JP2005269295A - Customer information communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support provision of high quality services to guests by staff by allowing each of the guests to carry an RF ID. <P>SOLUTION: An RFID reader 4 is installed at positions in a hotel at a prescribed interval, each guest carries a key with the RFID tag 1 attached thereto, each staff carries a mobile terminal with an RFID tag 2 attached thereto, and each reader 4 searches the guests and the staff existing therearound on the basis of the RFID tags 1, 2. The staff mobile terminal 3 receives information of the guests existing in the same communication area as that of the readers 4 from a management server and provides a display output to the staff. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for supporting service provision to a customer by an employee in a facility such as a hotel, and relates to, for example, a customer information communication system in which an RFID tag and a portable terminal are held by a customer and the employee.

An identification information device called an RFID tag or the like is known, and such a device has a memory function for storing an ID as identification information and a wireless function for wirelessly transmitting the ID stored in the memory. It is configured in a small shape.
Such an RFID tag is attached to a product and used for product attribute management, product distribution history management, and the like.

  In facilities where employees (staff) provide various services to customers (guests) such as hotels, staff provide services according to requests from guests, but requests are made in advance to each guest. Or, for regular guests, veteran staff is striving to provide each guest with personalized services by telling other staff about their preferences etc. .

  However, in the in-facility service provision form as described above, when trying to improve the quality of the service, each guest will be informed of the information. I couldn't provide high-quality services such as In addition, for regular guests, such high-quality service provision is realized to some extent, but veteran staff who are skilled in such customer management are required, and high-quality service provision for guests is always realized It wasn't done.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a customer information communication system that supports high-quality service provision to guests.

The present invention provides a service that meets the needs of each guest in a facility where the staff provides various services to the guest such as a hotel, or the staff provides timely service to the guest. That is, the ability to provide such individual services and timely services is an important element in the evaluation of guests for facilities, and customer information communication that realizes these important elements System.
That is, the present invention is a customer information communication system that uses a device held by a guest and a device held by a staff to support the service provided to the guest by the staff in the facility, and includes a plurality of wireless communication areas in the facility. The device that is provided and held by the guest has a memory that stores the guest identification information of the guest and a function that wirelessly transmits the guest identification information stored in the memory within the wireless communication area, and the device that the staff holds In addition, it has a function of wirelessly receiving guest identification information wirelessly transmitted in the wireless communication area or guest information corresponding to slave station identification information provided by the management server.

  In the customer information communication system of the present invention, a relatively small place defined by the wireless communication area is defined. Therefore, by setting the area to be small, for example, a radius of 10 meters, each staff member can be carried by a portable device. It is possible to identify a guest who is close to him or obtain guest information such as the name and preference of the guest. Therefore, each staff can provide a personal service preferred by the guest to a nearby guest in a timely manner, and a detailed service can be provided.

  More specifically, in service providing facilities (hotels, hospitals, amusement parks, etc.), RFID tags are built in or pasted on items that are constantly carried by guests using the facilities (room keys, card keys, medical records, admission tickets, etc.). At the same time, the staff of the facility carry a portable terminal such as a PHS terminal, prepare a management server equipped with a database (DB) such as a bulletin board in which all guests are identified by each person, and the guest has This is achieved by communicating attributes and histories with an RFID key and reader and storing them in the management server, specifying only the guests around the staff, and selecting and displaying necessary guest information on the portable terminal by the staff.

According to such a customer information communication system, the following information usage is realized.
・ When you want to know information about guests who are nearby in the service facility, information on guests nearby (attributes, history, messages from other staff, etc.) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal owned by the staff. The
In addition, information (such as items to be communicated to other staff) for the guest can be written on the mobile terminal.
・ For guests who are not nearby, you can check the current location on your mobile device.
-Information on guests who are not nearby can be obtained from a portable terminal or an information terminal installed in the guest room, and guest information can be written.
-Stores of guests' facilities and service usage history are accumulated as a database.
-Information (service guidance) tailored to guest's hobbies and preferences can be displayed in a timely manner on information terminals installed in guest rooms and public spaces.
-Only guest information that meets the conditions previously set by the staff on the mobile terminal can be selected and displayed.

According to the customer information communication system of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
1. Staff can immediately know information such as guest attributes, history, and location.
2. Staff members at distant locations can smoothly exchange information and share information such as communication and communication via guests. That is, since the matters to be communicated between the staff are carried by the guest, who is a party, the guest information can be most efficiently transmitted between the staff.
3. Each staff can expand the service for some special guests who relied on their experiences and skills to more guests and quickly develop services tailored to each guest.
4). By taking a use history of service facilities such as a guest store or a pool, it is possible to provide service guidance to the guest from the information terminal in a timely manner.

The present invention will be specifically described based on examples.
FIG. 1 shows a customer information communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The main configuration of the system according to the present embodiment will be described. A device to be held by a guest in order to support service provision to the guest by the staff in the hotel using a device to be held by the guest and a device to be held by the staff. As a base device for setting a plurality of RFID tags 1 attached to a room key, a portable communication terminal 3 such as a PHS attached with an RFID tag 2 as a device to be held by a staff, and defining a wireless communication area in a hotel A reader 4 and a management server 5 that manages information related to the guest and provides the guest information are provided.

The RFID tag 1 held by the guest has a memory function for storing the identification information (guest ID) of the guest, and a wireless communication function for wirelessly transmitting the guest ID stored in the memory to the reader 4 within the wireless communication area of the reader 4 And have.
The RFID 2 held by the staff has a memory function for storing identification information (staff ID) of the staff and a wireless communication function for wirelessly transmitting the staff ID stored in the memory to the reader 4 within the wireless communication area of the reader 4. The mobile terminal 3 wirelessly receives information related to the guest (guest ID, guest preference and name, usage history in the hotel, etc.) transmitted from the management server 5 based on the staff ID. And has a function of displaying on the display screen.

That is, the ID of the guest and the staff existing in the wireless communication area defined by a certain reader 4 is read by the radar 4 and the guest ID and the staff ID are sent to the management server 5. Then, the management server 5 grasps the guests and staff who exist in the same wireless communication area, and wirelessly transmits predetermined guest information to the staff from the guest file 5a in which information related to the guest is stored.
Note that the guest file 5a is provided for each guest ID and includes a bulletin board for posting the writing from the staff portable terminal 3. The management server 5 can manage information for each guest and transmit it to each portable terminal 3. It is like that.

The above system will be described in more detail. RFID readers (antennas) 4 are installed in a hotel at regular intervals, a guest carries a key with an RFID tag 1, and a staff carries a portable terminal 3 with an RFID tag 2. System.
The reader 4 is connected to the management server 5, searches for nearby guests using RFID tags, and records position information (that is, a reader ID as a communication area) in the corresponding guest information file 5 a of the management server 5.
The staff mobile terminal 3 is in the form of a mobile phone, can display information on nearby guests on the screen in real time, and can write information on a bulletin board for any guest.
The guest RFID 1 is attached to the room key in this example, but is attached to the one carried by the guest using the facility, such as a medical record for a hospital and an admission ticket for an amusement park.
The management server 5 collects information from the reader 4 installed in the hotel, provides corresponding guest information by wireless transmission in response to a request from the mobile terminal 3, and information on the guest sent from the mobile terminal 3 Is recorded on the bulletin board of the corresponding guest file 5a.

According to the above system, processing is performed in the following procedure.
1. The staff issues a request from the mobile terminal 3 to the management server 5.
2. Under the management of the management server 5, the RFID reader 4 near the staff searches for the RFID tags 1 of the surrounding guests.
3. Based on the guest ID searched for by the management server 5, the guest ID and attributes (name, preference, etc.) of the guest are displayed on the staff portable terminal 3 from the guest file 5a.
4). The staff selects an arbitrary guest ID on the portable terminal 3, writes information about the guest (notes to be communicated to other staff, etc.), transmits the information to the management server 5, and records it on the bulletin board 5a of the guest.
5). When the next staff meets the same guest, the items transmitted from the previous staff can be acquired by the portable terminal 3 and displayed.

  Note that some RFID tags can be written and read at present, and information can be directly written to the key RFID tag. However, there are many problems in terms of security, and there are many technical and cost issues. A method of managing information by the management server 5 is practical in that the RFID tag is read-only for both the terminal and the key.

FIG. 2 shows a customer information communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
The system of the present embodiment extends the information provision range of the first embodiment to the store and guest room in the hotel, and has a screen that also functions as an RFID reader in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. An information terminal 6 and a store POS interlocking terminal 7 that also functions as an RFID reader are provided.
The information terminal 6 with a screen is installed in a guest room or public space, functions as an RFID reader, is connected to the management server 5, and receives service information corresponding to the guest ID read from the RFID tag 1 from the management server 5. Obtain and display on the display screen.
The store POS interlocking terminal 7 is installed at a store cash register or at the reception of service facilities (pool, etc.), functions as an RFID reader, is connected to the management server 5, and corresponds to the guest ID read from the RFID tag 1 Is provided to the management server 5 and registered in the guest file 5a.

FIG. 3 shows a customer information communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
The main configuration of the system of the present embodiment will be described by the difference from the first embodiment. The RFID tag 2 is not attached to the staff portable communication terminal 3, and a wireless communication area is defined on the staff portable communication terminal 3. The function of the reader 4 is provided as a base device.
Therefore, the staff wirelessly receives the guest ID from the guest RFID tag 1 existing in the wireless communication area of the reader 4 of the portable communication terminal 3 that is carried, and relates to the guest managed by the management server 5 based on the received guest ID. Receive information wirelessly.

The system according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail. A guest carries a key with an RFID tag 1 and a staff carries a portable terminal 3 with an RFID reader 4.
Then, the process is executed in the following procedure.
1. The reader 4 of the portable terminal 3 carried by the staff searches for the RFID tags 1 of the surrounding guests.
2. Based on the guest ID searched for by the mobile terminal 3, an information acquisition request for the guest is transmitted to the management server 5.
3. The management server 5 wirelessly transmits information related to the guest to the portable terminal 3 in response to the request, and displays the ID and attribute of the guest in the same area on the staff's portable terminal 3.
4). The staff selects an arbitrary guest ID on the portable terminal 3, writes information about the guest (notes to be communicated to other staff, etc.), and transmits the information to the management server 5.
5). When the next staff meets the same guest, items transmitted from the previous staff can be acquired and displayed on the portable terminal 3.
In view of the cost of installing the reader (antenna) 4 in the facility, this embodiment is more advantageous.

FIG. 4 shows a customer information communication system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
The system of the present embodiment extends the information provision range of the third embodiment to a store or guest room in a hotel, and has a screen that also functions as an RFID reader in addition to the configuration of the third embodiment. An information terminal 6 and a store POS interlocking terminal 7 that also functions as an RFID reader are provided.
The information terminal 6 with a screen is installed in a guest room or public space, functions as an RFID reader, is connected to the management server 5, and receives service information corresponding to the guest ID read from the RFID tag 1 from the management server 5. Obtain and display on the display screen.
The store POS interlocking terminal 7 is installed at a store cash register or at the reception of service facilities (pool, etc.), functions as an RFID reader, is connected to the management server 5, and corresponds to the guest ID read from the RFID tag 1 Is provided to the management server 5 and registered in the guest file 5a.

The customer information communication system according to the present invention as described above has the following features and advantages.
1. Guest becomes message board between staff.
The staff can write information on the guest as if it were a message to the guest and write it on the bulletin board for each guest, and the other staff can read the information to help cooperation between the staff and provide detailed services for each guest.
2. Provides services tailored to guests (inquiry of guest attributes).
Traditionally, the services for guests that could only be handled by the staff's subjectivity and experience for special guests (like Mr. ~) were categorized according to the attributes of the guests, so that the requests and lifestyles of the guests The combined service can be deployed quickly.

3. Can provide services tailored to guests (guest behavior history).
By referring to the guest's behavior history and predicting the next required service, the staff can quickly prepare and deploy the next service in a timely manner.
4). The location of the guest can be identified and the behavior can be grasped.
It is possible to efficiently prepare a service for a guest (room making, etc.) and prepare a service in advance by the staff predicting a service desired by the guest. In addition, the current position of any guest can be displayed on the staff's mobile terminal.

5). You can pinpoint information to specific guests.
By installing an RFID tag reader terminal 6 with a display screen connected to the management server in a room or hallway, a specific guest can receive advertisements from stores in the facility and messages from staff according to the attributes and history of the guest And filtering (displayed on the terminal screen). This makes it possible to provide limited guests with information according to their age, hobbies and preferences.
6). Guest information can be visualized.
Staff can see information about nearby guests in real time on the mobile device screen. Further, by using an HMD (head mounted display), each guest can be identified by visualization as if a balloon pop-up has appeared from the guest. In addition, what is necessary is just to calculate the detailed positional information of a guest required for displaying on HMD from the time when the electromagnetic wave from a some reader | leader (minimum 3) arrives.

It is a block diagram of the customer information communication system which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a block diagram of the customer information communication system which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a block diagram of the customer information communication system which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. It is a block diagram of the customer information communication system which concerns on 4th Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Guest RFID tag, 2: Staff RFID tag,
3: Staff mobile terminal, 4: RFID reader,
5: Management server 5a: Guest file
6: Information terminal with screen, 7: Store POS-linked terminal,

Claims (1)

A customer information communication system that supports service provision to a customer by an employee in a facility using a device held by a customer and a device held by an employee,
There are multiple wireless communication areas in the facility,
The apparatus to be held by the customer has a memory for storing the customer identification information of the customer, and a function for wirelessly transmitting the customer identification information stored in the memory within the wireless communication area,
An apparatus to be held by an employee has a function of wirelessly receiving customer identification information wirelessly transmitted in a wireless communication area or customer information corresponding to slave station identification information provided by a management server. Communications system.

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