Zailab: The Iron-Man of Contact Centres

We often get asked “so what is Zailab?”, and due to the nature of our software, it’s actually quite a difficult question to answer, because Zailab is a lot of things. For the customer, they probably have no idea that when a Zailab agent picks up the phone or responds to a WhatsApp or email, that interaction has been through a very sophisticated journey of computational and algorithmic processes. One way to answer this is to say that Zailab is the Iron Man of contact centers, minus the rockets and Trillion Dollar price tag.

So what are the similarities between Zailab and Iron Man?

Artificial Intelligence

Iron Man’s AI capability comes from Jarvis, who performs an important and diverse role for Stark Industries. Jarvis’ role is to support Iron Man on his various missions to save the world, and it does this by having the ability to make its own decisions based on analyzing biometric data; monitoring power consumption; decrypting codes from ancient artifacts; accessing law enforcement databases; and utilizing weapons systems, among many others, to actually manipulate the suit’s functionalities. 

What makes AI AI and not just functionality, is the ability to use algorithms to make its own decisions and then use machine learning to improve outcomes over time. The beauty in AI is the ability to elevate human beings through technology. What Jarvis does for Iron Man, is what Zailab does for businesses and customers.

Zailab’s Single Waiting Room uses AI in two different ways. Firstly, interactions in the Waiting Room are ranked according to the company’s SLA metrics, and then, secondly, Zailab’s algorithms try to pair those interactions to the most appropriate agent leading to the most successful outcome.

The algorithm in the first instance is a V algorithm, where all interactions are viewed as ‘task-agent pairs’ and are ranked against factors such as business value, waiting time, and agent idle time. The higher the ranking, the higher the priority. So calls or chats which are identified as having a higher business value will get answered first.

With the help of Reverend Thomas Bayes from the 17th Century, we were able to take the V algorithm a step further by introducing another algorithm that seeks to connect interactions with the most appropriate agent. Known in the mathematical world as a Bayesian classifier model, it looks for clues to calculate different probabilities, and then makes a decision as to who it thinks should take that call or chat. It also looks back at historical performance data (through call outcomes and survey results) to generate machine learning, meaning that the more the two algorithms work in tandem together, the more accurate it becomes over time.

Cloud Native Platform

A cloud-native platform utilizes cloud computing to run large, complex operations at scale and in modern, dynamic environments to exploit the flexibility that the cloud provides. According to Oracle, “cloud native is all about moving fast while also remaining agile”. Nowhere is this more important than for Tony Stark, whose Iron Man suit is able to communicate with Jarvis from any corner of any planet. This allows him to make real-time adjustments, assessments, and communications; manage complex weapons systems; access real-time information; and remotely control his Iron Legion of weaponized drones, all while out of the office. 

At a much lower level, Zailab’s cloud-native platform gives agents full remote use of its suite of features simply by opening a web browser, from anywhere on the planet(s). Agents, team leaders, quality assessors, and administrators all have access to the flexibility that working on the cloud provides, and allows for real-time connections and information-sharing across sites at the click of a button.

Omni-Channel Communications

Thanks to Jarvis, Iron Man can send a myriad of communications whilst busy flying around the Exosphere, whether that’s a phone call, email, or shooting rockets at large space ships. Unfortunately, Zailab agents are not able to shoot rockets, but they are able to communicate via Voice Call, SMS, Email, Facebook Messenger, Webchat, and WhatsApp.

These are also integrated into a single screen, giving the Zailab agent a 360˚ view of their customer. It’s not as exciting as firing rockets, and unfortunately, we don’t see this featuring on the product roadmap, yet.

Easy Setup

We all remember that scene in Iron Man 2 when Tony Stark fights it out with Whiplash at the Monaco Grand Prix, nearly getting sliced to pieces by Ivan Vanko’s electrified whips. One of the best features of Iron Man’s suit is just how easy it is to assemble, and if it took much longer than it did then Iron Man 2 would have been a very short movie.

One of our key features at Zailab is also how easy it is to get set up and running, and this was designed from the very start. We wanted to build a solution that you could buy ‘off-the-shelf’ without the need for complex on-boarding and swathes of development.

All you need is your new login details and you can start building your workflow, which is basically the journey that the interaction takes through Zailab’s platform. It sounds very complicated, but it’s really not.

Quality Assessment and Reporting

QA and reporting is a major element of Jarvis’ role for Iron Man, giving him a constant flow of information and analysis.

From project reports, health stats, prototype tests, and suit capabilities to satellite reconnaissance and GPS tracking coordinates, Jarvis is a nifty piece of reporting software. Having good, reliable data at hand is clearly of utmost importance to Tony Stark, and this is also true for our Zailab Supervisors and Team Leaders.

Reporting is a rather huge component of Zailab’s platform and forms an easy-to-read live grid view that also downloads into a CSV.

Detailed reports can be downloaded for every type of interaction. The report below is for instant messaging:

And comes out in a CSV:

In terms of quality assessment, it’s important to note that 100% of calls can be recorded, so QA can be undertaken on every interaction that passes through Zailab’s contact center agents:

Futuristic Design

We believe in design as well as function. Just like when Tony Stark asked Jarvis to render his suit design in Racing Car Red, it’s hard to deny that part of Iron Man’s power lies in his formidable, futuristic design that frames his impressive capabilities. Our software is very futuristic in function, but also very futuristic in design. It’s how we approach everything we do – design and function go hand in hand.

We wanted our contact center agents to feel inspired and stimulated, giving them very advanced tools to use which appear minimalistic. When Steve Jobs designed the iPhone, he preached as such:

“What we’re going to do is make the products high-tech, and we’re going to package them cleanly so that you know they’re high-tech. We will fit them in a small package, and then we can make them beautiful and white…”

Steve Jobs

From the moment you open the box for a new iPhone you are witness to Apple’s design strategy. The plastic wrapper comes off and the top section of the box slowly and effortlessly slides off, aided by the weight of the iPhone in the compartment underneath. It unsheathes itself like a perfectly fitted glove, and you are presented with a beautifully encased iPhone, flawless and simple. That moment was designed.

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