NOTE

DUE TO NDA I CANNOT SHOW WIREFRAMES OR OTHER WORK PRODUCTS

Unifying Customer Care Systems for Enhanced Agent Experience

Project Overview

Client: Google
Duration: 2019-2020
Role: Senior UX Designer
Team: Collaborated with 4 product managers, 6 engineers, and Google's customer care leadership

Business Challenge

Google's customer care operations faced several critical business challenges:

  • Operational Inefficiency: Agents navigated between 7 different systems to resolve customer issues, adding an average of 4.5 minutes to each interaction

  • Knowledge Fragmentation: Critical information was scattered across multiple repositories, resulting in inconsistent customer service responses

  • Scalability Limitations: Existing systems couldn't efficiently accommodate Google's growing product portfolio, requiring costly custom integrations

  • Training Complexity: New agents required 3 weeks of systems training before handling customer interactions

  • Agent Satisfaction: Complex workflows contributed to below-target agent satisfaction scores of 3.4/5

Process & Approach

  • I conducted extensive research to understand the agent experience and system limitations:

    • Shadowed 15 customer care agents across different product support teams

    • Analyzed workflow data from 500+ customer interactions to identify common patterns and bottlenecks

    • Conducted system audits of all 7 platforms to map functionality and data flows

    • Facilitated 6 workshops with agents, managers, and IT stakeholders to align on priorities

    Key Insight: Agents spent 42% of their time searching for information across systems rather than directly helping customers, with the most experienced agents developing complex workarounds to overcome system limitations.

  • Based on research findings, I developed a strategic framework for the unified platform:

    • Created information architecture that consolidated critical data from disparate sources

    • Developed user flows that reduced common task sequences by 60%

    • Established design principles focused on efficiency, context-awareness, and scalability

    • Defined data hierarchy to prioritize information based on frequency of use and importance

    • Created a technical integration roadmap in collaboration with engineering teams

  • I designed a comprehensive, unified dashboard experience:

    • Unified Search: Created a powerful search function that retrieved data across all systems

    • Customer 360 View: Designed a comprehensive customer profile with interaction history

    • Contextual Tools: Implemented dynamic toolsets that adapted to the current case type

    • Knowledge Integration: Embedded relevant support documentation within the workflow

    • Case Management: Streamlined case creation, tracking, and resolution processes

    • Analytics Dashboard: Provided agents with performance metrics and team comparisons

Results & Business Impact

The unified customer care platform delivered significant business value:

  • 32% reduction in average handling time across all customer interactions, translating to approximately $3.8M in annual operational savings

  • Knowledge consistency improved by 87% as measured by audit accuracy scores

  • New product onboarding time reduced from 6 weeks to 10 days for integration into customer service systems

  • Training time decreased by 45%, allowing new agents to become productive more quickly

  • First-contact resolution rate increased from 67% to 84%, reducing costly escalations

  • Agent satisfaction scores improved from 3.4/5 to 4.6/5, contributing to a 12% reduction in turnover

  • System maintenance costs decreased by 35% through platform consolidation

Responsive Design Approach

The platform was designed to function across various workstation configurations:

  • Flexible Layout: Created a responsive grid system that adapted to different screen sizes and orientations

  • Persistent Tools: Ensured critical tools remained accessible regardless of viewport size

  • State Preservation: Maintained user context when switching between views or devices

  • Performance Optimization: Implemented efficient loading patterns for data-heavy screens

  • Multi-Monitor Support: Designed for optimal use across single and dual-monitor setups

Lessons Learned

This project reinforced several key insights:

  1. Agent involvement throughout the design process was crucial for creating an effective solution

  2. Balancing comprehensive data with usability required careful information architecture

  3. Phased implementation helped manage change and allowed for iterative improvements

  4. Cross-functional collaboration between UX, engineering, and operations was essential for success

Previous

BP