How did you get into customer support?

When I closed Uber as a global client for Smartly(.)io—our biggest deal ever—my strategy was to embed myself in their EMEA office in Amsterdam, network aggressively, and make our solution indispensable. This left little time for reactive work, so I offloaded all of it to our support team, exposing them to a demanding, high-profile client. As a result, the team leveled up significantly. When the opportunity arose to lead that team, I seized it.

What do most people get wrong about customer support?

Saying “Support isn’t just a cost center” is stating the obvious. The deeper misunderstanding is that customer support is the beating heart of any B2B company. Every employee should be exposed to this function. When decision-makers understand customer pain points and product limitations firsthand, decision-making becomes easier, silos break down, and cross-functional alignment improves. You can’t put a price on that.

What has surprised you most while building a support team?

While setting up an offshore support team in Guatemala to supplement the US time zone, I was focused on a follow-the-sun model to ensure work-life balance. But I also needed a near-shore option for EMEA coverage.
Laura Desmond, our CEO, challenged me: “Have you actually asked the Guatemala team if they’d be open to covering those so-called graveyard shifts?”

To my great surprise, they were not only open to it but preferred it! Many found early morning shifts worked better for their lifestyle. The key takeaway? Assumptions—especially about culture and work preferences—should always be tested before designing global support structures.

What's a key best practice that has shaped your approach to customer support?

Whenever I encounter a dissatisfied but engaged customer, I make it a point to jump on a call. I focus not just on their immediate complaints, but on understanding:

• How our shortcomings impact their business
• The ripple effects on their team, incentives, and compensation
• How we’re perceived as a partner across their organization

By bringing transparency—explaining how bugs are scored, how feature requests move through development, and what prioritization looks like—I involve them in the process of fixing the issue. This shift from “frustrated customer” to “partner in the solution” has often saved relationships and even deepened trust.