In the startup world, the standard playbook often suggests outsourcing customer support as quickly as possible. The logic is usually that it frees up the core team to focus on “bigger” tasks like development and sales.
When CE21 began in 2014, we looked at that playbook. We wore every hat imaginable back then. I (Reid Stillings) was answering the phones and then would write development tickets between calls. Lisa Wise, our current VP of Product, was in the support queue. Even our CEO would jump in to answer customer inquiries. It was an all-hands-on-deck environment, and naturally, we investigated moving our support to a third-party call center to reclaim some of our time.
However, we decided to keep support in-house. That single decision fundamentally shaped the CE21 platform into what it is today. By keeping our team directly connected to your members, we turned technical support into a powerful engine for product innovation.
The Mission: Prevent the Call
When we were answering the phones and answering support tickets in those early days, we quickly realized that closing a ticket was not the ultimate goal. The goal was to prevent the ticket from being created in the first place.
Every question a user asked was a signal that a feature could be more intuitive. Because we felt the immediate impact of user confusion, we were motivated to fix the root cause instantly. If a button was hard to find, we moved it. If a login process was confusing, we refined it.
This created a cycle of continuous improvement. We were not just resolving issues; we were actively removing friction from the user experience. For our clients, this means a platform that is easier for members to navigate, resulting in higher adoption rates and fewer frustrated emails to your staff.
Collaborative, Transparent Support Tools
As our philosophy on support matured, so did our tools. We moved away from third-party ticketing software and built a custom support system directly into the CE21 platform.
This integration offers a massive benefit to the associations and organizations we serve. Because the support system is native to the platform, you have complete transparency. You can log in and see exactly how we are treating your members.
This system facilitates true collaboration. You can handle tickets directly if you choose, or you can let us take the lead. If a member asks a technical question we cannot answer regarding your specific organization policy, we can escalate that ticket to you. Conversely, if you receive a complex technical query, you can pass it instantly to our team. It ensures that the right person answers the right question, every time.
It also eliminates a significant line item from your budget. While standalone ticketing platforms like Freshdesk or Zendesk often charge $40 to $60 per agent, our system provides this robust functionality as a standard part of the platform. You get enterprise-level support tracking without the per-user subscription fees.
The Proof Is in the Volume
A few years into our journey, we decided to audit our process. We reached back out to third-party call centers to see if outsourcing was finally the right move. We had created detailed workflows, cheat sheets, and rigorous standards. We were ready to hand it off.
The response from the call center vendor was unexpected. After reviewing our data, they told us they could not work with us.
Their reasoning was simple. We did not have enough call volume.
Despite our client base growing significantly, the number of support calls we received had dropped. Our “prevent the call” strategy worked. We had refined the software so effectively that the call center could not justify the contract, as their agents would not receive enough calls to maintain familiarity with the platform.
An Extension of Your Team
That rejected contract was one of our proudest moments. It proved that keeping support in-house was the right choice for our product and our partners and it established a standard never to be revisited.
Today, CE21 support acts as an extension of your own staff. When your members have trouble accessing a webinar or retrieving a certificate, we are there to help them. This allows you to focus on the strategic growth of your association rather than password resets and video buffering issues.
We handle the technical inquiries so you can focus on your mission. And because we are still the ones listening to your members, you can be confident that the platform will continue to evolve to meet their needs.
