99: Process Improvement with Ash Rhodes

Charlotte Ward: 0:12

Hello and welcome to episode ninety-nine of the Customer Support Leaders Podcast. I'm Charlotte Ward. The theme for this week is process improvement, so stay tuned for five leaders talking about that very topic. I'd like to welcome back to the podcast today, Ash Rhodes. Ash, it is lovely to have you back for episode 99 of the Customer Support Leaders Podcast. Yay! And this week we're talking about process improvement.

Ash Rhodes: 0:49

By all means, let's improve these processes. Thanks very much for having me back.

Charlotte Ward: 0:55

Processes are a very key part of any support organization, aren't they? I c I I think that's where I feel I'm coming from with this topic is that support relies so heavily on process. They are that those processes have to work for us.

Ash Rhodes: 1:10

Absolutely. I think that the the refining of those is always going to necessarily be a key feature because you can you can roll out a new process and think that it is just the bee's knees, that it's the perfect solution to your problem. And wow, once the rubber hits the road, it's not that perfect fit. Or in fact, it's it's the uh exact opposite thereof. And so it's all about being nimble, it's all about uh refining it and getting it to be that perfect thing.

Charlotte Ward: 1:41

I I think you've hit the nail on the head. I think it when you're rolling out a new process, you have to be accepting of the fact that it won't be perfect, you know. I mean, I mean, there's this old adage that perfect is the enemy of done, isn't it?

Ash Rhodes: 1:54

But if you say we're gonna get it to a point where it's good enough that it will probably work, and then oh, it's a good old MVP, minimum viable product, yes, minimal via minimum viable process, one even might say. Oh, absolutely. Look, it's see what it did there.

Charlotte Ward: 2:14

See what I did there.

Ash Rhodes: 2:16

I see it. Um, but by the same token, I think that's really what we're talking about is that you don't want to stay with that MVP. And you want to to be iterating. You could have that that process that is just barely good enough that's getting it over the finish line, but it's so important that you really take a step back and view it and and bring in extra eyes to get that outside view of yeah, that sort of validation that exactly there is sort of a balance, isn't there, between the MVP and perfect that is probably the one you're gonna run with. There and there is no perfect. Why why when will you ever know that it's perfect? There's there's there's no way to to know. Uh one of my favorite things to do when I am onboarding new reps is to very strongly empower them to basically take that outside view as they are being run through all of the different processes and procedures that they are going to be doing and say, yo, dude, this is dumb. And let me tell you why. And to to give that feedback, they should always be looking for ways to improve it because they lack the it's always been this way in air quotes mentality. That's the most valuable possible point of view.

Charlotte Ward: 3:39

That onboarding thing actually is a really good one. And I know we've talked about this actually in previous episodes, how people who are onboarding are actually a great resource to refine your onboarding procedure, right?

Ash Rhodes: 3:54

Yes. Yes. As again, as long as they feel safe and empowered to do so, they have to have that uh reassurance that their feedback is welcome, that you, as their boss, want to hear their unvarnished opinion.

Charlotte Ward: 4:11

When somebody comes in from the outside and gives feedback on the process, even if they do feel relatively empowered to do so and relatively free and supported to do so, their suggestions aren't necessarily going to be sensible because they do lack a lot of that contextual knowledge. There is a big piece here, I think, about developing a culture where everyone is free to make suggestions on how things can be different, even if they're a bit outlandish or a bit underinformed.

Ash Rhodes: 4:46

You're you're one, you're absolutely right that they're um they're unvarnished and completely new opinions may very well be just kind of a uneducated. Let's go with uneducated, as to like the reasons why it might not be a sensible solution to a problem or or what have you. But but the second half is also completely and totally true as well. By setting it them up for being that that this is an environment wherein all opinions are welcome, the the payout later on is untellable. Like if if everybody always feels like your door actually really is open to feedback, um that's I mean, I I would assume that everybody actually wants that. I I know that I do, and I I know that you do, and I hope that that all your listeners do as well. So that's you you have to start early in putting your your proverbial money where your mouth is.

Charlotte Ward: 5:52

So I think I think there are two parts to this. I think the the first and big part is that the culture that welcomes feedback. But I think that the subtly different part of this is a culture that encourages examination of the status quo.

Ash Rhodes: 6:09

Yes, absolutely. And um I have to admit that I haven't always worked in companies that welcome both, but those companies that do welcome both, those have been the ones wherein um the the employees have without fail had a much higher happiness, like employee happiness ratings and that have like longer longer tenure.

Charlotte Ward: 6:39

That's it for today. Go to customer supportleaders.com forward slash ninety-nine for the show notes, and I'll see you next time.