The Support Behind Support
By terrie | No Comments
I hear a lot of good things about CrowdVine customer support, and because I’m the forward-facing side of that, I get lots of nice kudos about it. But the truth is, there’s a lot more to support than the person the customer talks to. I started out in tech support for WordStar in 1989, and I’ve been in support roles for a handful of companies in the past twenty-plus years. Our customers have said that working with CrowdVine is different because of the support, and I can tell you that working for CrowdVine is also different.
Tony, Jay, Michelle and I work together each day, logged into Campfire while we work. Countless times throughout the day, I ask questions or make requests there that are related to supporting our customers. And I depend on Michelle, Jay, and Tony to help me. They’re the real support-behind-support. And I’m grateful to all three of them for their timely (and friendly!) responses and unfailing support of the work that I do.
We have an interesting perspective on this at CrowdVine because Tony, Jay and I all worked together for a larger company in the past. Our roles were similar in many ways, but there were a couple layers of management and multiple departments involved. That was a fine company, but the three of us did not feel like we were giving great support to our internal customers. My coworkers are the same, but the experience is very different. It raises the question: what changed?
The difference is the culture and mindset of our very small company. Because we’re a small group, it’s possible for each of us to contribute our ideas and our opinions. We have lively discussions and often disagree with each other. Everyone appreciates different points of view and I love that I can state mine and feel no qualms about changing my mind after hearing someone else’s take on a situation. A surprising result of this: the more disagreements we have and resolve, the more I feel inclined to seek others’ advice. I don’t feel like I have to have all the answers, and the solutions that we provide customers are that much better for it.
This kind of culture promotes a greater engagement with our work. It allows our work to be part of our self-expression; it’s part of who we are. When you’re part of a large group, it’s harder to feel that way about your work. There just isn’t the time or bandwidth for everyone to be heard, and eventually it just feels like someone else’s work you’re doing in exchange for a paycheck; it makes it harder to provide support with soul.
We enjoy providing great support and we enjoy a company culture that supports it. That’s good for our customers, and it’s good for us as employees, too.