Retrieval is your product surface
Customers experience your agent as the answers it can justify. That means curated knowledge, freshness checks, and explicit “I do not know” behavior when evidence is thin.
Escalation is a feature
Great support agents route early when sentiment spikes, accounts are high value, or policy requires a human. Design escalation as a first-class path—not a failure mode.
Measure what customers feel
Track containment alongside CSAT, handle time, and rework rate. A high containment number with rising rework is a warning sign, not a win.
