform operator assignment processing for incoming mail.

  Upon receiving a request from the mail management unit 52, the distribution processing unit 54 first extracts candidate operators that should process the target incoming mail from among the operators who are working (S102). When the distribution processing unit 54 extracts candidate operators, the distribution processing unit 54 stores the extracted candidate operator information in the candidate operator table. The candidate operator table may be stored in the storage unit 42 or stored in the RAM.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a candidate operator table in the first embodiment. In the candidate operator table, operator ID, age, points, etc. are stored for the operators extracted in the candidate operator extraction process (S102). A method for setting the candidate operator table will be described later.

  The distribution processing unit 54 confirms the existence of a candidate operator for the target incoming mail (S103). If there is no candidate operator (S103; NO), the distribution processing unit 54 notifies the WFM server 6 of an alarm (S104). In response to this notification, the WFM server 6 outputs, for example, an alarm indicating that there are insufficient operators. The distribution processing unit 54 waits for a predetermined time after the notification, and starts the candidate operator extraction process again (returns to S102).

  If there is a candidate operator (S103; YES), the distribution processing unit 54 gives priority (points) to each of the candidate operators in order to narrow down the operators who should process the target incoming mail (S105). This assigned priority is set in the point field of the candidate operator table.

  Subsequently, the distribution processing unit 54 gives the processing priority of the target incoming mail (S106). The mail processing priority is information for specifying mail to be preferentially processed among mails already assigned to the operator. The processing priority of this mail is determined by whether or not the target incoming mail is a re-inquiry mail and the incoming date of the re-inquiry mail.

  The distribution processing unit 54 determines whether or not the processing priority given to the target incoming mail is higher than a normal value (S107). When the processing priority is a normal value (S107; NO), the distribution processing unit 54 performs processing for further narrowing down the candidate operators. That is, the distribution processing unit 54 excludes operators that have overflowed from the candidate operators according to the latest situation (S108). Specifically, the distribution processing unit 54 excludes operators whose number of staying mails exceeds a predetermined threshold among candidate operators. At this time, the same processing as the candidate operator extraction processing in (S102) may be executed again for the candidate operator in the latest situation.

  On the other hand, when the processing priority assigned to the target incoming mail is higher than the normal value (S107; YES), the processing of (S108) is passed. This is because the priority of the target incoming mail is high, so even if the target incoming mail is assigned to an operator whose number of staying mail exceeds the predetermined threshold, the target incoming mail is processed with priority. It is because it can be made.

  The distribution processing unit 54 determines whether or not candidate operators remain in the processing so far (S109). When there is no candidate operator remaining (S109; NO), the distribution processing unit 54 notifies the WFM server 6 of an alarm (S104), waits for a predetermined time, and starts extracting candidate operators again (returns to S102). .

  When there are candidate operators remaining (S109; YES), the distribution processing unit 54 determines an operator to which the highest point is given from among the candidate operators as an operator who processes the target incoming mail (S110). When the operator who processes the target incoming mail is determined in this way, the distribution processing unit 54 sets data indicating processing waiting in the status field of the mail distribution table of the mail DB 57, and the determined operator ID field of the table is determined. The operator ID of the operator is set. When the distribution processing unit 54 completes the operator assignment processing for the target incoming mail, the distribution processing unit 54 notifies the mail management unit 52 to that effect.

  Upon receiving this notification, the mail management unit 52 generates a reference screen for the target incoming mail and an input screen for creating an answer for the operator to which the target incoming mail is assigned. As a result, the operator can know that a new mail has been assigned to the operator. If the processing priority of the incoming mail is set higher than normal, the incoming mail is displayed to be processed with priority over other staying mails.

  When a reply to the assigned mail is created by the operator using the operator terminal 9, data indicating that the reply has been made is set in the status field of the mail distribution table of the mail DB 57. When the created answer is sent to the reception server 3, the date and time when the answer data is sent is set in the answer date field of the table.

  The details of the candidate operator extraction process (S102), the candidate operator priority setting process (S105), and the incoming mail process priority setting process (S106) in the above-described processes will be described below with reference to FIGS. Each will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of the candidate operator extraction process.

  The distribution processing unit 54 extracts information (operator ID, date of birth, number of scheduled processes per hour, etc.) related to the working operator from the operator information table of the operator DB 58. The distribution processing unit 54 determines whether or not the user is working based on the attendance time and scheduled work time in the operator information table. The distribution processing unit 54 extracts candidate operators as shown below from the operators on duty thus extracted.

  First, the distribution processing unit 54 totals the number of emails answered for each operator on duty for each time period (S141). Specifically, the distribution processing unit 54 extracts, from the mail distribution table, a record in which an operator ID indicating an on-duty operator is set and the status is set to answered. The distribution processing unit 54 totals the number of mails processed in each time slot (for example, every hour) by sorting the extracted records by the reply date and time.

The distribution processing unit 54 compares the total number of processes in each time zone with the scheduled number of processes per hour extracted from the operator information table for each operator. The distribution processing unit 54 excludes operators having a time zone in which the number of processes exceeds the number of scheduled processes per hour from the operators on duty (S142). In this comparison, only the most recent time zone may be set as a comparison target, or a predetermined number of hours from the most recent time zone may be set as a comparison target.

  This narrowing down makes it possible to remove operators with a high load from the target incoming mail assignment candidates, so that the load on each operator can be made equal. If the load on each operator is equalized, it is possible to eliminate the state where a certain operator has no customer mail to be processed and a certain operator has a large amount of staying mail. it can. Thereby, the operating rate of the operator can be kept appropriate.

  Next, the distribution processing unit 54 calculates the number of staying mails for each remaining operator (S143). Specifically, the distribution processing unit 54 extracts, from the mail distribution table, a record in which an operator ID indicating the remaining operator is set and the status is set to “waiting for processing”. Based on the extracted record, the distribution processing unit 54 acquires the number of records for each operator ID as the number of staying mails of the operator.

  Subsequently, the distribution processing unit 54 predicts the number of mails to be processed in the remaining work time for each remaining operator (S144). Specifically, the distribution processing unit 54 calculates the remaining work time of the day based on the current time and the scheduled work time extracted from the operator information table. The distribution processing unit 54 predicts the number of mails to be processed in the remaining work time by multiplying the calculated remaining work time by the number of scheduled processes per hour.

  Based on the number of staying mails and the number of mails processed in the remaining work time for each operator acquired as described above, the distribution processing unit 54 exceeds the number of mails processed in the remaining work time. The operator is further excluded from the candidates (S145).

  By narrowing down, operators that have already been assigned emails can be excluded from candidates for the number of predicted processings of the day, so the operator's load can be equalized and the load on the operator beyond the plan can be reduced. Can do. Thereby, the overtime of an operator can be reduced and it leads to cost reduction. Similarly, not giving the operator a load more than planned leads to preventing the response time of each inquiry from becoming long, and can improve customer satisfaction.

  Finally, the distribution processing unit 54 further excludes an operator having a staying mail that may exceed the answer guarantee deadline from candidates (S146). Specifically, the distribution processing unit 54 mails a record in which an operator ID indicating a remaining operator is set, a status is set to be waiting for processing, and an incoming date and time before a predetermined period from the current time is set. Extract from distribution table. When the answer guarantee period is 24 hours, this predetermined period is set to 23 hours, for example.

  The distribution processing unit 54 counts the extracted records for each operator ID, thereby excluding the operator corresponding to the operator ID whose number of records exceeds the scheduled processing number per hour from the candidates. In other words, the distribution processing unit 54 excludes an operator whose number of staying mails whose period until the answer guarantee deadline is less than one hour exceeds the number of scheduled processes per hour.

  This narrowing down excludes operators who have staying mail that may exceed the answer guarantee deadline, so that the answer guarantee period guaranteed by the system can be maintained, and customer satisfaction can be improved. In the candidate operator extraction process in the first embodiment, the execution order of the narrowing conditions (S142), (S145), and (S146) is not limited to the example of FIG. Also good.

  The distribution processing unit 54 stores information on the candidate operators in the candidate operator table, with the remaining operators as a result of narrowing down under a plurality of conditions as described above as candidate operators (S147). In the candidate operator table, operator IDs, ages, and the like are set for candidate operators. The distribution processing unit 54 calculates the age from the date of birth of the operator stored in the operator information table, and sets the calculated age in this candidate operator table.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of the priority operator priority order setting process. The distribution processing unit 54 sets the points of each record stored in the candidate operator table as shown below in the priority operator priority order setting process.

  The distribution processing unit 54 acquires the category of the target incoming mail stored in the mail detail table (S151), and further, the address, date of birth, and proficiency of the customer of the target incoming mail stored in the customer information table. The degree is acquired (S152).

  The distribution processing unit 54 sets the language corresponding to the customer's address as a compatible language by comparing the customer's address information with each field indicating the local and foreign languages in the corresponding language table of the operator DB 58. The operator's points are added (S153). For example, if the customer's address is Aomori Prefecture, the operator's point set to 1 in the Tohoku field of the corresponding language table is added. When the customer's address is China, the operator's point set to 1 in the Chinese field of the corresponding language table is added.

  Customers are more satisfied when they receive an answer written in the local language they live in. Therefore, in the first embodiment, information on whether or not the words (speaking) used in each region can be used for each region is stored for each operator, and the operator who can use the word according to the customer's address is selected. To be.

  The distribution processing unit 54 acquires the customer's age based on the date of birth information, and adds the operator's points set as an age group that can be handled by this age (S154). For example, when the customer's age is 55 years old, the operator's point set to 1 in the 50s field of the corresponding age table is added.

  The distribution processing unit 54 increases the points of the operator set with the skill level of the customer as the skill that can be handled (S155). For example, when the customer's proficiency level is beginner level, the operator's point set to 1 in the beginner level field of the corresponding skill table is added.

  The distribution processing unit 54 increases the points of the operator who has the target incoming mail category as technical skill (S156). For example, when the category of the target incoming mail is technical consultation, the operator's point set to 1 in the technical consultation field of the technical skill table is added.

  By such processing, the target incoming mail category is a technical skill, and the operator's point is high according to the language (local proficiency or foreign language), age, and proficiency level of the customer of the target incoming mail. Become. The execution order of the point addition conditions shown in FIG. 15 is not limited to the example of FIG. 15, and the execution order may be changed.

  As a result, the operator with the highest point is determined as the operator who processes the target incoming mail.

  Therefore, this process can improve the quality of the response content because an operator who can respond appropriately is selected according to the content of the target incoming mail. Also, according to the age group, proficiency level, and language of the customer who is sending the target incoming mail, an operator who can speak content and language that is preferable to the customer is selected. be able to.

  Further, since each operator is assigned a mail according to his / her skill, each operator can create an answer relatively easily. As a result, the response time for each inquiry can be equalized for each operator, so that an increase in the number of staying mails for each operator can be suppressed, and consequently the response time for each inquiry can be shortened.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of processing for setting processing priority of incoming mail. In the incoming mail processing priority setting process, the distribution processing unit 54 sets the priority of the target incoming mail stored in the mail distribution table as shown below.

  The distribution processing unit 54 first determines whether or not the target incoming mail is a re-inquiry mail (S161). Specifically, the distribution processing unit 54 determines whether or not a mail ID is set in the related mail ID field of the record indicating the target incoming mail in the mail distribution table. When the distribution processing unit 54 determines that the mail ID is not included in the related mail ID field, that is, the target incoming mail is not a re-inquiry mail (S161; NO), the priority of the target incoming mail is a normal priority (for example, 1) is set (S164).

  When the distribution processing unit 54 determines that the mail ID is included in the related mail ID field, that is, the target incoming mail is a re-inquiry mail (S161; YES), the incoming mail date and time information of the incoming mail from the mail distribution table, The reply date and time information for the incoming mail is acquired (S162). The mail ahead of the incoming mail is the customer mail that is the source of the re-inquiry mail. The re-inquiry mail is a mail transmitted in response to the reply to the customer mail.

  The distribution processing unit 54 receives the incoming mail (re-inquiry mail) on the same day as the reply of the previous mail based on the incoming date / time information of the incoming mail and the reply date / time information of the previous mail. It is determined whether it is a thing (S163). When the distribution processing unit 54 determines that the target incoming mail is received on the same day as the reply to the previous mail (S163; YES), the distribution processing unit 54 has the highest priority (for example, 3) as the priority of the target incoming mail. Is set (S165). This is because a short time between the answer from the system and the re-inquiry for the answer is considered to be rushed by the customer.

  On the other hand, when the distribution processing unit 54 determines that the target incoming mail is not received on the same day as the previous mail (S163; NO), the priority of the target incoming mail is medium priority (for example, 2). ) Is set (S165). This is because the re-inquiry is considered to be high in customer interest.

  By such processing, the re-inquiry mail transmitted within the day with respect to the previous answer is processed with the highest priority. Further, even when the re-inquiry mail is transmitted with respect to the previous answer, the re-inquiry mail is processed with priority over the normal mail. Accordingly, mail with high urgency and mail with high customer interest can be preferentially processed, so that customer satisfaction can be improved.

[Modification]
The operator management unit 53 described above may have a function of providing the contents of the mail distribution table of the mail DB 57 by accessing from another terminal. In this case, the operator management unit 53 calculates the number of staying mails for each operator, the number of mail processes for each time zone, etc. based on the contents of the mail distribution table, and further provides these information to other terminals. It may be.

  According to this modified example, the administrator can grasp the mail processing status of each operator in real time based on the information provided by the operator management unit 53. Management can be performed accurately.

[Others]
<About hardware components (Component) and software components (Component)>
A hardware component is a hardware circuit, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a gate array, a combination of logic gates, a signal processing circuit, an analog circuit, etc. There is.

  A software component is a component (fragment) that realizes the above processing as software, and is not a concept that limits a language, a development environment, or the like that realizes the software. Examples of software components include tasks, processes, threads, drivers, firmware, databases, tables, functions, procedures, subroutines, predetermined portions of program code, data structures, arrays, variables, parameters, and the like. These software components are realized on one or a plurality of memories (one or a plurality of processors (for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc.).

  In addition, each above-mentioned embodiment does not limit the realization method of each said process part. Each processing unit may be configured as a hardware component, a software component, or a combination thereof by a method that can be realized by a normal engineer in this technical field.

<Appendix>
Regarding the above-described embodiment, the following additional notes are disclosed. The aspects disclosed in each section can be combined as much as possible as necessary.

(Appendix 1)
In an inquiry processing device that receives an inquiry from a customer and distributes the inquiry to any one of a plurality of operators,
Operator information holding means for holding operator information related to each operator;
Customer information holding means for holding customer information for each customer;
For each inquiry, inquiry information holding means for holding inquiry information including a processing state,
The inquiry processing status in each operator is determined based on the processing status of each query included in the inquiry information, a candidate operator is selected from the plurality of operators according to the processing status, and the operator information and the customer Based on the information, an operator who matches the content of the distribution target inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the distribution target inquiry is identified from the selected candidate operators, and the distribution target inquiry is identified to the identified operator. Distribution means for assigning
An inquiry processing apparatus comprising:

(Appendix 2)
The inquiry information includes information for identifying the operator for an inquiry that has been distributed to an operator, and an answer time for an inquiry for which an answer has been completed,
The operator information includes information on the number of scheduled processes per unit time,
The distribution means is determined according to the inquiry information, and the number of queries staying in an unprocessed state exceeds the number of queries processed in the remaining work time predicted according to the operator information. Are excluded from the candidate operators,
The inquiry processing device according to supplementary note 1, wherein:

(Appendix 3)
The inquiry information further includes an incoming time of the inquiry,
The distribution means determines the answer guarantee period based on an incoming time included in the inquiry information and a period until an answer guarantee period determined according to a predetermined answer guarantee period and the number of scheduled processes per unit time. Identifying an inquiry that may exceed the above, and excluding an operator that retains the identified inquiry in an unprocessed state from the candidate operators.
The inquiry processing device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

(Appendix 4)
The customer information includes the age of the customer,
The operator information includes information about customer age that can be handled by the operator, and information about inquiry contents that can be handled by the operator,
The distribution means includes the content of the distribution target inquiry as a corresponding inquiry content, and an operator set as the customer age corresponding to the age of the customer of the distribution target inquiry is set as the distribution target inquiry. Identify as the operator to assign,
4. The inquiry processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, characterized in that:

(Appendix 5)
The customer information includes a customer address,
The operator information includes information on a local language that can be handled by the operator,
The distribution means specifies an operator set as a local language that can correspond to a local language corresponding to an address of a customer of the distribution target inquiry as an operator to which the distribution target inquiry is assigned.
5. The inquiry processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, characterized in that:

(Appendix 6)
The inquiry information further includes information indicating that the distribution target inquiry is a re-inquiry related to an already processed inquiry,
When the distribution unit determines that the distribution target inquiry is a re-inquiry according to the inquiry information, the distribution unit performs the distribution so that the distribution target inquiry is processed with priority over other retained queries. Set the priority of the target query higher than other queries,
The inquiry processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, characterized in that:

(Appendix 7)
A template holding means for holding a plurality of answer templates according to the contents of the inquiry and the characteristics of the customer who sent the inquiry;
A template selection means for providing an answer template according to the content of the distribution target inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the distribution target inquiry to the operator assigned the distribution target inquiry by the distribution means;
The inquiry processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 6, further comprising:

(Appendix 8)
A computer receives an inquiry from a customer, and uses a memory that holds operator information related to each operator, customer information related to each customer, and inquiry information including a processing state related to each inquiry. In the inquiry processing method to be processed by distributing to any one of the
Determining the processing status of the query in each operator based on the processing status of each query included in the query information;
Selecting candidate operators from the plurality of operators according to the processing status;
Based on the operator information and the customer information, from among the selected candidate operators, identifying an operator that matches the content of the distribution target inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the distribution target inquiry source;
Assigning the distribution target inquiry to the identified operator;
A query processing method characterized by executing:

(Appendix 9)
The inquiry information includes information for identifying the operator for an inquiry that has been distributed to an operator, and an answer time for an inquiry for which an answer has been completed,
The operator information includes information on the number of scheduled processes per unit time,
The step of selecting the candidate operator is a query that is determined according to the query information, and in which the number of queries staying in an unprocessed state is predicted according to the operator information, and is processed in the remaining work time. Excluding operators over the number of candidate operators,
The inquiry processing method according to appendix 8, characterized in that:

(Appendix 10)
The inquiry information further includes an incoming time of the inquiry,
The step of selecting the candidate operator is based on an incoming time included in the inquiry information and a period until an answer guarantee deadline determined according to a predetermined answer guarantee period, and the number of scheduled processes per unit time. Identifying an inquiry that may exceed the answer guarantee deadline, and excluding an operator that has retained the identified inquiry in an unprocessed state from the candidate operators,
The inquiry processing method according to appendix 9, characterized in that:

(Appendix 11)
The customer information includes the age of the customer,
The operator information includes information about customer age that can be handled by the operator, and information about inquiry contents that can be handled by the operator,
The step of specifying the operator includes the content of the distribution target inquiry as a corresponding inquiry content, and the operator set as the age of the customer who can respond to the distribution source inquiry is distributed. Identify as the operator who assigns the target inquiry,
The inquiry processing method according to any one of appendices 8 to 10, characterized in that:

(Appendix 12)
The customer information includes a customer address,
The operator information includes information on a local language that can be handled by the operator,
The step of specifying the operator specifies an operator that is set as a regional language corresponding to the address of the customer of the distribution target inquiry as an operator to which the distribution target inquiry is assigned.
The inquiry processing method according to any one of appendices 8 to 11, characterized in that:

(Appendix 13)
The inquiry information further includes information indicating that the distribution target inquiry is a re-inquiry related to an already processed inquiry,
When it is determined that the distribution target inquiry is a re-inquiry according to the inquiry information, the priority of the distribution target inquiry is processed so that the distribution target inquiry is processed with priority over other retained queries. Step higher than other inquiries,
The inquiry processing method according to any one of appendices 8 to 12, wherein the inquiry processing method is further executed.

(Appendix 14)
The memory holds a plurality of answer templates according to the contents of the inquiry and the characteristics of the customer who sent the inquiry,
Providing an answer template corresponding to the content of the distribution target inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the distribution target inquiry to the operator assigned the distribution target inquiry by the distribution means;
14. The inquiry processing method according to any one of appendices 8 to 13, further comprising:

3 reception server 4 distribution server 9 operator terminal 41 control unit 42 storage unit 45 communication unit 51 customer management unit 52 mail management unit 53 operator management unit 54 distribution processing unit 55 template management unit 56 customer database (DB)
57 Mail database (DB)
58 Operator Database (DB)
59 Response Template Database (DB)

Claims (8)

In an inquiry processing device that receives an inquiry from a customer and distributes the inquiry to any one of a plurality of operators,
Operator information holding means for holding operator information related to each operator;
Customer information holding means for holding customer information for each customer;
For each inquiry, inquiry information holding means for holding inquiry information including a processing state,
The inquiry processing status in each operator is determined based on the processing status of each query included in the inquiry information, a candidate operator is selected from the plurality of operators according to the processing status, and the operator information and the customer Based on the information, an operator who matches the content of the distribution target inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the distribution target inquiry is identified from the selected candidate operators, and the distribution target inquiry is identified to the identified operator. Distribution means for assigning
An inquiry processing apparatus comprising: The inquiry information includes information for identifying the operator for an inquiry that has been distributed to an operator, and an answer time for an inquiry for which an answer has been completed,
The operator information includes information on the number of scheduled processes per unit time,
The distribution means is determined according to the inquiry information, and the number of queries staying in an unprocessed state exceeds the number of queries processed in the remaining work time predicted according to the operator information. Are excluded from the candidate operators,
The inquiry processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The inquiry information further includes an incoming time of the inquiry,
The distribution means determines the answer guarantee period based on an incoming time included in the inquiry information and a period until an answer guarantee period determined according to a predetermined answer guarantee period and the number of scheduled processes per unit time. Identifying an inquiry that may exceed the above, and excluding an operator that retains the identified inquiry in an unprocessed state from the candidate operators.
The inquiry processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The customer information includes the age of the customer,
The operator information includes information about customer age that can be handled by the operator, and information about inquiry contents that can be handled by the operator,
The distribution means includes the content of the distribution target inquiry as a corresponding inquiry content, and an operator set as the customer age corresponding to the age of the customer of the distribution target inquiry is set as the distribution target inquiry. Identify as the operator to assign,
The inquiry processing device according to claim 1, wherein the inquiry processing device is a device. The customer information includes a customer address,
The operator information includes information on a local language that can be handled by the operator,
The distribution means specifies an operator set as a local language that can correspond to a local language corresponding to an address of a customer of the distribution target inquiry as an operator to which the distribution target inquiry is assigned.
5. The inquiry processing device according to claim 1, wherein The inquiry information further includes information indicating that the distribution target inquiry is a re-inquiry related to an already processed inquiry,
When the distribution unit determines that the distribution target inquiry is a re-inquiry according to the inquiry information, the distribution unit performs the distribution so that the distribution target inquiry is processed with priority over other retained queries. Set the priority of the target query higher than other queries,
6. The inquiry processing device according to claim 1, wherein A template holding means for holding a plurality of answer templates according to the contents of the inquiry and the characteristics of the customer who sent the inquiry;
A template selection means for providing an answer template according to the content of the distribution target inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the distribution target inquiry to the operator assigned the distribution target inquiry by the distribution means;
The inquiry processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A computer receives an inquiry from a customer, and uses a memory that holds operator information related to each operator, customer information related to each customer, and inquiry information including a processing state related to each inquiry. In the inquiry processing method to be processed by distributing to any one of the
Determining the processing status of the query in each operator based on the processing status of each query included in the query information;
Selecting candidate operators from the plurality of operators according to the processing status;
Based on the operator information and the customer information, from among the selected candidate operators, identifying an operator that matches the content of the distribution target inquiry and the characteristics of the customer of the distribution target inquiry source;
Assigning the distribution target inquiry to the identified operator;
A query processing method characterized by executing:

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