Some of the folks reading this post have been in support and in the Support Driven community for a long time. Others might be newer to the community and to support, and more still may be just now discovering support as a potential career choice.
This is an amazingly useful mindset. Once we learn something, it's easy to take that knowledge for granted, or to forget what it was like to be starting out. Embracing beginner's mind is important in support and in many facets of life; it helps us see things with fresh eyes and reminds us to help others learn and grow.
I'm excited that this year's Expo will create space for growth across the spectrum of roles in support: directors, managers, front-line agents, and those who are in the beginning stages of their support careers.
But what I'm possibly most excited about is that Expo will include a career fair and sessions for attendees who may be thinking about their very first support job. The beginning days of a new career can be thrilling and full of questions. For those new to support, you are in for a treat in the welcoming arms of the Support Driven community. This is one of the best groups of people I've come across to share knowledge, ask for advice, and feel among friends and peers.
Haven't gotten your Expo ticket yet? Get it now!
Whether your company has a few remote employees scattered across multiple teams, or whole teams that work remotely while others are based in a central office, having a mix of in-house and remote employees can be a challenge when it comes to creating a sense of unity and a company culture that everyone feels engaged in. While one option is to geographically bridge the gap by bringing everyone together periodically for retreats or team-building activities, this solution isn't realistic for all companies, and doesn't have the same effect as measures that influence the everyday work lives of all employees.
Enter technology! No, you don't have to buy a telepresence robot for everyone who works remotely 🙂 In fact, you likely don't need to buy anything at all! It's all about analyzing your habits and using what you've got — email, messaging apps, project management platforms, webcams — to cultivate a variety of well-defined avenues for interaction that allow both spontaneity and structure to thrive between all members of the community.
Too often on mixed teams, culture is seen as inherently existing in the office. Learn how to leverage technology to open up the key communication channels (remote <-> in-house and remote <-> remote) to ensure that your company culture isn't just engaged in, but also *created* by the entire community!
The Technician: We've chosen a career that requires quite a bit of intellectual agility to work with different technology, both internal and external. Knowing where and how to find answers is more important than knowing the actual answer. Knowing the ins and outs of the product is a must. Lack of technical know how will impede creativity in developing your Chat Track.
Successful knowledge management relies on your information being reliable and up to date. Support teams are constantly asking: Is this the most relevant information? How would I know if it's been updated? How do I get to what I need? Whatever your existing tool is, you can improve the knowledge you have and the processes you employ to create it. A konmari-style decluttering session and tools to keep your knowledge fresh will change the way your team works.