Agile CX: Steph Uses Dev Sprints to Focus Team Energy

Steph Hardy, Customer Solutions Engineer at Guru, wanted to become even more efficient with her colleagues—so she borrowed a playbook from engineering and brought Agile sprints to CX.

In this episode, Steph shares how she adapted the sprint framework to fit her team’s workflow, helping them stay focused, reduce redundant work, and increase feature adoption. She walks us through:

✅ How being curious beyond her role led her to a game-changing solution
✅ The exact steps she took to implement sprints for her team
✅ How she used ChatGPT and Slack Lists to refine and track their process
✅ The surprising insights that helped them shift from 1:1 meetings to scalable customer education
✅ How sprint retros helped them continuously improve and optimize CX

This episode is packed with even more resources than any of our other episodes: visit our resource hub for meeting notes, Steph's playbook, and her repeatable project plan.

And subscribe to our email newsletter to get access to the full library of resources from every episode!

🎧 Hit play and learn how to bring Agile thinking to your CX team!

Transcript

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (00:00.342)
I really like the idea of the framework and like what it could do for a team, but it's usually very like product or engineering focused. You know, I don't know. I was just thinking one day like, well, what if a sprint could work for like a CS org and like, what could that look like? And like what parts of the process would we have to mold or ditch that just don't fit? to live chat with Jen Weaver. Work with customers can feel

I really like the idea of the framework and like what it could do for a team, but it's usually very like product or engineering focused. You know, I don't know. I was just thinking one day like, well, what if a sprint could work for like a CS org and like, what could that look like? And like what parts of the process would we have to mold or ditch that just don't fit?

Welcome to Live Chat with Jen Weaver. Work with customers can feel endless. Emails in, emails out, weekly meetings, metrics, dashboards. It's like the dishes. We're the dish doers.

endless emails in emails out weekly meetings metrics dashboards it's like the dishes we're the dish doers but what if we could borrow an idea from other teams that would give some structure to that work that would allow us to feel like we have completed something well enter stef hardy stef is a customer solutions engineer at guru

But what if we could borrow an idea from other teams that would give some structure to that work that would allow us to feel like we have completed something? Well, enter Steph Hardy. Steph is a customer solutions engineer at Guru, who has been working in the customer space across various industries for over a decade. She started in luxury hotels, transitioned into tech,

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (00:56.312)
who has been working in the customer space across various industries for over a decade. She started in luxury hotels, transitioned into tech, and was a guru customer before even joining the team. She's an incredible go-getter, and I have looked up to her for years. She taught me a lot of what I know about customer work. And after this episode, you can copy her process here too. We're giving you the exact playbook

and was a guru customer before even joining the team. She's an incredible go-getter and I have looked up to her for years. She taught me a lot of what I know about customer work. And after this episode, you can copy her process here too. We're giving you the exact playbook, a CSV file to create your plan, just like Steph did, and clear meeting agendas to keep it going. Let's dive in.

a CSV file to create your plan, just like Steph did, and clear meeting agendas to keep it going. Let's dive in. First, we sort of wanted to decide, where are we spending our time today? Because it's, I mean, we can have new ideas for days, but can we actually execute on them and are they going to make a difference, right? And so we used Sprints as a way to sort of take a step back and analyze

First, we sort of wanted to decide, like, where are we spending our time today? Because it's, I mean, we can have new ideas for days, but can we actually execute on them and are they going to make a difference, right? And so we used sprints as a way to sort of take a step back and analyze as a CS person, like, what am I actually spending my time on day to day? And does that...

as a CS person, like what am I actually spending my time on day to day? And does that align or is that different from like my other CS colleague, right? So we're a pretty small but mighty team. Each of us decided to sort of just spend a couple months dedicated to this idea of let's actually capture the activities that we're doing at a bare minimum. Like just write it down. Like what are we doing?

Speaker 1 (02:05.28)
a line or is that different from like my other CS colleague, right? So we're a pretty small but mighty team. Each of us decided to sort of just spend a couple months dedicated to this idea of let's actually capture the activities that we're doing at a bare minimum. Like just write it down. Like what are we doing? And the way that we decided to do that was through like an agile sprint sort of format.

And the way that we decided to do that was through like an agile sprint sort of format. That comes to our topic. So can you dig into how you created that, how you decided to launch it? Yeah. So I think it was back when I was looking to transition to tech that I was taking some courses. And I took a like general assembly course on agile methodology.

that comes to our topic. So can you dig into how you created that, how you decided to launch it?

Yeah, so I think it was back when I was looking to transition to tech that I was taking some courses. And I took a general assembly course on agile methodology. And it stuck with me. All these years later, I really liked the idea of the framework and what it could do for a team, but it's usually very product or engineering focused.

And it stuck with me like all these years later, we're going, you know, I, I really liked the idea of the framework and like what it could do for a team, but it's usually very like product or engineering focused. And, you know, I don't know, I was just thinking one day like, well, what if a sprint could work for like a CS org and like, what could that look like? And like, what parts of the process would we have to mold or ditch that just don't fit like.

Speaker 1 (03:08.286)
And I don't know, I was just thinking one day, like, well, what if a sprint could work for like a CS org? And what could that look like? And what parts of the process would we have to mold or ditch that just don't fit the dynamic and sometimes reactive world of a customer solutions or success team? So I had this idea to do these sprints.

the dynamic and sometimes reactive world of like a customer solutions or success team. So I had this idea to do these sprints and I had just this hunch that it could be interesting or helpful for our team. But it was really just that, it was just an idea. I was hesitant to go to my director and just like pitch it without having like a solid reason. Cause in my mind I was like, this is just like a cool experiment where maybe we could just work more efficiently. I like trying.

And I had just this hunch that it could be interesting or helpful for our team. But it was really just that, it was just an idea. And I was hesitant to go to my director and just like pitch it without having like a solid reason. Because in my mind I was like, this is just like a cool experiment where maybe we could just work more efficiently. I like trying a framework. I love frameworks, I love anything with structure.

framework. I love frameworks. love anything with structure. maybe all bonus if it's color coded, right? Totally. And sometimes it's to a fault. Like I've recognized that I used to want to operationalize everything and maybe other folks will resonate with that.

And maybe bonus if it's color coded, right?

Speaker 1 (04:03.448)
Totally. And sometimes it's to a fault. Like I've recognized that I used to want to operationalize everything and maybe other folks will resonate with that.

Yeah. I used to just want to operationalize everything. what's... It's tough when things change rapidly because you've just spent some time operationalizing something and then it either needs to be scrapped or just redone. you have to kind of know it's going to be a durable process, right? Totally. So you have this idea, but it sounds like effectively it amounted to managing your peers if you were to implement this. So where did you go from there?

Yeah. I used to just want to operationalize everything. what's

It's tough when things change rapidly because you've just spent some time operationalizing something and then it either needs to be scrapped or just redone. you have to kind of know it's going to be a durable process, right?

Totally.

Speaker 2 (04:35.982)
So you have this idea, it sounds like effectively it amounted to managing your peers if you were to implement this. So where did you go from there? From that feeling of like, is this my place?

and that feeling of like, is this my place? Totally. So yeah, so I had the idea and sort of serendipitously, during along with my director, she mentioned some friction points that she was seeing. So she was describing like the pain of, you know, how are we spending our time and are the things that we're working on making an impact. And I think she was even mentioning just the idea of

Totally. So yeah, so I had the idea and sort of serendipitously during a one-on-one with my director, she mentioned some friction points that she was seeing. So she was describing like the pain of, you know, how are we spending our time and are the things that we're working on making an impact? And I think she was even mentioning just the idea of, you know,

you know, our platform has changed so much. Leadership is really keen to understand like how customers are reacting to that or like what are the projects that we are spending our time on because a customer like needs our help with a specific part of the product and implementing that new feature or enhancement. So she's describing all of these sort of bumps in the road and very naturally I was able to be like, well, I've actually been thinking about

our platform has changed so much, leadership is really keen to understand how customers are reacting to that or what are the projects that we are spending our time on because a customer needs our help with a specific part of the product and implementing that new feature or enhancement. So she's describing all of these sort of bumps in the road and very naturally I was able to be like, well, I've actually been thinking about

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (05:46.316)
this thing, what if we tried Sprintz? And I think she resonated with it pretty quickly because she was coming to me with sort of a problem that she was looking to solve and I had an idea for maybe something that we could try to do it. And we're pretty experimental and agile as a company. So also I should mention like another department, our marketing team had been working in Sprintz for quite some time.

this thing, what if we tried Sprintz? And I think she resonated with it pretty quickly because she was coming to me with sort of a problem that she was looking to solve and I had an idea for maybe something that we could try to do it. And we're pretty experimental and agile as a company. So also I should mention like another department, our marketing team had been working in Sprintz for quite some time.

I actually met with our creative director, our head of marketing, to talk about what she liked about it. Like what had the sprints done for her team? What had it done for the business, but what had it done for team morale? So let's dive into the template. I know you know we're sharing a generic template that's based on what you created. And so anybody listening or watching can go off of that. Can you walk us through how you used it?

I actually met with our creative director, our head of marketing, to talk about what she liked about it. Like what had the Sprint's done for her team? What had it done for the business, but what had it done for team morale?

Let's dive into the template. I know you know we're sharing a generic template that's based on what you created. so anybody listening or watching can go off of that. Can you walk us through how you used it?

Speaker 1 (06:41.226)
I will say that when I had this idea to do sprints the next question is always when you're trying to operationalize anything is what tool am I going to use and honestly I stopped myself from going down a massive rabbit hole of Where should this thing live?

I will say that when I had this idea to do sprints, the next question is always when you're trying to operationalize anything, is what tool am I going to use? And honestly, I stopped myself from going down a massive rabbit hole of where should this thing live, which I was sort of proud of myself because I think a couple of years ago, Steph would have been like, let me do a deep dive and compare every single project management platform that's out there.

which I was sort of proud of myself because I think a couple years ago, Steph would have been like, let me do a deep dive and compare every single project management platform that's out there. And even if our company, you can get for it or, you know, I didn't even ask if there's budget for it. I'm just going to start doing this.

even if our company is thinking for it or, you know, I didn't even ask if there's budget for it. I'm just going to start doing this. And what other features does this tool have and how could I make it the best that it could be? And there's always going to be a million tools. That wasn't what was important. It was like, how can we get this up and running pretty quickly and like low lift? And I also, you know, I mentioned change management earlier. Like I didn't want my team to think like, another thing to juggle in my day.

And what other features does this tool have and how could I make it the best that it could be?

Speaker 1 (07:24.43)
There's always going to be a million tools. That wasn't what was important. It was like, how can we get this up and running pretty quickly and like low lift. And I also, you know, I mentioned change management earlier. Like I didn't want my team to think like, another thing to juggle in my day.

That's the what's in it for me thing again. It needs to be easy. It needs to be seamless. It needs to be easy. It needs to be seamless. I think part of that is existing in their current workflow. Not another tool that they have to go to, which is something we preach at Guru all the time about our own platform. So just sort of walking that walk and talking that talk, I decided to create the sprints in Slack because Slack now has what they call lists. And so...

the what's in it for me thing again. It needs to be easy. It needs to be seamless.

needs to be easy, needs to be seamless. I think part of that is like existing in their current workflow, like not another tool that they have to go to, which is something we preach at Guru all the time about our own platform. So just sort of walking that walk and talking that talk, I decided to create the sprints in Slack because Slack now has what they call lists. so Slack lists is a basically a project management spreadsheet sort of format right within Slack and

Slack lists is basically a project management spreadsheet format right within Slack. Perfect. Yeah, it was perfect. We use Slack a ton. I was like, all right, better than maybe a Google Sheet, a little bit more dynamic and a little bit more fun because it's just right in Slack and there's cool little alerts you can set up and things that go off in a channel. Yeah. Slack, that's perfect. Your team is already there all the time.

Speaker 1 (08:16.79)
Yeah, it was perfect. We used Slack a ton. So, you know, I was like, all right, better than, you know, maybe a Google Sheet, a little bit more dynamic and a little bit more fun because it's just right in Slack and there's cool little alerts you can set up and things that like go off in a channel. So, yeah.

So Slack, that's perfect. Your team is already there all the time. And so you, did you sort of sketch this out on paper? Or did you like open up a private list in Slack and just play with it?

Did you sort of sketch this out on paper? Did you like open up a private list in Slack and just play with it? I opened up a private list in Slack and just started playing with it. I am I'm definitely a learn by doing and building type of person so I just went in and started like tinkering and playing around with it and It's pretty simple the format like it's it's really nothing fancy. I guess before I started building

I opened up a private list in Slack and just started playing with it. I am... I'm definitely a learn by doing and building type of person. So I just went in and started like tinkering and playing around with it. And it's pretty simple, the format. Like it's really nothing fancy. I guess before I started building, you know, I was taking the information, my experience with an Agile methodology course from like years back.

You know, I was taking the information, my experience with an Agile methodology course from like years back. Something had resonated with me about the methodology, but I definitely wasn't an expert, right? I took one course. So I actually used a Chaff GPT to help me brainstorm what are the key aspects of a sprint? What are the key aspects of a sprint process, right? An Agile process. You have your planning phase.

Speaker 1 (09:16.578)
Something had resonated with me about the methodology, but I definitely wasn't an expert, right? I took one course. So I actually used a Chaff GPT to help me brainstorm what are the key aspects of a sprint? What are the key aspects of a sprint process, right? An agile process. You have your planning phase. You have the creation of the actual items. For each item, is it like a small, medium or heavy lift, right?

You have the creation of the actual items. For each item, is it like a small, medium, or heavy lift, right? Applying some sort of like point system to items, assigning them out, executing on it, and then doing a retro. Those are more or less like the main key components of a sprint. And I use ChachieBT to remind me of those components and then sort of help me think through, well, we're a customer solutions team.

applying some sort of like point system to items, assigning them out, executing on it, and then doing a retro. Those are more or less like the main key components of a sprint. And I use ChatGBT to remind me of those components and then sort of help me think through, we're a customer solutions team. Here's a bit about the team and how could I maybe apply this framework to our model?

here's a bit about the team and how could I maybe apply this framework to our model. And that was just my brainstorming. That's the new world of gen AI, right? Like we have this ability to have a dialogue basically with ourselves, but also with the robot. But yeah, that was sort of how I just started to think through.

And that was just my brainstorming. That's the new world of Gen. AI, right? Like we have this ability to have a dialogue basically with ourselves, but also with a robot. But yeah, that was sort of how I just started to think through how we would apply a sprint to our team in real terms. It wasn't just like this idea floating anymore. I was starting to solidify it. And then from there,

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (10:33.783)
think through how we would apply a sprint to our team in real terms. It wasn't just like this idea floating anymore. I was starting to solidify it. And then from there, I started tinkering in Slack lists to see how I could build it out. So a couple of questions. One is,

I started tinkering in Slack lists to see how I could build it out.

So a couple questions. One is,

What were the units in this sprint? Were they customer education projects that you were about to take on or were they specific customer activities? Yeah, so we were looking to capture like any activity that we were doing with the customer, essentially. What it did turn into is the ability, and this is something that I definitely want to talk about so we can tee it up in whatever order, but the idea that, you know, once we started to document, okay, how am I spending my time with customers?

What were the units in this sprint? Were they customer education projects that you were about to take on or were they specific customer activities?

Speaker 1 (11:02.286)
Yeah, so we were looking to capture like any activity that we were doing with the customer, essentially. What it did turn into is the ability, and this is something that I definitely want to talk about so we can tee it up in whatever order. But the idea that, you know, once we started to document, okay, how am I spending my time with customers? What am I talking to them about?

What am I talking to them about? We knew that we were taking calls with customers. We knew that we were answering emails. We even have some shared Slack channels with customers. And we had data on the volume of things, but there was no actual context, like that qualitative context of what's happening on those calls. Like we can listen to a transcript. We can also look at like AI, like note takers, right? But as a person, as a human being,

We knew that we were taking calls with customers. We knew that we were answering emails. We even have some shared Slack channels with customers. And we had data on the volume of things, but there was no actual context, like that qualitative context of what's happening on those calls. Like we can listen to a transcript. We can also look at like AI, like note takers, right? But as a person, as a human being, like...

What am I working on with each customer and what are the trends that we're seeing? Right? Like where am I actually spending a majority of my time? Like we can look at all of that data, but there is just something different about me being like, hey, this week, like I only worked on like these three things and I have 70 customers that I'm responsible for. And so like, what are those things that are taking up our time? And then, then we can start to analyze that like is, is where we're spending our time.

What am I working on with each customer and what are the trends that we're seeing? Right? Like where am I actually spending a majority of my time? Like we can look at all of that data, but there is just something different about me being like, hey, this week, like I only worked on like these three things and I have 70 customers that I'm responsible for. And so like, what are those things that are taking up our time? And then, then we can start to analyze that like is, is where we're spending our time.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (12:18.509)
where we want to be spending our time? Is it best for the business to spend our time in these places? And once we started to do that gathering through the sprints, then we were able to really see that there were themes. And from those themes, that's when we started to say, let's start hosting workshops or like webinars with our customers where anyone can attend. It's not in person, it's online, but can we...

where we want to be spending our time? Is it best for the business to spend our time in these places? And once we started to do that gathering through the sprints, then we were able to really see that there were themes. And from those themes, that's when we started to say, let's start hosting workshops or like webinars with our customers where anyone can attend. It's not in person, it's online, but can we...

create that same sort of in-person experience now where we're educating customers on features online. And if we're going to do that, what are the top topics that everyone needs to know about right now based on the trends of the sprints that we were looking at? Right, so you were... Yeah, that does make sense. You were asking your team members to essentially log their time and keep a running list of what they did and then plug that into the

create that same sort of in-person experience now where we're educating customers on features online. And if we're going to do that, what are the top topics that everyone needs to know about right now based on the trends of the sprints that we were looking at?

Yeah, yeah, that does make sense. You were asking your team members to essentially log their time and keep a running list of what they did and then plug that into this sprint framework. Am I getting that right?

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (13:14.837)
Sprint framework? Am I getting that right? Sort of. So because it's a, like, you know, because we were using agile sprint sort of framework, there is a sprint planning process. So what we were doing was I was sort of challenging the team to think a bit proactively and strategically. We were finding ourselves in a very reactive space where our products had changed a lot. Customers were maybe.

Sort of. because it's an app like, you know, because we were using agile sprint sort of framework, there is a sprint planning process. So what we were doing was I was sort of challenging the team to think a bit proactively and strategically. We were finding ourselves in a very reactive space where our products had changed a lot. Customers were maybe.

curious about a feature and want to learn about it or running into like a pain point because they're not used to using a certain part of our product, we would get a lot of inbound requests from that. I was really challenging my team to take a step back from like that reactive motion and be a bit more proactive and say, when you look at your customer book and you know our product, right? And you know like what's coming out, what recently came out. You know your customers pretty well from like

curious about a feature and want to learn about it or running into like a pain point because they're not used to using a certain part of our product, we would get a lot of inbound requests from that. I was really challenging my team to take a step back from like that reactive motion and be a bit more proactive and say, when you look at your customer book and you know our product, right? And you know like what's coming out, what recently came out. You know your customers pretty well from like

year plus of working with them. What do you anticipate that you're going to be working on with your book this month? So that's like the sprint planning phase of like, where do I think I'm going to spend my time? And now we all know customer facing roles, you have to be flexible, right? So we're doing our, we're taking a moment to pause as a team and think.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (14:09.619)
year plus of working with them. What do you anticipate that you're going to be working on with your book this month? So that's like the sprint planning phase of like, where do I think I'm going to spend my time? And now we all know customer facing roles, you have to be flexible, right? So we're doing our, we're taking a moment to pause as a team and think.

How do I want to spend my time this month? What are the things I really want to get done? What am I committed to saying? I'm going to try to do this thing. Like at a very bare minimum, what am I going to say I'm going to try to complete? Because we know anything could happen, right? And we have to be able to be flexible and react to things that come up. But yeah, let's try that, right? Let's just like really try that. Let's sit down and have a planning session where we just try to be proactive and strategic about where we want to spend our time. And then...

How do I want to spend my time this month? What are the things I really want to get done? What am I committed to saying? I'm going to try to do this thing. Like at a very bare minimum, what am I going to say I'm going to try to complete? Because we know anything could happen, right? And we have to be able to be flexible and react to things that come up. But yeah, let's try that, right? Let's just like really try that. Let's sit down and have a planning session where we just try to be proactive and strategic about where we want to spend our time. And then...

As the month goes on, when things do come up, if it's something that you did spend a significant amount of time on, and that's arbitrary, it's up to each person to decide, right? We weren't over-operationalizing where we were like, if you spend, it wasn't meant to be log every activity. It was just meant to be, think about what you want to do. If something comes up and you actually spent a decent amount of time on it, let's get that added. And then we had a field for them to mark.

as the month goes on, when things do come up, if it's something that you did spend a significant amount of time on, and that's arbitrary, it's up to each person to decide, right? We weren't over-operationalizing where we were like, if you spend, it wasn't meant to be log every activity. It was just meant to be, think about what you want to do. If something comes up and you actually spent a decent amount of time on it, let's get that added. And then we had a field for them to mark.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (15:36.481)
the date that they added it so that it was reflected that it wasn't a part of their original plan, but it came up and they did spend time there. And then you could sort of justify based on the final list at the end of the month when we'd go through our retro, you could justify like if something didn't get done, it was pretty obvious why most of the time, right? And yeah, you're totally uncovering these things that people are spending time on that they didn't predict they would have to spend time on. Yeah, that's really interesting. Yeah.

the date that they added it so that it was reflected that it wasn't a part of their original plan, but it came up and they did spend time there. And then you could sort of justify based on the final list at the end of the month when we'd go through our retro, you could justify like if something didn't get done, it was pretty obvious why most of the time, right? And yeah.

you're totally uncovering these things that people are spending time on that they didn't predict they would have to spend time on. Yeah, that's really interesting. So you, and you did that by inviting them to this Slack list where they could add both their predictions and what they want to work on and then also add, on the 18th of the month, this came up and I need to add it because I'm spending significant time on it.

So you, and you did that by inviting them to this Slack list where they could add both their predictions and what they want to work on, and then also add, on the 18th of the month, this came up and I need to add it because I'm spending significant time on it. Did you find that went well? People were just like, I am here for it. I'm going to add things. Or were there like tweaks you made along the way? It worked pretty well. I would say that I definitely

Did you find that went well? People were just like, I am here for it. I'm going to add things. were there like tweaks you made along the way?

Speaker 1 (16:27.532)
It worked pretty well. would say that I definitely, like I said, I didn't want the team to think, another thing, another responsibility, another thing for me to jump, which is why I created it in Slack. So it was like right in their workflow. And then I also, I would run that meeting. So I would basically lead the team through like a brainstorming exercise to get them thinking, post questions. Some of the questions were the same every month. Some of the questions would be different depending on

Like I said, I didn't want the team to think, another thing, another responsibility, another thing for me to jump, which is why I created it in Slack. So was like right in their workflow. And then I also, I would run that meeting. So I would basically lead the team through like a brainstorming exercise to get them thinking, post questions. Some of the questions were the same every month. Some of the questions would be different depending on what was going on in the business.

what was going on in the business. And I was always consulting my director on like how I was actually running this process, right? Because again, I'm not the leader of our department and I didn't want to like, you know, step on toes and I wanted to also be like open to feedback, right? Like I wanted to learn and grow through the process. So I'd lead the team through that brainstorm and then we would sort of come back together and start to talk about like the tasks that we were thinking, right? The activities that we were thinking we were going to focus on and.

And I was always consulting my director on like how I was actually running this process, right? Because again, I'm not the leader of our department and I didn't want to like, you know, step on toes and I wanted to also be like open to feedback, right? Like I wanted to learn and grow through the process. So I'd the team through that brainstorm and then we would sort of come back together and start to talk about like the tasks that we were thinking, right? The activities that we were thinking we were going to focus on and.

It always sparked ideas too. Like if I was hearing my colleague, Matt, share that he was going to work on XYZ with one customer and then Shemekka was saying that she was going to work on something else with her customer, then I would be like, oh, that's a great idea. Like, do I have any customers who like might be interested in that? Or I hadn't thought of that. Like maybe I should carve out time for that thing. you know. Sounds like that meeting in itself was just incredibly valuable. For sure. I think, you know,

Speaker 1 (17:26.829)
It always sparked ideas too. Like if I was hearing my colleague, Matt, share that he was going to work on XYZ with one customer and then Shemekka was saying that she was going to work on something else with her customer, then I would be like, oh, that's a great idea. Like, do I have any customers who like might be interested in that? Or I hadn't thought of that. Like maybe I should carve out time for that thing or, you know.

That meeting in itself was just incredibly valuable.

For sure. you know, we have this habit of, I think everyone, you know, has this sort of habit of having meetings that, like, do they actually serve a purpose, right? Like, having a team meeting, just to say we have a team meeting, isn't super helpful, right? Like, what are we actually discussing during that team meeting? So the sprint planning meeting was really valuable, even if, you know, even if we stopped there and, didn't...

We have this habit of, I think everyone has this sort of habit of having meetings that, like, do they actually serve a purpose, right? Like having a team meeting, just to say we have a team meeting, isn't super helpful, right? Like, what are we actually discussing during that team meeting? So the sprint planning meeting was really valuable, even if we stopped there and didn't write.

write the items down and the sprint. was just like a good place, I think, for the team to air things out and relate to each other.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (18:23.661)
the items down at the sprint. was just like a good place, I think, for the team to air things out and relate to each other. And you did that monthly? We did that monthly. Yeah. That's great. Yeah. So you did that to kick off the month. And then did you do just sort of slack engagement about the process throughout the month? So when we first started the sprint process, we

And you did that monthly?

We did that monthly. Yeah, that's great.

Yeah. So you did that to kick off the month and then, did you do just sort of slack engagement about the process throughout the month?

So when we first started the sprint process, I asked for the team for feedback on stand-ups. Because stand-ups are a part of the agile framework, right? And part of my initial ideation, I was thinking to myself, daily stand-ups is definitely unnecessary for us. And again, I was conscious of...

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (18:52.343)
I asked for the team for feedback on standups because standups are a part of the agile framework, right? And, you know, part of my initial ideation, I was thinking to myself, daily standups is definitely unnecessary for us. And again, I was conscious of...

Not wanting to burn my team out with like any major changes. I wanted to make this as seamless as possible. So I knew right away a daily sprints was not going to fly for the team.

Not wanting to burn my team out with like any major changes. I wanted to make this as seamless as possible. So I knew right away a daily sprints was not going to fly for the team. So the daily standups are in agile just to make sure I understand kind of like showing up in a slack comment and saying, this is what I plan to work on today. Yeah. So standups can be either synchronous or asynchronous. there is a daily synchronous standup sounds like a lot.

The daily standups are in Agile, just to make sure I understand, of like showing up in a Slack comment and saying, this is what I plan to work on today.

Yeah, so standups can be either synchronous or asynchronous.

Speaker 2 (19:45.408)
A daily synchronous standup sounds like a lot.

Yeah, it can be. And that can be really popular for engineers. But the purpose of it is to say, is mostly like, I blocked on anything? So you'll come to the meeting and say, like, I can't move forward on this. Can someone help me out? And you're like getting that on everyone's radar and able to move past it. what cadence ended up working for your customer team? Yeah, so we decided instead of doing daily sprints or anything synchronous,

Yeah, it can be. And that can be really popular for engineers. But the purpose of it is to say, is mostly like, I blocked on anything? So you'll come to the meeting and say, like, I can't move forward on this. Can someone help me out? And you're like getting that on everyone's radar and able to move past it.

So what cadence ended up working for your customer team?

Yeah, so we decided instead of doing daily sprints or anything synchronous to have an asynchronous slack reminder, I think it was just once every two weeks. okay. Yeah.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (20:17.709)
to have an asynchronous Slack reminder, I think it was just once every two weeks. Oh, okay. Yeah. Like the middle of the month. how's it been going? You're halfway through. Exactly. Yep. Yeah, if I remember correctly, we might have set it up at first to be weekly, but... And then, no, never mind. Let's just do every two weeks. Yeah. I mean, you know, when you're working with more complex accounts, things are slower moving, so...

Like the middle of the month, how's it been going? You're halfway through.

Exactly. Yep. Yeah, if I remember correctly, we might have set it up at first to be weekly, but...

And then, no, never mind, let's just do every two weeks.

Yeah, I mean, you know, when you're working with more complex accounts, things are slower moving. So is it really necessary to ask the team to provide updates or, you know, to flag how things are going once a week during a four week sprint? Because we were doing our sprints monthly as well, which is worth mentioning.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (20:46.569)
Is it really necessary to ask the team to provide updates or to flag how things are going once a week during a four-week sprint? Because we were doing our sprints monthly as well, which is worth mentioning. A meeting at the end of the month that was both a wrap-up and the set-up for the next month or two separate meetings for that? We kept that separate. So we kept the sprint retro separate than the planning session. And that was one, to not make a meeting too long.

meeting at the end of the month that was both a wrap-up and the set-up for the next month or two separate meetings for that.

We kept that separate. So we kept the sprint retro separate than the planning session. And that was one, to not make a meeting too long, but also to have those exist sort of as separate ways to use your brain. Or at least that's the way I thought about it. More often than not, our retros were more so about like, what should we start, stop, or continue doing as a team, right? Like what do you

but also to have those exist sort of as separate ways to use your brain. Or at least that's the way I thought about it. More often than not, our retros were more so about like, what should we start, stop, or continue doing as a team, right? Like what process do we want to start, stop, or continue doing? Like doing something in general, like what about that is causing friction? So one of the things that came up that we should stop doing is,

process do we want to start stop or continue doing like doing general like what about that is causing friction so one of the things that came up that we should stop doing is Like the monthly slack or the weekly slack reminders was alright The team's like yeah, we can maybe stop that great So we were able to take that feedback about the sprint process of what we wanted to start stop and continue and then also like as a team based on what we're working on now that we actually have the visibility to see what are we working on

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (21:45.601)
the monthly Slack or the weekly Slack reminders was the word. The team's like, eh, we can maybe stop that. Great. So we were able to take that feedback about the sprint process of what we wanted to start, stop and continue. And then also like as a team, based on what we're working on now that we actually have the visibility to see what are we working on, what should we start, stop or continue doing in our job, in our day to day and with customers. That's fantastic. I love that.

What should we start, stop, or continue doing in our job, in our day-to-day, and with customers?

That's fantastic. I love that. It sounds like you use that sprint process then to iterate on processes in ways that you hadn't been before you were using sprints. Almost like an after action report.

It sounds like you used that sprint process then to iterate on processes in ways that you hadn't been before you were using sprints. Almost like an after action report. Totally. And one of the really cool things that we saw was, I mentioned we were releasing a lot of new, brand new features, brand new parts of our product, or enhancements to features that folks already loved, but now it was totally leveled up and got a makeover, right? And so like...

Totally. And one of the really cool things that we saw was, I mentioned we were releasing a lot of new, brand new features, brand new parts of our product, or like enhancements to features that folks already loved, but now it was totally leveled up and got a makeover, right? And so like, we wanted to educate customers about those things and the workshops were a really cool way to do that. Once we started to do these workshops, we were actually able to track.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (22:42.465)
We wanted to educate customers about those things and the workshops were a really cool way to do that. Once we started to do these workshops, we were actually able to track. So let's say we have a workshop on a specific part of our product. We were actually able to track the adoption of that feature post-workshop. And we saw just like a hockey stick, right? Like that positive upswing that you want to see.

So let's say we have a workshop on a specific part of our product. We were actually able to track the adoption of that feature post-workshop. And we saw just like a hockey stick, right? Like that positive upswing that you want to see. And this was for not just like new features that we released, but also for any feature that we did a workshop on, we saw engagement climb after that workshop.

And this was for not just like new features that we released but also for any feature that we did a workshop on we saw engagement climb After that workshop and we did the due diligence to look where their other email marketing that went out was there like was there another reason for it and we were able to say founding factors We were able to safely correlate that the adoption was because of the workshops and so

And we did the due diligence to look for their other email marketing that went out. there another reason for it? we were able to safely correlate that the adoption was because of the workshops. so everyone was thrilled with that. We were thrilled because we really felt like we were getting time back in our day. Instead of having to meet with six different customers and talk about the same thing, now we have the scalable option where

Everyone was thrilled with that. We were thrilled because we really felt like we were getting time back in our day. Instead of having to meet with six different customers and talk about the same thing, now we have this scalable option where I get on and I plan a workshop and 150 customers come and they learn about it and then they're actually using it. It was really validating. But then product leadership was really excited about it. Our C-suite was really excited about it. so everyone was just really...

Speaker 1 (23:48.81)
I get on and I plan a workshop and 150 customers come and they learn about it and then they're actually using it. It was really validating. But then product leadership was really excited about it. Our C-suite was really excited about it. so I was almost just really, really, really thrilled about the success of the workshops. And yeah, I really don't think that we would have been able to lean into that as much if we hadn't done...

really, really thrilled about the success of the workshops. And yeah, I really don't think that we would have been able to lean into that as much if we hadn't done the exercise of sprints to at least reflect on what we were spending our time on to identify those trends. I really felt like that was key. And just curious, were those workshops invitation only for high value, high revenue accounts? Like, is there replacing one-on-one meetings?

the exercise of sprints to at least reflect on what we were spending our time on to identify those trends. I really felt like that was key.

And just curious, were those workshops invitation only for high value, high revenue accounts? Like, is there RIPs leasing one-on-one meetings?

Yeah, the really interesting thing about this was we could still have one-on-one meetings with customers, but we were trying to have them attend the workshop instead, or at least as almost like a pre-watch to a more strategic conversation. So they weren't meant to replace those one-on-one calls completely, but they were meant to complement them and also allow us to have our one-on-one calls be a lot more strategic.

Speaker 1 (24:35.906)
Yeah, the really interesting thing about this was we could still have one-on-one meetings with customers, but we were trying to have them attend the workshop instead, or at least as almost like a pre-watch to a more strategic conversation. So they weren't meant to replace those one-on-one calls completely, but they were meant to complement them and also allow us to have our one-on-one calls be a lot more strategic.

because they already had the basic understanding of what the feature was and why it mattered to them. And now we could just get to building together in a one-on-one call. Brilliant. Yeah, because you probably felt like you were repeating yourself a lot on these one-on-one calls with folks who didn't know about these basic things. Totally. we were like... Oh, It just... Yeah, it felt like we were a broken record sometimes or like a cog in the wheel. And it's like...

because they already had the basic understanding of what the feature was and why it mattered to them. And now we could just get to building together in a one-on-one call.

Brilliant. Yeah, because you probably felt like you were repeating yourself a lot on these one-on-one calls with folks who didn't know about these basic things.

Totally. we were like... Oh yeah. it just... Yeah, it felt like, you know, we were a broken record sometimes or, you know, like a cog in the wheel. And it's like, everyone has their own genius. And so like, how do we allow our team to lean into what we're really good at and give us some time back in our day to day to just spend it where it matters? And so workshops also allowed that, which, you know, helped the team morale, I think too.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (25:31.167)
Everyone has their own ingenious. And so like, how do we allow our team to lean into what we're really good at and give us some time back in our day to day to just spend it where it matters? And so workshops also allowed that, which helped the team morale, I think too. Our workshops were published. We had an event landing page that was published on our website. So it wasn't invitation only.

Our workshops were published. We had an event landing page that was published on our website. So it wasn't invitation only. Any customer could attend and it was really accessible to see what workshops were coming up right within our platform.

Any customer could attend and it was really accessible to see like what workshops were coming up right within our platform. And so then you as a CSM probably push that to your customers specifically, even though they were public and not imitation only, you were sort of like, well, you know, we can save a meeting here. Exactly. Wouldn't you love to come to this workshop? Exactly. So I could say, you know, we're actually having a workshop on that in a couple of weeks, like register here.

And so then you as a CSM probably push that to your customers specifically, even though they were public and not imitation only, you were sort of like, well, you know, we can save a meeting here. You love to come to this workshop.

Exactly.

Speaker 1 (26:19.182)
Exactly. So I could say, you know, we're actually having a workshop on that in a couple of weeks, like register here. So we did a lot of that, but they could also self-serve that and see that in our platform. And then the really cool thing is like now we have this library of recordings. And so we're still reaping the benefits of a workshop from November or December today. And we can continue use that for months, which is huge.

So we did a lot of that, but they could also self-serve that and see that in our platform. And then the really cool thing is like now we have this library of recordings. And so we're still reaping the benefits of a workshop from November or December today, and we can continue to that for months, which is huge. Yeah, you just send them that link and they can watch on their own time. I love it. Yeah, so can you walk me through this template?

Yeah, you just send them that link and, and they can watch on their own time. love it. Yeah. So can you walk me through this template that you shared? It looks like to me, the main components are the task itself, the category it's in the assignee, the person who is either adding it or who owns it, the sprint month and the size. and the status. Did I get those kind of like, is that the bones?

that you shared, it looks like to me the main components are the task itself, the category it's in, the assignee, the person who is either adding it or who owns it, the sprint month and the size. and the status. Did I get those kind of like, is that the bones? That's right. Yeah. Yeah. So the,

That's right.

Speaker 2 (27:16.846)
Yeah. Yeah. the, is this something, is this a document that you're opening during that monthly meeting and populating together while you, while you look at it?

Is this something, is this a document that you're opening during that monthly meeting and populating together while you look at it? Totally. So I would typically take the lead on, especially in the beginning while I was getting the team used to a new thing. I would populate it based on the planning session that we had. As the team got more comfortable and I got more buy-in from them and honestly like,

Totally. So I would typically take the lead on, especially in the beginning, while I was getting the team used to a new thing. I would populate it based on the planning session that we had. As the team got more comfortable and I got more buy-in from them, and honestly, like, you know, built some trust around why this would be really helpful if they were able to lean into it, I was able to get my team...

You know, build some trust around why this would be really helpful if they were able to lean into it. I was able to get my team, before our planning session to actually come into this template and fill in, you know, sort of brain dump their ideas for the month, the upcoming month. Okay, great. And so then you, you talk that through and everyone has access to it. So throughout the month, they can add, like you were saying, anything that comes up that, that they didn't predict.

before our planning session to actually come into this template and fill in, know, sort of brain dump their ideas for the month, the upcoming month.

Speaker 2 (28:06.062)
Okay, great. And so then you talk that through and everyone has access to it. So throughout the month they can add, like you were saying, anything that comes up that they didn't predict to this time. yeah, I imagine you would filter by whatever, what were some of the views that were most useful? Let me put it that way. Filtering by category or by month.

to this template. yeah, I imagine you would filter by whatever, what were some of the views that were most useful? Let me put it that way. Filtering by category or by month. So in the beginning, we would just filter by month so that you only were seeing that month's items. And maybe once we got to month two or three of doing this process,

So in the beginning, we would just filter by month so that you only were seeing that month's items. And maybe once we got to month two or three of doing this process, my director decided to add a category field because she wanted to be able to report out these trends or these buckets of what types of activities are we spending our most time on, right? So like an implementation versus...

my director decided to add a category field because she wanted to be able to report out these trends or these buckets of what types of activities are we spending our most time on, right? So like an implementation versus walking a customer through early access of a feature before it's released with one of our product managers or planning a workshop. Maybe there's a renewal that's really challenging that we're partnering with the sales team on and we're spending a lot of time

walking a customer through early access of a feature before it's released with one of our product managers or planning a workshop. Maybe there's a renewal that's really challenging that we're partnering with the sales team on and we're spending a lot of time building a business case for renewal with the customer, right? So my director created these categories to basically be able to label things and have those trends and insights. So we added that in.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (29:15.895)
building a business case for renewal with the customer, right? So my director created these categories to basically be able to label things and have those trends and insights. So we added that in. The other thing that I'll mention is status is sort of optional. So I felt like it was really important with my team to have a box that said, did it get done? Yes or no? Because I wanted to be able to check off.

The other thing that I'll mention is status is sort of optional. So I felt like it was really important with my team to have a box that said, did it get done? Yes or no. Because I wanted to be able to check off, did we complete it? Yes or no. And I didn't really care as much about the current status. And the reason for that, I think in the world of CS especially is, again, I did not want my team to feel like this was.

Did we complete it? Yes or no. And I didn't really care as much about the current status. And the reason for that, I think in the world of CS especially is, again, I did not want my team to feel like this was a tracker that they on a daily basis had to come in and update. I didn't want that burden for them. I think things generally with some of our more complex enterprise level accounts do take some time to complete. So...

a tracker that they on a daily basis had to come in and update. I didn't want that burden for them. I think things generally with some of our more complex enterprise level accounts do take some time to complete. So the status could be in progress for like two months sometimes on some of these items. So just giving them the ability to use a status if they wanted it, but making it completely optional. So someone wanted to use this as like a project.

the status could be in progress for like two months sometimes on some of these items, right? So just giving them the ability to use a status if they wanted it, but making it completely optional. So someone wanted to use this as like a project planner and a tracker. They have a status they could say, not started, in progress, on hold or completed, but there was no expectation for them to actually engage with that field. So I thought that that was really important.

Speaker 1 (30:25.294)
planner and a tracker, they have a status they could say, not started, in progress, on hold or completed. But there was no expectation for them to actually engage with that field. So I thought that that was really important.

that is important that it lightens that load so it's not a big complex process. And two, it sounds like you didn't keep track of hours spent on each. It sounds like it's the size of the task that was primarily what was used to export and say this is how much time we're spending on things. Totally. was definitely more so, you know, as a team we decided what we felt was a small, medium or large project.

that is important that it lightens that load so it's not a big complex process. And two, it sounds like you didn't keep track of hours spent on each. It sounds like it's the size of the task that was primarily what was used to export and say this is how much time we're spending on things.

Totally. was definitely more so, you know, as a team we decided what we felt was a small, medium or large project or task. So we just defined what small, medium or large qualified for each of those buckets essentially. And, you know, in Agile sprints there's usually some sort of point system that engineers teams use for their tickets and for their...

or task. So we just defined what small, medium, or large, what qualified for each of those buckets essentially. you know, in Agile Sprints, there's usually some sort of point system that engineers teams use for their tickets and for their, yeah, for their tickets. Yeah, so engineering teams usually use like a point system for their tickets, but we decided to just use

Speaker 1 (31:27.042)
Yeah, for their tickets. so engineering teams usually use like a point system for their tickets, but we decided to just use, we think it's a small, medium or large item. Small items were something that you can get done in less than an hour. I think we decided mediums were, you know, a few hours of your time. Large is like more than a week and then extra large is like a multi-week initiative. So yeah, that was just sort of how we broke it down. We didn't want it to be something that we

We think it's a small, medium or large item. Small items were something that you can get done in less than an hour. I think we decided mediums were a few hours of your time. Large is more than a week, and then extra large is a multi-week initiative. So yeah, that was just how we broke it down. We didn't want it to be something that we got too hung up on, but just something like a gut feeling. And that's typically what happens in a sprint planning session is...

got too hung up on, but just something like a gut feeling, right? And that's typically what happens in a sprint planning session is you decide as a group, what's your gut feeling about like the lift that it's gonna take to accomplish this.

you decide as a group what's your gut feeling about the lift that it's going to take to accomplish this. But actually, backing up a second, how did the webinars come out of this sprint process exactly? Were you looking at the sprint and going, gosh, we spend a lot of time one-on-one with customers, and then brainstorming how to fix that? Is that how that happened? Yeah. So once we started,

Actually, backing up a second, how did the webinars come out of this sprint process? like you just looked at the, were you looking at the sprint and going, gosh, we spend a lot of time one-on-one with customers and then brainstorming how to fix that? Is that how that happened?

Speaker 1 (32:29.644)
Yeah, so once we started documenting the activities and the types of conversations that we were having with customers, we started to realize that we were talking about a lot of the same things over and over.

documenting the activities and the types of conversations that we were having with customers, we started to realize that we were talking about a lot of the same things over and over. To a lot of customers of different revenue levels. So the same amount of time with really large customers and really small customers. Exactly. And I was only, you know, our CS team that I'm talking about, we were only responsible for a certain threshold of revenue.

to a lot of customers of different revenue levels. So the same amount of time with really large customers and really small customers.

Exactly. I was only, you know, our CS team that I'm talking about, we were only responsible for a certain threshold of revenue. And so there's also this whole other cohort of customers that don't have a dedicated person, but are still probably thinking and struggling and wondering the same things. And maybe some of that sentiment was captured by them submitting a case or a ticket.

And so there's also this whole other cohort of customers that don't have a dedicated person, but are still probably thinking and struggling and wondering the same things. And maybe some of that sentiment was captured by them submitting a case or a ticket, but they weren't really having as many of those one-on-one calls as we were. And so I think we were able to identify like, well, or ask ourselves, right, well, if my customer is struggling with this and I have...

Speaker 1 (33:17.112)
but they weren't really having as many of those one-on-one calls as we were. And so I think we were able to identify like, well, or ask ourselves, right? Well, if my customer is struggling with this and I have 10 customers that are struggling with this and, wait, you also have 10 customers that are struggling with this. What other customers do we not know about that aren't speaking up that maybe don't have, you know, a direct person that they can go to and say, hey, I'm struggling with this?

10 customers that are struggling with this. And, wait, you also have 10 customers that are struggling with this. What other customers do we not know about that aren't speaking up, that maybe don't have a direct person that they can go to and say, hey, I'm struggling with this? yeah. So you, working one-on-one with these customers, you identified their pain points, which people might say tech touch customers or customers who are not working one-on-one.

yeah, so you working one-on-one with these customers, you identified their pain points, which people might say tech touch customers or customers who are not working one-on-one must obviously be having those same problems, which is where your role as customer success becomes research about the whole customer body.

must obviously be having those same problems, which is where your role as customer success becomes research about the whole customer body. Totally. Yes. I think once we, even going back to when we were doing like the in-person. that's more meetups. It wasn't just the high touch, the high touch or enterprise, whatever you want to call it, customers that were invited. Everyone was invited.

Totally. Yes. think once we... Even going back to when we were doing the in-person... It wasn't just the high touch, the high touch or enterprise, whatever you want to call it, customers that were invited. Everyone was invited. So we did see a really wide range of customers who were really engaged but also didn't know about some of the features that we really wanted them to know about, we really wanted them to use. And so...

Speaker 2 (34:15.494)
That's for meetups.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (34:24.129)
So we did see like a really wide range of customers who were really engaged, but also didn't know about some of the features that we really wanted them to know about, we really wanted them to use. And so when we started doing the sprints, my team was only focused on a certain subset of customers, but we had this hunch like, huh, if we're seeing this, what about the tech touch customers? What about that more scalable side, right? This could affect our entire customer base.

When we started doing the sprints, my team was only focused on a certain subset of customers, but we had this hunch like, huh, if we're seeing this, what about the tech touch customers? What about that more scalable side, right? This could affect our entire customer base. We're seeing this and we have this hypothesis just from the customers that we're interacting with. And so how can we problem solve and impact all of our customers, no matter the size?

we're seeing this and we have this hypothesis just from the customers that we're interacting with. And so how can we problem solve and impact all of our customers, no matter the size? And separate from customers too, it sounds like your team got a lot out of this. I'm getting this picture of a team meeting up and collaborating about their siloed work more than they had in the past. That must have felt good. It must just be like a felt win.

And separate from customers too, it sounds like your team got a lot out of this. I'm getting this picture of a team meeting up and collaborating about their siloed work more than they had in the past. That must have felt good. It must just be like a felt win.

It was a great win. think the team, yeah, we had the opportunity to like connect more and share more about what we were working on in a really like productive way, right? We could talk about what we were working on. We could share ideas with each other and then we could actually take action on those ideas. Like that really feels like the most rewarding thing. Not quantifiable, but really important.

Speaker 1 (35:21.134)
It was a great win. think the team, yeah, we had the opportunity to like connect more and share more about what we were working on in a really like productive way, right? We could talk about what we were working on. We could share ideas with each other and then we could actually take action on those ideas. Like that really feels like the most rewarding thing.

Not quantifiable, but really important.

Totally. And then like the bonus for sure out of like all of that feel good stuff for my own team was like the impact on the customers, right? And like that's why we're in these roles, right? We want to impact our customers. And so it was just really cool to see that we identified trends. We experimented with new ways to touch customers and meet them where they were at through workshops, through help center articles, through just like other sort of self-service one to many offerings.

Totally. And then like the bonus for sure out of like all of that feel good stuff for my own team was like the impact on the customers, right? And like that's why we're in these roles, right? We want to impact our customers. And so it was just really cool to see that we identified trends. We experimented with new ways to touch customers and meet them where they were at through workshops, through help center articles, through just like other sort of self-service one to many offerings.

which we're still continuing to evolve to this day. But seeing our customers adoption increase as we started to layer in these different self-service scalable activities from the work that we had done in the sprints to analyze that was just great for the business and great for everyone involved, honestly. So satisfying. Those customer engagement numbers when they go up, it's just like a party. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:18.594)
which we're still continuing to evolve to this day. But seeing our customers adoption increase as we started to layer in these different self-service scalable activities from the work that we had done in the sprints to analyze that was just great for the business and great for everyone involved, honestly.

So satisfying those customer engagement numbers when they go up. It's just.

party. Yeah.

Yeah, that's great. That's fantastic. I love this. I think it's going to be really useful to customer success, customer support, just any CX team that wants to get closer to each other's work and identify ways to improve. You didn't know before you started the sprint process that webinars were going to be a solution that came out of it.

That's great. That's fantastic. I love this. think it's going to be really useful to customer success, customer support, just any CX team that wants to get closer to each other's work and identify ways to improve. You didn't know before you started the sprint process that webinars were going to be a solution that came out of it. Right. Exactly. I think if we just take a pause and really like

Speaker 1 (37:08.654)
Right, exactly. I think if we just take a pause, and really like take a step back and reflect like how we're spending our time, we can remove ourselves from the hamster wheel, which is something that I think we get really caught in as customer-facing folks, right? Like we are customer needs and thing, we're on it. And that's always going to be the case and that's never going to stop.

take a step back and reflect how we're spending our time, we can remove ourselves from the hamster wheel, which is something that I think we get really caught in as customer-facing folks, right? Like we are customer needs and thing, we're on it. And that's always going to be the case and that's never going to stop. But how can we actually take a pause and be a bit more strategic and identify ways to make the customer experience better and ways to...

But how can we actually like take a pause and be a bit more strategic and identify ways to make the customer experience better and ways to reduce burnout and feel good as a customer solutions.

reduce burnout and feel good as a customer solutions. Your team is lucky to have you. I love it. And we are lucky to have the process that you developed. I can't wait to share the template and everything. So thank you so much for being here. All right. Let's recap quickly. Steph took us through how she brought Agile Sprints into CX to create more focus, efficiency and impact. So step one.

Your team is lucky to have you. I love it. And we are lucky to have the process that you developed. I can't wait to share the template and everything. So thank you so much for being here. All right. Let's recap quickly. Steph took us through how she brought Agile Sprints into CX to create more focus, efficiency, and impact. step one, be passionately curious. Now, full disclosure, I added this step.

Live Chat Episode 6   2nd Draft - Video (38:12.811)
Be passionately curious. Now, full disclosure, I added this step because I just observed that Steph was exploring ideas outside of her role, which helped her connect the dots between a common CX challenge and a solution from an unexpected place. Step two, pitch the idea at the right time. When leadership raises concerns, if you already have a solution in mind,

because I just observed that Steph was exploring ideas outside of her role, which helped her connect the dots between a common CX challenge and a solution from an unexpected place. Step two, pitch the idea at the right time. When leadership raises concerns, if you already have a solution in mind, you can frame it in a way that naturally aligns with your team's goals. Step three,

you can frame it in a way that naturally aligns with your team's goals. three, draft the why and the how. Steph clearly defined the purpose of sprints, setting expectations for how they'd create more focus and reduce inefficiencies. Step four, adapt the sprint framework for CX. Instead of following a rigid engineering approach, Steph structured sprints around customer education,

Draft the why and the how. Steph clearly defined the purpose of sprints, setting expectations for how they'd create more focus and reduce inefficiencies. Step four, adapt the sprint framework for CX. Instead of following a rigid engineering approach, Steph structured sprints around customer education, feature adoption, and reducing redundant one-on-one meetings.

feature adoption, and reducing redundant one-on-one meetings. This allowed the team to focus on proactive, high-impact work instead of reacting to the same questions repeatedly. Step five, share and get buy-in. She published the framework internally and introduced it in a way that made it easy for the team to engage. Instead of over-engineering, step six, trial and iterate.

Speaker 2 (39:15.618)
This allowed the team to focus on proactive, high-impact work instead of reacting to the same questions repeatedly. Step five, share and get buy-in. She published the framework internally and introduced it in a way that made it easy for the team to engage. Instead of over-engineering, step six, trial and iterate. She kicked off a trial sprint, gathered feedback, and made improvements along the way.

She kicked off a trial sprint, gathered feedback, and made improvements along the way. The result was a structured, scalable way to align CX efforts that Stephanie's whole team is still using. If you want to make your support or success team more proactive, try Steph's idea, take a page from her playbook, and start experimenting. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time on Live Chat with Jen Weaver.

The result was a structured, scalable way to align CX efforts that Stephanie's whole team is still using. If you want to make your support or success team more proactive, try Steph's idea, take a page from her playbook, and start experimenting. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time on Live Chat with Jen Weaver.