When people think about mentorship in the workplace, they probably picture formal programs — structured meetings with senior leaders, dedicated 1:1 time, and career development plans.
But in customer support, mentorship happens in the everyday moments: a teammate offering a quick tip in Slack, someone stepping in to help on a tricky case, or a shared workaround that makes everyone’s job easier. The time invested in mentoring through these small moments today creates a ripple effect, strengthening the entire team and leading to better experiences for customers.
When I joined Front five years ago as a technical support engineer, I learned on the fly, figuring things out as I went. Now, as a senior technical support leader, I see mentorship not as top-down advice but as a way to help others navigate the same challenges I once faced.
In this article, I’ll explore how mentorship thrives in informal moments, how small actions can make a big impact, and why fostering a culture of shared learning is essential for a strong, connected support team.
Connection in the queue: where mentorship happens
As the go-to support contact for our Paris office, I field a lot of questions — not just from the support team, but also from engineering and sales. Whether I’m troubleshooting cases or refining processes, I’m constantly collaborating. I’ve learned that some of the most valuable learning happens in the flow of work, when teammates share insights, problem-solve together in the queue, and refine their approach in real time.
An example: recently, when I noticed cases lingering too long in our queue, I worked with our engineering team to automate JIRA comments for bug tracking and integrate Front notifications to alert engineers about stagnant cases. These weren’t just process improvements; they were opportunities to mentor my team by walking them through the logic of identifying bottlenecks and proactively solving them. Instead of simply handing off a fix, I made sure others understood the reasoning behind it. This way, the next time they saw a similar issue, they’d feel confident addressing it themselves.
Mentorship in support is less about top-down advice and more often about creating a culture where knowledge flows freely, and everyone, regardless of seniority, can contribute and learn.
Sharing pro tips with new hires
One of the simplest ways to scale mentorship is by sharing practical tips that make life easier for new hires. Support can be overwhelming. There’s so much to learn when you first get started, and the pace is relentless. Tried-and-true shortcuts are key to survival.
During a recent “Hop in the Support Queue” session in our Paris office, I shared these tips with teammates who said they’d make their work much easier:
Subscribe to conversations: In Front, we have a feature that lets you follow ongoing conversations without taking over the thread and needing to reply. I always tell new hires if you’re unsure about something, subscribe to the conversation and see how teammates work the queue.
Always check the help center first: Before asking for help, see if there’s already a solution in the documentation, either in the help center, or in your Front inbox (has the conversation been solved previously?) It’ll save time and teach you to think independently.
Automate repetitive tasks. For example, set up custom search shortcuts and extensions in your browser, or create message templates for common questions to speed up replies.
Stay proactive in the queue: Spot trends and duplicate cases early — it helps you prevent redundancy and uncover bigger issues.
Take notes: Keep track of recurring questions and solutions. If you’re hearing the same issue repeatedly, chances are others are running into it too. Documenting it can save time and help the whole team.
Leading with approachability
A common challenge in support teams is that people hesitate to ask questions. They worry they’ll look silly. But one of Front’s core values is radical candor — we encourage openness and transparency, which is vital for trust. Back when I started, I had regular 1:1s with Laurent, our CTO. He always made it clear that no question was too small — even when I was talking to the person who built the product! I really appreciated that: we both understood that the faster I ramped up, the sooner I could make a real impact. His approach taught me that I, too, needed to lead by example. If I wanted my team to ask questions without hesitation, I had to model that behavior, even when I didn’t have all the answers.
As a leader of a team, it’s your job to ensure that there are no “silly” questions. If your team isn’t asking, that’s a sign that you need to create an environment where open communication is the norm.
To foster more open question-asking, I encourage my team to ask their questions either in a Front thread or our team Slack channel, so that others can benefit from the answers too.
Here are a couple of examples of when this has happened naturally, through quick conversations over Slack:
Creating opportunities for mentorship
Mentorship can also occur organically, and particularly in spaces where both new hires and senior team members can connect. Here are a few ways I like to create these spaces:
Casual check-ins: Sometimes, a quick question or knowledge share can make all the difference. People appreciate knowing that others struggle with the same challenges they do — even senior T2 team members. Queue Crushes, a weekly initiative where the team comes together virtually to solve cases under pressure, is a great example of this. It’s not just about the knowledge exchanged, but the validation it provides. These moments reassure new hires that they’re not alone in facing the complexities of support.
Open office hours: Setting aside time for informal, no-strings-attached Q&A allows people to ask questions without feeling like it’s a formal mentoring session. The key takeaways from these moments are often twofold: 1) knowledge and 2) validation. It emphasizes the importance of being approachable and making sure new hires feel comfortable reaching out. I’ve found that my first session with new hires gives me a solid read on their personality and how they’ll fit in with the team. From there, I can usually tell when they’ll feel safe enough to ask questions, share struggles, and grow from feedback.
Team-building activities: Outside of work, casual team-building activities like virtual cooking classes or game afternoons can foster stronger connections and even mentor-mentee relationships.
Mentorship in action: the ripple effect of support
Mentoring isn’t just about sharing knowledge — it’s about “supporting the support team.” The time I invest in developing my teammates, especially new hires, creates a ripple effect that strengthens the entire team. Over time, that positive momentum extends all the way to our users, who benefit from a more confident, capable support org.
I love mentoring because it feels like giving back what I once received. I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors, and I’m passionate about passing that knowledge forward. My ultimate goal is to help build a team of seasoned professionals who are so strong and self-sufficient that my involvement becomes less and less necessary.
Want to take mentorship even further? Here are a few ways to level up your support team’s collaboration and engagement:
See why learning your support team’s archetypes can help you collaborate and get more done
Learn how to implement your own Queue Crush program on your team, a chance to solve cases together once a week
36+ ideas for remote support team-building activities that work (tried and true!)
Acknowledgements:
Jason Dugdale and Evan Ostroski have been fundamentally involved in my training and have been two of my biggest mentors at Front. If what I do to mentor creates a ripple effect, then they made the stone, so to speak 🙂
Written by Maxime Haudebert
Originally Published: 26 February 2025