23. Customer Support Agents

Customer support multi-agent systems handle inquiries through triage, investigation, resolution, and escalation phases. Multiple specialized agents work in concert to provide accurate, consistent support while maintaining customer satisfaction metrics.

Support Agent Architecture

Triage Agent: Classifies incoming requests by type, urgency, and complexity. Routes to appropriate specialized handlers.

Diagnostic Agent: Gathers information and identifies potential causes. Queries knowledge bases and examines account history.

Resolution Agent: Implements or suggests solutions. Coordinates with backend systems, generates responses.

Escalation Manager: Identifies requests requiring human intervention and prepares context summaries.

# support_team/support_system.py
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from enum import Enum
from datetime import datetime

class TicketStatus(Enum):
    NEW = "new"
    TRIAGED = "triaged"
    IN_PROGRESS = "in_progress"
    RESOLVED = "resolved"
    ESCALATED = "escalated"
    CLOSED = "closed"

class TicketPriority(Enum):
    CRITICAL = 1
    HIGH = 2
    MEDIUM = 3
    LOW = 4

@dataclass
class SupportTicket:
    ticket_id: str
    customer_id: str
    subject: str
    description: str
    status: TicketStatus = TicketStatus.NEW
    priority: TicketPriority = TicketPriority.MEDIUM
    category: str | None = None
    assigned_agent: str | None = None
    resolution: str | None = None
    created_at: datetime = field(default_factory=datetime.utcnow)
    history: list[dict] = field(default_factory=list)

class SupportOrchestrator:
    def __init__(
        self,
        triage_agent: any,
        diagnostic_agent: any,
        resolution_agent: any,
        escalation_manager: any,
        knowledge_base: any
    ):
        self.triage_agent = triage_agent
        self.diagnostic_agent = diagnostic_agent
        self.resolution_agent = resolution_agent
        self.escalation_manager = escalation_manager
        self.knowledge_base = knowledge_base
    
    async def process_ticket(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> SupportTicket:
        if ticket.status == TicketStatus.NEW:
            ticket = await self._triaging(ticket)
        
        if ticket.status == TicketStatus.TRIAGED:
            ticket = await self._diagnosing(ticket)
        
        if ticket.status == TicketStatus.IN_PROGRESS:
            ticket = await self._resolving(ticket)
        
        return ticket
    
    async def _triaging(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> SupportTicket:
        triage_result = await self.triage_agent.classify(ticket)
        
        ticket.category = triage_result["category"]
        ticket.priority = TicketPriority(triage_result["priority"])
        ticket.status = TicketStatus.TRIAGED
        ticket.history.append({
            "action": "triaged",
            "agent": "triage_agent",
            "result": triage_result
        })
        
        return ticket
    
    async def _diagnosing(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> SupportTicket:
        context = await self._build_diagnostic_context(ticket)
        diagnosis = await self.diagnostic_agent.investigate(context)
        
        ticket.assigned_agent = diagnosis.get("assigned_handler")
        ticket.status = TicketStatus.IN_PROGRESS
        ticket.history.append({
            "action": "diagnosed",
            "agent": "diagnostic_agent",
            "diagnosis": diagnosis
        })
        
        return ticket
    
    async def _resolving(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> SupportTicket:
        if self._should_escalate(ticket):
            return await self._escalating(ticket)
        
        resolution = await self.resolution_agent.resolve(ticket)
        ticket.resolution = resolution["solution"]
        ticket.status = TicketStatus.RESOLVED
        ticket.history.append({
            "action": "resolved",
            "agent": "resolution_agent",
            "resolution": resolution
        })
        
        return ticket
    
    async def _escalating(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> SupportTicket:
        summary = await self.escalation_manager.prepare_summary(ticket)
        ticket.status = TicketStatus.ESCALATED
        ticket.history.append({
            "action": "escalated",
            "summary": summary
        })
        return ticket
    
    def _should_escalate(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> bool:
        return (
            ticket.priority == TicketPriority.CRITICAL or
            ticket.resolution is None and ticket.history[-1].get("attempts", 0) >= 3
        )
    
    async def _build_diagnostic_context(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> dict:
        knowledge_articles = await self.knowledge_base.search(
            ticket.category,
            ticket.subject
        )
        return {
            "ticket": ticket,
            "relevant_articles": knowledge_articles,
            "similar_tickets": await self._find_similar_tickets(ticket)
        }
    
    async def _find_similar_tickets(self, ticket: SupportTicket) -> list[dict]:
        return []

Knowledge Base Integration

Support agents query knowledge bases to find relevant articles and solutions. Similar ticket history informs diagnostic reasoning without repeating failed approaches.

Satisfaction Tracking

Post-resolution surveys and sentiment analysis on follow-up interactions feed back into system improvement. Priority adjustments reflect changing customer impact patterns.