simplified support agent task workflow

users: support agents who have 10s to 100s of new and in-progress conversations with end-users across multiple channels (real-time calls or chat, emails, social media messaging)

the problem: agents have separate inboxes for end-user messages to which they are assigned across each channel. some conversations trigger growl notifications, some don’t – some conversations open automatically when action is required, some don’t. administrators sometimes build their own custom ticket lists for agents to browse when they’re ready to handle a new task – but this gets messy quickly.

additionally: when other users inside customer support tools tag an agent with an @mention in internal notes or side conversations, there is no native experience to review and triage those messages.

how might we reduce the decision calculus required for support agents to determine what to work on next?

goals: 

• build a trusted space for agents to review and choose a short list of pre-determined highest-priority work items
• streamline the process to select a work item, complete it and return to the prioritization list
• provide moments of delight and sense of completion to keep agents energized and productive
• simplify distractions like growls and badge notifications to only the most crucial tasks (real-time messaging)
• balance a sense of agent autonomy (the ability to choose what to do next) with a calculated, limited “batch” of work items (choice between 10 potential tasks vs. of 100 potential tasks)
• innovate work items list to extend beyond an end-user conversation (related business tasks, administrative to-dos, tasks in other products like knowledgebase article writing and review)

lessons learned:

• always, always solidify baseline user flows before adding complications or new options