In this conversation, we talk effective customer advocacy and advocating for support teams with Meghan Gallagher, a support operations professional and consultant. We discuss moving beyond isolated Slack messages to build powerful, data-backed stories for product teams. Meghan shares strategies for bridging the gap with product and engineering, proactive trend spotting, and the powerful impact of improving internal support processes.

Luke Atkins, Senior Support Specialist at Front, joins Growth Support to explore life, growth, and opportunities in Support. We talk through his journey from videography to support, highlighting the unexpected challenges and essential skills needed to succeed. Luke shares his insights on the power of emotional intelligence, the art of the "first reply," and how to drive personal and professional growth by leading by example.

In this conversation, we’re talking about the power of customer education, with Alison Groves, Customer Education Lead at Help Scout. Together, we discuss the difference between teaching "how" to use a product versus explaining the "why," sharing real-world experiences, the importance of cross-functional relationships, and actionable takeaways for building trust with customers through education.

In this episode, we dive deep into the process of building a support organization from scratch, exploring key insights with our guest, Daniel Hoffkins, Head of Operations and Business Development at Certainly CX. Together, we discuss the differences between a greenfield approach and working with existing structures, sharing real-world experiences, industry expertise, and actionable takeaways for new support builders.

In this conversation we’re talking about the distinction between mentorship and sponsorship with our guest, Alisha Joseph. Drawing from over 15 years in the support industry, Alisha shares her journey from frontline agent to senior leadership, offering invaluable insights into how leaders can effectively identify, develop, and advocate for talent within their organizations. She introduces a practical framework for transitioning individuals from mentorship to impactful sponsorship, highlighting the importance of strategic opportunity creation and unwavering support. Key Topics Discussed Mentorship vs. Sponsorship: Defining the Difference Mentorship focuses on building skills, visibility, and credibility, often involving guidance and best practices for personal and professional development. Sponsorship, on the other hand, takes those developed skills and significant impacts to the next level by providing major visibility, introducing individuals to key decision-makers, and creating opportunities for career advancement. "So where mentorship is a lot of that teaching and guiding sponsorship is kind of putting your your actions where your mouth is essentially and getting people in the room, right?" Insights from Alisha on how a leader's success isn't just about keeping people in support, but helping them grow their careers in any direction. The Transition from Mentorship to Strategic Sponsorship Alisha emphasizes a transparent, structured approach to talent development, starting with a comprehensive assessment of an individual's accomplishments, impact, and areas for improvement. Once foundational skills are solid, strategic sponsorship begins by collaborating with other stakeholders to create high-visibility opportunities that align with business objectives and key performance indicators. "So, I like to meet people where they are and and take a look at what they've accomplished, how it has tied into the bigger aspect of the business, and then I'm looking at what they need to improve." Real-world examples shared by Alisha, including setting up an agent to present training impact to senior leaders by translating support achievements into business language and numbers. Navigating Setbacks and Sustaining Sponsorship Sponsorship can involve "sink or swim" moments. When individuals "sink," Alisha advocates for transparent conversations, allowing time for emotional processing, and a return to targeted mentorship to address gaps. This involves re-evaluating the approach, providing specific feedback, and potentially starting with smaller-scale opportunities before re-engaging at a higher level. "But you have to be you have to understand the language. You have to understand what's important, what they want to focus on, what those conversation looks like..." How this impacts the need for leaders to advocate for their teams by understanding organizational goals and translating support value into business outcomes, avoiding the trap of adding work just for the sake of it. Memorable Quotes "Sponsorship is just simply taking it to the next level with your career and being able to show what you've done on a bigger scale." "The transparency is what it is, even though it may sting and it may sting for a while. The transparency is what's helped people overcome it." "Serving for me is always first. If you don't serve, I don't I don't see why you here. Like, I don't see why. You’ve got to serve." Takeaways Strategic Opportunity Creation: When sponsoring, intentionally create opportunities that directly tie back to organizational goals, driving measurable business impact rather than just adding tasks for skill development. Maintain the Mentorship Thread: Sponsorship doesn't replace mentorship; it builds upon it. Continue providing coaching and feedback, especially after challenging experiences, to reinforce learning and prepare individuals for future opportunities. Serve with Intention: A core principle of leadership, especially in the support industry, is to serve your team, customers, and stakeholders. This commitment ensures you're consistently working to uplift others and contribute to collective success.

In this episode, we dive deep into the unique challenges and rewards of leading from the middle, exploring key insights with our guest, Jenny Chudy. Together, we discuss the "sandwich" position between executive leadership and the front lines, sharing real-world experiences, a five-component framework for effective middle management, and actionable takeaways for thriving in this crucial role.

Support veteran Andre Linde joins to tackle one of the most persistent challenges in Customer Support: knowledge gaps. Whether it's tribal knowledge, outdated docs, or cross-functional confusion, they explore practical ways support teams can take ownership of knowledge sharing — and use it as a lever for growth, collaboration, and professional development.

Explore how support teams can borrow tactics from marketing to create smarter, more human experiences that anticipate needs, build trust, and drive value.

Nivedha Venkatesh, founder of Pageloop and former support leader at Postman, Zapier, and more joins growth Support this week! We're exploring what it really looks like to grow a support career from the ground up — from first agent to founder. Niv shares candid lessons on growth, burnout, technical skills, emotional intelligence, and learning to advocate for yourself along the way. We're talking: 1. Support Is a Career Not Just a Stepping Stone 2. From Support to Founder — An Unexpected Path 3. Emotional Growth Through Support 4. Building Skills Through Ownership and Documentation 5. How to Advocate for Yourself Hope you enjoy this week's conversation!

In this episode, Neal Travis speaks with Priscilla Brooke, Head of Podcaster Success at Buzzsprout and host of Happy to Help, about how involving the whole company in customer support creates stronger teams, better products, and more connected organizations. They explore why all-company support matters, how to set it up practically, and how to overcome common concerns about value, standards, and participation.

In this episode, Neal Travis speaks with Jamey Lutz, author of Pathway to Purpose and longtime CX and culture expert, about how to move beyond “better sameness” and create truly differentiated customer experiences. They discuss the critical intersection between employee engagement and CX, the danger of copy-paste service models, and why purpose-led cultures drive lasting loyalty.

In this episode, Neal Travis chats with coach and former CX leader Stephen Nock about the deep connection between employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX). Together, they explore what it really means to create an environment where people thrive, how to prioritize the needs of your team without compromising on business or customer outcomes, and why trust, listening, and shared ownership are at the heart of great support work.

In this episode, Neal Travis chats with Kenji Hayward, Head of Support at Front, about how to intentionally build a strong and connected team culture in a fully remote world. From onboarding and accountability to fun, flexibility, and finding purpose, Kenji shares how his globally distributed team became one of the most engaged at the company — and how others can do the same.

In this episode, Neal Travis sits down with Philippe Mesritz to explore what it really takes to grow from an individual contributor to executive leadership. They unpack the mental shifts, strategy, influence, and skill-building that are often missing from traditional support career paths — and share practical insights to help anyone navigating the path to director, VP, or beyond.

Thinking about expanding your Support coverage? Join Idit, and Neal as they explore: When would you really start to consider the need for additional coverage and global support? Are there major deciding factors between having a local team with additional hours vs. having a global model? Difference between 24/7 Support and Global Support and different models and more!

Being Customer Centric means adding value across the business for customers, teams, and the organization. It's not about labels. Susana de Sousa joins Growth Support to talk about exactly that. What does it mean to be customer centric? Why is it just a buzzword? How do we implement it in practice? These are questions we're answering and more!

In this episode, Neal Travis is joined by Kateryna Ostapenko, VP of Operations at BLEND, to explore how support teams can demonstrate their value to the business — and why many people leave support roles before they’ve truly unlocked their potential. From internal career growth to shifting the narrative around cost centers, Kateryna offers practical, blunt, and empowering advice for support professionals and leaders alike.

What's it like working in Support for so many different industries? What about Startups? Brittany Ferguson joins this conversation to talk about just that! Brittany is a CX leader that has worked in almost every industry included non-profit, defense, healthcare, and more. We talked about: What it's like to change from industry to industry What its like working in a startup How you can adapt support to your needs And about tools that you can use to be successful. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

We're measuring the customer experience wrong. Traditionally we use metrics that focus so much on how we handle the experience, but we don't measure the real value customers receive. That's exactly what Craig Stoss, VP, Partnerships and Success at KODIF, joins me to talk through! What is friction in the customer experience? When is it acceptable? Where should we cut it out? And how can we maximize value for customers (and more) Here is the original article that sparked the conversation, and is referenced throughout: https://www.partnerhero.com/blog/we-are-measuring-customer-experience-wrong Hope you enjoy!