This month, we catch up with Taylor Boivin, our Customer Success Manager.
Taylor loves to be her customers’ coach and partner, ensuring they make the best use of the Zaui system to power up their business. Taylor believes that a CSM should reach out to clients and offer value and solutions before they know they need them.
She has an in-depth understanding of her customers’ needs. Driven by a customer-first strategy, she never hesitates to dive right into customer challenges to help them achieve the best results.
In her spare time, Taylor loves to crochet and craft. And her other favourite pastime, Role-Playing games!
What is your approach to coaching your customers?
My approach is always collaborative. Different people learn in different ways. One customer might prefer written directions and emails, while another might like to have calls and video examples. I work with them to find the best way to communicate and collaborate.
Can you say more about the types of customers you work with, and some of the most frequently asked questions or challenges they encounter?
I work with customers who do everything from whale watching to glacier icewalks, but their challenges are often similar. Though it might be presented in the unique context of that operator’s tour, I find most challenges come down to one of two main things: 1) How can I maximize my bookings, sales, and distribution? And 2) How can I operate day-to-day with the most efficiency?
How can a Customer Success Manager (CSM) impact customers and their experiences?
A CSM is really a customer’s coach and partner, so we can really make the most impact by being proactive. While I’m always here for when something new pops up or an unexpected hiccup, the power of a CSM is also being able to reach out and offer value and solutions before they know they need them! This means letting customers know when there are new features or integrations, checking in before and after their busy seasons or whenever else I think something might be valuable or helpful.
Customer Success is one of the biggest buzzwords now. How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t know the ins and outs of it?
To me, Customer Success is all about maximizing value for our customers. As a CSM, I do that in a lot of different ways. It can be direct, like holding training sessions and making sure customers are confident in using Zaui, or more big picture, like working with our Product team to prioritize our roadmap and feature development based on feedback from our customers. I like to think of Customer Success as the centre of the company web—we take information and knowledge and distribute that from our customers to the rest of the company and from those teams back to customers. We make sure the customer’s voice is heard and represented in all parts of Zaui.
The best compliment you heard from your client?
I recently was on a call with one of my clients and our Marketing Manager to develop a customer story and when asked what parts of Zaui they find most valuable they answered me! That was a really nice compliment, to know you are providing value to your customers.
What does your workday look like?
Depending on the season, my days can vary greatly, but I like an early start in general. So I’m usually signed on by 6:30-7:00 am and spend my first couple of hours in emails, tickets, and general admin work. Then it’s a mix of meetings, both internal and with customers, and lunchtime. I try to reserve the afternoons for focus work, like longer-term projects. I’m lucky enough to visit customers in person on occasion, which is always a highlight!
What helps you feel connected to your coworkers while working remotely?
Having calls or Slack conversations that are just for catching up. We miss out on day-to-day small talk not being in an office, so I always like to take those first 5 minutes of a meeting to catch up with each other as people, not just coworkers. Also, seeing everyone’s pets. I’ve been known to demand photos every once in a while (we have cats, dogs, and bunnies all in the Zaui pet family!)
What’s the most common question people ask you when they find out what you do?
Can you fix my computer/phone/email/internet? Honestly, people hear “tech” or “software” and sometimes assume you are Geek Squad!
What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position?
That Customer Success has all the answers or knows everything. Because we are connected to every department and our customers, it’s common to assume that whatever pops up, Customer Success can solve it. But in reality, we are often acting as the middleman, gathering information and presenting solutions to the right people.
What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day?
Some good music and a walk outside always help me reset if I have a bad day.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
I love doing anything creative. I love crochet and craft, but I also love mentally creative things like Role-Playing games. I started getting into it during the pandemic and love the ability to create a story world and leave the rest up to a roll of the dice! I’m about to start a new campaign based on an 80’s cartoon called Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. It’s exactly what you think it is!
What advice would you give to new Zauians in their first month?
Take your time with learning, and leverage the whole team as a resource. We have tons of slack channels and conversations dedicated to helping each other learn. It never hurts to ask the question!
What volunteering or passion projects do you do outside of work?
I’ve been involved in a local Farmer’s Market for the past four years as the Assistant Market Manager, and it’s one of the greatest projects I’ve had the chance to be a part of! Getting to support local businesses and the community all summer is always amazing.
