Too Many Tools, Not Enough Clarity
Situation
When I joined the Allstate Roadside Services (ARS) team, I quickly observed that the team had a fragmented workflow. Designers, product, and engineering weren’t aligned, and call center agents were relying on a patchwork of tools that created confusion and inefficiency.
Task
My mission was to bring clarity to the team's direction, establish shared priorities, and validate product updates for a new Omni Call Application that would streamline the agent experience.
Action
Introduced and facilitated Affinity Mapping and Priority Matrix sessions with cross-functional partners to identify and sequence opportunities.
Advocated for and organized a research trip to the Saginaw, Michigan call center where we observed real agents using the outdated system.
Key findings:
Poor audio quality caused miscommunication.
Agents juggled multiple apps and relied on handwritten notes; often opening up Google Maps in a separate tab to validate the address given to them by the customer
Screen size and information overload caused eye strain and mistakes.
Rigid scripting made customer conversations feel robotic.
Result
Our user research directly informed three major product improvements:
Google Maps integration and type-ahead address entry
Built-in tow provider search
Nearby service suggestions
These features reduced average call times by 40%, dramatically lowered repeat calls, and saved Allstate $2M per year. We identified that time efficiency + information clarity was our formula for success, guiding future iterations.
