2021 · Web · e-commerce
Revolutionizing the customer service experience of Samsung.com
Samsung.com is the official global platform for Samsung, serving customers across 200+ countries. It offers a wide range of products, including smartphones, appliances, and TVs, with live chat support to assist customers with product inquiries and recommendations.
As the UX designer overseeing the global user experience for Samsung.com, I was tasked with enhancing the live chat service feature. My responsibilities included designing new features for both specific countries and the global market to improve customer engagement and support.
Client
Samsung
Product
Website (PC & Mobile)
Timeframe
8 months
Members
One PM · One UI/UX Designer · Four UI Designers
My Role
UI/UX Design
Led research efforts including heuristic evaluations, competitive analysis, heat map analysis and user interviews to identify user needs and issues.
Prioritized features using Impact-effort Matrix.
Developed Information Architecture(IA)
Designed wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and prototypes to deliver tangible outcomes.
Tools
Figma · Adobe Photoshop · Beusable · Microsoft Presentation
The Impact
The new customer service system improved both the user experience and business operations. Service Categories reduced the time needed to connect users with the appropriate support team by 28%, leading to a 17% increase in customer satisfaction. By integrating solutions into a single platform and providing flexible content components for each branch, we lowered overall service maintenance costs by 22%.
Faster Support Connections
28% Reduction in Time
Improved Customer Satisfaction
17% Increase
Reduced Maintenance Costs
22% Cost Savings
Introduction to the Samsung.com Live Chat Project
Samsung.com offers live chat services to assist customers with product selection and support. However, my team identified several issues: six regional branches (UK, India, Singapore, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the US) were each using different live chat solutions, leading to inconsistent user experiences, additional costs, and fragmented service journeys. Additionally, the existing live chat services were not fully meeting the needs of customers or internal stakeholders.
To address these challenges, my team initiated a project to redesign and optimize the UX of the live chat system. Our goal was to create a cohesive and effective solution that would provide a unified experience across all regions. We achieved this by analyzing both the needs of internal stakeholders and the pain points of customers, ensuring that the new design would be both user-centric and aligned with business objectives.
High Level Goals
While we aimed to enhance the user experience for customers, we also prioritized stakeholders' needs. To accommodate both, we set two key goals:
Customers
How might we enhance the live chat experience to help customers quickly and effectively find the right service?
Stakeholders
How might we enable stakeholders to efficiently manage live chat features, aligning with their objectives and available resources?
The Problem & Need
Through heuristic evaluations, the Product Manager and I identified potential issues within the service chat feature. We further deepened our understanding of user needs and challenges by analyzing data gathered from interviews with both customers and service team members.
Heuristic Evaluations
We conducted a comprehensive analysis of six different live chat services used by local branches to identify potential issues impacting users who rely on this feature.
01
Inconsistent Chat Solutions
Each of the six branches used distinct live chat solutions with varying features, resulting in increased resource demands and an inconsistent user experience.
02
Ineffective Information Architecture
The complex information architecture made it challenging for users to navigate and access relevant service content efficiently.
Customer Interviews
We conducted interviews with six customers and analyzed user feedback data previously collected by other teams. This allowed us to understand the needs of users who relied on live chat for various services, including product recommendations and repair support.
01
Inefficient Matching with Right Assistant
Various assistants specialized in specific topics, but the process of matching the right assistant was inefficient. Initially, the first assistant had to engage with the customer before connecting them with the appropriate specialist.
"It took a while to connect with the right service representative who could assist me."
"The first person I connected with transferred me to someone else."
02
Limited Customer Service
Text-only chatting was insufficient for communication between customers and Samsung experts, leading to longer resolution times and lower user satisfaction.
"When I tried explaining the issue with my new Galaxy phone to the service representative, it was challenging to describe it using text alone."
Customer Service Team Interviews
To gain insight into the business requirements and objectives behind delivering live chat services, we interviewed key stakeholders and members of the customer service team. These discussions highlighted the specific needs of those managing and facilitating live chat services, providing valuable context to inform our design process.
01
Relevant Content for Each Page
Teams from each branch aimed to deliver content that accurately matched the relevant product or service information on each page.
02
Customizable Content Features
Each division and local branch required adaptable service features that aligned with their specific resources and business objectives.
Brainstorming & Prioritization
Through extensive brainstorming sessions and collaborative meetings with stakeholders— including leadership, developers, designers, and PMs— we generated ideas, and prioritized them into four solutions based on resources and potential impact.
Impact–effort matrix
The Solution
01
Service category to allow customers to match the right service team
02
Flexible Service Content with Components
03
Video chat & Image/File sharing features
04
Consistent & Organized User Journey
Solution #01
Service category to allow customers to match the right service team
When customers access the live chat service, we introduced distinct service categories—such as Product & Shopping, Orders, Service, and Support—to streamline the process of connecting them with the appropriate service team, significantly reducing response time.
Solution #02
Flexible Service Content with Components
I implemented a modular content system that enabled each branch and division to easily manage and customize content based on their resources and business priorities. This approach allowed them to highlight information tailored to their specific needs. Additionally, branches in different countries, with varying resources and services, could adapt the content to align with their unique offerings.
Solution #03
Video chat & Image/File sharing features
The reliance on text-only chat was limiting effective communication between customers and service team members. Through interview data, we learned that incorporating additional communication methods, such as pictures and videos, would significantly improve the team's ability to understand and address customer needs. As a result, we implemented video chat and image/file-sharing features to bridge this gap and provide more dynamic support options.
Solution #04
Consistent & Organized User Journey
Previously, six local branches in the UK, India, Singapore, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the US used separate service solutions, leading to fragmented user experiences and higher resource demands. To address this, we unified these services into a single, streamlined solution. This integration not only reduced resource requirements but also ensured a consistent, efficient user journey across all regions. Additionally, this cohesive approach enabled us to extend the improved service to new regions more effectively.
Reflection
Arranging Diverse Business Interests
One of the most challenging aspects of this project was organizing and synthesizing insights from a wide range of stakeholders. These stakeholders represented different divisions—such as Mobile, TV, Home Appliances, Marketing, and Service Teams—as well as branches in various countries. Each branch had unique requirements and constraints, influenced by factors like limited resources and regional regulations, including GDPR.
To address these complexities, the PM and I conducted numerous interviews and meetings to understand and prioritize their needs. The discovery phase was particularly demanding, but it taught me invaluable lessons on organizing diverse requirements and developing a globally accessible service. This experience enhanced my ability to navigate multifaceted challenges and create solutions that accommodate varying capacities and regulations.