Front’s Post

Last week at the Customer Success Collective CS Festival in London, I had the absolute pleasure of attending Shannon Hamer (The Economist) inspiring talk "Building, Training and Leading for Success" As someone who has scaled a CS Team from 1 (me) to 6 Customer Success Managers in the last 12 months, this felt like a perfect talk to attend to litmus test myself and how I had approached scaling a successful CS Team. Being a recruiter in a previous life, I take pleasure in hiring for my team members myself, end-to-end. However, a lot of leaders must work with internal talent partners or recruitment agencies, but they aren't necessarily equipped to collaborate effectively or communicate their needs and culture to ensure they receive the right candidates. In addition to recruitment challenges, Shannon also expressed the importance of promoting a culture of psychological safety within your team and organisation. Key ways to achieve this would be: ⚡ Embrace productive conflict - conflict is inevitable, but can you promote an environment where people are able to challenge their teammates constructively and resolve conflict in a healthy and productive way? ❌ Establish norms for handling failure - Do you promote a culture where your team feels comfortable trying new things and failing? You can showcase your own mistakes and be vocal about your learnings from them, holding space for them to do the same ✨ Encourage people to be their whole selves at work - The workplace is a professional environment, but does that mean we ignore the fact that our employees and team members are human, too? At any one time, humans can be juggling a number of personal challenges alongside their professional ones. Do you allow people to feel safe to be their authentic selves and make them comfortable to share when things aren't going so well outside of the workplace? 💡 Make space for new (and wild) ideas - do you encourage and hold space to hear all ideas in your team? To create diversity of thoughts and achieve excellence, sometimes you have to think outside the box (I hate this phrase but couldn't think of an alternative 😅) 🥳 Be consistent - people want to know what to expect from you, and from their career with your business, this fosters a sense of safety and security, which allows and feeds into all of the above Overall, it was a very thought-provoking talk, and I found myself smiling at my team members throughout. Creating a psychologically safe environment where people feel empowered to be their authentic selves allows people to thrive, fail upwards, and achieve their best work, and it is something very close to my heart. I hope my team will agree with me when I say I am proud that the TryHackMe, including our CS & Support Teams certainly have this culture, but there is always room for improvement and growth 📈 #CSLeadership #ScalingCS #PsychologicalSafety #Recruitment #CSManagement

My ultimate thought on Why Level 1 Agents Deserve Greater Recognition in Contact Centers are Level 1 customer service agents are the backbone of any contact center, handling a wide range of queries and challenges, often under significant pressure. Despite their vital role, their contributions frequently go unnoticed. These agents manage frustrated customers, complex issues, and demanding KPIs on a daily basis. Their work requires not only technical proficiency but also emotional resilience. When their efforts are not adequately acknowledged, it can lead to burnout, disengagement, and high turnover, ultimately impacting overall business performance. While other departments may face different challenges, front-line agents bear the weight of customer-facing stress bringing significant amount of positive attributes to the business compared to other functions in an organization. Addressing this imbalance is essential for maintaining morale and sustaining operational efficiency. To support Level 1 agents, we must: 1. Recognize the complexity of their roles, it's more than just answering calls. 2. Provide career development opportunities through training and leadership programs. 3. Celebrate achievements, especially when agents handle difficult situations effectively. 4. Invest in technology to streamline processes and reduce stress. 5. Foster cross-departmental collaboration to ensure equitable support and resources. By acknowledging and addressing these challenges, we can create a more balanced, supportive environment for Level 1 agents. When they feel valued, they deliver better service, which ultimately leads to happier customers and a stronger business. Let’s make sure the people who keep things running every day don’t go unnoticed. They deserve it. 🫡🫡🫡 #CustomerService #ContactCenter #EmployeeRecognition #Leadership #WorkplaceFairness #Level1Support

The best growth strategies are informed by a variety of perspectives—and your members should be among them. That’s why collecting feedback is so crucial for reducing turnover rates, offering great membership benefits, and increasing member satisfaction. Here are some steps you can take to improve your feedback strategy so you can put important perspectives into practice for your mission 👇 https://lnkd.in/g2YMcEKT

Have you seen my latest post? I spoke about the culture of openness in the workplace and why is it important for continuous improvement. Check it out!

What does a good member feedback process look like? Should you send a survey? What if no one participates? Gaining your member’s feedback is key for ensuring you provide a positive experience for members and build a healthy organization. Depending on your organization, you’ll want to utilize one or more of these techniques: - Member Feedback Survey - Member Forum - Website Pop-Up - Phone Call Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/efsM9Z_P

Sometimes, no matter how well you work with a client, they may still decide to move on. It’s an unavoidable part of business, but one packed with invaluable lessons. This is an experience we've dealt with recently at Non-Stop and Leadly. Despite our best efforts and delivering quality work, we had to say goodbye to a long-term client. It’s never easy, but it's become a critical learning opportunity. To truly benefit from these experiences, we’ve implemented a new internal offboarding form alongside a leaver feedback form. These tools are designed not just to gather insights, but to pinpoint areas for improvement. This feedback is gold - it informs our strategies and client management practices moving forward. We also conduct a thorough review of the months leading up to the client’s departure. What signs did we miss? How can we be more proactive? The answers to these questions are applied not just to retain existing clients but also to refine our approach to new ones. Maintaining a positive relationship is key, even as projects wrap up. We ensure every goodbye leaves the door open for future collaboration. It’s about respect, understanding, and mutual growth. Losing a client is a chance to evolve, enhance our service, and ensure we're always aligning more closely with our client's needs. How did you turn a client departure into a positive pivot for your business? #BusinessGrowth #ClientRelationships #NonStopLearning

Here’s what this domino effect could be costing your business: ⏳ Your most reliable shift leaders spending 50% of their time training instead of serving customers  🤯 Overwhelmed teams struggling to maintain service standards during peak hours  👋 New hires leaving before they're fully trained, wasting onboarding resources  😤 Customer complaints rising as experienced staff burn out When your frontline keeps revolving, everyone pays the price - from your bottom line to your brand reputation. It’s time to break the cycle. If this is something you are struggling with, reach out to the Rec-Revolution team. #CompanyCulture #EmployeeEngagement #TurnOver 

What communication style and strategies work best for conducting high impact employee performance feedback sessions? 🔹 Paying Attention to Language for Employee Performance Feedback Sessions 🔹 At Boxer Advisors, I understand the significance of constructive and clear communication during employee performance feedback sessions. Whether for informal sessions during the year or formal year-end reviews, the language used and how the conversation is conducted in these sessions can greatly influence work outcomes, foster employee growth, and enhance team morale. 🔸 Here are some key points to consider for both employees and managers: - Plan Ahead: Give yourself enough time to plan and prepare for a conversation together. Identify areas that might require more discussion or clarification ahead of time to make the conversation more productive. - Maintain Your Style: Talk as you normally would. Avoid making the conversation more formal than it needs to be or using language that you don't use on a day-to-day basis. - Know Yourself: Do you find it difficult to communicate challenging information? Do you stumble when there is a strong reaction to the information you're sharing? Know your habits and provide yourself time to prepare so the conversation is effective and you are ready to respond in the best manner possible. - Avoid Using Harsh or Negative Language: Phrases like “You always” or “You never” can be demotivating and unproductive. Instead, focus on specific behaviors or incidents and provide constructive feedback. skills over the next quarter?" Here are some hashtag #PonderableQuestions: - What are the best words you can use to get your information across and your perspective understood? - Do you have trigger words or phrases that get in the way of you responding effectively? - What language can you use to ensure a productive and collaborative conversation? Check out these 100 Employee Performance Review Comments and Phrases by Emre Ok https://lnkd.in/evztaecY. Using mindful language facilitates productive reviews and builds trust and growth. Let’s make the most out of these crucial conversations! #Leadership #PerformanceReviews #EmployeeEngagement #GovernmentSector #ProfessionalDevelopment

Before you waste time and money on new hires, ask yourself: Do you really need more people or just better systems? I see it all the time—companies growing fast and scrambling to hire fast, hoping this will solve their problems. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.  If your processes are a mess, adding more people makes things worse. Your employees aren’t the problem.  You hired them for a reason. The real issue?  𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚗-𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗. ↳ Are your employees constantly overwhelmed? ↳ Do you spend more time fixing things than getting things done? ↳ Is the team burned out and frustrated? ▶️ It’s time to focus on fixing the root cause: inefficient processes. Dive into my latest blog to learn how you can start. Your team is already awesome!  Give them the tools to shine! #noexcuses #Leadership #EmployeeSatisfaction #ProcessOptimization #Productivity At Process Space®, we make top-tier process optimization accessible for all companies, regardless of size or location. Our digital delivery tool helps you easily refine existing processes or set up new ones. You don't need to worry about pricey consultants to tear your company apart. Our step-by-step Digital Process Models, prepared by subject matter experts with years of practical experience, ensure smooth implementation and better outcomes. Get started now and see the difference!

Are you looking to enhance your team's productivity and performance as a Supervisor? Here are 10 key steps to follow for overseeing daily operations effectively: 1. Plan Daily Tasks: Create a clear plan with specific tasks, goals, and priorities for your team. 2. Communicate: Hold morning briefings to inform staff about goals, changes, and expectations. 3. Assign Responsibilities: Delegate tasks based on strengths and workload for efficiency. 4. Monitor Progress: Regularly check in with team members to track progress and provide support. 5. Ensure Safety and Compliance: Conduct routine safety checks and ensure policy adherence. 6. Provide Feedback: Offer constructive feedback throughout the day to boost performance. 7. Address Issues Promptly: Be proactive in resolving any operational challenges. 8. Review Performance Metrics: Analyze KPIs to assess team productivity and efficiency. 9. Encourage Team Collaboration: Foster a collaborative environment for idea-sharing. 10. Conduct End-of-Day Review: Review daily accomplishments and identify areas for improvement. By following these steps, you can effectively oversee daily operations, boosting team productivity and performance.