Modernizing Call center Operations using Amazon Connect. A success story
Introduction
A leading financial institution faced persistent challenges with its legacy call center. Long wait times, inefficient call routing, and a lack of automation forced live agents to handle routine inquiries, increasing operational costs and reducing customer satisfaction. The existing IVR system was rigid and compliance requirements for storing call recordings drove up expenses. Additionally, the absence of real-time analytics made it difficult to optimize performance.
Nimble AI Services migrated the call center to Amazon Connect, integrating AI-driven automation, self-service capabilities, and cost-optimized storage. By leveraging Amazon Lex for natural language processing, Amazon DynamoDB for real-time data retrieval, and Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage, we streamlined operations, improved efficiency, and enhanced security – delivering a modern, scalable custom-tailored solution.
Contact Nimble AI Services today to explore how AWS-powered automation can transform your call center operations.
Challenges with the Legacy Call Center
The customer’s call center was inefficient, handling over 100K calls per month, nearly half of the inquiries routed to live agents could have been answered by an automated agent. The IVR system relied on fixed menu structures, forcing customers through multiple layers before reaching the right service. Misrouted calls, long wait times, and unnecessary agent involvement increased costs and resulted in customer frustration.
Routine requests – such as account balance inquiries, card activations, and fraud reporting – could have been automated, but instead required manual processing. Fraud cases, in particular, experienced delays due to slow, manual escalation procedures.
Compliance requirements further complicated operations. Call recordings had to be stored for several years, but on-premises storage solutions were expensive and difficult to scale. Without real-time analytics, leadership lacked insight into call trends, agent performance, and common customer issues, making it difficult to proactively improve operations.
Solution: AI-Driven Automation and Self-Service on AWS
Smarter Call Routing with AI
The migration to Amazon Connect introduced AI-powered call routing using Amazon Lex, replacing the rigid menu-based IVR. Instead of navigating complex options, customers could speak naturally, and the system would interpret their intent and direct them to the right service.
For example, a customer calling to activate credit cards or check for account balance no longer need to press multiple menu options. Amazon Lex recognized the intent and retrieved the data instantly from Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL, reducing wait times and eliminating unnecessary steps. Similarly, fraud-related calls were automatically prioritized, ensuring urgent cases were escalated without manual intervention. With real-time transaction processing, customers received instant responses, significantly improving resolution times and overall satisfaction.
Reducing Costs with Optimized Call Handling and Storage
To handle high call volumes efficiently, we introduced callback functionality within Amazon Connect. If wait times exceeded a set threshold, customers could request a callback rather than staying on hold. Amazon Connect retains the original call’s position in the queue and routes the callback request based on its original timestamp, ensuring fairness and efficiency.
For compliance-driven call recording storage, we implemented a tiered storage strategy using Amazon S3 and Amazon S3 Glacier. Recordings were stored in Amazon S3 for the first 60 days for easy access, then automatically transitioned to Amazon S3 Glacier for long-term retention. This reduced storage costs by 70% while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Enterprise-Grade Security and Compliance
Security was built into every layer of the solution. AWS KMS encrypted call recordings and customer data, ensuring sensitive information remained protected. AWS CloudTrail provided detailed audit logs, meeting compliance requirements for traceability. Amazon CloudWatch enabled real-time monitoring by tracking unusual call patterns, agent activity, and customer interactions. Integrated with Amazon Connect Contact Lens and CloudTrail, it helped detect anomalies such as excessive call transfers, repeated high-risk requests, and irregular authentication attempts—potential indicators of fraud.
Role-based access controls enforced through AWS IAM ensured that only authorized personnel could access sensitive information. This combination of encryption, logging, and monitoring delivered a secure, compliant, and resilient call center infrastructure.
Business Impact
The modernization effort delivered significant improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and customer experience:
- Call routing accuracy improved by 60%, reducing misdirected calls.
- Wait times dropped from 8 minutes to 4 minutes, enhancing customer satisfaction.
- 40% of inquiries were handled through self-service, reducing agent workload.
- Fraud escalation time was reduced from 3 days to same-day processing.
- Call storage costs decreased by 70%, optimizing compliance expenses.
These improvements allowed the customer to scale effectively, reduce operational costs, and deliver a better customer experience.
Conclusion
Migrating to Amazon Connect and integrating AI-driven self-service, automated fraud handling, and optimized storage transformed the customer’s call center into an intelligent, efficient, and highly scalable operation. By leveraging AWS-native services, the customer streamlined operations, reduced costs, and enhanced security while improving the customer experience.
For customers looking to modernize their call centers, AI-powered automation with Amazon Connect and AWS provides the scalability, intelligence, and security needed to stay competitive. Contact Nimble AI Services today to explore how AWS-powered automation can transform your call center operations.
