As we head into 2025, Wheelhorse Web is looking to streamline our processes and provide a better experience for our clients. The #1 thing that is not sparking joy and not adding value in our day-to-day work is unnecessary back and forth with our clients – and we have heard that you feel the same. It is so important that we have your authorization, input, and approval in everything we do for you, but every time there is a delay, we both lose valuable time and momentum. The way that task switching (also called context switching) saps our energy and decreases efficiency is well-documented, and we’ve set out to minimize it as much as possible!
Another thing that drains people in both our work and personal lives is open loops. This is a concept that originated in the book Getting Things Done by David Allen. Essentially, To-dos and commitments that we’ve taken on but have not completed will take our energy just by existing – even if we’re not working on them at all.
In our commitment to providing the best possible service and just generally enjoying our lives (and supporting you in enjoying yours), we have been reflecting on how we can mitigate the effects of context switching and lingering open loops. Focusing on live support is the best idea we’ve had yet!
Live Support Sessions
Most of you have had the experience of reaching out to a large company for remote support. You often have the choice to send a message by email or to hop into a live chat. The live session is akin to the live chat option. We may not need you to be present on camera for the entire session, but we want you to be available for real-time conversations during the time that we’re helping you. This also means you have a much more accurate sense of when the task will be done and it’s much more likely to be completed immediately. Luckily, we’re not a huge company, so you won’t be speaking with a different person each time, you won’t have to start over explaining your problem each time, and you can schedule the session for a time that’s convenient for you.
Here is our process:
- Book a session using one of our scheduling links. Note that we’re still testing this format, so all live sessions will be hosted by Julia for the time being. When prompted, please provide a brief description of what we’ll be working on together.
- You will receive a confirmation email, a calendar invite and a reminder email 24-hours in advance.
- When the time for our session arrives we will connect on Zoom or by phone. We will share a notes document with you so that we can document what gets done and what we learn.
- If you are receiving ad-hoc tech support outside of a maintenance plan or flat-rate agreement, we’ll check in about payment and budget at the beginning of the session.
- We’ll work on the problem directly. We can do a training that empowers you to be more independent in the future, or we can take care of it for you while you work on other things – only interrupting you if we need your input to move forward.
- If one of us needs to leave the session before the problem is solved, we’ll check in about the next availability and continue working until we need to check in again. If there is a gap in availability on either end that lasts more than 6 hours, we’ll pause the project and reschedule another session. In other words, if we ask you a question and we don’t hear back for 6 hours, we’ll move on to other things and consider the session and the task complete. We can pick up where we left off if you schedule another session.
- When the session is wrapping up, we’ll make sure the notes document is updated, including a list of next steps and a link to any meeting recordings that were made. We will also issue your invoice directly and aim to settle it with you before we move on so no one has to circle back later.
What Do You Think?
We’ve tested this format with a few clients already, and those experiences have been really promising. That being said, we’d love to hear from you! Does this format make it easier to work with us? Does the live session work with your schedule and workflow? What are the most challenging aspects of getting website help and does this approach address those, or is there something else we need to account? Please reach out and let us know.