Context & Challenge

During the height of COVID-19, call center representatives faced unprecedented emotional strain. They were handling highly charged calls—often involving illness and death—while personally living through the pandemic’s uncertainty and stress. Burnout was widespread, and traditional training approaches were failing to meet the human needs of these frontline employees.

Approach

• Applied human-centered design principles grounded in observation and ethnographic research.

• Conducted emotional mapping to capture what reps were saying, thinking, feeling, and doing in real time.

• Designed a trauma-informed learning experience that prioritized empathy, reconnection, and psychological safety.

• Built the Week of Why program to help reps re-engage with their purpose, rediscover resilience, and strengthen their connection to the organization’s mission.

Outcome & Impact

• Reps reported feeling reconnected, supported, and valued through the program.

• The initiative directly addressed burnout by fostering emotional awareness and resilience.

• Achieved a +40 point increase in Net Promoter Score (NPS), demonstrating measurable improvement in employee engagement and satisfaction.

• Recognized as a model for human-centered, research-based learning design during crisis conditions.