The latest Support Driven Leadership Summit occurred in Oakland from 14-15 November and sparked creative participation amongst professionals in the Customer Service and Customer Experience (CS/CX) industry. Over the years the Support Driven community has become a primary engagement platform for CX senior leaders or group heads. This year’s panelists brought a humanistic approach to the continuing discussion.
Some of the highlights
Cynthya Ng from Gitlab talked about the importance of having a Chief of Staff, especially when you want to focus on strategic work and improve productivity. Businesses often have specific tasks that need to be done, but they don’t quite fit into existing roles. This is where a Chief of Staff comes in handy. She explained the multiple benefits this role can bring to a team, such as managing communications and task prioritization.
In his panel, Nick Cannariato, Co-founder of Yetto, taught us how to create metrics with purpose. He recommends starting with objectives that focus on your realities and your core needs, hiding leaderboards, and prioritizing meaningful metrics.
Reagan Helms, Director of Customer Experience at Planning Center, spoke about the common misconceptions of leadership. He explained that it is a myth that leaders are not coaches or that they don’t always know everything, but suggested that they should rather put away the fear of being wrong and trust their teams more.
The topic of balancing parenthood and the workspace was led by Erica Seamster, Managing Director at Giphy, who focused on navigating boundaries and advocacy. During her presentation, she emphasized the importance of recognizing and addressing the challenges parents face in the workplace and implementing a parent-focused strategy that includes parental policies and flexibility.
It was Kincy Clark from OneStudy.ai who brought into focus the incredible pressure CFOs and CX managers find themselves in when budgets are slashed. It’s important to note that there is still a perception from businesses that if they outsource they engage with a “cost center”, but Clark offers a more humanistic perspective by suggesting that customer centricity holds various value drivers for support teams.
This year we had the honor of hosting two discussion panels along with a series of sound bath meditation sessions. The topics discussed were Unleashing Human Potential in AI Support, moderated by Boldr’s CEO, David Sudolsky, and Kodif’s CEO, Chyngyz Dzhumanazarov, as well as Living a Life that Aligns with Your Values and Aspirations, which was moderated by our COO, Mari Parker.
Boldr’s active participation in CX events underscores its commitment to staying at the forefront of industry developments. By collaborating with leaders and peers, we glean valuable insights into emerging trends while sharing our own experiences. However, while this is beneficial, there is so much more to it.
We attend these types of events to gain insight into the real, humanistic aspects of the support sector. This is where CX leaders and managers can pause and connect for just a moment, be completely open and real about their daily challenges, and possibly support one another. This is what makes the CX community so strong.
James Fouche is the Content Manager at Boldr, as well as an author and a columnist. He is passionate about sharing his love of reading and writing with others.
