Streamlining appointments for efficiency

Webex Assist is a browser-based video consultation platform that allows users to easily join sessions with agents through a simple link—no downloads needed. This case study explores the journey of improving the appointment management experience, which began with minor usability tweaks and gradually evolved into meaningful, high-impact enhancements.

As the number of video appointments grew, we began noticing recurring issues that impacted the overall user experience. Network instability often prevented agents from ending calls properly, causing sessions to run longer than necessary. This led to billing mismatches, as the recorded video minutes did not align with actual usage. Furthermore, without a clear expectation of how long a session should last, customers were left uncertain, which negatively affected their overall experience. Key problem areas included:

Calls running longer due to agents unable to end sessions
Billing discrepancies caused by inaccurate session durations
Lack of clarity on expected call duration, affecting user satisfaction

Objectives for a smarter appointment experience

To address the problems identified in the appointment experience, the solution was designed with both user clarity and operational accuracy in mind. The aim was to improve communication, reduce confusion, and provide flexibility for various consultation needs. Key goals included:

Improved Communication: Help end users stay informed about their consultation duration.

Reduce Ambiguity Among Agents: Empower agents to manage session length and take appropriate actions.

Plan for Appointment Billing: Ensure video minutes billed to clients reflect actual usage.

Allow Personalization: Accommodate varying time requirements for different types of appointments.

Enhancing control over appointment flow

To meet these goals, we focused on improving how appointments are scheduled and managed. The following flow diagram illustrates how refining the call handling process can help prevent such issues and create a smoother experience.

We introduced 'Appointment Settings' as a way to monitor usage patterns and provide greater control over how appointments are configured and conducted. This feature allows stakeholders to define session rules, set expectations around duration, and ensure smoother, more predictable interactions for both agents and end users.

Appointment duration

This feature will allow admins to set up a default duration and a maximum time limit for the appointment for their organisation.
Thereby, when agent schedules an appointment, the default time will be shown on the appointment details. Alongside, the max duration setup by the admin will be applied and thereby the call will automatically end post that.

Appointment auto-close

This feature will allow admins to set up a auto-close time for the appointment ranging from 30mins to 24 hrs.
This will ensure that in case any appointment is abruptly ended due to technical glitches or network failure. The appointment auto-close that is added will take into action and mark the call as ended.

Call extension

This feature will allow admins to set up an auto-close time for the appointment ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hrs.
This will ensure that in case any appointment is abruptly ended due to technical glitches or network failure. The appointment auto-close that is added will be taken into action and mark the call as ended.

Key takeaways

In addition, we introduced UI elements that allowed users to ‘extend the call’ when needed. Appointment confirmation emails sent to end users also clearly displayed the session duration, helping set expectations upfront.
These enhancements led to several key outcomes:

Improved billing transparency for clients, aligning charges with actual usage.
Increased clarity for both end users and hosts through a visible session timer.
Greater confidence for hosts, reducing confusion and lowering the number of escalations