Customer support and success teams play a pivotal role in shaping how customers perceive your business. Every interaction—whether it’s solving a technical issue, answering a question, or guiding a customer through the buying process—directly impacts loyalty and satisfaction. To meet growing expectations, teams need tools that streamline workflows and enable them to deliver faster, better service.
This is where Pylon comes in. Designed to simplify workflows, centralize knowledge, and enhance agent efficiency, Pylon empowers teams to optimize average handle time while elevating the overall customer experience journey. By removing roadblocks, reducing inefficiencies, and enabling consistent service, Pylon helps businesses meet the dual goals of operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
Let’s dive into how Pylon can help your team tackle the challenges of customer service and deliver experiences that truly resonate.
Why average handle time is a critical metric
Average handle time (AHT) is a key performance metric in customer support and contact centers. It measures the total amount of time an agent spends resolving a customer’s issue, including the call, chat, or email duration, as well as any necessary post-interaction tasks.
Reducing AHT is a priority for many teams because it directly impacts:
- Customer satisfaction: Customers value efficient and timely service. A shorter AHT often means their problems are resolved faster, leaving them happier.
- Agent productivity: Lower AHT allows agents to handle more inquiries in less time, improving team output.
- Operational costs: Shorter handle times translate to fewer resources needed per customer interaction, saving your business money.
However, while speed is important, it’s equally critical to maintain service quality. Pylon helps strike the right balance by giving agents the tools they need to resolve issues quickly without compromising the customer experience.
How Pylon helps reduce average handle time
Pylon’s features are designed to optimize agent workflows, enabling faster resolution times without sacrificing quality. By equipping agents with accurate, accessible information, Pylon eliminates the inefficiencies that can inflate AHT.
1. Centralized knowledge base
One of the most common reasons for high AHT is agents having to search through multiple platforms or outdated resources to find the answers they need. Pylon solves this by providing a centralized knowledge base that serves as a single source of truth.
Agents can access FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and other critical resources in seconds, ensuring they spend less time searching for information and more time solving customer issues.
2. Intelligent search
Pylon’s advanced search capabilities make finding relevant information easier than ever. By surfacing the most useful content in real-time, agents can quickly locate the right answers, even when dealing with complex or unfamiliar inquiries.
For example, if a customer calls with a billing question, the agent can use Pylon’s search feature to immediately pull up the relevant policies or troubleshooting steps—reducing time spent searching and ensuring a faster resolution.
3. Seamless integrations
Pylon integrates seamlessly with other customer service tools like CRM systems, ticketing platforms, and live chat software. This eliminates the need for agents to switch between multiple applications, streamlining workflows and reducing unnecessary delays.
4. Real-time updates
Outdated information can lead to prolonged interactions, incorrect answers, and frustrated customers. With Pylon, teams can update knowledge base content in real-time, ensuring agents always have access to accurate, up-to-date information.
By addressing these common challenges, Pylon empowers agents to handle inquiries more efficiently, resulting in lower AHT and happier customers.
Enhancing the customer experience journey
While average handle time measures efficiency, the customer experience journey is a broader concept that encompasses every interaction a customer has with your brand—from the first touchpoint to post-purchase support. Providing a seamless, consistent, and personalized journey is key to building trust and customer loyalty.
Pylon enhances the customer experience journey by enabling teams to deliver exceptional service at every stage.
1. Consistency across touchpoints
Whether customers are speaking with a sales rep, a support agent, or a customer success manager, consistency is critical to building trust. Pylon ensures all teams have access to the same accurate information, creating a unified experience across every touchpoint.
For instance, if a customer contacts support about an issue and then follows up with their account manager, Pylon ensures that both teams are aligned on the customer’s history and can provide consistent, informed assistance.
2. Personalized interactions
Today, customers expect personalized service tailored to their unique needs and preferences. By equipping agents with detailed knowledge and insights, Pylon enables more meaningful and relevant conversations.
For example, when an agent can quickly access a customer’s purchase history or past interactions, they can tailor their responses to address specific concerns—delivering a more personalized and satisfying experience.
3. Proactive support
The best customer experiences don’t just solve problems—they anticipate them. With Pylon, teams can proactively address common issues by staying ahead of customer needs and delivering helpful information before problems arise.
By supporting personalized, consistent, and proactive service, Pylon helps businesses create a customer journey that stands out from the competition.
Balancing speed and quality with Pylon
A common challenge for support teams is balancing the need to resolve issues quickly with the goal of delivering high-quality, empathetic service. Rushing through interactions to reduce AHT can lead to mistakes, miscommunication, or frustrated customers.
Pylon helps teams achieve both speed and quality by simplifying workflows and giving agents the tools they need to succeed.
- Speed: With instant access to accurate information, agents can resolve inquiries faster and more efficiently.
- Quality: By reducing the time agents spend searching for answers, Pylon allows them to focus on building rapport, empathizing with customers, and delivering thoughtful solutions.
This balance ensures that customers leave interactions feeling heard and valued, even as agents work to minimize handle times.
Tips for getting the most out of Pylon
To maximize Pylon’s impact on your team’s performance, consider these best practices:
- Organize your knowledge base: Use Pylon to centralize key resources like troubleshooting guides, FAQs, and internal documentation.
- Train your agents: Ensure your team understands how to use Pylon’s search and integration features to streamline their workflows.
- Keep content up to date: Regularly review and update your knowledge base to reflect the latest policies, procedures, and product information.
- Track performance: Monitor AHT, customer satisfaction scores, and other metrics to measure Pylon’s impact and identify areas for improvement.
Why Pylon is a must-have for customer-facing teams
Pylon is more than just a knowledge management tool—it’s a powerful ally for customer-facing teams. Indeed, by improving efficiency, enhancing the customer experience journey, and helping agents strike the perfect balance between speed and quality, Pylon empowers teams to deliver service that exceeds expectations.
Whether your goal is to reduce average handle time, improve customer satisfaction, or build stronger relationships with your audience, Pylon gives you the tools to succeed. With its user-friendly design and robust feature set, it’s the ultimate solution for teams looking to elevate their performance and deliver world-class customer experiences.