Call Center Simulator
Concepts made for The Canada Revenue Agency
Another project I contributed to during my time at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) originated through the Idea Accelerator program and focused on improving training for new call center agents. Managers across multiple call center teams identified a common challenge: new employees often felt underprepared when transitioning from training exercises to real conversations with the public. Traditional preparation methods—such as reading scripted scenarios and role-playing with coworkers—were not fully replicating the emotional complexity and unpredictability of live calls.
In response to these concerns, my manager proposed a gamified training experience inspired by dating-simulator style games. The idea was to create a safe, engaging environment where new call center agents could practice handling realistic caller scenarios while receiving immediate feedback on their responses. The concept took the form of a web-based application in which non-playable characters (NPCs) would call the user and present a specific issue or question. The user would then select from multiple dialogue options, each leading to different conversational outcomes.
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A key aspect of the experience was to practice empathy and patience when interacting with the NPC callers. Certain dialogue choices would influence the NPC’s emotional state, which was visually represented through the on-screen emotions bar, indicating the caller’s satisfaction or frustration level. The NPC’s facial expressions were also displayed in a visual bubble, allowing users to clearly see how their responses affected the NPC caller. This approach helped trainees understand not only whether their response was correct, but also how tone and phrasing could shape the interaction.
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For this project, I was responsible for designing the prototype visuals used to pitch the concept to all the Call Center teams. I created a series of screens that walked through a single scenario, showcasing the outcomes of the first three dialogue choices and illustrating the range of possible emotional reactions. All visual assets and interface elements in the prototype were designed by me and presented by my team to stakeholders as part of the proposal.
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The concept was ultimately approved and received funding to be developed into a full training module. While another team member led the final implementation, the project stayed true to the ideas established in the original prototype. Although I believe I could create a more refined, UX-focused version today, this project was a valuable learning experience and I’m proud to have contributed to the early stages of a tool that is now helping train new call center agents at the CRA.
