Imagine contacting customer service and getting connected with the CEO.

That's a real possibility if you reach out to customer service software provider, Help Scout. CEO Nick Francis is one of many employees outside the customer support department who regularly answer customer emails and chats.

It's a program called whole company support, and it promotes an incredible level of customer intimacy.

I recently interviewed Kristi Thompson, a Culture Specialist at Help Scout, to learn more about how whole company support helps create a more customer-focused company.

Kristi Thompson, Culture Specialist at Help Scout.

The Interview

We touched on a number of topics in our <20 minute interview.

What is whole company support?
What are the benefits?
How do you make it easy for people when support is not their regular job?

You can watch the full interview or scroll below to read a synopsis.

What is whole company support?

Whole company support, also known as all-hands support, occurs when employees outside the support team spend time serving customers via various channels such as phone, email, and chat.

At Help Scout, whole company support primarily involves responding to customer emails. The advantage of focusing on email is it allows people to take extra time to research and compose their response and then check what they wrote with a support team member before sending it to a customer.

Other companies include live support such as phone or in-person in their whole company support programs. For example, hotels often have members of the executive team stationed in the lobby to assist guests during busy times.

What are the benefits of whole company support?

Thompson outlined four key benefits that Help Scout gains from offering whole company support. She pointed out that the program is not intended to supplement the support team's staff. Rather, the program is purely about maintaining customer focus.

It keeps the customer at the center of everything they do.
Employees develop a deeper understanding of Help Scout products.
It shortens the feedback loop when employees have a direct customer connection.
Work is more rewarding because you're connected to your customers.

I can personally vouch for that last benefit.

One of my volunteer activities is performing trail maintenance at Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. It's incredibly rewarding when a group of hikers passes by and they pause to thank us for the work we're doing.

Take Action

Flexibility is key if you want to run an effective whole company support program. Employees will be more likely to participate if they find it rewarding and helpful, rather than a mandatory task that has to be crossed-off their to-do list.

Thompson shared a few tips on how Help Scout makes its program work: