Interview: How Small Support Teams Punch Above Their Weight

Intro: Many small teams face the challenge of supporting large, high-touch customers while also serving self-serve users. We interviewed Jordan Kim, who scaled a 6-person support team to manage enterprise-level relationships through tooling, processes, and culture.

Q: What was the first lever you pulled?

Jordan: We automated routine tasks. Not to reduce headcount, but to free agents for high-value work. We added intent-based routing and a simple bot for common password and billing issues. That let agents focus on account-level problems and proactive outreach.

Q: How did you keep empathy when processes scaled?

Jordan: Two approaches: invest in training and build templates that help, not replace, personal touches. We teach agents to add one personalized sentence to each template and capture voice notes for particularly difficult cases.

Q: What about onboarding new agents?

Jordan: Pair new agents with mentors and use shadowing combined with micro-certifications. Instead of a week of theoretical training, they do five 2-hour sessions focused on real tickets.

"Automation is only useful if it amplifies human judgment — not hides it."

Q: Tools vs process — which did you prioritize?

Jordan: Process first. We documented triage rules, escalation criteria, and ownership before we bought anything. Buying tools without a process is like buying a kitchen without a recipe — you have appliances but no plan for how to use them.

Q: How do you handle enterprise expectations with a small team?

Jordan: Clear SLAs, proactive status updates, and a runbook for common platform incidents. We also designate a senior on-call agent for enterprise tickets and ensure account managers have a direct line for escalations.

Q: KPIs you track to ensure quality?

Jordan: We track CSAT, FCR, time to resolution for enterprise tickets, and agent health metrics like schedule adherence and burnout indicators. A small team can't afford hidden churn.

Key takeaways

• Automate low-value tasks to free agent bandwidth for high-impact work.
• Invest in mentoring and micro-certifications for faster ramp time.
• Document process before buying tooling.
• Design for transparency and proactively communicate with enterprise customers.

Closing

Jordan’s approach demonstrates that small teams can deliver enterprise-grade support by pairing smart automation with intentional processes and empathy-driven training. For many companies, this is the sweet spot between efficiency and human connection.