Take a breath: think big

Here’s the fourth installment in the Take a Breath series, in which we explore ways to transform the current work challenges into positive strategic improvements.

We discussed earlier the idea of introducing immediate changes and thoughts about using extra time productively. Combine the two and you get an opportunity to strategize on some big projects that you did not have time to think about before–and perhaps the current situation brought some new requirements into start relief. Think about:

• Changing the customer segmentation. This works for support and for customer success. You may have noticed that 1-1 assignments don’t work so well when schedules are unpredictable, or that your top customers really number in the tens, not the hundreds. Realign your segmentation criteria to match both customer needs and your organization’s capabilities.
• Updating the playbook. Do you want to switch from a classic and not-so-efficient tiered model to swarming for case resolution? Do you need a formal escalation process? Do you need to add use to your retention playbook? Your onboarding sequence? Now is the time to rethink possibilities and conduct small experiments with willing sub teams.
• Refreshing the website. Working from home magnifies the benefits of a great customer portal. Is yours great? If not, time to make some changes.
• Exploring new tools. Vendors will be more than happy to demonstrate new tools for collaboration, AI, or customer management. They are eager to set up POCs and flexible on terms.

Can we use a hand to think big, benefitting from hundreds of organizations we have helped? Please reach out.

What strategic projects are you tackling? Please share your suggestions in the comments. And stay healthy!