Setting clear expectations for how a new ticketing system should be used is critical to its success. After all, nothing aggravates a customer more than not knowing how to get help so they can do their job.
All tagged empathy
We’re human first
It’s very easy to forget that our coworkers are people too. Odd as it sounds, keeping in mind everyone is human first is incredibly important to building strong relationships.
"I had to give" someone feedback
Feedback is can be hard to give or accept. It requires a culture that is open to providing and receiving it, and an open mind set that everyone can do better.
On Perseverance
Perseverance, or the ability to keep going, despite hitting brick walls repeatedly is a great skill to have. Having it means we can weather unexpected challenges more easily, and makes it easier to reach if they crop up.
Broken Comb Skillsets
Broken Combs have expertise in a few areas, in addition to general skills. This makes them a great addition to any team since they can fill multiple gaps. This can, however, result in them getting spread too thin…
T Shaped Skillsets
T shaped skillsets offer a single deep area of expertise, with a broad general base to support it. They can be great at helping bridge gaps, and filling in where others need support. Their depth, however, may not be as deep as someone with an I shaped skillset, and their general skills may not be strong enough in some situations.
"I" shaped skillsets
“I” shaped skillsets are deep in on area of expertise, and light on others. This results in an individual very well versed in specific topics, but they may need support to fully maximize their impact.
Skill Shapes
We all build skill sets as we grow… but we can built them in different ways. Understanding the depth and breadth of our (and our teams) skills is important to our success.
On Forests
Keeping an eye on details is important, but understanding how it all comes together, and how those details interact with everything else, is equally critical to success.
You Gotta Ask
Everyone’s got questions they need answers to… but not everyone asks them. Speak up. Even if someone thinks you’re a fool for a few moments, you've given yourself a chance to improve.
Flexibility
Flexibility is an ever-more-important skillset. Bending yourself to a task lets you meet new folks, explore new areas, and even avoid things you don’t want to do.
Make Time to Connect
Frequently back-and-forths are a signal that text communications are failing. When you notice this it’s best to change the medium - look for voice or video (or in person!) based communications to break the cycle.
Self-Awareness
It’s easy to learn a system by exploring it… just click around and learn. Learning yourself, however, is a bit more complex.
Best intentions pave the road to massive headaches for other people
Some of the biggest headaches I’ve had to deal with were the result of really good intentions. As challenging as it is, remembering to treat these as learning opportunities (and not taking someone’s head off) helps not only fix the problem faster, but build better partners.