What your support model says about your growth potential - and how to improve it structurally
by Cynthia Mak Msc.
Many support models do not grow with the ambitions of the organization. Scaling your support organization often proves difficult in practice: what was once efficient becomes fragmented as teams, customers and countries grow. Departments work alongside each other, responsibilities are unclear and customer questions are mainly handled reactively.
COOs are finding that the support department is consuming more and more of their time, while the impact on customer satisfaction and growth is disappointing. What’s missing is a clear strategy for customer contact that ties into the bigger picture of scalability and service – in short, how to get your support organization can scale up in a way that works.
Imagine having a support organization where everything is right. In which your team knows exactly what to do, customers are served without fuss, and you as COO no longer have to resolve any loose ends. Your customer contact is scalable, strategic and predictable – and actively contributes to your growth goals. No more frustration, but peace of mind, direction and results.
Scaling your support organization successfully
Many organizations struggle with the scalability of their support function. But what does it look like when it does? In this article, I take you through the approach of LOGEX – a fast-growing scale-up that successfully scaled its support organization to be ready for international expansion. What they did can help you too.
1. Put customer contact on the strategic agenda.
Support is more than an executive function; it is an essential link in your growth strategy. For many COOs, the challenge lies in scaling up the support organization without losing grip. When you approach customer contact as a strategic domain, it gets the place it deserves in boardroom conversations and in your roadmap.
At LOGEX, customer contact was explicitly assigned to the Chief Customer Officer, who was directly attached to the MT. This allowed support to move structurally with the company goals and became an active building block in international expansion.
2. Design a support model that does scale.
A thoughtful customer contact strategy is essential when scaling your support organization. A support structure that works for 10 customers may bog down at a thousand. Redesign your model with scalability in mind: clear roles, streamlined processes and an infrastructure that can handle growth without sacrificing quality.
LOGEX noticed that the existing model was primarily focused on incident management. Designing a new framework that strategically clustered customer requests and redistributed ownership created room for proactive customer service.
3. Break down silos between teams.
Customer problems rarely stop at customer service. Connection between support, product, IT and customer success is essential for structural improvement. No more separate tickets, but integrated customer solutions.
Multi-disciplinary cooperation was chosen at LOGEX. Support staff regularly sat around the table with development and product owners, ensuring that recurring issues were not only resolved, but addressed at the core.
4. Build a team with ownership.
A scalable model requires people who take responsibility, think with you and dare to make decisions. Invest in workplace leadership so that your support team not only executes but also provides direction.
LOGEX focused heavily on team development. Support staff were given clear roles, opportunities for growth and were involved in strategic choices. This led to more motivation, less turnover and better customer interaction.
5. Get a specialist in as an accelerator.
Sometimes you are too deeply embedded in your own structure to see clearly where the friction lies. A fresh view from outside helps to break through patterns and make targeted choices that produce immediate results.
LOGEX discovered that scaling up their support organization only worked when there was first peace and structure. LOGEX partnered with The Caring Company to redesign their support model. The external guidance provided speed, focus and support – and aligned the MT on the role of customer contact in growth.
Hi, I'm Cynthia
I understand what you’re up against. You feel that things can be better – that support doesn’t just have to be behind the times, but can play a strategic role in your growth. Only: where do you start? What do you need to change, and what do you leave right?
That’s exactly what I help with. As an award-winning Manager of the Year (CCMA, 2021) and initiator of National Customer Contact Week, I live 100% customer contact. Through Ziptone and as a consultant, I help organizations future-proof their customer contact strategies – with structure, peace of mind and results.
I know what works. And I know it can work for you, too.
Would you like to discover how I can help you?
The concrete impact of our collaboration
Structural peace of mind in your support organization
Through a clear analysis of your current model, a scalable restructuring, and coaching on team role and ownership, you'll bring overview and peace back into your operation.
Customer contact that truly contributes to growth
You will make support a growth accelerator by strategically positioning customer contact, connecting teams across departments, and reducing customer questions to valuable insights.
Fast results thanks to knowledge and expertise
With my proven approach, to-the-point guidance and direct involvement at C-level, we quickly make the right choices without endless processes.
Testimonials
How it works
Step 1: Book your introduction
Book your free strategy call, where we can get acquainted. We'll discuss what you're up against and I'll give you concrete advice that will help you move forward.
Step 2: I provide a plan, you provide the decision
You don't have to figure it all out yourself. I quickly map out what's going on, translate that into a concrete and feasible plan, and guide you step by step to a customer contact organization that does scale.
Step 3: Enjoy peace, direction and a team that just mixes it up
No more noise. No endless discussions about who picks up what. You have an overview, clear processes and a support team that shows ownership and does what's needed - without you having to chase everything down. Customers feel heard, your team knows what it stands for, and you can get back to building for the future with the confidence that the foundations are solid.
Here's what you get
- Thorough analysis of your current support structure
- Strategic advice tailored to your growth goals
- Concrete plan of action with clear priorities
- Guidance on internal alignment and decision-making
- Redesign of roles, responsibilities and processes
- Coaching of executives within the support team
- Breaking silos between support, product and IT
- Implementation guidance where needed (no loose ends)
- Access to proven models and frameworks
- Direct and personal supervision by Cynthia - no transfer to juniors