Patent Publication Number: US-2017358042-A1

Title: Customer management system, customer management method, and customer management program

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Division of application Ser. No. 14/799,880 filed Jul. 15, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     Embodiments described herein relate generally to a customer management technique that can contribute to improvement of convenience for customers who are waiting for their turns. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In a store such as a restaurant where customers wait for their turns until they can take seats, a turn waiting management system has been sometimes introduced separately from an order system. 
     Such a turn waiting management system has, for example, a function of managing the order of turn waiting of the customers and notifying the customers that their turns come. 
     However, in the turn waiting management system, the customers cannot effectively use time during the turn waiting and are likely to get bored. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a system configuration diagram for explaining a customer management system; 
         FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram for explaining the customer management system; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an example of a management table; 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart for explaining a flow of processing in the customer management system; and 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a tablet terminal on which contents distributed by a CPU (a distributing unit) can be browsed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An embodiment is explained below with reference to the drawings. 
     System Configuration 
       FIG. 1  is a system configuration diagram for explaining a customer management system. 
     The customer management system according to an embodiment includes, for example, a store server  1 , a system server  2 , a contents server  3 , a credit settlement server  4 , a reference number issue machine  5 , an order station  6 , a kitchen printer  7 , a kitchen display  8 , a cash register  9 , a kitchen camera  10 , smart phones S, tablet terminals T, and handy terminals G. 
     The reference number issue machine  5 , the order station  6 , the kitchen printer  7 , the kitchen display  8 , the cash register  9 , and the kitchen camera  10  are mutually communicably connected to the store server  1  through an electric communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network). 
     The store server  1  is mutually communicably connected to the system server  2  through an electric communication line such as a LAN or the Internet. The store server  1  is capable communicating with the contents server  3  and the credit settlement server  4  via the system server  2 . 
     For example, it is assumed that the store server  1 , the reference number issue machine  5 , the order station  6 , the kitchen printer  7 , the kitchen display  8 , the cash register  9 , and the kitchen camera  10  are set in a restaurant. Note that the kitchen printer  7 , the kitchen display  8 , and the kitchen camera  10  are set in a kitchen. 
     Details of the apparatuses configuring the customer management system according to the embodiment are explained below. 
     The store server  1  collects information acquired by the apparatuses in the store, performs various arithmetic operations on the basis of the collected information, and controls terminals (e.g., the reference number issue machine  5 , the kitchen printer  7 , and the kitchen display  8 ) having an image display function, a printing function, a sound output function, and the like. 
     The system server  2  has a function of managing exchange of information between the store server  1  and the contents server  3  and the credit settlement server  4 . 
     The contents server  3  manages various contents such as music, movies, dramas, electronic books, and games provided to enable customers to browse the contents with the smart phones S and the tablet terminals T carried by the customers and the tablet terminals T and the like lent to the customers by the store. 
     The credit settlement server  4  provides a credit settlement processing function if the customers use credit cards for payment. 
     The reference number issue machine  5  is set near the entrance of the store and issues numbered tickets or presents reference numbers (identification numbers) to the customers visiting the store. Naturally, the reference number issue machine  5  can also electronically transmit the numbered tickets, the reference numbers, and the like to the smart phones S, the tablet terminals T, and the like carried by the customers. 
     The order station  6  has a role of communicating with the handy terminals G, which are dedicated terminals for order taking used in the store, and transmitting order information and the like received by the handy terminals G to the store server  1 . The order station  6  can also receive orders from the smart phones S and the tablet terminals T installed with predetermined application software for menu ordering. 
     The kitchen printer  7  performs a print output of order slips for presenting the order information received by the order station  6  to staff members in the kitchen. 
     The kitchen display  8  performs screen display for presenting the order information received by the order station  6  to the staff members in the kitchen. 
     The cash register  9  performs accounting processing after meals of the customers. The cash register  9  has a function of receiving not only payment by cash but also payment by credit cards. 
     The kitchen camera  10  (an image pickup unit) is set in the kitchen and capable of picking up images of states during cooking. 
     The smart phones S are portable communication terminals carried by the customers. 
     The tablet terminals T may be portable communication terminals carried by the customers or may be communication terminals lent by the store and usable by the customers in the store. 
     Functional Blocks 
       FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram for explaining the customer management system. 
     The store server  1  (a customer management apparatus) includes, for example, a CPU (a processor)  101 , an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)  102 , a memory  103 , and a storage  104 . 
     The reference number issue machine  5 , the order station  6 , the kitchen printer  7 , the kitchen display  8 , the cash register  9 , and the kitchen camera  10  are connected to the CPU  101  via an electric communication line such as a USB line, a LAN line, or a Wi-fi. 
     In the customer management system according to this embodiment, the CPU  101  has a role of performing various kinds of processing in the customer management system and also has a role of executing computer programs stored in the memory  103 , the storage  104 , and the like to thereby realize various functions. Note that, in this embodiment, as an example, the processor is the CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, it goes without saying that the processor can be realized by an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) capable of executing equivalent arithmetic processing. Similarly, the storage  104  can be replaced with a storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. 
     The memory  103  can be configured from, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a VRAM (Video RAM), or a flash memory. The memory  103  has a role of storing various kinds of information and computer programs used in the customer management system. 
     In the storage  104  of the store server  1 , a management table shown in  FIG. 3  is stored. Details of the management table are explained below. Naturally, the management table does not always need to be stored in the store server  1 . The store server  1  may be stored in an external apparatus such as the system server  2  and referred to from the store server  1  according to necessity. 
     Operation Explanation 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart for explaining a flow of processing in the customer management system. 
     First, when a customer arrives at the store, the customer operates the reference number issue machine  5  set near a store entrance and causes the reference number issue machine  5  to print a turn waiting slip on which a turn waiting number of the customer is written (ACT  101 ). 
     Subsequently, the customer scans the turn waiting number on the turn waiting slip with the smart phone S or the tablet terminal T carried by the customer and starts a web screen and predetermined application software exclusive for the store provided by the store server  1  to browse contents provided by the store. Naturally, instead of the scanning of the turn waiting slip by the smart phone S or the like, the customer may read, with the smart phone S or the like, “information indicating the turn waiting number” displayed on a screen of the reference number issue machine  5 . The “information indicating the turn waiting number” may be the turn waiting number itself or may be barcode representation of the turn waiting number. Besides, as the acquisition of the turn waiting number by the smart phone S or the like, the turn waiting number may be received by radio communication means such as a Wi-Fi or a Bluetooth. 
     Note that it may be selected beforehand whether the turn waiting number slip is printed by the reference number issue machine  5 . If it is selected not to print the turn waiting number slip, a point may be given (an eco point). 
     The CPU  101  (an identification-information acquiring unit) acquires, as identification information of a customer who joins a waiting queue, for example, a turn waiting number or a peculiar identification number of a communication terminal of the customer (ACT  102 ). 
     The CPU  101  (a stage determining unit) determines to which stage among a series of plurality of stages, which sequentially shift, the customer corresponding to the identification information belongs (ACT  103 ). The determination of the stage can be executed on the basis of, for example, content of an operation input to the communication terminal by the customer, position information of the communication terminal in the store, or stage information decided by an operation input by the customer himself or herself or a store staff member. 
     Specifically, examples of the “series of plurality of stages” include stages described below. 
     (1) Turn waiting 
     (2) Seat guiding 
     (3) Order receiving 
     (4) Dish service waiting 
     (5) Dish being served 
     (6) At table 
     (7) Paying 
     The CPU  101  (a contents selecting unit) selects, according to a stage determined by the CPU  101  (the stage determining unit), on the basis of the management table shown in  FIG. 3 , contents presented to customers belonging to the stage (ACT  104 ). 
     Specifically, the CPU  101  (the contents selecting unit) changes, according to the stage determined by the CPU  101  (the stage determining unit) , browsing possibility and possibility and priority order of display of various contents managed by the contents server  3 . 
     Examples of specific browsing target contents include contents described below. 
     (1) Turn waiting information 
     (2) Digital contents 
     (3) Meal menu 
     (4) Order information (including payment) 
     (5) Advertisement 
     For example, as specified in the management table shown in  FIG. 3 , concerning customers belonging to the stages such as the “order receiving” and the “at table”, the CPU  101  (the contents selecting unit) does not include the “digital contents” in the browsing targets. 
     The CPU  101  (a pre-order receiving unit) receives, via the communication terminal such as the tablet terminal T, according to necessity, an order (a pre-order) from a customer waiting for his or her turn before being guided to a seat (ACT  105 ). 
     The pre-order determined during the turn waiting may be immediately notified to the order station  6  in the kitchen, for example, when the customer who made the pre-order is seated. As timing for notifying the kitchen of the pre-order, seating of the customer can be automatically determined on the basis of position information or the like of the tablet terminal T lent to the customer or the pre-order may be notified to the order station  6  in the kitchen by an operation input of the customer. 
     The CPU  101  (a notifying unit) notifies, on the basis of an operation input or the like indicating that cooking of dishes for which an order is received by the CPU  101  (the pre-order receiving unit) from the customer is started, the system to the effect that the cooking of the dishes is started (ACT  106 ). 
     The kitchen camera  10  (an image pickup unit) picks up an image of a cooking scene of the dishes, the cooking start of which is notified by the CPU  101  (the notifying unit) (ACT  107 ). 
     The CPU  101  (the contents selecting unit) selects, as contents that should be distributed to the customer who made the order of the dishes and belongs to the stage of the turn waiting, the image of the cooking scene picked up by the kitchen camera  10  (the image pickup unit) (ACT  108 ). 
     In this embodiment, as an example, the customer management system picks up the image of the actual cooking scene of the ordered dishes and enables the customer who ordered the dishes to browse the cooking scene. However, not only this, but the customer management system may enable the customer to browse, as contents, a cooking scene recorded beforehand or browse a still image. 
     When enabling the customer to browse the cooking scene, the customer management system may estimate a cooking completion time on the basis of an average cooking time and display the progress of the cooking as a progress bar. 
     The CPU  101  (the notifying unit) can determine the cooking start of the ordered dishes according to, for example, an operation input of a cook for notifying a cooking start of any dishes or an operation for holding a barcode or the like of a slip, on which ordered dish contents are written, over a camera functioning as the image pickup unit. 
     The CPU  101  (a distributing unit) distributes the contents selected by the contents selecting unit as explained above to a browsing terminal associated with identification information of the customer or enables the customer to browse the contents with browsing terminals (ACT  109 ). 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the tablet terminal T on which contents distributed by the CPU  101  (the distributing unit) can be browsed. For example, if a waiting state of a customer borrowing the tablet terminal T is the “turn waiting”, the CPU  101  (the distributing unit) arrays and displays, as shown in  FIG. 5 , “turn waiting information”, “digital contents”, “meal menu”, “order information”, and “advertisement” in this order from the top of on the display screen of the tablet terminal T on the basis of the management table shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     In  FIG. 3 , levels of display priority order of the contents to be browsed by the customer at the stage of the “turn waiting” are defined by a relation described below. 
     Turn waiting information&gt;digital contents&gt;meal menu&gt;order information&gt;advertisement 
     Therefore, as shown in  FIG. 5 , a display area of a display field of the turn waiting information is set to be the largest. 
     During payment after finishing the meal, the customer instructs settlement execution with, for example, the tablet terminal T lent by the store and performs closing processing with the tablet terminal T at hand to display a settlement code on the display screen of the tablet terminal T. When checking out, the customer causes the cash register  9  to scan the settlement code. Settlement processing is completed. 
     Note that the CPU  101  (a waiting-time predicting unit) can determine a predicted waiting time of the customer whose identification information is acquired by the CPU  101  (the identification-information acquiring unit) . 
     The “predicted waiting time of the customer” can be defined, for example, as described below. 
     (1) A predicted waiting time until the customer who joins the waiting queue and whose identification information is acquired by the identification-information acquiring unit is guided to a seat 
     (2) A predicted waiting time until the customer who joins the waiting queue and whose identification information is acquired by the identification-information acquiring unit starts an order 
     For the prediction of the waiting time in this embodiment, various publicly-known prediction algorithms executed on the basis of various kinds of information described below can be adopted. 
     (1) Statistical data in the past 
     (2) The number of customers currently waiting 
     (3) The number of customers currently at table 
     (4) Average cooking times of menu items 
     (5) Period of time 
     (6) Day of week 
     The CPU  101  (a cooking instructing unit) can instruct, on the basis of the “predicted waiting time” predicted by the CPU  101  (the waiting-time predicting unit) and “order content received by the pre-order receiving unit”, the start of cooking with the order content. 
     The operations in the processing in the customer management system are realized by causing the CPU  101  to execute a customer management program stored in the memory  103 . 
     Further, a computer program for causing a computer configuring the customer management system to execute the operations can be presented as the customer management program. In this embodiment, as an example, the computer program for realizing the functions for carrying out the invention is recorded in advance in a storage region provided on the inside of the apparatus . However, not only this, but the same computer program may be downloaded to the apparatus from a network or the same computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium may be installed in the apparatus. A form of the recording medium may be any form as long as the recording medium can store the computer program and can be read by the computer. Specifically, examples of the recording medium include internal storage devices mounted on the inside of the computer such as a ROM and a RAM, portable storage media such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a DVD disk, a magneto-optical disk, and an IC card, a database that stores a computer program, other computers and databases of the computers, and a transmission medium on a line. Functions obtained by the installation or the download in advance in this way may be realized in cooperation with an OS (operating system) in the apparatus. 
     Note that a part of or the entire computer program may be a dynamically generated execution module. 
     It goes without saying that it is also possible to cause an ASIC to execute, in terms of a circuit, at least a part of the various kinds of processing realized by causing the processor to execute the computer program in the embodiments. 
     As explained above in detail, according to the technique described in this specification, it is possible to provide a customer management technique that can contribute to improvement of convenience for customers who join a waiting queue. 
     While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the sprit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.