AskNicely
AskNicely Coaching empowers managers to support the professional growth and upskilling of frontline workers in the business.
Background
Asknicely offers a comprehensive customer experience management platform that empowers businesses to collect, analyse, and act on customer feedback. By leveraging the insights gained from the platform, companies can make data-driven decisions to improve customer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy.
I joined AskNicely in November 2021 as the Lead Product Designer and have been actively supporting multiple aspects of the business and driving enhancements to the user experience throughout the platform.
During the year at AskNicely, I have learnt so much as the business is still at a startup phase. Some key highlights/achievements that I would like to share:
1. Improved RAIN design system ‐ Fixed ways of using Frames, auto layout, and properties in Figma to improve the way we build components.
2. Established better communication with engineers ‐ Due to the remote nature of work, it can be challenging to connect with engineers on a regular basis. To address this, I have implemented a practice of scheduling 30-minute weekly check-ins with engineers to offer design assistance and support as needed.
3. AskNicely Coaching ‐ Since joining, I have dedicated my efforts to developing a new feature that delivers valuable information to managers, empowering frontline workers to enhance customer experience for their clients.
4. AskNicely Achievements System ‐ A new feature that allows users to accomplish specific tasks and earn achievement badges.
Understanding the problem
The platform consolidates all customer feedback, allowing managers to review and provide constructive feedback to frontline workers. However, there is currently no dedicated area on the platform for managers to keep track of tasks or leave comments for their frontline workers. To address this, it would be beneficial to incorporate a feature where managers can conveniently make notes and assign tasks, enabling them to provide feedback at their convenience and allowing frontline workers to improve their customer experience skills effectively.
Gathering insights
I have conducted 12 qualitative user research sessions with frontline managers to gain a deep understanding of their pain points and challenges, as well as identify opportunities for improving their experience. These sessions involved managers from diverse industries, and their insights and feedback have revealed common themes that inform my approach to enhancing their overall experience. Here are the key insights and feedback gathered from these 12 frontline managers:
1. Use desktop over mobile ‐ Frontline managers primarily work in office environments and express a preference for using the desktop version of the AskNicely platform rather than the mobile version. However, the current focus of the AskNicely platform is primarily on mobile functionality. To address this, I aim to prioritise and enhance the desktop experience for this feature, ensuring it meets the specific needs and preferences of frontline managers using desktop devices.
2. The ability to add notes and assign tasks to frontline workers ‐ The platform currently lacks the functionality for frontline managers to add or assign tasks to frontline workers.
3. Platform is slow ‐ As a startup, technical debts have often taken a backseat in priority unless there is an urgent need for updates or risk of churn becomes imminent.
Wireframing
Taking into account the feedback provided earlier, I have begun working on developing solutions that effectively address the identified pain points.
1. Work with project manager and engineers to understand and prioritize what we can do to improve the speed for our desktop platform.
2. A section titled “Team Updates” has been created to provide managers with a comprehensive overview of the overall performance of frontline workers as a group, while also allowing them to access individual scores for each worker.
3. The manager has access to an area where they can view all feedback and notes for each frontline worker at an individual level. Additionally, the manager can leave notes or create to-do items for each frontline worker in a designated section.
Validating the designs with frontline managers
I conducted 12 usability testing sessions with the same individuals whom I had previously interviewed. For the sessions, I prepared a script and developed various scenarios for the managers to navigate through.
The main takeaway and observation from these sessions was that the managers expressed a high level of satisfaction with the design and functionality. The system proved to be valuable in providing them with an overall view of their frontline workers’ performance and identifying areas where support or upskilling is needed. Moreover, the managers appreciated the option to drill down to the individual level when desired.
Result
In conclusion, this feature has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback, both directly from various frontline managers and through our NPS survey. The successful implementation of this project involved extensive collaboration among team members, and it has been instrumental in my continuous growth and learning throughout my career.