Turning IVR into Human Service: Designing for Smarter Agent Support
Client
Chase Travel
Industry
Travel & Lifestyle Services
Date
March 2023
Challenge
Cardmembers rely on Chase for travel and lifestyle services like booking trips, renting cars, and redeeming rewards. When customers called for support, agents often had to re-collect information the customer had already shared, leading to frustration and longer resolution times. The challenge was to create an experience that enabled agents to proactively support customer needs and improve service outcomes.
Research
Through discovery workshops, VOC data, and Q&A sessions , we learned that:
Customers grew frustrated having to repeat themselves after IVR prompts.
Agents lacked contextual cues and guidance in real time, slowing resolution.
Consistency in call handling varied widely, leading to errors, longer training, and more transfers.
Strategy
We collaborated with product leads and engineers to define what data points should surface, how they should appear, and when they would be most valuable within the Guidance Panel. This collaboration provided the groundwork for designing the experience by aligning technical logic with user needs.
We mapped out conditionals and user flows that captured different call scenarios, ensuring the panel could adapt dynamically. Each path included the right prompts, links, and resources so that agents always had relevant guidance at the right moment, no matter the customer’s situation.
Solution
Building on the mapped data points and conditional flows, we designed a Guidance Panel within the Agent Desktop Experience (ADE) that surfaced contextually relevant information throughout the call. The panel provided interactive guidance, evolving as conversations progressed to keep support timely and accurate.
To support both immediate and future needs, I built out a complete set of component variants for the feature. This ensured the system could effectively handle every current ICR (Intelligent Call Routing) reason and was fully scalable to accommodate new use cases as they emerged. The design was supported with detailed documentation for developer handoff, ensuring efficient implementation and long-term maintainability.
Results
Faster resolution: Reduced average handle time (AHT) and fewer call transfers .
Consistency at scale: Lower error rates and smoother onboarding for new hires.
Improved experience: Customers experienced less frustration and more proactive service, boosting satisfaction (CSAT).
Trust in the system: Agents reported the panel felt like a “safety net,” allowing them to focus on the conversation instead of system complexity.
