Customer Overview
Henry Schein One is the software division of Henry Schein Inc., a Fortune 500 healthcare distributor. It provides practice management and clinical software to dental practices worldwide across multiple products, versions, and subscription models, driving significant complexity in inbound voice support.
The Challenge
Henry Schein One faced growing strain in its inbound contact center operation:
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High call volume driven by product complexity and customer growth.
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Long handle times, averaging 18-19 minutes per call.
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Frequent call transfers due to siloed product expertise.
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High turnover in Tier 1 support roles.
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Increasing reliance on offshore labor to manage volume.
As the product portfolio expanded, scaling human support became increasingly costly and brittle.
The Atonom Approach
Atonom deployed a Cloud Employee, internally named Clara, as the first point of contact for inbound voice support, starting with a single standardized cloud product (Dentrix Ascend).
The rollout was incremental:
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Integrated with existing knowledge bases and support systems.
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Deployed behind a defined branch of the IVR.
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Expanded over time to additional products and call types.
The Cloud Employee handled multi-product conversations, retrieved information in real time, and resolved issues end-to-end, escalating only when human judgment was required.
Human + AI Operating Model
The deployment established a clear division of labor. Cloud Employees owned high-volume, repeatable workflows as the front door for inbound calls. Human agents handled exceptions, complex cases, and specialized scenarios.
As automation absorbed Tier 1-3 volume:
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Transfers decreased.
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Agent focus and leverage increased.
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Headcount reduction occurred through attrition and non-replacement, not layoffs.
The existing organization scaled without disruption.
Adoption
Early hesitation toward AI-based voice support was addressed through conversational design, gentle deflection from immediate human transfer, and visibility into wait times. As resolution speed and accuracy improved, customer adoption increased steadily.
Results
The deployment delivered measurable impact:
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~23% of all inbound calls resolved without human involvement.
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80% reduction in average handle time (18 min → ~3 min).
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Handles ~50% of inbound volume today, expanding toward 90%.
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CSAT maintained at ~4.2/5.
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These gains translated into ~$12M in annual cost savings, driven by reduced reliance on offshore labor and attrition-based headcount reduction.
Why This Matters
This deployment shows that AI Cloud Employees can take over high-volume support work end-to-end, operate across complex product environments, accelerate resolution speed, and reduce offshore dependency without disrupting internal teams. For enterprises, this represents a practical, production-ready path to modernizing customer operations.
