Call summary templates
ACE's AI summaries were accurate but generic — the same wall of text regardless of call type. I redesigned the experience around customizable templates, shifting the product from "fixed output" to "manager-defined AI" — and drove 97% month-over-month customer retention in the process.
The problem
During discovery research, I identified a bottleneck further upstream than expected. Managers were spending disproportionate time finding the right calls to evaluate — leaning heavily on summaries to filter through hours of audio. The root issue: every manager got the same generic summary. A sales manager hunting for objections and a support lead tracking technical bugs received identical output, putting the burden on the reader to locate the 5% of information that actually mattered to their role.
I mapped the competitive landscape across market maturity and output flexibility. Established players like Teams and Zoom offered fixed summaries. Newer entrants like Fathom and Fireflies were moving toward template editors. RingCentral's opportunity was to combine enterprise stability with that template-editor flexibility.
Design approach
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1
Information architecture
Rebuilt the template card system around a clean, action-first layout — keeping "Publish" as the primary focus and stripping away the metadata clutter that made the beta feel heavy and fragmented.
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2
Granular AI controls
Introduced controls for tone, formatting, role, and voice — turning the AI from a black box into something managers could genuinely tailor to their specific reporting needs. Users could also build out custom sub-sections to match internal workflows.
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3
Progressive disclosure
Summary preview appears only when needed. A "call swap" feature lets users test a template against different real-world calls in real time — building confidence before publishing.
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4
Intelligent section updates
As users iterate, the system promotes reusability and keeps the backend data architecture clean — reducing redundant content proliferation as template libraries grow.
Outcomes
The 97% retention figure is the most telling: once a manager builds a custom template workflow, it becomes indispensable. Faster scoring cycles and reduced need for additional headcount confirmed the operational impact alongside the product one.
