Verizon
AI Chatbot Design
Verizon planned to increase the use of AI chatbots, Digital Assistant (DA), on all platforms to provide a more seamless customer service experience and enhance customer engagement.
In this case study, I have excluded and disguised sensitive information. The content presented here represents my personal work and does not necessarily represent the opinions or perspectives of Verizon.
The Challenge
At Verizon, I worked with the Collections department, which assists users with overdue bills. These users have different reasons they cannot pay, many of which are unique to their situations. The existing customer call center presented limited options, which needed enhancement to accommodate user needs. Verizon wanted to leverage technology to enhance customer service and provide a more personalized experience.
My Role
We fostered a unique collaboration between Accenture, Avanade, and Verizon.
The collections team comprised five Accenture business analysts, with me as the sole UX designer. My responsibilities encompassed end-to-end user experience design, including defining IA, crafting conversational flows, developing wireframes and UI, and close collaboration with engineers during development and UAT.
I facilitated regular in-person meetings with the Verizon Total Experience Team to ensure a cohesive chatbot experience across both the web and app while adhering to Verizon's brand guidelines.
Design Thinking Workshop
One day of listening to calls from real customers
1.5 days of workshop with subject matter experts, stakeholders, and chatbot team
Customer Sentiments
on existing customer service
The existing experience offered a limited range of payment options, occasionally leaving customers frustrated and confused.
Stratifying Users by Risks
Risk-level: Low
Customers promptly contact Verizon to resolve the issue when they realize their payments are overdue.
Risk-level: Medium
Verizon contacts customers multiple times, but customer engagement is challenging as most communications are ignored or overlooked.
Risk-level: High
Customer accounts are suspended after a prolonged period of non-payment. However, this action alone is often insufficient to compel these customers to pay the overdue balance, which may indicate an inability to pay.
With a better understanding of our customers, we aimed to provide a friendlier approach to bill payment reminders and offer more payment options.
Design Considerations
Promise-to-Pay
Goal 1
Make self-service PTP more flexible to reduce the bounce rate
Goal 2
Create a guided experience that allows users to seamlessly explore many payment options without being overwhelmed
Promise-to-Pay Demo
STEP 1.
A Clear Breakdown of the Bill
A clear breakdown of the total, current, and unpaid balance, with supporting details on the due date and consequences of missing payment, clarifies payment expectations for the user.
STEP 2.
Flexible Payment Options
If the unpaid balance exceeds the initial PTP amount, the DA will inquire if the user wants to set up a second PTP. This approach gives users peace of mind, knowing they don't have to pay the entire unpaid balance immediately.
STEP 3.
Increasing Likelihood of Full Payment
The customer initially intended to set up one $100 PTP. However, with the guidance of the Digital Assistant, they opted to set up one future-dated payment and one promise to pay, covering the entire unpaid balance.
Information Architecture
Conversational Flow
IA to UI
When developing Information Architecture (IA) and Conversation Flows (CF), I emphasized to my team the importance of prioritizing user experience over short-term gains. This strategic approach was pivotal in realizing Verizon's overarching business objective: assisting users in completing total payments. By placing user experience at the forefront, Verizon could offer flexible payment options, avoiding the unpleasant surprise of a substantial immediate bill. As a UX designer, I managed team member perspectives to produce the optimal outcome for my client.
Takeaways
PTPs made with an agent are kept 52% of the time, but PTPs made via self-service are kept 91% of the time.
Our collaboration between Avanade, Verizon, and Accenture received a Global Telecoms Award and was nominated for the Global Mobile Awards 2019.