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Up next Grace Antonio Customer Support Manager, FreshBooks
Up next
Grace AntonioCustomer Support Manager, FreshBooks
SUPPORT TEAM CULTURE
What contributes to a happy and
motivated customer service team
CUSTOMER-OBSESSED,
HOW WE KEEP
A
...*DEEP BREATH*...
CUSTOMER-OBSESSED,
DEVELOPMENT-NURTURING,
CUSTOMER-OBSESSED,
DEVELOPMENT-NURTURING, SKIP-
THROUGH-CLOUDS-OF-CANDY-
FLOSS,
CUSTOMER-OBSESSED,
DEVELOPMENT-NURTURING, SKIP-
THROUGH-CLOUDS-OF-CANDY-
FLOSS, CAN’T-WAIT-TO-JUMP-
OUTTA-BED-AND-BACKFLIP-TO-
WORK,
CUSTOMER-OBSESSED,
DEVELOPMENT-NURTURING, SKIP-
THROUGH-CLOUDS-OF-CANDY-
FLOSS, CAN’T-WAIT-TO-JUMP-
OUTTA-BED-AND-BACKFLIP-TO-
WORK, FUNNER-THAN-A-POP-
ROCKS-PARTY-IN-YOUR-MOUTH
CUSTOMER-OBSESSED,
DEVELOPMENT-NURTURING, SKIP-
THROUGH-CLOUDS-OF-CANDY-
FLOSS, CAN’T-WAIT-TO-JUMP-
OUTTA-BED-AND-BACKFLIP-TO-
WORK, FUNNER-THAN-A-POP-
ROCKS-PARTY-IN-YOUR-MOUTH
BY GRACE ANTONIO
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
• Joined FreshBooks in 2008 as our first Support hire
• Have been a Customer Support Manager since 2010
• Enjoy finding and analyzing all Support data
• Lead intense weekly bootcamp classes at the office
• Love crafts, especially making Halloween costumes
• Dragon boat competitively
MEET MARTY
• Amazing customer service rep
• Friendly, empathetic and genuine
• Gets satisfaction from helping people
• Resourceful and hard worker
• Has a Jack Russell Terrier named Eddie
FAQ
MARTY ’S TALKING TO UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS
?WEBSITE
CONTAC
T
INFO
FIND
PHONE#
CU
STO
MER
’S H
APPIN
ESS
MA
RTY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...
MARTY ’S HANDS ARE TIED
• Not able to give his
customers what he
knows they need
– Scripted calls
– Timed calls
– Stuck behind policies or
processes
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
MARTY HAS NO VOICE
• Gets feedback from
customers, but no
venue to share that info
• Feels like he cannot
incite change in the
product or processes
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
MARTY ’S TEAM IS UNINSPIRED
• Team members don’t share Marty’s passion for customer service
• They don’t care about the company or don’t believe in the product
• Just clocking in and out
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
MARTY ’S FUTURE LOOKS DIM
• After a while, Marty feels he isn’t learning as much anymore, not developing any new skills
• He feels there aren’t many places to grow in the company
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS
HANDS ARE TIED
NO VOICE
UNINSPIRED TEAM
DIM FUTURE
UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS
HANDS ARE TIED
NO VOICE
UNINSPIRED TEAM
DIM FUTURE
HAPPIER CUSTOMERS
?
CU
STO
MER
’S H
APPIN
ESS FAQ WEBSITE
CONTAC
T
INFO
FIND
PHONE #
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
EMPOWER YOUR TEAM
• Encourage bringing
their own personality
• Take as much time as
that customer needs
• Empower reps to do
whatever they believe is
right in a situation
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
GIVE THEM A VOICE
• Create venues to collect
and share customer
feedback back to the
product team
• Use data to make your
case (the more, the better)
• Get a seat at the table
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
TEAM THAT FEELS LIKE FAMILY
• Hire great people that are passionate
about customer service
• Team there to back you up when needed
• Sense of pride in accomplishing shared
goals
• Foster close friendships
– Off-sites
–Monthly get-togethers outside work hours
FRESHBOOKS ’ SUPPORT TEAM
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
HAPPY FUTURE
• Give time to develop new skills and find passion
• Often, these projects will help the Support team with efficiency or accuracy
• Provides some variety in work to help with burn out
ON MARTY ’S SIDE...M
AR
TY
’S H
APPIN
ESS
BUT WAIT…
THERE ’S MORE!
CUSTOMER VISITS
JUST YESTERDAY...
CHICAGO CUSTOMER MEET-UP
WHAT IF YOU ’RE NOT SO LUCKY?
• Support culture is a
massive chain with many
moving parts
• No one does it perfectly
• Know what works well
and what doesn’t work
well for your team
• Pick an area you can
improve and make small
changes
