This podcast is sponsored by Supportman, which connects Intercom to Slack and uses AI to give agents feedback and surface problems in real time.

The holidays don’t look the same for everyone. Some teams shut down for a week, while support teams have to keep the queue moving. On global teams, there are even more calendars to juggle, and not everyone experiences this season as joyful.

In this episode, Jen talks with Kathy Fava, an experienced support leader with practical ideas for navigating December. They cover how to ask your team what they actually observe, offer flexible schedules without dropping coverage, watch for burnout (including your own), and give back with no budget at all. They also explore how to approach holidays like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Las Posadas, Blue Christmas, and more with curiosity and respect.

Highlights from our conversation:

✔️ Start with conversations: ask what holidays your team observes and what support they need
✔️ Offer flexibility without breaking coverage through opt-in shifts, swaps, and comp time
✔️ Watch for burnout, including your own, and rebalance workloads with quick 1:1s
✔️ Give back without a budget: handwritten notes, opt-out cards, or flexible schedules
✔️ Be mindful of holiday grief: skip mandatory fun and offer simple recognition instead

Whether you’re planning shifts over Christmas week, balancing cultural inclusion, or figuring out how to show gratitude without a budget, this episode is a timely guide for support and CX leaders.

Resources:

🤝 Connect with Kathleen (Kathy) Fava on LinkedIn
📬 Get weekly tactical CX and Support Ops tips in our Support Leaders Newsletter
🎙 Listen to more episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver

Sponsors:
🔧 Learn more about Supportman

Keep in Touch:
💼 Connect with Jen Weaver on LinkedIn
📺 Subscribe for more CX leadership insights on YouTube

This podcast is sponsored by Supportman, which connects Intercom to Slack and uses AI to give agents feedback and surface problems in real time.

What does it take to turn everyday customer conversations into insights that guide the whole business?

In this episode of Live Chat with Jen Weaver, I sit down with Andrew “Coach” Rios, a veteran support operations leader with more than 25 years of experience at startups, scaleups, and Fortune 100s. From Cisco to Fitbit, Coach Rios has built support reports that don’t just capture numbers, they tell the story of what’s really happening with your customers and your company.

Highlights from our conversation:

✔️ Resetting on Sunday to scan chats and set Monday priorities

✔️ Building a lightweight support report that tracks who called, why, and what you did

✔️ Sharing reports with purpose: team first, then your boss, then the wider org

✔️ Framing every number with the six W’s: who, what, when, where, why, and what’s next

✔️ Modeling healthy communication to keep teams focused and balanced

✔️ Blending reflection with motion through walk-and-talks and Friday wins

✔️ Choosing progress over polish by shipping early drafts and iterating later

If you’re a support or CX leader, this chat will give you practical steps you can actually use to keep your team motivated and make your reports resonate across the company.

Resources:
🤝 Connect with Andrew “Coach” Rios on LinkedIn
📬 Get weekly tactical CX and Support Ops tips in our Support Leaders Newsletter
🎙 Listen to more episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver

Sponsors:
🔧 Learn more about Supportman

Keep in Touch:
💼 Connect with Jen Weaver on LinkedIn
📺 Subscribe for more CX leadership insights on YouTube

This podcast is sponsored by Supportman, which connects Intercom to Slack and uses AI to give agents feedback and surface problems in real time.

What happens when budgets shrink, layoffs ripple across the industry, and leaders are asked to do more with less?

This week on Live Chat, I sat down with Alisha Joseph, founder of Savvy Service Pro and creator of the upcoming AI coaching tool Savvy Edge, to discuss how leaders can navigate change while remaining authentic.

Here’s what you’ll take away from this conversation:

• How to strike a balance between a demanding W2 job, consulting, and family caregiving
• Why treating everyone the same is a leadership mistake
• How to plan for risk, not just deadlines
• How to use AI for framing without losing authenticity
• Building your career as a personal brand to safeguard against layoffs

Whether you’re leading through layoffs, exploring how AI can support leadership development, or figuring out how to show up on LinkedIn, Alisha offers actionable strategies for supporting leaders at every stage.

Resources:
🤝 Connect with Alisha Joseph on LinkedIn
🏢 Learn more about Savvy Service Pro on LinkedIn
📬 Get weekly tactical CX and Support Ops tips in our Support Leaders Newsletter
🎙 Listen to more episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver

Sponsors:
🔧 Learn more about Supportman

Keep in Touch:
💼 Connect with Jen Weaver on LinkedIn
📺 Subscribe for more CX leadership insights on YouTube