Supporting new agents through unfamiliar scenarios with real-time guidance

Supporting new agents through unfamiliar scenarios can be a daunting task for any organization. As new hires transition from training to live customer interactions, they often face challenges that can impact their confidence and performance. The stakes are high: a smooth onboarding process not only influences the new hire's speed to proficiency but also affects overall customer satisfaction and retention rates. By leveraging real-time guidance technology, organizations can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring new agents feel supported and empowered during their critical early days on the job.

The Training-to-Floor Gap

New agents typically grasp concepts during training but struggle to apply them in real-world scenarios. This disconnect can lead to significant issues, including costly attrition, quality inconsistencies, and supervisor burnout. The pressure of live calls, coupled with performance anxiety, can overwhelm even the most promising new hires. For instance, a new agent may understand the product features but falter when a customer asks a complex question, leading to hesitation, longer call times, and potential escalations.

This gap highlights the need for a solution that provides immediate support during customer interactions. Real-time agent assist technology can be a game-changer, offering contextual guidance that helps new agents navigate unfamiliar situations with confidence. By integrating AI-driven insights into the call process, organizations can ensure that new hires have access to the information they need precisely when they need it.

How Real-Time Agent Assist Works

Core Technology Components:

• Live Call Intelligence: The system transcribes conversations in real time, analyzing customer intent and emotional state to provide relevant insights.
• Dynamic Guidance Display: Agents receive contextual information, scripts, and compliance reminders on their screens during calls, allowing them to respond appropriately without losing momentum.
• Knowledge Base Integration: The technology pulls relevant product information and troubleshooting steps based on the conversation context, minimizing hold times and knowledge searches.

In-Call Support for New Agents:

• Next Best Action Recommendations: As the customer speaks, the system suggests the most appropriate responses or actions.
• Script and Talk Track Display: For scenarios that agents find challenging, the system surfaces scripts to guide their responses.
• Compliance Reminders: Alerts are triggered before critical disclosures, helping prevent regulatory violations.
• De-escalation Techniques: If customer sentiment shifts negatively, the system provides strategies to calm the situation.

By implementing real-time agent assist technology, organizations can significantly enhance their new hire training programs. This technology not only supports new agents but also alleviates some of the supervisory burden, allowing managers to focus on more complex coaching tasks.

Common New Hire Scenarios & Agent Assist Support

To illustrate the effectiveness of real-time agent assist technology, let's explore a few common scenarios that new agents often encounter:

Scenario: Unfamiliar Product Question

Setting: A new agent receives a call from a customer asking about a specific product feature they are not familiar with.
Participants: New agent, customer.
Process:

1. Customer inquires about a product feature.
2. The agent feels uncertain and considers putting the customer on hold.
3. The agent receives an instant prompt from the agent assist system with relevant product details.
4. The agent confidently answers the customer's question without needing to place them on hold.
   Outcome: The customer receives accurate information quickly, enhancing their experience and boosting the agent's confidence.

Scenario: Customer Objection

Setting: A customer expresses dissatisfaction with a proposed solution during a sales call.
Participants: New agent, customer.
Process:

1. The customer raises an objection, expressing concern about the price.
2. The agent hesitates, unsure of how to respond effectively.
3. The agent assist system detects the objection and presents proven rebuttals.
4. The agent selects an appropriate response and addresses the customer's concern.
   Outcome: The customer feels heard, and the agent successfully navigates the objection, increasing the likelihood of closing the sale.

Scenario: Escalating Customer

Setting: A customer becomes frustrated during a support call.
Participants: New agent, customer.
Process:

1. The customer’s tone shifts to frustration.
2. The agent feels overwhelmed and considers escalating the call.
3. The agent assist system detects the sentiment change and suggests de-escalation techniques.
4. The agent applies the suggested techniques to calm the customer.
   Outcome: The customer’s frustration is alleviated, and the agent feels empowered to resolve the issue without needing supervisor intervention.

These scenarios demonstrate how real-time guidance can transform the experience for new agents, enabling them to handle challenging situations effectively.

Supervisor Efficiency & Performance Monitoring

Implementing real-time agent assist technology not only supports new agents but also enhances supervisor efficiency. Traditional supervision often limits managers to monitoring a small number of agents simultaneously, leading to inconsistencies in support and delayed interventions.

Agent Assist Supervisor Amplification:

• Increased Monitoring Capacity: One supervisor can effectively monitor 10-15 agents via a unified dashboard, compared to the traditional limit of 3-5.
• Real-Time Alerts: Supervisors receive notifications when agents struggle or deviate from protocols, allowing for timely interventions.
• Instant Messaging Coaching: Supervisors can provide in-call coaching without disrupting the customer interaction, ensuring that agents receive support when they need it most.

Performance Analytics for Early Intervention:

• Identifying At-Risk New Hires: Supervisors can track metrics such as quality scores, handle times, and escalation rates to identify agents who may need additional support.
• Data-Driven Coaching: By leveraging performance analytics, supervisors can implement targeted coaching interventions before issues escalate, ultimately reducing attrition and improving overall team performance.

By integrating these supervisory enhancements, organizations can create a more supportive environment for new agents while maintaining high standards of customer service.

Scaling, Implementation & ROI

As organizations look to scale their training programs without increasing supervisory overhead, real-time agent assist technology offers significant advantages.

Scaling Nesting Programs Without Adding Supervisors:

• Efficiency Multiplier: The technology allows one supervisor to support more agents, ensuring consistent training quality across locations and teams.
• Rapid Onboarding: Organizations can launch larger training cohorts without the need for proportional increases in supervisory staff, streamlining the onboarding process.

Implementation Roadmap:

1. Pilot Program: Start with a small cohort to establish performance baselines and gather feedback.
2. Optimization: Refine the technology configuration based on pilot performance data and agent feedback.
3. Scale: Roll out to all nesting programs, integrating the technology into standard onboarding processes.

ROI & Business Case:

• Reduced Training Duration: Faster time to proficiency leads to earlier revenue contributions.
• Improved Retention Rates: Enhanced support for new hires reduces turnover costs.
• Quality Improvement: Fewer errors and better customer experiences translate into higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

By investing in real-time agent assist technology, organizations can enhance their training programs, improve agent performance, and ultimately drive better business outcomes.