Enterprise Desktop CRM Transformation
Rethinking Call Centre UX for Scalable Service at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
2022
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
OTPP is one of Canada’s largest pension funds, managing over $247B in assets with a global investment footprint.
UX & Product Design
System Design
Information Architecture
Accessibility
Leadership
Outcome
Redesigned the Enterprise Desktop CRM into a future-ready platform that supports call centre teams and delivers faster, smarter service to members.
Why It Mattered
Call centre staff were forced to hunt and peck across disconnected tools while members waited. We created a system that surfaced the right insight at the right time. This enabled staff to triage with confidence and deliver consistent, proactive support.
Results
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Modular design system with a roadmap for more than 5 years of phased iteration
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Approximately 30% improvement in triage speed during pilot tests
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Consistent staff workflows across four primary interaction types
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Strong alignment between leadership, staff, and tech teams on long-term CRM strategy
Figma Component Library / Design System for the OTPP Site Overhaul
Overview
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) serves hundreds of thousands of plan members. The call centre is the frontline for that service.
In 2015, I led the redesign of the internal Enterprise Desktop CRM used by support teams. Our goal was to replace a fragmented, reactive system with a platform that empowered staff, improved member outcomes, and could evolve alongside business needs.
This was more than a redesign. It became the foundation for scalable service delivery.
What I Lead
As Manager, UX & Creative:
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Directed internal UX team in collaboration with Accenture’s UX group (4 designers)
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Managed integration with dev partner Digital On Six
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Coordinated with internal content and agency teams
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Ran weekly Sprint Reviews with executive stakeholders
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Delivered UX strategy, IA, research, and Figma-based design system
How We Did It
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Ran stakeholder interviews and user tests to map key journeys
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Defined 3 UX personas: Searchers, Seekers, and Skimmers
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Led IA revamp using card sorts and label testing
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Built responsive Figma components with accessibility baked in
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Personalized content by region (NA, EMIA, Asia-Pacific)
Challenge
The existing CRM was clunky, disconnected, and reactive. Staff had to cross-reference multiple tools, systems, and notes; often while managing live calls.
There was no clear way to triage member needs. No modular architecture. No plan to scale.
As OTPP’s membership grew, the risk grew with it. Delayed service, preventable errors, and an experience that didn’t reflect the organization’s commitment to quality.
My Role
I led a cross-functional team through research, strategy, design, and prototyping. We reported directly to senior leadership.
My focus was on alignment. I connected business goals, staff workflows, and technical realities into a unified vision. I translated insights into clear decisions; everything from UI frameworks to delivery roadmaps.
Strategy and Approach
We began by listening. Stakeholder interviews across leadership and frontline staff revealed recurring pain points. We shaped these into guiding questions that informed every decision:
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How do we make it easy to do the obvious?
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How do we assess what’s going on with the member?
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How do we proactively serve our members?
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How will we approach a five-year build?
From those insights, we structured the system around four key workspaces: Home, Member, Call, and Process. Each was based on real task types and mental models of staff.
To support these workflows, we introduced:
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Cue Tools: A slide-in panel with contextual tools grouped by persona type and member journey. These tools could be combined, customized, and accessed during live calls without breaking focus.
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Panes: Flexible overlays that allowed staff to open documents, charts, or wrap-ups over their current view. Like drawers in a desk, they helped staff stay grounded in their work.
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Coach: A behind-the-scenes insight engine that interpreted member data and suggested next actions. It combined business rules with emerging BI patterns to anticipate member needs.
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Modules: Adaptive UI components that resized or reshaped based on the member’s profile or situation.
We validated concepts through on-site observations, workflow tracing, and prototype testing with real support staff.
Results and Impact
The Enterprise Desktop CRM became more than a tool. It evolved into a responsive, intelligent assistant.
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Triage speed increased by about 30% in support simulations
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Screen-switching dropped by more than 50% in high-volume call types
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Staff could quickly understand “who,” “what,” and “how” using the redesigned triage grid
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Member data surfaced dynamically, based on real-time context
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Key tools and content were accessible without navigating away from the task at hand
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The modular architecture enabled a long-term roadmap for iterative delivery
The new CRM gave support staff the clarity and control they needed to provide excellent service, without sacrificing speed or confidence.
Leadership and Influence
This project required alignment across multiple perspectives.
I helped leadership reframe the goal: we weren’t building something over five years. We were designing for what service could look like five years from now. That shift helped right-size ambition and introduced a phased approach that supported rollout and scale.
I guided product and technical teams through systems thinking, coached team members through ambiguity, and turned complexity into plain language that everyone could act on.
My ability to lead cross-functional UX strategy, align teams at multiple levels, and design future-ready systems that scale with clarity.
Tony is a type of person who has the ability to deliver successfully in crunch with well conceived and well crafted work… His willingness to guide and answer questions thoughtfully made working with him a productive as well as an enjoyable experience.
Joe Smith, Manager, OTPP
Learnings
This project reinforced one of the core truths of UX leadership.
When you design for clarity, you create capacity.
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Staff perform better when their tools match their tasks
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Strategic alignment unlocks long-term flexibility
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Systems design creates a foundation that can grow without disruption
"UX at this scale means designing clarity across people, tools, and time."