Streamlined call center services, with enhanced search, quicker access to resources, and faster ticket resolution.
Project Summary
Who
Volvo/Mack North America
What
Dealer Portal & Customer Call Center System
How
Field Studies, Contextual Inquiry, Stakeholder Interviews, Personas, Sketching & Prototypes, Workflow Analysis, Testing, Design Workshops
Results
Simplified user flow and navigation, enhanced search, quicker access to knowledgebase, and faster ticket resolution.
Project Overview
Volvo/Mack, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty vehicles, operates a U.S.-based customer call center and offers an online portal for vehicle dealerships. The portal allows users to track repair orders, order parts, access technical resources, and request support from call center agents. However, the existing experience involved navigating multiple disconnected applications.
My role was to improve the portal, enabling repair teams to streamline communication with the call center and their customers while making it easier to quickly locate repair resources through an integrated knowledgebase of technical information.
Approach
I conducted field visits to repair shops, observing and engaging with technicians as they used the Dealer Portal to support their customers.
Key insights revealed a reliance on disconnected applications, fragmented communication with clients, and challenges with duplicate or outdated contact records.
These findings from user interviews and on-site observations shaped the development of user personas, which became central to guiding design decisions
Personas
I interviewed technicians in the field and call center staff to better understand their interactions and the tools they use to resolve tickets.
From these insights, I developed personas to represent the diverse user types we were designing for, helping the product team build empathy and gain a deeper appreciation for each user’s unique needs.
Results
The redesigned portal introduced an improved search function, enabling faster and more accurate access to technical resources at the point of need.
The user flow and homepage were streamlined to enhance the overall experience, providing quicker and more intuitive navigation.
Usability testing and positive feedback validated that the changes effectively addressed key pain points.
Lessons Learned
1. The Value of Contextual Research:
Spending time in the field with technicians and observing their workflows provided invaluable insights that remote research couldn’t capture. I learned that experiencing users’ day-to-day challenges firsthand uncovers pain points that might otherwise remain hidden, driving more effective design solutions.
Spending time in the field with technicians and observing their workflows provided invaluable insights that remote research couldn’t capture. I learned that experiencing users’ day-to-day challenges firsthand uncovers pain points that might otherwise remain hidden, driving more effective design solutions.
2. Bridging the Gap Between Users and Stakeholders:
Developing personas not only guided the design process but also created a shared understanding within the product team. This reinforced how crucial it is to bring diverse perspectives into focus, ensuring the team empathizes with users’ varied needs and challenges.
Developing personas not only guided the design process but also created a shared understanding within the product team. This reinforced how crucial it is to bring diverse perspectives into focus, ensuring the team empathizes with users’ varied needs and challenges.
3. Simplification Drives Success:
Streamlining complex user flows and interfaces had a tremendous impact on the user experience. I learned that simplifying navigation and focusing on user needs directly leads to more intuitive, effective designs.
Streamlining complex user flows and interfaces had a tremendous impact on the user experience. I learned that simplifying navigation and focusing on user needs directly leads to more intuitive, effective designs.
4. Collaboration is Key to Great Design:
Throughout the project, cross-functional collaboration was essential. Working closely with engineers, product managers, and end users reinforced that great design thrives in a team environment. Sharing insights, encouraging feedback, and maintaining open communication proved vital in delivering a successful product.
Throughout the project, cross-functional collaboration was essential. Working closely with engineers, product managers, and end users reinforced that great design thrives in a team environment. Sharing insights, encouraging feedback, and maintaining open communication proved vital in delivering a successful product.
5. Continuous Feedback is Crucial:
User and stakeholder feedback throughout the process confirmed the importance of continuous iteration. Incorporating feedback at every stage allowed us to address issues early, stay user-focused, and ensure the final product truly met the needs of our target users and the business.
User and stakeholder feedback throughout the process confirmed the importance of continuous iteration. Incorporating feedback at every stage allowed us to address issues early, stay user-focused, and ensure the final product truly met the needs of our target users and the business.