AI: A catalyst for professional growth in Customer Success

In August 2024, Hostinger surpassed its 3 million client base. With more and more customers trusting us, we are nudged to look for innovative solutions that can ensure our growth is sustainable, all while providing an exceptional customer experience. 

In May 2023, we launched an AI chatbot that is currently an integral part of Kodee, which helped us improve all of our metrics. Today, Kodee fully resolves around 45% of customers’ requests via live chat support. With almost every other conversation being resolved by Kodee, the customer benefits from faster and quality support. 

However, this brought additional challenges when Customer Success specialists started increasing their concerns about whether their role was still relevant and had a future. From the start, the AI chatbot was never intended to reduce the number of employees; rather, it was intended to enable specialists to handle more complex issues and grow professionally. To ensure this, we have developed an in-house tool, a Success Path Hub.

The Success Path Hub is an environment where individuals can embark on a journey towards mastering their roles, achieving high standards, and fostering a culture of curiosity and improvement. Based on our belief that true progress comes from self-motivated employees and looking through the lens of complex adaptive systems, it was important for us that a tool had both the needed complexity and flexibility to support business needs and foster three main pillars of intrinsic motivation (D. Pink, Drive): mastery, autonomy, and purpose. 

What does Mastery entail for us?

It is about knowing who we consider our talents and how many of them we have while offering a robust framework for skills enhancement, including individual growth paths, real-time feedback, and opportunities for peer collaboration. All skills talk about talents. We have identified that talent for us is an employee who possesses not only expertise in their primary area of responsibility but also the additional technical knowledge needed to support customers effectively. 

These individuals exhibit a T-shaped skill set. This perspective is necessary as Kodee handles all the basic queries, and our Customer Success specialists shift to tackling more complex and technical customer queries that Kodee can’t resolve. Thanks to a wide range of skills, from self-management and communication to advanced troubleshooting of technical topics (WordPress, VPS, etc.), provided learning materials, integrated AI usage, and feedback loops, Success Path Hub guarantees that our people will be ready for this tomorrow. 

In this evolving landscape, the T-shaped professional is more than a specialist; they are a problem solver, a critical thinker, and a customer advocate who can bridge gaps between technology and human interaction. By fostering this level of talent, we are building a department that is resilient, adaptable, and equipped to deliver exceptional value in even the most complex scenarios. 

Fostering T-shaped skill sets doesn’t just benefit the organization; it also contributes to a greater sense of security and confidence for employees. Specialists who develop a wide range of skills gain more flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, whether it’s a shift in department focus, the emergence of new technologies, or the evolving needs of our customers. 

How do we go about Autonomy?

Autonomy is at the core of our approach to employee growth and development. By giving people the chance to choose their own path, they feel more excited and involved in reaching their goals. This means empowering employees to take charge of their growing journey—picking the areas they want to excel, defining their own goals, and accessing resources that align with their unique pace and preferences. 

Since the start of Success Path Hub in April 2024, this philosophy of autonomy has shown great results. A total of 668 technical skills (competent and above), 171 communication abilities, 8 self-management competencies, and 23 leadership capabilities have been successfully developed and enhanced. 

By providing a flexible framework that supports autonomy instead of grandiose programs that often do not hit the spot, the Success Path Hub empowers employees to focus on what matters most to them while ensuring alignment with organizational objectives. 

How do we benefit from Success Path Hub and focus on professional growth?

Boosts efficiency: Streamlines skill development by providing employees with targeted resources and structured learning paths. This reduces the time spent searching for development opportunities and helps employees focus on acquiring the exact skills they need for their roles. As employees enhance their capabilities and move to T-shape personalities, they become more proficient and flexible in adjusting to changed circumstances, ensuring exceptional customer experience and directly improving overall productivity and operational efficiency.

Empowers growth: By placing the power of development in employees’ hands, it fosters a culture of ownership and self-motivation. Employees can identify areas they want to excel in, set personal goals, and progress at their own pace. This autonomy builds confidence and drives professional growth, equipping individuals with the tools and mindset to adapt to future challenges and opportunities, ensuring business success and scalability. 

Supports hiring: Enhances the hiring process by enabling the organization to define better and communicate the skills and competencies needed for various roles. It also allows internal talent to upskill and transition into new roles, ensuring we prioritize the growth and internal mobility of our employees. Furthermore, by showcasing a commitment and focus on learning culture, we attract candidates who value a growth-oriented environment.

Improves job satisfaction: It enhances job satisfaction. Once workers are supported in their professional growth, they feel satisfied with their jobs. The Success Path Hub addresses individual aspirations by aligning learning opportunities with career goals, creating a sense of achievement and purpose. Employees are much more motivated and inspired once they witness how their progress will lead to real impacts at work.

Human sustainability: Human sustainability in the workplace means assuring continuous learning and personal development so that people can thrive both in their personal and professional lives. It ensures that development opportunities and support for long-term growth enable our employees to thrive and adapt to continuous change, meaningfully contributing to their success and that of the organization.

Commitment to adaptivity and growth 

All in all, the Success Path Hub is a dynamic tool with endless future possibilities. Created during a time of change, it reflects our commitment to adaptability and growth. As we foresee many new actions and directions to explore, we will continue iterating and refining the Hub. Our goal remains clear: to empower individuals with accessible, actionable resources that drive personal and professional success. The journey is ongoing, and we are excited to shape its future together with our team and community.