If your QA process is just a checklist, you are wasting time, money, and customer trust.

Today, I’m talking with Chloé Koers-Bourrat, Process and Productivity Manager, Support Operations at Smartly, who built a prevention-first QA program that turned a fast-growing ad tech team into a 97 percent-plus CSAT powerhouse.

Chloé’s approach is simple but powerful. She focuses on catching problems before they ever reach the customer, creating a strong feedback loop between support and product, and keeping every interaction human, even when AI is involved.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why starting every review with negative CSAT is the fastest way to improve
• How 10 to 20 thoughtful reviews a week can outperform 100 rushed ones
• The peer review method makes feedback easier to give and receive
• The visual aid change that cut handling time and boosted clarity
• How to route escalations so engineers only see what matters most

Whether you are building QA from scratch or improving an existing program, this episode gives you a proven checklist you can start using this week.

For more resources related to today’s episode:

📩 Get weekly tactical CX and Support Ops tips → https://live-chat-with-jen.beehiiv.com/

▶ Keep listening → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433498

💼 Connect with your host, Jen Weaver, on LinkedIn

🤝 Connect with Chloé Koers-Bourrat on LinkedIn

🔧 Learn more about our sponsor Supportman → https://supportman.io

Episode Time Stamps:

0:00 – Intro: Why prevention beats apologies in support
1:15 – Meet Chloe Kors-Barratt: From CSM to Support Ops
3:40 – A week in the life of a QA-focused support ops lead
6:10 – Fixing broken escalation processes with JIRA
9:20 – Launching QA: From spreadsheets to Klaus
12:05 – Raising CSAT with visual aids & tone improvements
15:00 – Klaus acquisition by Zendesk & shifting strategy
17:30 – Rethinking QA: Fewer reviews, more depth
20:40 – Building feedback loops with product teams
24:10 – Peer-to-peer QA and mentorship in action
28:00 – Key lessons: Prevent issues, keep the human touch, and “QA to save the day”

"I'm not here to catch your mistakes, I'm trying to get customers to stop yelling at you." - Amanda Drws

That’s how Amanda Drws thinks about QA, and it’s a big reason her teams trust the process instead of fearing it.

In this episode, we dig into how Amanda built a QA approach that actually makes life easier for agents and more valuable for the whole company. She shares why she audits a tiny fraction of tickets, how she decides what’s worth flagging, and the surprising ways QA can uncover customer trends you’d never think to track.

What we cover:

• Why “less QA” can lead to more insight
• How to make QA a culture-builder instead of a compliance drill
• A simple way to catch big issues without nitpicking typos
• Using QA to surface trends before your dashboards do
• Getting other teams to actually care about support insights

If you’ve ever thought QA was just about catching mistakes, Amanda’s going to change your mind

Take the Next Step:

📬 Subscribe for weekly tactical tips → Get Weekly Tactical CX and Support Ops Tips

🔍 Follow Amanda Drws on LinkedIn for more  insights →Amanda Drws on LinkedIn

🎙 Keep listening → More Episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver

🗣 Follow Jen for more CX conversations →Jen Weaver on LinkedIn 

🤖 Sponsored by Supportman: https://supportman.io

Episode Time Stamps:

00:00 – Why QA Shouldn't Catch Mistakes

01:32 – Amanda’s Weekly QA and CSAT Ritual

04:15 – QA Is Not Stress Relief

07:48 – Audit Less Than 10% of Tickets

09:55 – QA Insights for Marketing Wins

13:12 – Training Doesn’t Stop After Onboarding

16:44 – How QA Builds Team Safety

20:08 – Weighted Scorecards, Not Gotchas

23:31 – Share QA Gold in Slack Channels

AI isn't something you turn on like flipping a switch. Chances are, your team is already using it. That chatbot pilot you ran and the sentiment analysis humming along in your stack, those are AI at work. The challenge isn't adoption, it's making it work for you instead of against you.

This week, I’m joined by Jen McCorkle, a data-driven leader with 25+ years of experience in revenue generation and analytics, for a grounded, tactical conversation about how AI is reshaping customer support from the inside out and what you can do to lead the change. We unpack the alphabet soup (LLMs, GPT, ML, agentic AI), share practical use cases, and get real about the risks, biases, and blind spots that come with these tools.

If you’re ready to stop reacting to AI and start directing it, you need to give this episode a listen.

What we get into:

• Why your AI tool might be hallucinating… and how to spot it
• The problem with sentiment analysis (and what to do instead)
• How to start learning prompt engineering without taking a class
• Guardrails, audits, and smart pilots before you scale
• The rise of AI governance, and how support leaders can get ahead

Whether AI feels like magic, mayhem, or just another Monday, this episode will give you the clarity to stop reacting and the confidence to start directing.

Keep Exploring:

📬 Subscribe for weekly tactical tips → Get Weekly Tactical CX and Support Ops Tips

🔍 Follow Jen McCorkle on LinkedIn for more  insights →Jen McCorkle on LinkedIn

🎙 Keep listening → More Episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver

🗣 Follow Jen for more CX conversations →Jen Weaver on LinkedIn 

 🤖 Sponsored by Supportman: https://supportman.io

Episode Time Stamps:

0:00 Why AI Feels So Overwhelming

3:17 Generative vs. Agentic AI Explained

6:50 AI Use Cases That Actually Work

10:45 Real-Time Agent Support with AI

13:30 The Flaws in Sentiment Analysis

17:04 Hallucinations, Bias & Bad Data

20:30 Building AI Literacy on Your Team

23:40 Always Pilot Before You Scale

27:15 Human QA for AI Systems

32:42 Will AI Replace Support Teams?

Ever feel like your to-do list is calling the shots? Elyse Mankin has been there, and she figured out how to take back control.

As Head of Support at Attio, Elyse knows firsthand how hard it is to shift from individual contributor to team lead without drowning in tasks. In this episode, she gets real about the habits that don’t scale, the ones that do, and what it takes to rebuild your time management from the ground up.

We get into the messy (but rewarding) process of spotting your own pitfalls, building a planning rhythm that sticks, and coaching your team to find their own flow, instead of just copying yours.

Here’s what we dig into:

• Why the move from IC to manager breaks your old time habits
• How Elyse sets a yearly-to-daily cadence to stay focused
• Her go-to frameworks for prioritizing (Rule of 3 + Eisenhower Matrix)
• How to coach time management without micromanaging

Whether you're scaling a team or just trying to tame your own calendar, this episode gives you a toolkit (and mindset) for leading with clarity and care.

Keep Exploring:

📬 Subscribe for weekly tactical tips → Get Weekly Tactical CX and Support Ops Tips

🔍 More of Elyse’s insights → Elyse Mankin on LinkedIn

🎙 Keep listening → More Episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver

🗣 Follow Jen for more CX conversations →Jen Weaver on LinkedIn 

 🤖 Sponsored by Supportman: https://supportman.io

Let’s face it, support roles don’t always get the credit they deserve. Too often, people see them as just a pit stop on the road to something “better.” But what if it could be both a launchpad and a place worth landing?

In this episode, I talk with Alex Plasket, one of those rare leaders who makes people want to stay. His team isn’t just high-performing; they genuinely like being there. And it’s not because of secret handshakes or group tattoos (although, that’d be iconic). It’s because Alex builds culture from the inside out, starting with trust.  

We’ll delve into his best practices for building high-retention, high-trust support teams. You’ll learn:

• How to structure onboarding so it saves time in the long run.
• Alex’s “problem vs concern” framework (I want him to write a book on this!).
• The power of coaching with real conversations, not generic modules.  
• Ways to spot career growth opportunities before they’re even asked for.  

Maybe you’re working on making onboarding less of a headache, or you’re trying to hang onto great people, or maybe you just want to help your team move up. Whatever the case, Alex offers a refreshingly real and useful approach to leading in support.

If you’re building a team and want it to feel more like a landing pad than a revolving door, this episode is for you.

Your Next Moves:

📧 Join the newsletter: https://live-chat-with-jen.beehiiv.com/ 

🔗 Follow Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-plasket/ 

👩‍💻 Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-weaver/ 

🤖 Sponsored by Supportman: https://supportman.io

Episode Time Stamps:

00:00 – Welcome + why trust matters

04:13 – Team success  starts with hiring

11:10 – Cue walkthroughs to help you scale

14:00 – Lost card ticket coaching example

18:00 – Ticket QA after onboarding

23:55 – Finding teachable moments

30:00 – Important vs urgent

No matter what industry you're in, everyone’s talking about AI. In support, it’s either the shiny new tool that’s supposed to fix everything or the thing causing confusion, pressure, and a lot of “what now?” moments for team leads. 

But what does a realistic AI strategy actually look like? This week on Live Chat with Jen Weaver, I’m joined by Craig Stoss, VP of Partner Solutions at Kodif, for a conversation that cuts through the noise. 

Craig’s back to break down a real-world approach to using AI in support, with actual processes he’s refined over time. He even brings receipts, like the time AI caught a spike in… rotten sweet potatoes. 

If you’re wondering where to start with AI or how to make sure it’s doing what you hired it for, this one will save you hours of trial and error.

🔧 Sponsored by Supportman.io, linking Intercom to Slack for instant, made-for-you ticket QA.

You'll learn:

• A “crawl, walk, run” approach to AI that support teams can actually follow
• How to clean and connect your support data across platforms like Intercom, Pendo, and your CRM
• What to define before buying an AI tool and how to avoid mismatched solutions
• Real-life examples of how AI can detect trends before humans do (yes, even rotten sweet potatoes)

Your Next Moves:

📧 Join the newsletter: https://live-chat-with-jen.beehiiv.com/ 

🔗 Try Craig’s Erlang Calculator: https://stoss.ca/erlang-model-calculator 

📌 Learn more about Craig: https://stoss.ca 

👩‍💻 Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-weaver/ 

🤖 Sponsored by Supportman: https://supportman.io

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:20 The Exercise Bike Problem

03:20 Connecting the Dots Between Tools

08:30 The Purist vs. the Realist on Customer Feedback

10:15 Can AI Really Filter the Noise? “Bs and 3s”

15:30 Known vs. Unknown: Two Ways to Use AI Analytics

22:30 Crawl, Walk, Run: How to Start with AI in Support

Support teams are swimming in data, but how much of it actually helps you make better decisions?

In this episode, I’m joined by Craig Stoss, VP of Partner Solutions at Kodif, to talk about the two biggest data mistakes support teams keep making and how to fix them. Craig’s been in the CX and support world for over 25 years, and he’s walking us through his 5-step system to simplify metrics.

We get into why rigid dropdowns and single-select fields cause more harm than good, how to figure out what metrics are worth tracking, and how AI tools are making clean data easier to access. If you’ve ever stared at a report and thought, “What am I even supposed to do with this?” you’re not alone. This episode will help you reset your approach and focus on what actually moves the needle.

🔧 Sponsored by Supportman.io, linking Intercom to Slack for instant, made-for-you ticket QA.

You’ll Learn:

• The two biggest data mistakes support teams make (and how to avoid them).
• Why single-select fields and rigid data structures kill your reporting.
• How to approach capacity planning without overcomplicating it.
• The two exact metrics you need to start capacity planning today.
• Why migrating all your old data to a new system probably isn’t worth it.
• How AI is Transforming Data Reporting and Why Rigid Categories Are Becoming Obsolete.

Timestamps:
 00:00 – Intro
 01:45 – The Biggest Data Mistakes Support Teams Make
 08:30 – Why You’re Overcomplicating Capacity Planning
 15:40 – The Only Two Metrics You Really Need
 22:10 – How AI Is Changing Support Reporting
 30:00 – What Data to Keep, What to Throw Away
 35:50 – Final Advice for Support Leaders

Your Next Moves:

📧 Join the newsletter: https://live-chat-with-jen.beehiiv.com/ 

🔗 Try Craig’s Erlang Calculator: https://stoss.ca/erlang-model-calculator 

📌 Learn more about Craig: https://stoss.ca 

👩‍💻 Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-weaver/ 

🤖 Sponsored by Supportman: https://supportman.io

Have you ever felt like your support dashboard is just a bunch of numbers no one really connects with? In this episode, Jen sits down with Mario Guisado to talk about building dashboards that actually tell a story. Mario walks through his six-step process for making data useful: how to choose the right metrics for the right audience, resonate with your leadership, and build something that supports real change across your organization.

Whether you're cleaning up a messy reporting system or starting fresh, this conversation will help you create dashboards with purpose and with people in mind.

🔧 Sponsored by Supportman.io linking Intercom to Slack for instant made-for-you ticket QA.

Key Points

• Define a keystone metric and build your story around it
• Differentiate internal coaching data from external leadership reporting
• Test metrics before locking them in
• Build your dashboard after you understand the story
• Avoid common pitfalls like over-reporting or frequent change

Your Next Moves:

💬Follow Mario Guisado on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-guisado/
📬 Get Weekly Tactical CX and Support Ops Tips: https://live-chat-with-jen.beehiiv.com/
🎙️ More Episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433498
👩‍💼 Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-weaver/
🤖 Sponsor Link: https://supportman.io

Episode Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro

1:52 Getting Started - How Mario Landed in Data

3:03 Step 1 - Pick Your Keystone Metrics

8:59 Step 2: Identify Supporting Data

12:44 Step 3: Pressure Test Your Story

17:56 Recap and Step 4: Build a Shareable Format

29:18 Step 5: Watch for Common Pitfalls

32:41 Step 6: Iterate as You Grow

What actually changes when you become head of support?

In this episode, Jen sits down with Idit Matas—a global support leader with experience at Datadog and Firebolt—to unpack the first 90 days of head-of life. From auditing global coverage and designing on-call rotations, to redefining escalation paths and collaborating cross-functionally, Idit offers a real-world blueprint for scaling support the right way.

If you’re stepping into a leadership role or looking to build a healthier, more scalable support function—this is the episode for you.

This podcast is sponsored by Supportman.io, which connects Intercom to Slack and uses AI to give agents feedback and surface problems in real time.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

💡 How to audit global coverage based on SLA—not assumptions
💡 Why asking people to work outside of normal hours kills retention
💡 A step-by-step approach to on-call rotation and compensation
💡 Escalation workflows that don’t frustrate engineers or support
💡 How to use AI as a first responder and tie it to human backup
💡 Creating strategic projects that drive revenue and retention

📌 Your Action Kit

👤 Connect with Idit Matas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iditmatas/
📬 Get Tactical Support Ops Tips Weekly: Newsletter
🎧 More Episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver: Buzzsprout
💼 Follow Jen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-weaver/
🛠️ Try Supportman: https://supportman.io

What does it actually take to build a psychologically safe, people-centered support org?

Alex Armstead will share with us 5 solid strategies you can start implementing now. With nearly a decade at Clever (a unicorn in the tech world 🦄) and roots in both teaching and support, Alex shares exactly how they’ve built internal systems that support retention, cross-functional visibility, and real professional growth.

Whether you’re a Support Manager, CX Ops leader, or mid-level IC looking to step into more influence, this episode is a practical guide to people-first growth, without chasing titles or burning out.

🔧 Sponsored by Supportman.io

What You’ll Find in This Episode
💡 Why psychological safety drives better performance
💡How to build meaningful career paths—whether or not they lead to people management
💡The systems that make anonymous feedback actually work
💡Why middle management deserves more resources
💡How to spot (and support) emerging leaders before they get burnt out

📌 Your Action Kit

👤 Connect with Alex Armstead on LinkedIn
📬 Get Weekly Tactical CX and Support Ops Tips 
🎧 Get more episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver