TLDR: Smartsheet has successfully integrated AI technologies, specifically Salesforce Agentforce, to transform its customer support operations. This strategic move has reduced complex case resolution times from six hours to just six minutes, significantly boosting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. The company leverages a ‘front door/back door’ AI approach, enabling instant answers for 13 million users and empowering support agents to focus on higher-value tasks, leading to a notable decrease in agent attrition.
Smartsheet Inc. has announced a groundbreaking transformation in its customer support operations through the strategic integration of artificial intelligence, primarily powered by Salesforce Agentforce. This initiative has led to a dramatic reduction in complex case resolution times, plummeting from an average of six hours to an impressive six minutes. This efficiency leap is not only enhancing customer satisfaction but also redefining the role of customer support agents within the company.
James Watson, Vice President of Customer Excellence at Smartsheet, highlighted the necessity of AI in this transformation. “We had to put AI into this to be able to help us do those complex administrative tasks so much faster,” Watson stated in an interview with theCUBE. He elaborated on Smartsheet’s ‘back door’ AI strategy, where AI conducts research and generates responses, streamlining a process that previously consumed hours. This rapid resolution capability is a key driver in elevating customer satisfaction.
Smartsheet’s approach involves a ‘smart doors’ concept, featuring both a ‘front door’ and a ‘back door’ for customer interactions. The ‘front door’ utilizes agentic AI for automated deflection of common queries, providing a unified experience for customers. If a direct resolution isn’t possible, the system routes the query to the most appropriate team with pre-gathered context. The ‘back door’ employs Agentforce to delve into various systems, understanding customer history, user type, and past experiences to inform support agents better. This comprehensive information gathering empowers employees to deliver optimal responses.
This AI-driven solution is currently assisting 13 million Smartsheet users, providing instant answers to help desk and billing inquiries without the need for traditional wait times or ticket creation. The motivation behind adopting AI agents was a dual focus on improving customer satisfaction and alleviating operational strain. A significant challenge involved processing vast amounts of unstructured data and training Agentforce to comprehend Smartsheet’s unique work management terminology. Watson explained, “Structured data is very easy… but the unstructured data, that’s all of the cases that we’ve done in the past. We can use all that unstructured data, so we had to train Agentforce to be able to do this. Now, we have this great data, unstructured and structured data, and we continue to feed it. Every case continues to feed that loop of learning.”
Beyond efficiency, the integration of AI has profoundly impacted Smartsheet’s support team. The company has observed a remarkable reduction in agent attrition rates, dropping from approximately 20% to just 6%. This improvement is attributed to empowering agents with better tools, allowing them to engage in more fulfilling, higher-value tasks rather than repetitive administrative work. Watson emphasized that AI helps combine the expertise of human agents with the administrative capabilities of AI, creating a more enjoyable work experience.
Furthermore, Smartsheet’s customers have reported substantial productivity gains, with a survey of over 25,000 customers indicating an average saving of more than four hours of productivity per week by using Smartsheet, even before the introduction of Agentforce. The company anticipates even greater time savings with the new AI tools. This transformation signifies a shift from a reactive ‘break-fix’ support model to a proactive, predictive service that identifies opportunities for expansion and cross-selling, ultimately elevating customer service to a revenue-generating function.
Also Read:
- Williams-Sonoma Poised for Multi-Million Dollar Savings with AI-Powered Customer Service Transformation
- Salesforce Charts Ambitious Path to $60 Billion Revenue by 2030, Fueled by AI Innovation
Smartsheet’s commitment to responsible AI adoption is also a key aspect of this initiative, ensuring that AI tools empower both customers and employees while maintaining data security, transparency, and governance. The company’s vision is to enable every team to harness AI at scale, fostering innovation and operational velocity.
