Upstream Works Announces AgentNow Solution for Instant Customer Service On Demand

Upstream Works, an omnichannel contact centre solutions company, announced AgentNow, featuring on-demand customer service.

To support businesses with immediate and personalized digital customer assistance, AgentNow offers a fast and convenient way for customers to connect with a qualified contact centre agent using popular Unified Communications channels – voice, video, and chat.

AgentNow allows a customer to connect directly with an agent using a mix of chat and video within the same session for a personalized and human connection. Customers can access contact centre agents for real-time support by scanning a QR code with a smartphone or visiting a webpage on a mobile device. Customers can view a corporate branded informational or promotional video while waiting in queue. Agents can see what the customer sees, easily follow emotional cues, gauge reactions in real-time, and resolve issues on the spot.

With AgentNow, organizations can quickly tap into on-demand and non-contact centre agents to better support surges in customer demand and to supplement finite, on-site customer support capabilities. Better utilization of customer support agents across teams and regions during downtimes and between peak periods increases efficiency and provides a better customer experience.

“Immediate and real-time, face-to-face interactions will improve the customer experience in a growing number of industries,” said Upstream Works CEO, Rob McDougall. “We’re excited to bring the power of AgentNow to more Upstream Works clients and empower them to leverage on-demand agents to further improve customer engagement and satisfaction with faster resolutions and personalized service.”

United Airlines is the first Upstream Works client to leverage the new AgentNow engagement solution, through a service the airline named Agent on Demand. For United’s customers, the service enables travellers to skip the line at the information desk and connect directly with agents through their smartphone and using voice, chat, or video. Passengers can get anytime, anywhere access to airline service agents by scanning a QR code at the airport.

“Travelers have become so accustomed to disruptions in their itineraries, but transportation operators seem far less prepared. This puts enormous strain on the customer service agents charged with helping stranded or inconvenienced customers,” said McDougall. “While operators can’t prevent disruptions from occurring, they can be prepared to tap into their network of knowledgeable agents to allay their customer’s concerns by providing solutions to quickly assist them.”

AgentNow is enterprise-ready and provides contact centres with the ability to easily interact with their customers over Unified Communications platforms including Webex and Microsoft Azure Communication Services (ACS). It is a core feature of the Upstream Works enterprise contact centre solution and its full breadth of capabilities including agent productivity tools, omnichannel capabilities, integrations, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation. The agent has full visibility of the customer journey, interaction history and context-data, allowing them to resolve issues without the customer having to repeat themselves. AgentNow also takes advantage of Upstream Works’ desktop AI capabilities including the AI-powered Agent Assist which provides real-time guidance with automated conversation summaries, transcriptions, intent, and sentiment.

The AgentNow interaction is displayed on the agent desktop workspace to maximize engagement effectiveness. Within a session, a customer or agent can seamlessly transition from chat to video, customers can be notified when an agent is available, and interactions can be transferred to other agents or subject matter experts (SMEs) to quickly resolve issues.

Learn more about Upstream Works AgentNow here.

About Upstream Works

Upstream Works provides enterprise-ready omnichannel contact centre desktop solutions that simplify and improve the agent and customer experience. Our flexible, agent-first desktop solutions support digital transformation, innovation, and business growth, and enable contact centres to operationalize artificial intelligence (AI) while leveraging existing systems and investments. For over 20 years, Upstream Works has helped companies around the world and across industries improve operational efficiency, agent effectiveness, customer experience, and business outcomes.

Visit www.upstreamworks.com