Teachers will often say that good students are the cornerstone of a great class. Or maybe the helpful parents who volunteer to make the class better. Or even the right combination of technology inside the classroom. Ask any teacher and they’ll give you the big cornerstone of their teaching experience.
For me, it’s lesson plans.
Growing up, my Dad instilled in us kids the importance of planning. One phrase was repeated over and over –
“Hope for the best. Plan the worst.”
Inside the classroom, it’s no different. At the start of each week, I’d lay out all the things we would cover that week. I had one plan for classes that zipped through the material and needed more. I had another plan for classes that might go through the lessons at a slower pace. For auditory learners, visual learners, group thinkers and loners, everything was planned out.
Great support is the same way.
No, I don’t mean draw up scripts for your reps to work through. What I’m talking about is having the basics covered but allow for flexibility as needed.
Make sure you have a solid response plan for when your app goes down. Schedule out the week so that all the shifts and support channels are covered. If you’re launching a new product, prep the support pages and videos that will help people learn how it works.
Those lessons plans were the only thing that got my class through the days sometimes. They helped keep us all on track and moving towards the same goal.
At the end of the day (a good one or a bad one), you’ll be thankful for that plan that helped you get through it.
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