GoDaddy Roadshow, Part One
It’s nice to be back home after spending the week in Arizona visiting GoDaddy. I currently have my laundry in progress because on Monday morning, I’m hitting the road again. Yes, the suitcases are staying out for another GoDaddy adventure.
First of all, let me explain what I was doing. A couple of contacts (really, FRIENDS) that I made at GoDaddy while doing WordCamps for them last year asked me if I’d be interested in participating in their customer care employee outreach. I said yes without hesitation and can admit now, I had no idea what I was signing up for. Turns out, the company does what’s called a Roadshow a couple of times a year to educate their “guides” about the various products the company offers to customers. In an area of a call center (I visited two), tables are set up and employees from each division greet customer care representative and give them the lowdown on their products to help those agents be better educated to help them sell. Swag is given freely and employees wander in and out of the area all day.
On day one, I Ubered to the Tempe location (pictured above). This wasn’t new to me. I visited this spot during the 2017 Pro Summit. While we had a steady stream of visitors, we also had some moments of quiet. We had lunch in the company restaurant that had several options to chose from. Meanwhile, outside, it was nearing the 110-degree mark and I was thrilled to be indoors. The 7am-4pm day went by pretty fast and I headed back to my hotel with Michelle and got my In-N-Out fix as well.
Inside the Gilbert office. It’s in the middle of a remodel.
Days two and three were at the Gilbert location. Gilbert and Tempe are very close to each other. I got the full tour of Gilbert since it was the first time I was there. They had the guides in groups that included training, inbound, outbound and several acronyms that I’m still processing. Day two was super busy and hot. I had to head back to the hotel for a quick shower before dinner. There was a group of us, including someone I had met the WordCamp US. As always, I felt well taken care of. Day three was a bit more chill but still fun.
My big takeaway from the experience is to have more understanding and empathy for the folks that answer our calls. I’m not always happy or polite. I need to do better at that. And I need to stop assuming that they know everything. GoDaddy has so many products that it’s quite obvious that it would be hard for a guide to have all the answers! Duh. Until I saw the size of the buildings and all the different internal areas, I didn’t quite grasp this.
Getting interviewed for GoDaddy (internal network) – T-shirt blurred – it’s top secret!
Finally, one last great experience was getting interviewed for GoDaddy’s internal channel! I did a few short videos that they sent out. I did get to see it on a computer and took a couple of stills. Does anyone like to hear their own voice?
Part two will be coming next week! I’m hoping to see at least one presidential candidate in passing while I’m in Iowa. Wish me luck!
RESOURCES: The Oatmeal on Calling Customer Service
