You’re running a customer support team, armed with the latest tech and an eager crew of agents.
But somehow they’re bogged down by the same set of challenges:
- Hunting down information
- Frustrated customers
- Repetitive questions
- Ticket backlogs
- Clunky system
- Stress
Despite your amazing tech arsenal, there’s still a disconnect, something missing and it’s costing you time, money, and customers 😭
I’m writing this blog to help you figure out how your team can spend less time on repetitive tasks and more on delivering those standout customer experiences that keep people coming back.
I’ll share ten actionable strategies you can use to improve your processes and keep your agents happy and productive.
1. Prioritize meaningful metrics >> vanity metrics
When creating reports for your C level, it’s easy to get caught up in all sorts of metrics.
Not all metrics are created equal, and a lot of times, tracking the wrong ones makes your report look good but doesn’t tell how your team is performing or what your customers think about your service 🙁
So, please repeat after me: vanity metrics don’t matter at all…
For example, “Total calls handled” is a preferred metric, and is at the top of many performance reports.
But that doesn’t tell me anything about the quality of those interactions. What if your rep handles over 100 calls, but the quality is low, and they’re averaging less than a 1-star rating each time?
Rather, metrics like First contact resolution (FCR), show how often an agent resolves a customer issue on the first go. A high FCR means fewer follow-ups and happier customers because their problem is fixed, not just pushed to the next person.
Nobody likes that
Here’s another example: Average call duration might look impressive when it’s short, but it doesn’t tell you if the customer left satisfied.
A better metric to look at here is Customer satisfaction (CSAT), which shows how customers feel about their experience.
This might sound plain vanilla, but often, leaders choose flashy metrics over drilling down into what matters. By focusing on metrics that show quality over quantity, you’ll up your entire customer experience game.
2. Centralize knowledge for instant access
Your agents bounce around multiple browser tabs, knowledge bases, FAQs, and Slack threads, frantically searching for the right information while a customer waits on hold.
It’s also one of the biggest productivity killers for your support agents. When they waste time searching for info, productivity and customer satisfaction take a hit.
So a well-organized, easy-to-navigate knowledge base is essential for any CS function as it
serves as a single source of truth for agents.
Instead of digging through multiple systems or pinging teammates for help, agents can pull up accurate information in seconds.
Here’s an example of how an AI agent can do all the above in under 2 minutes:
- Integrate all knowledge sources like Slack, Notion, Confluence, Intercom, etc
- AI agent starts learning from all of them
- Ask the AI agent your question
- Answer
The goal is to make vital information accessible with a quick search 🙂
Don’t overload your agents with everything under the sun. Tailor knowledge access as per roles or support tiers. This way, agents only see what’s relevant to their tasks, reducing time sorting
through unnecessary details.
When agents have the right information, they can handle queries efficiently and keep customers happy.
p.s. We’re building Albus, an AI agent that does pretty much what I mentioned above 🙂
3. Leverage self-service options
Many customer questions are repetitive, and not all require an agent to handle them.
Self-service options are the best to help customers with easy access to resources like FAQs, knowledge bases, and AI-driven chatbots.
They allow customers to find solutions in their own time, whether it’s troubleshooting a product issue or checking account details.
AI-powered chatbots, for example, can handle questions about return policies, shipping updates, and other common topics, keeping your agents available for the problems that need a human touch.
Productivity ✅
CSAT ✅
Modern self-serve tools are becoming increasingly intuitive. They understand natural language, offer personalized recommendations, and can even direct users to live support if needed, ensuring that customers don’t feel stuck when their questions go beyond the basics
Self-serve for the win 💪🏻
4. Omnichannel support
Repeating your problems across different channels, starting from scratch each time is the worst.
For customers, it’s pointless because who likes to repeat themselves ten different times, and for agents to answer each of them in separate tabs is ……
With omnichannel support, agents can handle inquiries from multiple channels – chat, email, phone, and social media, all within a single, unified platform, keeping the customer context front and center.
This way, if a customer starts on chat and then calls in, your agents have the full conversation history. All good CS platforms can combine data from all touchpoints into one dashboard.
This setup allows agents to switch between channels, maintaining customer context and ensuring a consistent experience.
Plus, omnichannel integration paves the way for automation, like intelligent routing and chatbots, so customers get quick answers no matter how they reach out.
Customers 🫡
5. Intelligent routing as per your agent’s skill set
Intelligent AI routing allows you to match each question with the agent best suited to handle it, based on skills, expertise, or even language preference.
This way, agents spend more time solving problems they’re equipped for and less time scrambling or rerouting calls or questions. So, each agent can focus on what they’re good at, from technical troubleshooting to billing questions.
When calls, chats, or emails are automatically sent to the right agent, resolution times improve, and agents are more likely to achieve First contact resolution (FCR), a win-win for productivity and customer satisfaction.
Intelligent routing depends on how well your customer data is analyzed in real time. You can set routing parameters based on agent availability, workload, specific skill sets, and interpersonal skills.
This approach gives agents the best chance to deliver outstanding customer service and streamline workflows that boost productivity.
6. Support continuous training and development
This one is obvious lol
Things within the CS space are changing rapidly, so what worked last month might not work today. Continuous training keeps your agents sharp and confident to adapt to any situation.
One way to approach continuous training is through microlearning modules. These are short, focused training sessions agents can complete on the job without stepping away from their desks.
Topics might range from product updates to handling difficult conversations, making it easy for agents to build skills without overwhelming them.
At Albus, we focus on peer-to-peer learning, where the entire CS team shares what they’ve learned and discusses the toughest challenges they’ve faced this week.
We even keep a Slack channel for all the difficult questions that come our way! 🙂
IMO, this is the best approach to empower your agents.
If your input is great feedback, continuous learning, and training the output will top-notch customer support.
7. Use real-time analytics to drive decisions
In customer support, decisions based on outdated data are almost as bad as guessing.
Real-time analytics give instant insights into agent performance, customer satisfaction, and emerging issues.
With the right data, support teams can adapt quickly, spot potential roadblocks, and boost productivity.
Tracking metrics like Average handle time (AHT) or First contact resolution (FCR) as they happen can show you where agents are getting bogged down or if certain types of queries are leading to repeat tickets.
This immediate feedback loop allows managers to intervene and offer support when it’s needed most, rather than after the fact. 💪🏻
It also helps identify what’s working well, making it easily replicable across the team.
With data-driven insights, you can continuously refine workflows, improve resource allocation, and provide agents, with targeted coaching based on live performance data.
So, why guess when you can have data slap you in the face in real-time?
8. Promote agent well-being to avoid burnout
Stressed, overworked agents don’t deliver great customer experiences.
Obviously
So, supporting agent well-being is important to ensure they’re productive throughout their shift.
How do you promote their well-being?
Good question here’s what we do at Albus ↓
- Regular breaks
- Flexible working hours
- Shift schedules defined a week prior
- 1 dedicated Slack channel for immediate help
- Open communication and peer-to-peer recognition
- Workstation budget to improve their work environment
IMO, this is not a one-size-fits-all model, you don’t have to copy anything from the list^.
What’s important is you have an open discussion with your team, and figure out the best way to help them.
Sometimes making sure agents know it’s okay to speak up when they’re feeling overwhelmed goes a long way. Building a supportive culture where agents feel recognized for their efforts and are part of a team can work wonders for morale.
When agents feel supported, they’re more engaged, patient, and ready to tackle the challenges that come with the job.
9. Strong feedback loop
Your agents are on the front lines daily, interacting with customers, and dealing with system quirks, and common pain points.
They know better than anyone where things are working well and where they’re falling apart.
Strong feedback loops, help you tap into these gold nuggets of knowledge, making it easy for agents to share their insights and driving continuous improvement in the process.
I would start by integrating ways for agents to give feedback right in their workflow.
This could be as simple as a quick survey after each shift or a dedicated feedback channel where they can suggest changes on the fly.
Let your agents tag specific interactions that highlight areas needing improvement in your FAQs, processes, knowledge bases, etc.
Feedback is only as good as what you do from it.
The next step will be to close the loop by acting on it.
If an agent points out that a particular FAQ isn’t helpful, update it and let them know their suggestion made a difference.
This builds a sense of ownership and keeps agents motivated, knowing they’re directly contributing to a better support experience for their team and customers.
10. Celebrate and incentivize high performance
Acknowledging and rewarding high performance can go a long way in keeping your team motivated, boosting morale, and encouraging everyone to bring their A-game.
Celebrating wins is essential for maintaining a positive, engaged workforce.
Incentives don’t need to be extravagant to be effective.
Simple gestures like shout-outs during team meetings, personalized thank-you notes, or small rewards for hitting key metrics like Customer satisfaction Scores or First contact resolution can make a big difference.
At Albus, we’ve an internal Slack channel #gratitude for peer to peer recognition 🙂
These actions show agents that their hard work is noticed and valued.
You should also consider a performance-based reward system.
Gamifying productivity like point systems for meeting targets or achieving high customer satisfaction can make everyday tasks more engaging.
Monthly awards, like “Top Agent” can create a friendly competition that drives everyone to excel.
Ultimately, the goal is to build a culture where agents feel appreciated and inspired.
Celebrating achievements, big or small, creates an environment where agents are excited to grow, improve, and deliver exceptional service.
p.s. In case you’re wondering, we use EngageWith for all our rewards and peer to peer recognition
Closing thoughts
When your agents have the right tools, relevant training, and a supportive culture, they’re efficient, engaged, and always bring their A-game.
…And engaged agents make for happier customers.
As you think about your processes and these fixes, remember that each reinforces the other, building a more cohesive, productive, and satisfying support experience for your team and your customers.
My advice? Start with one or two strategies that resonate with your team’s biggest challenges and build from there.
If you need help implementing a few of these strategies, we can help 😉
Talk to us and we can figure out if Albus can help you:
In case if you’ve any questions or need any more reading material please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]