The $100 MBA Show: MBA2250 Q&A Wednesday – How Many Support Messages Is Too Many for One Team Member?
Introduction
In episode MBA2250 of The $100 MBA Show, host Omar Zenhom tackles a common challenge faced by many entrepreneurs: determining the optimal number of support messages a single team member can handle effectively. Released on February 22, 2023, this episode provides actionable insights grounded in Omar's extensive 20+ years of entrepreneurship experience, particularly focusing on customer support efficiency and team management.
Listener's Question: Balancing Support Message Load
At the heart of this episode is a question from Candace:
“I am looking to hire another customer service agent. Currently, I have one team member that handles support messages, but I'm not sure if we need to hire a second one because we have too many messages, or the support agent is not being productive enough, or maybe they need to be replaced. I have no way to gauge because when I ask my other friends in business, they have different types of businesses and different support requests. Would love your help on this question.”
– Candace (00:40)
Omar's Framework for Assessing Support Load
Omar begins by acknowledging the universality of the issue, emphasizing that every business with customer interactions must evaluate its support capacity. He outlines a two-pronged approach to determine whether to hire additional support staff or optimize current operations:
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Quantitative Assessment: Number of Messages Per Day
Omar underscores the importance of understanding how many support messages one person can handle daily. He suggests conducting an experiment to measure this accurately.
“The easy way to find out is to take three days out of your schedule and be a customer service agent 24/7... in my experiment, I did about 100 to 110 tickets a day on average.”
– Omar Zenhom (03:15)By personally managing support for a set period, Omar was able to establish that an average of 100-110 messages per day is manageable, providing a benchmark for hiring decisions.
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Qualitative Assessment: Average Response Time
Beyond sheer volume, Omar emphasizes the need to set and adhere to average response times, recommending a maximum of 24 hours for replies to maintain customer satisfaction.
“I think beyond that, two days, that's just too much. If you want to have excellent customer service, that should be the bare minimum.”
– Omar Zenhom (02:00)For his own company, Webinar Ninja, Omar targets an average response time of five minutes, highlighting the importance of swift communication in enhancing customer experience.
Determining the Threshold: Calculation and Comparison
To provide a clear method for Candace and others in similar situations, Omar outlines a straightforward calculation:
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Conduct the Support Experiment: Handle support duties for three peak days to gauge the average number of messages handled personally.
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Establish a Benchmark: Divide your personal average by two to set a manageable target for each support team member.
“If your average is a hundred, your new hire should handle 50 a day.”
– Omar Zenhom (05:45)
This method accounts for differences in efficiency, knowledge, and communication skills between the business owner and new team members.
Assessing Team Member Performance
Omar advises evaluating current team members against the established benchmarks:
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Above Benchmark: If a team member consistently handles more than the target, consider whether they need additional support or should be recognized for their efficiency.
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Below Benchmark: Identify if underperformance stems from a lack of training or insufficient tools. Omar recommends practical solutions such as:
“Maybe you can give them some helpful tips, techniques, show them how to use text expander, use canned responses...”
– Omar Zenhom (07:30)Implementing these strategies can enhance productivity without immediately resorting to additional hires.
When Training Isn’t Enough: Making Tough Decisions
Despite best efforts, sometimes team members may not meet performance standards even after training. Omar discusses:
“Sometimes, you just are not a good fit for each other... About 50% of the time training helps and they get better... The other half, you have to say goodbye.”
– Omar Zenhom (09:20)
He emphasizes that maintaining service quality is paramount, and making difficult staffing decisions is part of responsible business ownership.
Conclusion: Building a Strong Support Team
Omar wraps up the episode by reinforcing the importance of balancing team workload to ensure customer satisfaction and efficient business operations. He underscores that:
“You are only as strong as the team you build... The best entrepreneurs know how to recruit the best team members and know how to say goodbye to the ones that don't work out.”
– Omar Zenhom (10:10)
Key Takeaways
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Conduct Personal Experiments: Understand your support capacity by handling support duties yourself for a limited period.
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Set Clear Benchmarks: Use your personal performance data to set realistic targets for your team members.
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Enhance Efficiency Through Training: Provide your team with tools and training to maximize their productivity.
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Make Informed Staffing Decisions: Balance between hiring new team members and optimizing current staff performance to maintain customer satisfaction.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
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On Response Time Standards:
“I think beyond that, two days, that's just too much... excellent customer service, that should be the bare minimum.”
– Omar Zenhom (02:00) -
On Personal Experimentation:
“Take three days out of your schedule and be a customer service agent 24/7... I did about 100 to 110 tickets a day on average.”
– Omar Zenhom (03:15) -
On Team Member Evaluation:
“If you have to hire, hire and lighten the load a little bit on people... grow into it as you get more customers.”
– Omar Zenhom (07:45) -
On Tough Staffing Decisions:
“About 50% of the time training helps and they get better... The other half, you have to say goodbye.”
– Omar Zenhom (09:20)
Final Thoughts
This episode of The $100 MBA Show provides a practical framework for entrepreneurs grappling with customer support management. By combining quantitative analysis with qualitative standards, Omar Zenhom equips listeners with the tools to make informed decisions that balance team workload and maintain high customer service standards.
For more insights and actionable business lessons, visit 100mba.net.