Maybe my startup is different than others, but I have to do everything at least some of the time. I can't imagine a startup ceo saying "I refuse to do X".
I can't imagine anyone at a small startup refusing to do something unless it would be seriously detrimental due to their lack of experience on the task at hand. I know the article is geared towards CEOs, but being able to touch so many different areas is one of the best things for anyone to be a part of at a startup, including the customer support aspect. There's so much you can learn.
By the time your startup reaches 50 employees, you will not be doing a bit of everything, but you'll be reading status reports that talk about a bit of everything. Been there, done that.
But yes, staying in touch with customers is one of the best actions a CEO can do.
They are at least reasons to monitor the email and to respond to select ones. If your support has a general framework to work upon, they can handle most emails very well. Handling all/most or handling none of the support are both bad options.
Couldn't agree more. The bonus reason sums it up best: "It's the right thing to do". This kind of stuff pays off in the long-rug I bet. A few times I have replied to emails from startups and the reply-to is their CEO. I get excited, send off an email, but am disappointed when I see an employee replying to my email which was forward to them by the CEO.
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[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 28.2 ms ] threadBut yes, staying in touch with customers is one of the best actions a CEO can do.