Liongate gathers requirements for a new agent tool that 160 users will rely on every day

Agents relied on the existing agent tool during every single customer call. It automatically identified the right client based on the incoming phone number and delivered real-time recommendations, escalation paths and the option to create a case. A confusing interface or incorrect client information had a direct effect on day-to-day operations in this environment.

Over more than two decades, the system had grown without ever being cleaned up in a structured way. Functions that were barely used or long outdated had accumulated, gradually overloading the interface. The result served neither the data-driven work of the backoffice nor the pace of live conversations that agents faced.

At the same time, a technologically demanding migration was underway: the existing Avaya telephony solution was to be replaced by Amazon Connect. Two major projects ran in parallel, sharing one common task, with the needs of the people using both systems every day right at the centre.

Liongate followed one clear principle from the start: understanding how people actually work, which shortcuts they take, what information they truly need and what gives them confidence requires listening to them in person, on site, in their own working context.

Backoffice staff and agents were treated as two distinct user groups with their own requirements and were heard separately. The backoffice works in a structured way, maintaining master data and client configurations at its own pace. Agents work under conversational pressure in real time and need the right information within a fraction of a
second.

The first project phases took place directly at the client’s premises. Together with a selected group of agents, team leads and backoffice staff, the solution consultants made the actual working routines visible using user story mapping and design thinking. These methods also capture unspoken needs, established workarounds and implicit expectations that tend to get lost in a plain requirements document.

Building on this, Liongate developed dedicated UI guidelines for the new tool, with clear rules for colours, contrast, button hierarchies and interaction principles suited to an eight-hour working day. Finally, the solution consultants translated all findings into structured user stories and wireframes, precise and ready to hand straight to the development team.

160 agents and backoffice staff will go on to work with a tool that fits their actual work. This was made possible by a structured requirements process with a selected group of users from both areas, whose working reality became the foundation for development.

At the end of the requirements phase stands a complete package of user stories, wireframes and UI guidelines, 100 percent handover-ready for the development team. It forms the documentation for the new tool and, just as importantly, a shared understanding between client, consultant and development team, on which the new tool is built.

Our solution consultants designed the requirements process for this project around direct, on-site exchange with the people who use the tool every day. Treating backoffice and agents as distinct user groups was key to developing a tool that serves both ways of working.

This approach transfers to any project where a central working tool has grown over years and serves several user groups with different needs. User story mapping, design thinking and a consistently user-centred requirements process create a foundation that development teams can take on directly.