Welcome back to another installment of Cresta Crew, where we get to shine a spotlight on Cresta team members from around the organization. In this series, we get a peek into who these individual Crestans are, how they got here, what their day-to-day looks like, and why they’re excited about Cresta’s future. Today, we’re going to hear from Rachel Bloch, Conversational AI Designer.
Tell us about yourself – what is your background?
I got my BA in Linguistics from Cal State Northridge. I then taught high school Spanish and English Literature for four years, and then did a Master’s in Computational Linguistics at City University of New York.
What inspired you to join Cresta?
I wanted to work on cutting-edge technology that enhances human potential rather than replaces it. The opportunity to build AI that helps people do their jobs more efficiently is incredibly rewarding! I also get to collaborate with people at the top of their fields – being surrounded by so much talent pushes me to continuously grow!
What is your role at Cresta?
I’m a Conversational AI Designer.
Can you explain what it means to be a conversational AI designer? How did you get into this line of work?
I’m responsible for our customers’ AI behaviors within Opera, our self-serve Agent Assist tool. I design conversation flows, discover key behaviors that agents should focus on, and train the AI models to recognize these behaviors. I also teach our customers how to use Opera and how to train their own Generative AI behavior models.
I fell into this industry mostly by mistake! I started a Master’s program in Computational Linguistics to turn my Linguistics BA into something more lucrative, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do. Very soon after I started the MA program, I was recruited to work on Google’s CCAI. The rest is history!
What does a typical day look like?
I spend a significant amount of time building new AI behaviors, examining our behaviors’ effectiveness, and iterating on our models. The other half of my day is hosting training sessions and office hours with our customers to ensure they’re confident using our tools. My role involves both technical skills and also directly interfacing with our customers, which is why I love it!
What about the product gets you excited?
I love that we aren’t trying to replace live agents with automated systems. At Cresta, we focus on maximizing the contact center’s potential by reducing agent ramp time, standardizing agent behavior, and providing leaders with visibility into their calls. We’re enhancing a customer’s experience – not dehumanizing it.
What big trends in this space do you envision over the next year?
I think we’ll continue to see even more AI integration augmenting our day-to-day workflows. I also think we’ll start to see more regulation in the space to promote fair and ethical use. AI is really powerful and I think we’re looking at more industry regulation to keep pace with rapidly advancing technology.
What do you think is the most important skill for a new Crestan to have?
There are a lot of important skills for new Crestans to have! I would probably say the most important is the ability to take initiative and be a self-starter. We work in a fast-paced, evolving environment, and being able to adapt quickly and follow along is key. Someone who is able to take ownership of challenges and find creative solutions will really thrive here.
What do you love to do with your time when you’re not at work?
I enjoy reading, baking challah, Broadway musicals, needlework, and being a mommy to my 1.5 year old son.
