Inside the Workflow with Laura Bedoya: Building Customer Support Teams with Heart and Strategy

Laura Bedoya, Senior Technical Support Manager at Vitally.io, joined the Zight Podcast to discuss her journey building the company’s first-ever technical support team for its B2B platform. Laura’s approach combines strategic processes with a focus on team culture and human connection, offering invaluable insights for leaders in customer support and beyond. Here are some key highlights from the conversation:

Starting from Scratch: Lessons in Building a Support Team

Laura shared her experience as the first technical support hire at Vitaly.io, where she was tasked with creating the company’s support function from the ground up. “It was a lot of fun because it’s just a lot of creativity. I got to experience the day-to-day and then say, ‘This is what you’ll be doing’ when I brought on new team members.” She emphasized the importance of documentation in ensuring seamless onboarding: “Having a big internal documentation repository helped every person onboard easily. We also use visuals like GIFs and screen recordings because everyone learns differently.”

Balancing Metrics and Customer Experience

Laura’s insights into customer support metrics challenge traditional practices: “CSAT should be a team metric, not an individual one. Most negative feedback is about the product, not the person answering the ticket.” She also addressed the common focus on first reply time: “I hate first reply time as a metric because it prioritizes speed over quality. I want customers to ask a question once and never have to come back with the same issue.”

Keeping the Human Connection Alive

In a remote-first environment, Laura prioritizes fostering human connections within her team: “We share updates about our weekends and celebrate each other. Collaboration is rooted in human connection—it’s what keeps us motivated and aligned.” Her leadership style blends humor with accountability: “We’re here for 40 hours a week, so let’s have fun. But we also need to meet our goals to keep the fun alive.”

The Role of AI in Customer Support

Laura sees AI as a tool to empower teams, not replace them: “AI can handle simple, repetitive tasks like how-to questions, freeing up support teams to tackle more complex issues. It’s about getting customers halfway there, so humans can jump in where it really matters.”

Championing Diversity and Community

As a Latina in tech, Laura is passionate about representation and mentorship: “We don’t see enough women of color in leadership. Through Amigas Latinas, we’re helping Latinas take up more space and connect with mentors who understand their unique challenges.” Laura’s journey from retail to tech without a college degree highlights the importance of creating opportunities: “I don’t have a degree, but I’ve been able to build a stable, fulfilling career. Now, I want to help others do the same.”