Scaling Human Support Through Automation

Leadership is often about finding the courage to disrupt "how we’ve always done it" to better serve the person on the front lines. My goal with this initiative was to transform a high-friction, phone-dependent support model into a seamless, self-service ecosystem. By integrating AI and chat automation, we didn't just reduce costs; we gave time back to our store associates so they could focus on the customer.

The Story
At a Fortune 50 retailer, store associates faced a significant hurdle: the only way to resolve technical issues was by calling a centralized help desk, leading to long wait times and ticket backlogs. As a strategic leader, I recognized an opportunity to leverage our Store Health Portal to provide an alternate, more efficient support channel. I led a cross-functional team to design and pilot a "Chat Bot" and "Live Chat" integration. This wasn't just a technical deployment; it was a change management challenge. We built a tiered support flow where a bot first surfaced relevant knowledge articles to encourage self-resolution before ever reaching a live agent. To ensure success, I managed a low-risk pilot across stores, allowing us to refine the AI's accuracy and agent workflows before a national rollout.

Quantifiable Results
Increased Support Efficiency: Enabled agents to manage multiple concurrent support sessions, significantly lowering the cost per issue resolved compared to traditional phone support.
Reduced Ticket Volume: Targeted high-frequency issues with automated "Webforms" and "Order Validation" tools to prevent tickets from being created in the first place.
Optimized Resource Allocation: Utilized a flexible staffing model that allowed resources to pivot between phone and chat queues based on real-time demand.
Improved User Sentiment: Captured real-time feedback through post-chat surveys to mirror and then exceed traditional phone support satisfaction scores.


Validation
Executive Endorsement: "During Q2 we successfully upgraded our platform... positioning us for expanding its value through smarter webforms and self-help."
Stakeholder Feedback: The partnership between my team and the Infrastructure Process Automation group was noted for its high level of collaboration and alignment on improving data quality.