As a member of Kustomer’s People team, I frequently chat with candidates about working at Kustomer. Our conversations cover individuals’ experiences, interests, and what they’re looking to do next in their career. When candidates ask me about our team, I share how we deeply value helping people.
It’s an inherent part of what we do, and who we are. Customer service permeates our collective experience at Kustomer.
Our shared concern for others stems from the company’s history. Kustomer’s co-founders, Brad and Jeremy, have worked in the CRM space for over 20 years. They’ve set out to shift the way we think about client success. The technology we’ve built advocates for the customer by offering a holistic view of their needs. In our platform, the customer is the atomic unit of record. This model enables support teams to better serve customers and alleviate pain points created by ticket-based systems. As Brad explained, “It’s about supporting a customer and not a case.” The People Centric mindset they built into our application is at the forefront of what we do.
Brad and Jeremy harnessed their extensive knowledge to create a product that fixes broken customer relationships. Their propensity towards improving customer service defines Kustomer’s core values, which are rooted in serving others. In fact, our primary value is “Customers First.” This passion for a flawless experience bleeds over into the way we work together at Kustomer.
On a micro-level, conversations between Kustomer teammates often revolve around advocating for others. An engineer recently told me her favorite part of work is customizing our platform for clients’ specific needs. “You get to see so many use cases,” she said excitedly. “I love that our product makes people’s’ lives easier.” Our focus on people’s experience is a shared theme across teams.
Another developer shared with me that his team put significant effort into a project, but then realized late in the process a better solution existed. Despite added work, the team agreed to pivot the approach, yielding better results for our clients. “Here at Kustomer, we focus on the best outcome for our customers,” he explained.
Since its inception, Kustomer has made serving customers a priority. We take the same approach with our internal team. Our culture promotes setting folks up for success. Leaders and teammates regularly check in with one another. Individuals are encouraged to voice their opinions and map out their personal careers aspirations. I have personally benefited from one-on-ones with my team lead, gaining insights into how my work directly impacts the business and how I can continue to grow in my role.
Beyond taking a personal investment in our teammates, there is an abundance of institutional support at Kustomer. Every quarter, we survey our team to better understand their engagement and the areas we can address as a People team. We want to ensure that individuals have what they need to perform at their best. As a result, the company covers 100% of employees’ medical, dental, and vision insurance. Additionally, we enjoy a flexible vacation policy, catered lunch at our semi-monthly meetings, a free Citibike membership, and an array of other perks. Using this feedback loop, we frequently look at our total rewards package to make sure we’re appropriately serving our team, the same way we strive to serve our customers.
Every day, I am impressed by my colleagues’ thoughtful perspectives and their knack for collaboration. I find that folks are inclined to support each other at Kustomer. I spoke with a marketing colleague about cross-departmental collaboration. “When I first started in my role two years ago, I wanted to engage with the product and review its functions,” she recalled. “Our test engineer immediately offered to walk me through our platform and his process. To this day, we still exchange ideas about the product. He has been a great source of knowledge for me.” Kustomer’s People Centric culture encourages our team to learn from each other.
It’s evident our team values commitment and accountability. Our work is centered on helping people and one another. We strive to treat our teammates like our customers—with respect, authenticity, and kindness. Relationships are a priority to us, whether they are forged across our software or in our workplace. As a member of our People team, I’m excited to continue providing a People Centric culture to our customers, internal and external.
Natalie Magioncalda is on the People Operations team at Kustomer.
