Abby | Virtual Receptionists

I joined Abby Connect as the product manager to support the CEO, who had previously been filling the role. My focus was on improving operational efficiency for virtual receptionists, expanding the product to mobile, and introducing AI-powered tooling to enhance call handling.

Challenges We Faced

• Balancing feature development for different user groups without excessive context switching. We solved this by focusing on a single demographic per quarter for more impactful improvements.
• Training virtual receptionists on the new AI-powered system while ensuring minimal productivity loss, as system friction directly affected customer service and profitability.
• Overcoming technical and operational hurdles when moving from manual note-taking to AI-driven live call transcription.

My Role

• Led the launch of the iOS and Android mobile apps, enabling users to manage call status and availability from their phones.
• Spearheaded the AI-powered call transcription initiative, reducing agent workload and improving response efficiency.
• Managed the full backend system rebuild, improving agent workflows and increasing call handling capacity.
• Conducted agent interviews and behavioral tracking (Hotjar, CrazyEgg) to identify feature gaps and opportunities.
• Held regular stakeholder workshops with leadership and the CEO to align the roadmap with business goals.
• Defined a value-based prioritization system using T-shirt sizing and ROI-driven metrics to optimize development efforts.

Key Results

• Mobile app launch success – Introducing the highly requested availability setting improved messaging workflows for receptionists and customers.
• Efficiency gains – Agents could handle 20-30% more calls per day, and system improvements increased call concurrency from 4 to 6 calls per agent.
• Stronger, AI-driven call workflows – Removing the need for manual note-taking allowed agents to focus on customer interactions rather than documentation.

Takeaways

• Managing change adoption for experienced users is just as critical as technical execution.
• AI-powered automation can radically improve efficiency in high-volume, service-based operations.
• Structuring product work in focused quarterly cycles delivers more meaningful improvements than scattered minor updates.

This project reinforced the importance of seamless user experience, strategic AI integration, and balancing operational change with business impact.