A day in the life of our Customer Success Team
In case you haven’t heard, October 4 – 8 is Customer Service Appreciation Week, which means it’s the perfect time to go the extra mile and show your customer service teams some extra love. Customer service are the people who go above and beyond in the day-to-day to ensure that all of our clients, members, customers, participants, users, and/or consumers are happy, satisfied, and want to continue working with us. They are often the first (and only) touch points for each user, which means it falls on them to give that great first impression … then maintain that rapport throughout the professional relationship. It’s a job that only the best can perform, and to be honest, it can also be a thankless job.
So this week, we want to shout a massive THANK YOU to our own Customer Success Team, which comprises account managers, coordinators, member support, and program analysts. While we love our entire crew here at Sonic Boom, these key Boomers make up the dream team for each of our clients, and we couldn’t do what we do without their endless support. In fact, our Customer Success Team is the largest department here at Sonic Boom!
We decided to check in with them (quickly, because they’re busy bees!) and ask what a day in the life of a client success person looks like. Here’s what they had to say … we could all learn something from them! (Like the importance of coffee and self-care.)
Customer Success in the a.m.
- Getting caught up on emails, then prepping for client calls.
- I cuddle with my cats until they want nothing to do with me, then I log in and go through my emails that came in overnight.
- Ideally with a 5-minute stretch session, followed by turning on my computer and making a cup of green tea.
- Coffee.
In between meetings
- Checking emails again, then going through follow-up items from calls.
- I am processing files, setting configurations, working with vendors, and weighing in on client strategy and configurations.
- Bouncing back and forth between emails, Asana tasks, and Google Chat.
- If I’m taking a break, that usually looks like a brisk walk around my neighborhood with my husband (read: coworker), who also works remotely.
Staying on task
- Our task management tool, Asana, is a lifesaver for keeping everything straight!
- I’m not involved with contracting, so that saves a lot of time!
- Asana is amazing. There are many helpful tasks, but one that comes to mind immediately is a recurring agenda item. Whenever something comes up that is not time-sensitive, but I don’t want to forget, I will add it to my list. That way, if it’s not resolved via email beforehand, I will remember to bring it up in my next client check-in meeting.
- With multiple accounts and dozens of tasks for each, organization is key. I’ll take time to review my to-do list in Asana and tackle the most pressing things first. I always leave thorough and detailed notes, so if I need to return to something at a later time, I can pick up exactly where I left off seamlessly.
Customer Success self-care
- A mental-health walk — fresh air, sunshine, and some exercise gets me refocused.
- I take breaks to give my cats love and plan vacations that I may or may not ever take. I also research local and not-so-local restaurants and events and add them to a list that I keep handy on my phone for when I need future ideas.
- Definitely taking walk breaks. On a good day, I’ll have three: two short walk breaks and one long walk for lunch. Also the technique of “upshifting” and “downshifting” before and after meetings, which basically means taking time before (upshifting) or after (downshifting) a meeting or task to do some deep breathing and become more present. This technique was taught during a Lunch and Learn for one of my clients, and I’ve found it helps me calm down and focus on one task at a time. I love that we on the Client Success Team can benefit, too, from the wellness programs of our clients!
- Take breaks to walk my puppy! Stepping away for a few minutes each day to be outside, take some deep breaths, enjoy the sunshine, and get my body moving help me feel refreshed.
Favorite mid-day snacks
- Carrots and hummus, or tortilla chips and guacamole.
- Sunflower seeds!
- I work in my kitchen, so this answer changes. Currently, it’s pita and homemade hummus!
- Coffee. (We see a trend here.)
Customer Success in the p.m.
- Spending time with family.
- I take a nap (haha!) before getting together with my Dungeons and Dragons group to go on an adventure.
- I will clock out and turn off my work computer. I try to leave my computer off when I’m not working as a way to separate work-from-home from, well, home. Then I’ll usually transition into personal time by either washing dishes or gathering all the ingredients needed to make dinner. My husband and I both work from home, so I love making dinner together because it’s a time we can both unwind and talk about our days.
- Exercise! Some days are so busy that I’m unable to take many breaks or leave my desk. Taking time at the end of the day to sweat, move my body, and not think about work is a wonderful way to end the day.
While you shower your own customer service team with extra love and kudos, keep your eyes peeled for our second blog honoring our own Customer Success Team later this week!