As support folks we know this to be true, but what are the best arguments if, heaven forbid, we’re ever in a situation where we have to justify our existence to higher-ups?

If you are a SaaS company, being able to answer some of your support tickets might occasionally involve some knowledge of HTML, CSS, or Javascript. Do you think some basic knowledge is helpful? Are there are tutorials you’d recommend?

If you could devise a set of metrics to show how good of a job you’re doing as a support manager, what would they be?

What are the best ways to show your value to the company?

We’ve discussed how it’s important to listen to your customer, and how it’s ok to say no. But what do you say to customers when they really want something but you’re not yet sure if your going to build it? And what if they consider it not so much a feature request, but a real failing of your product (or even a bug) that it doesn’t exist?

As support folks on the front lines, we are always hearing about what our customers want. These requests likely encompass both changes to existing features, and new feature requests. If you had full control over the roadmap, what would you focus on and why?

The holidays are fast approaching! Any interesting plans?

I may go up to Seattle for Thanksgiving, but otherwise I’m looking forward to a staycation or two!

Do you have regular team meetings? What about one-to-ones?

I was doing a bi-weekly team meeting, which is especially important because everyone I manage works in our remote office. But I realized that there was no “official” and scheduled time for one-to-one interactions. I recently decided to rotate - a meeting each week, alternating among…[Read more]

I’m trying to find an effective way to survey customers once their issue is resolved. I tend to get very little response (about 8%, and, interestingly, overwhelming positive - those who take the time to respond almost never respond negatively).

What do you find are effective questions - those that get insightful and frequent responses?

Happy Halloween, UserCentered!

Here’s me as Spock (the reboot version, and standing next to Father Time) - what’s your costume??

This is something I struggle with. On the one hand, we can be instrumental in closing a huge deal, or helping a customer see the benefits of an upgraded product or service, so shouldn’t we e rewarded? But there’s also much to be said for being “agnostic” and treating all customers equally, or at the very least, not cherry-picking those support…[Read more]