Streamlining Customer Service Through Intelligent Dashboard Design
Project Overview
Client: United Airlines
Duration: February 2018 - December 2018
Role: Lead UX Designer
Team: Collaborated with 2 UI designers, 4 developers, and United's customer service leadership
Business Challenge
United Airlines' customer service operations faced significant business challenges:
Extended Resolution Times: Customer service agents spent an average of 12 minutes per case navigating between 13 different legacy systems, resulting in approximately 240,000 hours of lost productivity annually
Training Complexity: Onboarding new agents required 4 weeks of system training at a cost of approximately $6,500 per agent
Customer Satisfaction Impact: Extended resolution times contributed to a below-industry-average CSAT score of 72%
Agent Turnover: Frustration with complex systems contributed to a 28% annual turnover rate among service agents, with replacement costs averaging $25,000 per agent
Process & Approach
1. Discovery & Research
I led a comprehensive research phase to understand the full scope of agent challenges:
Conducted 16 contextual inquiries with customer service agents across different experience levels
Shadowed agents for 40+ hours to document workflows and pain points
Analyzed system usage data from all 13 legacy platforms to identify critical functions
Created journey maps highlighting inefficiencies in the current resolution process
Key Insight: Agents were spending 60% of their time searching for information and only 40% actually resolving customer issues.
2. Information Architecture & Workflow Design
Based on research findings, I developed a strategic framework for the consolidated dashboard:
Created task flow diagrams that reduced 37 common workflows to 12 optimized paths
Developed a unified information architecture that prioritized frequently accessed data
Established design principles focused on efficiency, clarity, and context-awareness
Facilitated workshops with agents and IT teams to validate the proposed structure
3. Dashboard Design & Prototyping
Unified Interface: Designed a single-screen solution that eliminated system switching
Context-Aware Panels: Created dynamic information panels that adapted to the current case type
Quick Actions: Implemented one-click access to common resolution paths
Intelligent Search: Designed a unified search function that retrieved data across all systems
Status Visualization: Created clear visual indicators for flight status, customer tier, and case priority
4. Testing & Refinement
To ensure the solution would deliver real-world benefits:
Conducted 3 rounds of usability testing with 24 agents using interactive prototypes
Implemented A/B testing of key workflows to optimize efficiency
Created a measurement framework to track resolution times and agent satisfaction
Developed comprehensive documentation for development and training teams
Results & Business Impact
The dashboard consolidation project delivered transformative business results:
250% improvement in resolution times reduced average case handling from 12 minutes to 4.8 minutes, reclaiming approximately 144,000 agent hours annually (valued at $4.3M)
Training time reduced by 65% from 4 weeks to 10 days, saving approximately $4,225 per new agent
Customer satisfaction increased from 72% to 89% following implementation, exceeding industry benchmarks
Agent turnover decreased from 28% to 17% within six months of launch, reducing annual replacement costs by approximately $2.75M
Error rates in compensation calculations dropped by 92%, reducing costly adjustment processes
System maintenance costs decreased by 40% through consolidation of technical infrastructure
Lessons Learned
This project reinforced several key insights:
User involvement throughout the process was crucial to creating a solution that addressed real needs
Data-driven prioritization helped focus the design on highest-impact improvements
Cross-functional collaboration between design, IT, and operations teams was essential for success
Measuring business impact helped secure additional resources and executive suppor