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4 min read

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6 days ago

Keeping clients and customers happy is the main goal of the customer support team for many organizations. Support teams are responsible for handling tickets, emails, phone calls, chat messages, social media posts, and more! However, what if we shifted our focus from a queue-centered mindset to aligning the support team more closely with the company’s vision? This shift could unlock the full potential of support teams, making them more than just reactive problem-solvers.

In this blog post, we’ll explore key strategies to integrate support into the broader company vision: leveraging Zendesk Workforce Management (WFM), implementing OKRs, and fostering cross-functional collaboration.

I love this quote because it highlights the need for every team to understand the customer journey, not just the frontline support team. Support teams have direct insight into day-to-day customer interactions and can provide valuable feedback that often goes unnoticed by other departments. Leadership should view support not as a queue of tickets but as a wealth of information that can shape business strategy.

If support teams are confined to just resolving inquiries, their potential for growth and contribution is limited. As a manager, I often ask: “What can my team do in their current role that will provide them with growth opportunities within the company?”

The answer: Support teams can transition into various roles, including account management (customer success), sales, marketing, engineering, product development, and more.

I get it—support teams were hired to handle inquiries, and depending on the volume, every hand may be needed. However, the right tools can help balance efficiency and engagement.

For the sake of familiarity, I’ll focus on Zendesk WFM, though there are many excellent workforce management tools available. The goal is to carve out time for support reps to engage in activities beyond the queue — cross-functional collaboration, special projects, and upskilling.

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) should be more than a managerial checkbox — they should be actively understood and applied across all teams, including support.

Product, Support, and Marketing: Reduce churn by X% through proactive customer education.

Product, Support, and Account Management: Improve response times to increase customer satisfaction scores.

Product, Support, and Engineering: Escalate and analyze customer insights to shape product development.

OKRs should be reviewed regularly, not just set and forgotten. A strong OKR strategy ensures that the support team’s contributions are recognized and maximized.

Cross-functional collaboration must be intentional. Support teams hold invaluable insights, and it’s essential to create opportunities for them to contribute.

Product Development: How is the support team’s customer feedback influencing the product roadmap?

Marketing: How can support reps contribute to self-service content based on FAQs and common inquiries?

Sales & Onboarding: How can support insights improve the post-onboarding customer experience?

Engineering: Is an issue a bug or a feature? How can support and engineering teams collaborate to create sustainable fixes?

Account Management: How can support ensure that unresolved customer issues are addressed beyond weekly stakeholder calls?

Dedicated Slack (or messaging platform) channels for interdepartmental support discussions.

Regular cross-functional meetings where support teams share key customer insights.

Internal mentorship programs pairing support reps with employees in other departments.

If leadership does not reinforce the company’s vision within support, other departments likely won’t either. Support teams should be recognized and rewarded for their contributions beyond resolving tickets.

Slack Shoutouts: Encourage leadership to celebrate support team wins publicly.

All-Hands Recognition: Leadership should proactively highlight support team contributions in company-wide meetings.

Listening Sessions: Monthly meetings where leaders listen to support team feedback and implement meaningful changes.

Financial incentives also matter. Employees are more engaged when they see a clear career path with growth and development opportunities.

We’ve covered a lot, and now it’s time for action. Let’s shift away from a “queue-only” mindset for support teams. This change will not only boost morale but also elevate support as a strategic function within the company.

Final Thought: Know of companies successfully integrating support into broader business goals? Share them! I’d love to learn from their successes.