{"id":20116,"date":"2021-07-09T15:58:24","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T15:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/?p=20116"},"modified":"2021-07-22T14:28:29","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T14:28:29","slug":"managing-customer-relationships-in-the-hybrid-working-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/blog\/managing-customer-relationships-in-the-hybrid-working-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing customer relationships in the hybrid working era"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saying the customer success rulebook has been ripped up is a massive understatement. In the past couple of years, it&#8217;s been torn to shreds, those shreds have burnt to a crisp, and the water poured on the ashes has extinguished any hope of reading the CS rules we once followed blindly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s a slight exaggeration, but it is fair to say that customer success really has changed for good. We\u2019re no longer sitting next to each other every single day, the same can be said for the customers we\u2019re managing, and it\u2019s brought a less formal feeling to how we interact. Which is just a small piece of the hybrid working puzzle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/customer-service\/\">customer success team<\/a> could tell you all about that! So, we decided to ask them all about that. From how they\u2019ve overcome the challenges of hybrid working to creating thriving relationships in this new setting, here\u2019s what our CS team have to say on hybrid working.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jump to<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#The challenges of working as a hybrid customer success team\">The challenges of working as a hybrid customer success team<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Building culture as a remote customer success team\">Building culture as a remote customer success team<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#How CS teams can support their hybrid working clients\">How CS teams can support their hybrid working clients<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#How to manage customer relationships when client numbers are growing\">How to manage customer relationships when client numbers are growing<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Supporting distributed teams and those based all over the world\">Supporting distributed teams and those based all over the world<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"The challenges of working as a hybrid customer success team\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>The challenges of working as a hybrid customer success team: Conquering collaboration and communication<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s talk about the three Cs: Communication, collaboration and culture. They\u2019re hardly challenges exclusive to customer success, but the ante\u2019s really upped when you\u2019re on the frontline and dealing with customers. If we\u2019re not on the same page and keeping each other in the loop, it can have a negative impact on the customer experiences! And without our customers, there\u2019s not much for us to hang our hats on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, how do we make sure our communications strategy is more sophisticated than two cups tied together with a piece of string? By using the technology and tools at our disposal. <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/flora-sanders-74aa89130\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Flora Sanders<\/a>, Customer Success Executive, highlighted that idea in the team\u2019s three-part approach to great communication:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CS Slack channel: \u201cwhich allows us to shoot questions at each other if we are unsure of anything.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frequent stand-up meetings: \u201cwhere we discuss our tasks for the week and get feedback on projects.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brainstorming meetings: \u201cwhere we bounce ideas off each other, and regroup\/realign our focus.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that communication frequency, both online and in real life, is something <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alfiejgardner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alfie Gardner<\/a>, Customer Success Manager at HowNow, believes helps the team overcome another hurdle. It empowers people to provide \u201con the spot customer conversation feedback and giving people the option to have open discussions\/share ideas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alfie also flagged the challenge of having \u201cthe chance to share best practices and everyday routines that make people more productive\u201d, and that\u2019s where HowNow enters the equation! It\u2019s important that hybrid teams have <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/knowledge-sharing\/\">one place for shared knowledge<\/a> so that regardless of where they\u2019re working they\u2019ve got consistent access to consistent information. HowNow is that one place, whether they\u2019re just quick responses sent through <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/blog\/integration\/slack\/\">Slack<\/a> or detailed advice on managing relationships, they can all be saved, shared and searched for in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what happens when you neglect those regular check-ins? As <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jackfielding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jack Fielding<\/a>, Customer Success Executive at HowNow, points out, it might prevent you from nipping issues in the bud. This may mean dealing with something far more challenging later on: \u201c[One challenge] is around not knowing when you&#8217;re doing something wrong &#8211; until it causes a larger problem and escalates.\u201d<\/span><a name=\"Building culture as a remote customer success team\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Building culture as a remote customer success team<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hands up if this sounds familiar: \u201cYou don&#8217;t always know what people are up to and how they feel\u201d. That point from <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/luciledermeche\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lulu Dermeche<\/a>, Head of Customer Success at HowNow, might feel like one of those remote issues that\u2019s remedied by a return to the office in some capacity, but it\u2019s not that simple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Days in the office might end up with eye-wateringly busy calendars, back-to-back meetings that tick off everything that works better in person. So unless you\u2019re heading out for some lunch or post-work drinks, you still won\u2019t know how people are doing and if they\u2019re struggling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you\u2019ve already established a culture or not, it\u2019s important to understand how that works in the hybrid environment and shape it accordingly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Jack put it, \u201cgood management, carefully planned face-to-face interactions and moments of quality social time when you do meet are most important\u201d, and that aspect of quality time together was backed by the love for our team socials. Flora sums it up perfectly:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have had online socials with activities like a cook-a-long, facial night and many, many quizzes. Now that restrictions have loosened we have had a few IRL socials, which have been a great way to get to know everyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even on the days where we\u2019re not in the office together, we\u2019re bonding as a team! Our Monday morning meets \u201care a great way to build a sense of community and bond as a team.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Friday retrospectives give everyone a chance to share wins, lessons learnt and what we need help with. Flora adds that \u201cthese are a great way to build morale and celebrate\/share each others&#8217; successes, but also help each other and learn from each other\u201d. She even had special praise for a member of the HowNow sales team: \u201cI love hearing Nikita&#8217;s quotes of the week!\u201d &#8211; perhaps the next post from the team will be a list of Nikita\u2019s wise words.<\/span><a name=\"How CS teams can support their hybrid working clients\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>How CS teams can support their hybrid working clients<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working in CS these days must feel like one big hybrid juggling act! Not only do they have their own concerns around the shift to this new work arrangement, they have to consider how they\u2019re supporting clients who are working and <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/blog\/how-to-fuel-a-culture-of-remote-learning-and-development\/\">learning in distributed, remote and hybrid settings<\/a>. Ultimately, it comes back to knowing your clients and offering the right support, as Jack explains nicely:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFrequent contact at the start and an open offer for how much they need from then on. The beauty of hybrid working is it caters not only for those who like the every day touch, but also those who need a little more space to be their most efficient.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alfie adds to that by highlighting how we need to keep communication clear, concise and regular &#8211; without becoming too much: \u201cBy keeping people aligned in simple and constructive streams with regular (not too regular!) discussions and working yourself into their day-to-day to ensure that we&#8217;re always adding value &#8211; that&#8217;s what we want to achieve!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For some more practical advice, we can turn back to Flora, who suggests using a project management tool to \u201cassign clients to tasks and leave feedback &#8211; it speeds up the process and they feel more supported.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flora also flags the need to set expectations and agendas before meetings, here\u2019s how she manages that:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send an invite with the call agenda.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explain those agenda items on the call and demo certain things where needed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set time for a Q&amp;A session.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establish tasks to be completed before the next call.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt means everyone is at the most productive E.G. they have done their homework and upskilled themselves prior to the call\u201d but at the same time, you need to be empathetic and understanding \u201cif they aren&#8217;t able to meet timelines set. Everyone is dealing with a global pandemic and working flexibly and remotely, so people need to be cut some slack.\u201d<\/span><a name=\"How to manage customer relationships when client numbers are growing\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>How to manage customer relationships when client numbers are growing<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a humble brag, but we\u2019ve welcomed a lot of new companies to the HowNow community in the last year or so! And that means managing relationships effectively when customer numbers are growing at speed. Here are some quickfire suggestions from the team when it comes to keeping smiles on customers faces and on top of that fast pace.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allow yourself at least 10\/15 minutes before each call to read through your notes and stay up to date with where customers are in terms of progress.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The small talk at the start of calls and any contact you have on Intercom is crucial in building up a rapport.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reach out on LinkedIn and show your human side!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Show appreciation for people\u2019s time. The world is in an unusual place, and we need to be respectful of the toll it can take.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cross-functional collaboration to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t rush. A slightly delayed SLA is better than everyone getting a quick response that&#8217;s less thought through.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get ahead of the hiring curve and prevent the bottleneck of not having enough staff.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"Supporting distributed teams and those based all over the world\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Supporting distributed teams and those based all over the world<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those quickfire tips were good, right? How about a few more on how you can manage relationships across continents and timezones!? We\u2019re lucky to be working with forward-thinking companies all over the world, but it adds an extra consideration for our customer success team.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make a note of where they are in the world so that, before calls, you can refresh yourself and won&#8217;t have to keep asking them!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep up to date with current affairs so that you can ask questions at the start and show interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find a time that suits both sides for face-to-face calls.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send over personalised demos to explain features so that fewer real-time calls have to take place, but the clients are still getting the support they need and love.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you can&#8217;t be there immediately, make sure you have processes in place to help when you&#8217;re not available. It&#8217;s about effectively managing expectations and making sure there&#8217;s a wealth of support where needed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create project boards to make sure that asynchronous work is happening.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Build a support centre so strong and inclusive that users can generally find whatever answer they need.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Want to know more about the HowNow team? <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/about\/\">Learn about our story and people here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saying the customer success rulebook has been ripped up is a massive understatement. In the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":437,"featured_media":20140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":[],"categories":[3117,2484],"tags":[1270,1752],"yst_prominent_words":[23,393,172,1384,6],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/437"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20116"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20157,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20116\/revisions\/20157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20116"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=20116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}