To run a strong customer success team, one must master the balancing act of executing quality and quantity at the same time.
A quality customer experience is always the goal of a CS team, and maintaining excellent customer service requires good product and industry knowledge, excellent communication skills and a well-oiled and collaborative team. It takes a village to ensure every customer has a good experience, but the results are well worth the effort. Over half of customers feel that customer service quality has the highest impact on how positively they view a brand, according to a report from Emplifi.
Maintaining high customer service standards is where quantity enters the picture, as CS teams need to be as efficient as possible to stay on top of customer requests — which often requires frequent internal and external communication. For customer teams at Center and DoubleDown Interactive LLC, efficient updates and smart communication tools help them save precious time for more intentional customer interactions.
Built In Seattle had the chance to speak to CS leaders from both companies to get a snapshot of the daily lives of a CS manager and find out what keeps them busy and motivated.
Center is a spend management company that helps businesses streamline and manage their travel and expenses.
What is a typical workday like for you as an account manager?
My job is to go above and beyond for our customers. Their success is our success, so my primary objective is to help them reach their goals.
My day begins with responding to customer emails and addressing any issues or new requests. Beyond daily account service, we actively work with our customers to continually improve their processes. I have regular meetings with customers to discuss their business objectives, review progress and make the most of our platform. Our customer experience teams — deployment, account management and support — are closely connected on each account, so we work together internally to explore new opportunities for them. At the end of the day, I close any open items and start to plan for tomorrow.
How do you stay in the loop with product and customer updates?
At Center, we hold functional excellence as a core operating principle. We highly value cross-functional collaboration and work as a cohesive team to deliver outstanding results for our customers and the company. Our product offerings are always evolving, and our team excels at delivering product updates quickly and efficiently.
Before joining Center, I had no experience in fintech or the corporate expense industry. However, the company places a big focus on learning and development, which has really helped me grow. Now, I'm recognized as a product expert by our customers. I work closely with others across the company to make sure we deliver an outstanding customer experience, listen to our customers and create a feedback loop between them and our product teams to continually innovate on their behalf.
The leadership team also encourages me to explore other areas of the business, which supports my professional development.
“I work closely with others to make sure we deliver an outstanding customer experience, listen to our customers and create a feedback loop to continually innovate on their behalf.”
What helps you stay on top of things? How does your team help you stay motivated?
To work efficiently, I follow two main principles: adopting an ownership mindset and practicing effective time management. Since my success is tied directly to my customers, I take ownership of these relationships to achieve my professional goals.
Center values and encourages innovative ideas from its employees, who actively contribute their insights to drive the business forward. My team exemplifies this and motivates me to think creatively, ultimately contributing to our company’s success and growth. Every day, I’m privileged to collaborate with some of the most driven and talented professionals I’ve ever met.
DoubleDown Interactive LLC is a mobile gaming company with a focus on casino games and new, casual mobile gaming experiences.
What is a typical workday like for you as a supervisor of player experience and support?
Working in a customer-facing field can vary wildly from day to day! The very first thing I do is check any issues facing our customers. I supervise the team that specifically supports our VIP customers, special cases and escalated issues. If something is causing a higher volume of contacts than we normally handle, I help the team prioritize their tasks, so our VIPs can get service in as efficiently as possible and any special issues are handled quickly but with care.
Aside from the routine expectations like weekly and monthly reports, managing processes, schedules, training and general upkeep, I often help our team assess complicated customer situations and respond to them. This can mean something as simple as making a quick decision or as complicated as researching a customer’s extensive history, reaching out to other departments for more information and helping the customer service agent write their response. Communication is important to me, not only with our customers but also with each other. I try to keep our team aligned on how to listen, reach out, react and craft professional but personable replies to our customers.
“Communication is important to me, with our customers and with each other. I try to keep our team aligned on how to listen, reach out, react and craft professional but personable replies.”
How do you stay in the loop with product and customer updates?
Our company spans several countries, so staying in the loop can be tricky. Our team is invested in solid communication, so we use any tools at our disposal. I always check with others on communication preferences, and our departments provide updates to each other online on top of scheduled meetings. Customer service is expected to advocate for customers and relay feedback. In addition to keeping extensive notes and communicating in real-time, we hold weekly meetings to discuss customer needs.
Development is a vital part of my job to keep my team moving forward. It’s important to assess opportunities for growth frequently and take action to facilitate that growth. Development should pivot to keep up with customer trends, our company’s consistent content output and the industry as a whole, so I help create new learning resources and opportunities. Our team holds training sessions we like to call “refreshers” to reinforce established processes and knowledge, and we roll out new info in a group setting to make sure everyone’s included in the discussion.
What helps you stay on top of things? How does your team help you stay motivated?
Everyone is different, so what may work for one person might not work for someone else. With that said, I always encourage others to use tools that organize and prioritize work in a way that allows for easy and quick readjustment. It’s important to be flexible, especially in customer-focused environments, and being able to adapt can save you a lot of stress.
I’m a list person. I find that making a simple daily task list helps me stay focused, but I can also quickly push less important things to later or another day if needed. Lists are easy to add to, and it’s always nice to check something off. Organization is essential, but if it’s so structured it’s making it hard to change things up, rethinking your tools or methods might be a good idea.
It’s also easy to stay motivated when my team is so eager, full of ideas and vocal. Our company values passion, inclusivity and collaboration, so we encourage open conversation. I can get stuck in my own ideas, so I’m grateful my team isn’t afraid to speak up. They keep me on my toes and remind me to look at different perspectives. Flexibility, adaptability and an open mind are all vital to a healthy team and overall customer success.
