Building ThriveCart’s Support Organization from the Ground Up

Project Length: 2 years, 2023 - 2025

Background

When I joined ThriveCart, the support function was almost nonexistent. There were two support advisors reporting directly to the CEO, with no defined leadership, processes, or structure. Beyond that, the entire company was a skeleton crew—just a CTO, a handful of developers, and the CEO running the entire operation. As ThriveCart scaled and was acquired, it became clear that the support function needed to evolve into a structured, efficient, and high-performing department to meet growing customer needs.

Challenges

• No formal support hierarchy—everyone was handling everything, leading to inefficiency.
• Lack of standardized processes for ticket triaging, incident response, refunds, or escalations.
• Zendesk setup was chaotic, with an outdated ticket prioritization system.
• A massive queue backlog due to a poorly implemented payment gateway launch, resulting in 800+ open tickets and a 6-day first response time.
• No feedback loops; NPS (Net Promoter Score) and limited CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) to measure performance.
• Limited headcount, requiring creative hiring and workflow structuring.

My Approach

1. Immediate Triage & Queue Optimization

• In my first week, I flipped the queue prioritization logic to "oldest first" instead of "newest first," ensuring long-waiting customers were prioritized.
• Implemented proper ticket categorization and streamlined Zendesk automations to prevent manual backlog triaging.

2. Establishing a Tiered Support Structure

• Promoted existing advisors into Tier 2 specialists to handle complex issues.
• Hired and onboarded two remote Filipino advisors with prior BPO experience to manage Tier 1 inquiries, significantly improving resolution times.
• Designed training programs to upskill the team and enhance efficiency.

3. Building Out Policies & Best Practices

• Created and documented key operational policies, including:
  • Incident Response & Communications Playbook
  • Refund & Chargeback Handling Process
  • Overtime Policy & Support Compensation Framework
  • Ticket Escalation & Resolution Guidelines
  • Goal-Setting & Performance Measurement Structure

4. Implementing Data-Driven Support Metrics

• Launched formal CSAT & CES tracking and the company’s first-ever NPS initiative.
• Improved NPS from -12 to +36 in a single quarter by advocating for support-driven bug fixes and better development prioritization.
• Developed a real-time dashboard to track support performance and customer trends.

5. Expanding Influence Across the Organization

• Became a key player in ThriveCart’s entire operations, leveraging my knowledge of multiple functions.
• If I didn’t know how to do something, I found a way—whether through research, collaboration, or creative problem-solving.
• Built strong cross-functional relationships with Development, Product, Marketing and Sales to ensure customer needs were prioritized.
• Partnered with a Stripe TAM (Technical Account Manager) to design and implement ThrivePay, a white-glove payment solution, from a support lens.
• Participated in hiring rounds and had a say in selecting the VP of Support & Success.

6. Public-Facing Leadership & Customer Engagement

• Hosted large-scale customer webinars with the CEO to provide walkthroughs and product announcements.
• Developed and executed a tactical rollout plan for major product updates, ensuring smoother transitions and fewer customer disruptions.

Results & Impact

• Queue efficiency: Reduced first response time from 6 days to under 1 hour.
• Stronger team structure: Built a fully operational support department from scratch, scaling from 2 advisors to a 30+ person structured team with clear roles.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction: NPS surged from -12 to +36 in a single quarter.
• Operational scalability: Created a replicable framework for future support growth.
• Company-wide impact: Became a go-to expert across multiple departments, helping drive efficiency and problem-solving beyond support.

Conclusion

What started as an underdeveloped, ad-hoc support function became a fully operational and scalable department under my leadership. Beyond simply fixing ticketing inefficiencies, I played a pivotal role in shaping how ThriveCart approached customer experience, product rollouts, and cross-functional collaboration. My ability to solve problems, adapt, and drive impact positioned me as a critical player in the company—someone who could step in, figure things out, and always find a way forward.

People I lead during this project:
Kristine Brown // David Johnson // Nicole McIsaac