Year
2022
Client
Wallmart
Category
CRO, QA Monitoring, CSR 24/7
Product Duration
1.5 Year
Walmart’s extensive customer base generated a massive volume of daily support requests across phone, chat, and email channels. However, their internal support infrastructure struggled to keep pace, resulting in slower resolution times, missed SLA benchmarks, and inconsistent service quality. Without intelligent routing or standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place, support agents were overwhelmed, handling tickets without clear guidelines. This led to frequent escalations, delays in query resolution, and declining customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores. Internal teams were stretched thin, often forced into reactive problem-solving rather than proactive support management.
To uncover the root causes, we conducted a full audit of Walmart’s customer support operations across all active channels. This included evaluating routing trees for inbound calls and tickets, agent-to-ticket ratios, shift allocation, and the presence (or lack) of ticket categorization systems. We discovered that support workflows lacked structure and consistency. Routing paths were overly generic, resulting in customers being sent to the wrong departments or waiting too long for basic resolutions. Additionally, there were no clearly defined SOPs for recurring issues — each agent handled queries differently, increasing resolution time and the margin for error. Further investigation included sentiment analysis of customer feedback, CSAT trend mapping over the past two quarters, and interviews with internal support managers. The insights confirmed that customers were frustrated by inconsistent responses, delayed resolutions, and a general lack of transparency in support processes. Managers noted that they lacked real-time visibility into team performance and escalations, making it difficult to identify underperformance early.
Our plan focused on restructuring support delivery to enhance both speed and quality while improving internal oversight. We began by introducing intelligent call and ticket routing based on query type, urgency, and customer profile. This ensured that tickets were automatically assigned to the right department and agent without unnecessary handoffs or delays. We then created detailed SOPs for handling the most common queries across departments—such as order tracking, product issues, refunds, and account-related questions. These SOPs were embedded directly into agent workflows and included clear steps, escalation guidelines, and expected resolution timelines. To improve team oversight, we adopted a squad-based structure where team leads were assigned to small agent units. Each squad leader was responsible for real-time monitoring, providing coaching, and escalating issues when needed. This allowed for more agile team management and performance accountability. To ensure full coverage during high-traffic periods, we redesigned shift schedules to better align with peak hours based on historical ticket data. This included introducing an international follow-the-sun model to enable true 24/7 support, even during U.S. off-hours. Finally, we launched a live QA system to evaluate agent performance in real time, providing instant feedback loops to reduce errors, improve communication quality, and maintain consistency across channels.
Within just four weeks of implementation, Walmart began to see marked improvements in operational efficiency and customer experience. Complaint volumes dropped by 30% as customers were routed to the right agents more quickly and SOP-driven responses reduced back-and-forth. Average handling time (AHT) improved by 20%, driven by faster ticket categorization and the elimination of redundant escalations. Customer satisfaction scores saw a steady increase, with feedback highlighting faster resolutions and more consistent communication. The squad-based structure gave managers greater visibility and control, enabling proactive coaching and quicker intervention during peak hours or escalations. Real-time QA introduced a culture of continuous improvement, raising agent accountability and helping standardize support quality across chat, voice, and email. Walmart’s internal support teams reported reduced stress and a more manageable workload, allowing them to focus on customer needs rather than firefighting. Overall, the overhaul of Walmart’s support infrastructure led to a more professional, consistent, and efficient customer service experience—laying the groundwork for sustained satisfaction and operational scalability.
