IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,305,352
Granted Patent B2
US 7,305,352 · App. 10/101,860 · Granted Dec 4, 2007

System for and method of facilitating sales activities, and program generator for generating a program for realizing the same

Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,305,352
App. No.
10/101,860
Granted
Dec 4, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

In response to a request from a terminal, a sales-force server creates a page for providing information regarding sales activities, and sends the created page to the terminal. An e-mail server sends an e-mail including a word(s) registered in a first word table to a new addressee. The sales-force server provides the terminal with data corresponding to a predetermined number of sales tools whose usage frequency is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The sales-force server provides a staff terminal used by at least one sales staff with target information, based on calling history regarding telephone calls from at least one customer to a call center. The sales-force server provides the staff terminal with a correction message, upon detection of error information included in utterance of the sales staff which corresponds to voice data created by the staff terminal.

Claims (48)

1. A computer network system for facilitating a plurality of sales activities to be performed by at least one sales staff in a business transaction carried out between the at least one sales staff and at least one customer, comprising

a first terminal which is used by the at least one customer;

a second terminal which is used by the at least one sales staff;

a database which stores customer-management data representing information regarding the at least one customer;

a first server which

provides said first terminal with at least one Web page, upon accessing of said first terminal toward said first server,

stores access-history information representing access history of said first terminal, in an access-history storage; and

a second server which

receives the access-history information from said first server,

acquires customer-management data corresponding to the at least one customer specified in the access-history information, from said database,

creates target information, based on the access-history information and the customer-management data, and

provides said second terminal with the created target information, thereby informing the at least one sales staff about a most suitable time and way to make contact with the at least one customer,

wherein said database stores transaction-history information regarding the business transaction between the at least one sales staff and the at least one customer,

said second server acquires transaction-history information corresponding to the at least one customer specified in the access-history information, from said database, in order to create the target information, and

said second server analyzes behavior of the at least one customer, based on the access-history information, the customer-management data and the transaction-history information, in order to create the target information.

2. The computer network system according to claim 1 , wherein

said first server creates the access-history information corresponding to the at least one customer, and sends the created information to said second server in response to an instruction for making contact with the at least one sales staff from said first terminal.

3. The computer network system according to claim 1 , further comprising a call center which:

executes at least one task regarding a telephone call from the at least one customer; and

stores call-history information including an inquiry from the at least one customer, in a call-history storage, and

wherein said second server

receives the call-history information from said call center,

acquires customer-management data corresponding to the at least one customer specified in the call-history information, from said database, and

create the target information based on the call-history information and the customer-management data.

4. The computer network system according to claim 1 , wherein

the target information created by said second server includes data representing a channel through which the at least one sales staff makes contact with the at least one customer.

5. A method of facilitating a plurality of sales activities to be performed by at least one sales staff in a business transaction carried out between the at least one sales staff and at least one customer, said method comprising the steps of:

storing customer-management data representing information regarding the at least one customer, in a database;

providing a first terminal with at least one Web page, upon accessing of said first terminal used by the at least one customer;

acquiring the customer-management data corresponding to access-history information representing access history of said first terminal, from said database;

creating target information, based on the access-history information and the customer-management data;

providing a second terminal with the created target information, thereby informing the at least one sales staff about a most suitable time and way to make contact with the at least one customer;

storing transaction-history information regarding the business transaction;

acquiring transaction-history information corresponding to the access-history information, from said database, in order to create the target information; and

analyzing behavior of the at least one customer, based on the access-history information, the customer-management data and the transaction-history information.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein

the target information includes data representing a channel through which the at least one sales staff makes contact with the at least one customer.

7. A program generator for facilitating a plurality of sales activities to be performed by at least one sales staff in a business transaction between the at least one sales staff and at least one customer, in a computer network system, said program generator comprising the instructions for:

storing customer-management data representing information regarding the at least one customer, in a database;

providing a first terminal with at least one Web page, upon accessing of said first terminal used by the at least one customer;

acquiring the customer-management data corresponding to access-history information representing access history of said first terminal, from said database;

creating target information, based on the access-history information and the customer-management data;

providing a second terminal with the created target information, thereby informing the at least one sales staff about a most suitable time and way to make contact with the at least one customer;

storing transaction-history information regarding the business transaction;

acquiring transaction-history information corresponding to the access-history information, from said database, in order to create the target information; and

analyzing behavior of the at least one customer, based on the access-history information, the customer-management data and the transaction-history information.

8. The program generator according to claim 7 , wherein

the target information includes data representing a channel through which the at least one sales staff makes contact with the at least one customer.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2006
From: IKEZAWA, TOYOJI; KOIDE, MASAO; MATANO, YUJI
To: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 018663/0845 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 12, 2004
From: COMPAQ INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LP
To: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
Reel/Frame 014628/0103 →
Priority Claims (5)
JP 2001-081365 · Mar 21, 2001 · national
JP 2001-088813 · Mar 26, 2001 · national
JP 2001-089070 · Mar 27, 2001 · national
JP 2001-089121 · Mar 27, 2001 · national
JP 2001-090258 · Mar 27, 2001 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20020138340A1 · Sep 26, 2002