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From 40-minute wait times to under 60 seconds without adding headcount | Allan Harari
Allan Harari cut Comerica Bank's contact center wait times from 20-40 minutes to under 60 seconds without hiring additional agents. The transformation required rebuilding foundational infrastructure first—workforce management systems providing real-time data instead of monthly reports, quality assurance platforms generating actionable insights, and AI deployed as agent augmentation rather than replacement. His three-year roadmap prioritized operational discipline over technology shortcuts, recovering 10% capacity through schedule optimization before any AI implementation.
At USAA, he led a specialized team handling 40,000+ loss-of-loved-one calls monthly for military families, creating direct experience with where human judgment remains non-negotiable versus where AI accelerates outcomes. His vendor selection framework cuts through sales pitches: define the exact problem, know what success looks like, then ask questions exposing actual delivery capabilities. By choosing no-code solutions managed by frontline staff who understand the problems daily, he avoided the overhead trap of building custom solutions from component pieces.
Topics discussed:
Cutting average handle time from 11+ minutes to 7 minutes through technology and contact center hygiene
Recovering 10% capacity by reducing lunch breaks from 60 to 30 minutes with proper scheduling
Eliminating 2.5-minute gaps between calls by fixing telephony auto-in state configuration
Deploying auto-summarization reducing after-call work to 3 seconds instead of manual note-taking across 20 systems
Maintaining 92% CSAT despite 20-40 minute wait times through customer loyalty, then improving speed without sacrificing quality
Leading 40,000+ monthly loss-of-loved-one calls at USAA requiring human empathy for military families accessing critical benefits
Selecting no-code AI platforms allowing frontline staff to design solutions versus hiring engineering armies
Using "box of Legos" vendor evaluation: pre-built capabilities you assemble versus raw components requiring custom development
Defining top three problems keeping you up at night before engaging vendors to avoid broad, unfocused implementations
Building AI literacy by teaching proper prompting techniques rather than expecting plug-and-play magic
Listen to more episodes:
Apple
Spotify
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View all episodes
By Level AIAllan Harari cut Comerica Bank's contact center wait times from 20-40 minutes to under 60 seconds without hiring additional agents. The transformation required rebuilding foundational infrastructure first—workforce management systems providing real-time data instead of monthly reports, quality assurance platforms generating actionable insights, and AI deployed as agent augmentation rather than replacement. His three-year roadmap prioritized operational discipline over technology shortcuts, recovering 10% capacity through schedule optimization before any AI implementation.
At USAA, he led a specialized team handling 40,000+ loss-of-loved-one calls monthly for military families, creating direct experience with where human judgment remains non-negotiable versus where AI accelerates outcomes. His vendor selection framework cuts through sales pitches: define the exact problem, know what success looks like, then ask questions exposing actual delivery capabilities. By choosing no-code solutions managed by frontline staff who understand the problems daily, he avoided the overhead trap of building custom solutions from component pieces.
Topics discussed:
Cutting average handle time from 11+ minutes to 7 minutes through technology and contact center hygiene
Recovering 10% capacity by reducing lunch breaks from 60 to 30 minutes with proper scheduling
Eliminating 2.5-minute gaps between calls by fixing telephony auto-in state configuration
Deploying auto-summarization reducing after-call work to 3 seconds instead of manual note-taking across 20 systems
Maintaining 92% CSAT despite 20-40 minute wait times through customer loyalty, then improving speed without sacrificing quality
Leading 40,000+ monthly loss-of-loved-one calls at USAA requiring human empathy for military families accessing critical benefits
Selecting no-code AI platforms allowing frontline staff to design solutions versus hiring engineering armies
Using "box of Legos" vendor evaluation: pre-built capabilities you assemble versus raw components requiring custom development
Defining top three problems keeping you up at night before engaging vendors to avoid broad, unfocused implementations
Building AI literacy by teaching proper prompting techniques rather than expecting plug-and-play magic
Listen to more episodes:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube