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29Jan24 Roundup: We're All Trying to Find the Guy Who Did This

Author

Steph Lundberg
January 29th, 2024 • About 31 minutes

In this issue:

News from Around Supportlandia (and Beyond)

We're All Trying to Find the Guy Who Did This

San Diego experienced awful flash flooding this week after receiving nearly three inches of rain in just six hours, making Monday the rainiest day the city's seen in January since 1850.

Like extreme weather across the country, the storm was amplified by climate change, and the flooding itself was exacerbated by the city's aging and inadequate stormwater infrastructure. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from their homes and vehicles, and many of San Diego's celebrated arts and culture spaces were dealt severe flood damage.

An empathetic person might see flooding like this, realize that it's usually accompanied by stories like a man wading through water up to his neck to save a toddler or a family escaping their flooding home through a window only to nearly be swept away by the rapidly moving water outside, and be moved to respond with love and support.1

And maybe Matt Turck, Managing Director of venture capital firm FirstMark Capital, did respond that way on other social media platforms, I don't know. I do know that, unfortunately, that's not what he chose to do on LinkedIn.

If you, like me, were hoping that Turck is making a poignant allegory about how founders mismanage their companies at the expense of their employees despite the very real and clear threat of what would be for literally anyone else natural consequences, I regret to inform you:

He is not.

For better or worse, writing this newsletter means that I spend more time on LinkedIn than I would like. And there's an argument to be made about whether there's any good social media platform nowadays,3 but there's just something about LinkedIn that brings out the worst instincts in techbros and #HustleLifers.

It's like they enter their username and password into the Hotel California of professional networking sites and pass into a world totally devoid of judgment and emotional intelligence, where the only valid aim that could possibly exist is to derive value for shareholders. Whose shareholders? Doesn't matter. The Shareholders need them, and by god, those techbros will sink to the occasion.

Still, despite knowing this! Despite knowing that my expectations should be at the very bottom of the Marianas Trench, did I wake up Sunday morning, make my coffee, sit down at my desk, and open my LinkedIn feed thinking I'd find the perfect metaphor for the destruction caused in the Tech industry by incompetent company leadership and their hubristic investors?

Nay, I tell you, I did not.

And yet, there it was: a venture capitalist unironically comparing founders to a driver who did something incredibly irresponsible and which put themselves and everyone around them in mortal danger, who survived not because of any real skill or training but thanks to sheer fucking luck, then attributing the fact that the driver somehow managed to avoid killing themselves this time to scrappy, entrepreneurial persistence.

And that is to say nothing of the absolute chutzpah it takes to post this video with the caption "Founder ignoring 'tough market conditions,'" considering that – like a flood that's exacerbated by climate change and poor infrastructure – investors and inept Tech founders/CEOs alike are fueling the "tough market conditions" that have led to nearly 25,000 tech workers being laid off just since the new year, not to mention the 260,000 tech workers laid off in 2023.4

"There is a herding effect in tech," said Jeff Shulman, a professor at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business, who follows the tech industry. "The layoffs seem to be helping their stock prices, so these companies see no reason to stop."

Some smaller tech startups are running out of cash and facing fundraising struggles with the era of easy money now over, which has prompted workforce reductions. But experts say for most large and publicly-traded tech firms, the layoff trend this month is aimed at satisfying investors.

[...] If it appears as if an entire sector is experiencing a downward shift, Pfeffer argues, it takes the focus off of any single individual company — which provides cover for layoffs that are undertaken to make up for bad decisions that led to investments or strategies not paying off.

And hey, speaking of destruction! Among the companies in FirstMark Capital's portfolio?

So in a way, I guess Turck is right. He and his founders really are ignoring tough market conditions: the conditions they're creating for the rest of us so they can continue to pat themselves on the back for a job shittily done.

And Now for Some Good News

I'm gonna let this good news help my blood pressure settle: these folks got hired! (And so will you, you're great.)

Obviously these are just the people who were okay with me celebrating them publicly, but I've seen more! And if this is also you, let me know. I'd love to celebrate you, too.

All the Way to 100

100% CSAT at Alyce! Credit: Sarah Betts

Two customer support teams achieved the dream this week: Sarah Betts and her team at Alyce and Rachel Avery and Emily Woodward and their team at Teal both managed to hit 100% CSAT.

This is so impressive and a testament to these teams' care for their customers. Your companies are lucky to have you!

Read, Watch, and Listen

Read

Nicholas Graziade wrote about the most important parts of sentences for KnowledgeOwl. (Spoiler alert: it's verbs.)

Michael Coleman and Christina Warmbrunn put together a Layoff Guide to help alleviate some of the mental load for those who are trying to figure out what to do next. What good humans.

Speaking of, Isabella Chiu wrote a beautiful treatise titled This too shall pass, and other useful reminders for when life gets tricky. Keep tissues handy.

Emre Tekoglu launched a new customer support newsletter, Customer Support Insights. His first issue is on changing the way we measure success in support.

James Lemire talked about how CSAT scores are basically useless unless paired with another metric to explain what’s happening within the customer support experience.

Mathew Patterson talked about how everyone in support starts out like Pac-Man (with some hilarious illustrations).

Alice Hunsberger talked about why some newsletters aren't moving away from Substack yet. (Alice is a Trust & Safety expert whose website, Alice Links, is a treasure trove of knowledge and resources. I highly recommend checking it out if you're a T&S professional.)

Jeffrey Zeldman talks about how knowledge management is the secret sauce that enables organizations staffed by smart people to unlock their full potential.

Camille Acey is offering a one-off consultation to those who need to close down a non-profit, an activist initiative, or another campaign for civil society.

Sharing in an important follow-up of sorts to last week's newsletter, Dr. Jenn Wells talked about the dispiriting Black Women Employee Lifecycle.

If you're looking to read up on AI ethics and policy, Dr. Casey Fiesler has got you covered with her spreadsheet of almost 750 resources.

Watch

More good humans: Andrew Rios devoted a Three-Mile Friday video to the ElevateCX Community Fund, boosting awareness of a fund put together by Sarah Hatter and the community to assist CX professionals who've been laid off.

CX Stories by ElevateCX talked with Ashley Hayslett about their hottest customer experience hot takes. (Related: Ashley has been posting CX jobs weekly in the ElevateCX community #jobs channel, so if you're there, check it out!)

The Customer Success Talks podcast talked to Tarek Slimani about how to build a customer success practice through customer journey mapping (and Tarek shares his slides here).

Listen

The Remote Work Tribe podcast talked with Sarah Betts about building a psychologically safe environment where your team feels comfortable asking for help and taking calculated risks.

Get Hired

I play Bad Job Bingo with every job listing that appears in the Roundup and categorize them according to how well (or poorly, if I hit Bingo) they do in the game.

However, please remember that a job appearing in a positive category isn’t an endorsement of any role or company, and a job appearing in a negative category doesn't mean I think you shouldn't apply if it works for you. Bad Job Bingo is simply an effort to give you a shortcut to finding roles that may match your needs and values.

These and past contestants can be found at Support Human Jobs.

Green Means Go

No flags, or green flags only! A true unicorn.

  • Definitely none this week.

Eh, It’s Probably Fine

A few flags popped up, but no serious ones.

  • Senior Director, Community ($164k-$265k) at Autodesk (Remote US-California)

  • The salary range is great, if not wide.

    • My biggest concern is they're asking for 12+ years of experience in managing online communities, which could be fine if they count non-work experience. However, if they're looking for professional community building in software or tech, communities of the kind they mean have only been around for maybe a decade (at most), so I'm not surprised that the job's been open as long as it has

    • Lots of other Support and Success roles open at this company, although I've only looked at this one.

    • Job application is through Workday. My condolences.

  • Manager, Customer Success Systems ($163k-$239k) at Samsara (Remote US)

  • I haven't looked at them all, but this company has a bunch more Success, Education, and Implementation roles open (and just a bunch of roles open, period).

  • Head of Support Engineering ($135k-$199k) at Tecton (Remote US-San Francisco, Seattle, or NYC)

  • Manager, Technical Support ($100k-$130k w/ bonus) at Conversica (Remote US)

  • Senior Manager, Customer Success Management ($95k-$252k) at GitHub (Remote US)

  • Suspiciously wide salary range.

  • Supervisor, Technical Support ($72k-$121k) at Samsara (Remote US)

  • This is another wide salary range, but seeing as they're open to folks who are newer as managers, I actually think it's a good thing.

  • Technical Support Engineer ($75k-$95k) at Prismatic (Remote US)

  • I realize you're seeing this first, but WHEW, after those BINGO and Seriously, Maybe Don't winners this feels like a breath of fresh air. Finally, a normal job description!

    • My biggest concern is that the pay seems really low for what reads like a mid-level Engineering job description – reads to me like they're trying to get a Dev on the cheap by placing them under Customer Success.

Tread Carefully

Didn’t quite hit bingo, but there were several yellow flags or more than one red flag.

  • Senior Client Success Manager ($90k-$163k) at Hinge Health (Remote US)

  • That's a suspiciously wide salary range. Also, the "ensure 100% client retention with high client satisfaction (9/10+ NPS scores)" requirement made me do a double-take.

  • Customer Support Manager ($80k-$110k) at ParentSquare (Remote North America)

  • Genuinely one of the whitest companies I've come across in a while.

    • They repeat "dynamic environment" a lot.

    • There are several other Success and Support roles open and the ones I've seen are pretty fair compensation-wise, so worth a look if working in a "fast moving dynamic environment" doesn't phase you.

  • Senior Manager, Premium Support (No comp given) at GitHub (Remote Australia)

  • Customer Experience Manager (No comp given) at Momentus Technologies (Remote Americas)

  • This seems intentionally worded to be confusing: Exceptional 401k Match: We've got your financial future covered. Enjoy an 80% match of the first 10% deferral.

    • Multi-page application through SmartRecruiters.

  • Manager of Customer Support ("Competitive" comp not given) at Onit (Remote US)

  • Maintain emotional awareness of self and others, especially to remain calm and patient under stress. Okay why though?

    • Operate with a high clock speed and a “buck stops here” mentality. What? Just...what.

    • Application requires you to create an account with Dayforce, a platform that seems like an even more corporate Workday, which honestly I didn't think was possible.

BINGO

Welp.

  • Director of Customer Experience ("Competitive" comp not given) at PartSource (Hybrid US-Aurora, OH)

  • Customer Success Manager ("Competitive" comp not given) at VelocityEHS (Remote North America)

  • Customer Experience Associate ($65k-$75k) at Bilt Rewards (On-site US-NYC)

  • This job was mostly fine until we got to the "We're ideally seeking" section and then it was just downhill from there.

    • They devote an entire paragraph talking around the fact that the salary is actually probably just $65,000. In New York City.

    • No mention of benefits anywhere in the description or on their Careers page.

  • Technical Support Specialist ($35k-$59k) at Samsara (Remote US)

  • A bilingual candidate with a bachelor's degree in computer science and technical expertise in cloud applications, mobile computing, and hardware device troubleshooting should not be making $35,403 to $59,500. I mean, come the fuck on.

    • In case you can't tell, after the senior positions above being compensated appropriately, this kind of exploitation really pisses me off.

  • Patient Access Programs Operations Specialist (No comp given) at SmithRx (On-site US-Plano, TX or Lehi, UT)

  • What is with all the "Poorly-edited job description requires attention to detail" winners lately?

  • Patient Access Programs Supervisor (No comp given) at SmithRx (On-site US-Plano, TX)

  • Patient Access Programs Operations Analyst (No comp given) at SmithRx (On-site US-Plano, TX or Lehi, UT)

  • After the first two poorly-edited job descriptions, it's just funny now.

  • Technical Support Engineer (No comp given) at Torq (Remote Costa Rica)

  • Again, I realize that you're reading this before the next section but just know that I've been deep in the trenches of Seriously, Maybe Don't today and I think maybe I drank a really bad batch of coffee because nothing makes sense anymore.

    • Torq is your security product’s favorite security product. Our enterprise-grade security hyperautomation platform unifies and automates the entire security infrastructure to deliver unparalleled protection and productivity. Torq drives maximum value and efficiency from existing security investments. It supercharges security teams across the Fortune 500 with powerful, easy-to-use no-code, low-code, and full-code workflows that reduce manual tasks, freeing security professionals to focus on higher-value strategic activities. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

    • There’s electricity in the air at Torq. You might want to call Maintenance about that.

  • Supervisor, Customer Success (No comp given) at SOCi (Remote US)

  • Basically a can of Chock Full O' Nopes

    • The SOCi team works selflessly and tirelessly to deliver value and maximize our customers’ marketing efforts. This is one of their stated values. It's a nope from me.

    • As the quarterback and driver of account enablement Sports analogies – nope!

    • Willing to adapt to changes in the job description as deemed necessary by the business and accept all other duties as assigned. Nope!

  • Customer Success Manager, Public Sector ("Competitive" comp not given) at Tadaweb (Remote US)

  • The "RISE OF THE HUMAN MACHINE" plastered across their home page isn't alarming at all. O_O

    • Multicultural from the very beginning and inclusive. Tadaweb is open to all types of mindsets, beliefs, languages and orientations. We’re proud to respect people of all ages and ideas, bringing more value to our spaces and products. Oooooh boy.

    • Y'all, the Company Careers page BINGOed before I even got to the job description, which actually looks fairly normal (if only available on LinkedIn). Not that I think y'all are doing this, but if anyone is, this is a really good example of why you can't just apply to a role based on a job listing alone.

Seriously, Maybe Don’t

Don't say I didn't warn you.

  • Customer Experience Representative ("Competitive" comp not given) at Clipboard Health (Remote US)

  • I've gotten multiple reports of this being a shady company with especially shady hiring practices. It also appears the Department of Labor is investigating them over unpaid overtime hours for its contractors.

  • Quality Assurance CX Specialist ($65k-$75k) at Bilt Rewards (On-site US-NYC)

  • Still no mention of benefits, still probably only offering $65k for an on-site non-entry level role in NYC.

    • Strong attention to detail with the intelligence to use critical thinking for solutions. Love the casual ableism!

    • You're willing to share information, understand other perspectives, and consider new possibilities. As opposed to, like, the dragon equivalent of a CX associate, hoarding info like gold coins?

    • This is in the Responsibilities section: Maintain an overall positive and supportive attitude toward leaders, colleagues, and key stakeholders. RUN. RUN FAR AWAY.

  • Senior Customer Success Manager ($60k-$100k) at ElevenLabs (Remote US-East and Europe)

  • OH WOW, WHERE TO START.

    • Currently, we are expanding the capabilities of the platform to incorporate comprehensive generative voice control. This entails developing tools to convert videos and podcasts into speech, supporting multiple languages, while maintaining the unique characteristics of the speaker's voice, providing emotional control, and even creating entirely new character voices. - This product sounds like a dystopian nightmare.

    • ElevenLabs was founded by two experienced engineers who previously worked at Google and Palantir - Don't be evil!

    • You are a highly motivated and driven individual with a strong work ethic. Our team is committed to going the extra mile, even if it means working long nights and weekends to achieve our goals. You strive for excellence in every aspect of work, consistently taking ownership of your outcomes and overdelivering on goals WHICH IS FOLLOWED IN THE WHAT WE OFFER SECTION BY Flexible working hours; we are a remote-first company and believe in a healthy work-life balance. - AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    • I cackled at "a salary between $60k-$100k" AND IT WAS REAL LOUD

    • No mention of benefits anywhere in the listing or on the Careers page, but you will have the "opportunity to work with a super smart and ambitious group of people" which is obviously more important.

  • Customer Success & Transformation Manager (No comp given) at AiDash (Remote US or London, UK)

  • Who is AiDash? That is a fantastic question.

    • When you join us, you’re joining our vision to create a greener, cleaner, safer planet — for everyone — from space. - But...but what do you do?

    • Existing software systems and traditional solutions have failed to transform operations, maintenance, and sustainability for core industries. But the AiDash platform uses satellite analytics and AI to monitor assets at scale and empower our full-stack, vertical SaaS solution. - BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

    • Working 1-on-1 with key clients at pilot customers to understand their business objectives and determine how our products and analytics can deliver value at scale, in terms of cost savings, efficiency improvements, and other key business metrics. - I'm just laughing helplessly now.

    • Demonstrated skill in powerful communications, and real-time problem solving in ambiguity. - I can't. I give up.

    • Listen this is nonsense but they're hiring a ton so just go to their website I'm gonna lay down on the floor for a minute

Upcoming Events

Transform Your Customer Experience with Support Operations
January 31, 2024 at 3:00pm ET. Webinar hosted by PartnerHero. Featuring Craig Stoss (Director of CX Transformation at Partner Hero), Somya Kapoor (Co-Founder & CEO at TheLoops), and Travis Brace (Head of Support at Grinder). Register here.

Transform Your Interviews: Redefining Success Through Cognitive Techniques
January 31, 2024 at 12:30 ET. Part 1 of 2-Part Virtual Workshop hosted by Support Driven, featuring Peter Harrison (Zapier). Register here.

Transform Your Interviews: Explore Evidence of Your Confidence and Reframe Success
February 7, 2024 at 12:30 ET. Part 2 of 2-Part Virtual Workshop hosted by Support Driven, featuring Peter Harrison (Zapier). Register here.

Why making your support metrics public is worth the risk
February 8, 2024 at 2:00pm ET. Webinar hosted by Front, featuring Parker Conrad (CEO of Rippling). Register here.

HiveMind - AI vs Human: The Future of Customer Service in 2024
February 8, 2024 in Boston, MA. Featuring Craig Stoss (Director of CX Transformation at Partner Hero), Jason Skinner (Founder, CXRefinery) and Kat Gaines (Senior Development Advocate, PagerDuty). Register here.

ElevateCX London Happy Hour
February 13, 2024 at 6:00pm, The Cocktail Club Old Street. RSVP here.

Support Driven Leadership Summit
March 26-27, 2024 in San Diego, CA. Call for proposals open now.

ElevateWomen 2024
May 29-June 1, 2024 in San Antonio, TX. Call for speakers open now.

ElevateCX Fall 2024
September 26-27, 2024 in Denver, CO. Call for speakers open now.

1  If you'd like to aid San Diego's recovery from the flooding or have been impacted yourself, KPBS has a great list of resources at the bottom of this article.

2  For the love of dog, please do not drive into floodwater. Turn around, don't drown (or cause anyone else to drown trying to save your ass).

3  It's Tumblr. At least that place knows it's a hellsite.

4  I recognize that tree.

That's it for this week! If you have items for the Roundup you'd like to submit, you can do so at [email protected], but be sure to check out the Roundup FAQs first.

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