Customer Service Tool for DHL

DHL is the world’s leading mail and logistics company that is present in over 220 countries and territories across the globe and provides solutions for an almost infinite number of logistic needs. The task was to recreate a tool for 10,000+ Customer Service Representatives around the world that are responsible for providing quality customer services to local and overseas clients, such as handling customer inquiries, ordering bookings, making shipments tracking and solve the problems and complaints from customers.

Role

UX Lead

Segment

Enterprise

Timeline

2016-2017

As the UX Lead in this project, I had a multifaceted role that encompassed team management, understanding the business, conducting user research, optimising processes, shaping the initial concept, supporting implementation, and evaluating the system's success. While leading a design team consisting of a Lead UX designer and two Senior UX designers, we collaborated on creating a unified interface, streamlining workflows, and providing design support during integration. I gained valuable insights through stakeholder interviews and workshops, led user research efforts across multiple locations, and worked closely with stakeholders to prioritize improvements. Together, we successfully delivered a comprehensive solution that met the project's objectives. Overall, my role combined guiding the team through this extensive effort, understanding the business, conducting user research, shaping the concept, supporting implementation, and assessing the system's success.

My role

Before undertaking the significant task of reshaping business processes and Customer Service operations, an in-depth understanding of the domain and the company's challenges was essential. Through Vision & Definition and Research & Discovery phases, we engaged in exploratory activities, including stakeholder interviews and collaborative design workshops like Value Proposition, Business Canvas, and Service Blueprint. These efforts allowed us to align with the business objectives, uncover pain points, and lay the groundwork for subsequent project stages.

Business and Domain Discovery

User research included four primary methods: user shadowing, user interviews, participatory design and user surveys. Methodology was focused on understanding user behaviours, needs and motivations through observation techniques, tasks analysis and other feedback methodologies. Our team interviewed 30+ users in 3 different locations: Malaysia, UK, Singapore, so we had to go through a very precise method and research plan to get valid and comparable results.

User Research

The objective of this project was to overhaul and enhance the existing Customer Service operations within the company. This involved a comprehensive examination of the current business processes, followed by the development of a new system that would reflect optimized CS processes. The primary focus was on identifying potential improvements in collaboration with the business stakeholders, testing ideas, and presenting an expected plan. Throughout the Research & Discovery phase, there was a continuous effort to align the needs of the business and employees while considering their respective requirements.

Results:

List of prioritized ideas of potential improvements
Current systems expert evaluation
Optimised process scenarios and expected outcomes
Turning ideas into actual product ideas
Process improvements & optimisations plan
Precise plan of merging three CS systems into a single tool.

Business Process Optimisation

Following the completion of the discovery phases, a key insight emerged: the workflow should prioritize tasks over tools. A core UX principle was to streamline the process and navigation by consolidating three systems into a single unified interface. The concept revolved around a highly customisable home page, where users would have visibility into relevant tasks and benefit from seamless and efficient navigation, eliminating the need for complex navigational levels. The main page was divided into three sections, tailored to the specific tasks commonly encountered by different user groups. Despite the clean and uncluttered appearance of the home page, all essential functionalities were preserved within the system.

Initial Concept

Main Functionality UX

Booking flow. Entry point to the system and booking management.

After a year of dedicated effort, the team successfully completed the iterative process of recreating the Customer Success tools. The project's success can be attributed to a comprehensive process and intensive research and discovery phases. Prior to entering the design phase, the team conducted an in-depth exploration of the domain, collaborated closely with key stakeholders to optimise processes, and conducted meticulous user research. Throughout the project, the team effectively navigated complex business constraints, established strong relationships with key stakeholders, and maintained a highly iterative approach.

During the design phase, the team thoroughly addressed all Customer Success flows, with a focus on optimising tracking and tracing processes, providing additional tools for query management, and enhancing overall employee satisfaction.

Result

Following the completion of the design phase, the team embarked on an integration effort, encompassing the development of a transition plan, transition guide, localization, and providing design support for the adoption of the new system. The validation phase yielded impressive results, showcasing the impact of the new system. The average time required to complete tracking processes decreased by 60%, while for various tracing flows, this reduction ranged from 120% to 190%. These improvements enabled the optimisation of Customer Support agent workloads and resulted in a 40% increase in the overall number of requests processed within a day.

The project involved more than just recreating a tool for Customer Service. It provided an opportunity to thoroughly examine the existing business processes within Customer Service, identify areas for optimization, and then develop a tool that would reflect these improvements. The project consisted of rigorous Definition & Discovery phases, followed by an iterative process of tool development. Additionally, considerable effort was dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition for both the business and users, including the implementation of a comprehensive rollout strategy and transition guide. The project team comprised a Lead UX designer, two UX designers, a BA analyst, and myself as the UX Lead. The overall process and distribution of activities are outlined below.

The process

In recent years, DHL has consistently pushed the boundaries of logistics and transportation services, aiming to maintain its position as an industry leader. However, the company faces the dual challenge of surpassing competitors and enhancing customer relationships to foster greater loyalty. To address these objectives, our challenge was twofold: to recreate a tool that would boost the efficiency of Customer Service employees and elevate service quality, while simultaneously reengineering the business processes within Customer Service to create a modern, dependable, and highly efficient customer support system.