OPERATE · KEEP IT RUNNING
The build is done. You're the backstop again.
Weekly status recaps, ticket queue upkeep, Zendesk configuration, reporting, knowledge base updates, quality monitoring. Somebody has to own these every week, not just during a project. Operate is that somebody. I lead every account and my team does the hands-on delivery, with a clear line between maintenance and new work, so scope never turns into a monthly negotiation.
WHY THIS EXISTS
I've watched what happens when nobody stays.
One client disengaged early against Ty's recommendation, confident an internal hire could cover the gap. The operation drifted in exactly the ways she'd flagged: the schedule fell out of sync, too many people making small admin changes undid parts of the build, and there was no real succession plan. They came back twice, each time asking for less than what actually would have fixed it.
"A system doesn't fail because the build was bad. It fails because nobody stayed to maintain it, and the gap gets filled by whoever's available instead of by design."
TY GIVENS, FOUNDER
WHAT'S INCLUDED EVERY MONTH
Nine things, running every week, not just during a project.
Weekly status recap
What happened, what's in progress, what's next, in writing, every week.
Weekly planning and project board maintenance
Internal prioritization so nothing falls through the cracks between touchpoints.
Monthly business review
Account health, trends, and what's coming next month, a level above the weekly recap.
Ticket queue and issue resolution
Unassigned tickets, broken triggers, business hours changes, holiday coverage.
Zendesk configuration and workflow maintenance
Triggers, macros, and workflows tuned as the business changes, proactively, not just when something breaks.
Reporting and dashboard maintenance
Keeping what already exists accurate and useful. Building something new is a different bucket, see below.
Knowledge base upkeep
Updating Help Center content, FAQs, and self-service resources already in place.
Quality monitoring
Ongoing quality checks against the standards already set for the account.
AI and automation flow maintenance
Tuning bot flows, macros, and automations already in production as volume and use cases shift.
WHERE MAINTENANCE ENDS
Every account eventually asks for something that isn't maintenance. Here's how we draw the line, every time.
The rule we use: if it touches a system already in production, it's maintenance. If it stands up something that didn't exist before, it's a new thing. Drawing the line by system, not by task type, keeps it consistent instead of turning into a monthly negotiation.
A trigger fix and a new bot flow can both look like automation work on the surface. One is upkeep. The other is new scope.
Every account gets a monthly allowance for new-thing work, so there's a home for reasonable enhancements without opening a new SOW every time. That allowance isn't a guess. Six months of logged hours on one active account averaged under 10 hours a month of new-thing work, with real swings depending on what was in flight. A typical starting allowance is around 10 hours a month, adjusted up or down based on account size and history at setup.
Two paths when the allowance runs out, decided before the work starts, not after: bill the extra hours at the standard rate, or if the ask is big enough to be its own project, scope it separately as an Automate engagement.
One flat monthly rate covers the maintenance work above, the new-things allowance, and account management overhead. The only variable is overage past the allowance, and you'll know upfront which of the two paths above applies. Annual option available. Exact rate is set in a short conversation, not a price list.
IF YOU ONLY NEED ONE DISCIPLINE COVERED
Operate, scoped narrower.
Operate covers all of it. Some accounts only need one part held every week. Same relationship, less surface, and the price follows the scope. Most of these start as an add-on to work already underway, so the fastest route is to ask.
Scale is a project. Operate is a retainer.
Scale rebuilds workforce management, quality and reporting together, once, and hands them back working. Operate is where one or more of them gets held every week after that. See how Scale works →
Fractional is an add-on to Operate, not an alternative.
Operate surfaces what needs deciding and your team decides it. Add Fractional and someone from our side owns those decisions and drives them through, either directing your team or doing the work themselves. We don't sell it without Operate underneath. See how Fractional works →
Quality only
Ongoing QA scoring and coaching notes, held every week. For teams whose standards exist but nobody has time to check the work against them.
Workforce management only
Forecasting, scheduling and intraday adjustments as volume moves. For teams whose coverage keeps drifting out of line with demand.
Help desk only
Platform maintenance and workflow upkeep. This one starts with the audit, because we will not maintain a configuration we have not seen.
Start with a Support Operations Audit →WHY NOT SOMETHING BIGGER
A bigger Zendesk partner turned a client away for being too small.
One healthcare client called Zendesk's own listed implementation partners first. More than one told them the project was too small, and sent them here instead. That's not a coincidence, it's a gap in this market. The big, official partners aren't built for a 5 to 20 agent team, and they'll say so themselves.
I'm not a BPO selling headcount, and I'm not a software vendor with a product to push. If the right move for your team is more staffing, more software, or an outsourcing partner instead of what I build, I'll tell you that directly, before I take a dollar from you.
WHO'S ACTUALLY DOING THIS
I'm Ty Givens. 25 years running support operations at See's Candies, Thrive Causemetics and The Honey Pot Co. before starting CX Collective. I lead every engagement, and my team does the hands-on delivery. That's the whole pitch.
25 years in support operations
Wondering whether you also need Fractional Leadership on top of this?
If you just finished a Launch or Scale engagement, this is usually the easiest yes you'll make all year. If you're not sure, we'll talk it through with you first.