We can define “agility” in software development as the ability to adapt to new conditions and situations quickly and efficiently. As the Craftgate team, we know the importance of agility in software development and in developing our product from every aspect.
One of the principles of the Agile Manifesto[1] states, “Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.” We keep this principle in mind while providing support to our merchant partners.
Batman & Robin Support Model
We provide our merchants with a distinguished support service, Batman & Robin. This team consists of Software Crafters who rotate weekly and are ready to provide 24/7 customer support.
The Batman & Robin model is a unique approach we’ve developed at Craftgate to offer better technical support to our customers.
Instead of using traditional ticket systems and call centers, we allow our merchants to experience the advantages of this support model directly.
Why Don’t We Use Call Centers or Ticket Systems?
Call center support often involves individuals detached from the development processes, making it difficult to determine the quality of the customer experience. Similarly, ticket systems can bureaucratize the support process, potentially worsening the customer experience.
As Batman & Robin, we do things differently:
- We handle issue identification with the people who develop the solutions and understand the technical details, minimizing waiting times.
- Without ticket systems, we can conduct online meetings with our merchants, providing personalized attention and transparently demonstrating how we address their issues.
- We gather direct feedback from merchant representatives, showing us how to improve our product and enrich our task list.
- By eliminating bureaucratic obstacles, we enable developers to address issues directly, taking the fastest possible action.
How Do Crafters Handle Their Responsibilities?
Within the Craftgate culture, everyone on the team sees product development as their primary responsibility. To become a strong team, we work diligently with attention to detail, responsibility, honesty, and humility. Excellence should be pursued not only in software development but also in every aspect that supports the product.
The Craftgate culture significantly influences the Batman & Robin structure, affecting several aspects:
- Seniority levels, titles, and team leadership are not elements within our team. Thus, as Batman & Robin, everyone in the team strives to fulfill the same responsibility, embracing the necessity of working as a unified team.
- We embrace pair and mob programming as our style. As Batman & Robin, we often work with merchant representatives to jointly investigate issues. Collaborative communication leads to faster and on-point solutions instead of individual efforts.
- Transparent communication is vital for us. We apply the same principle when examining issues with merchant teams. By coordinating with them, we ensure adequate customer support and contribute to customer satisfaction.
What Are the Primary Responsibilities of Batman & Robin?
Batman & Robin consists of two Software Crafters who change roles weekly. During their respective weeks, they play an active role in various areas that require communication with our merchants. Some of their responsibilities include:
- Explaining our product to merchant teams who have passed the Craftgate application process and are starting integration. This includes conducting live demos using ready-made codes on our developer portal’s sandbox environment.
- Regularly reviewing transactions, success rates, and error messages from live merchants to provide feedback and make improvements for better service.
- Evaluating and responding to emails from merchants, addressing their issues or information needs, and providing solutions. In some cases, we schedule online meetings to offer the most effective support.
- Investigating issues and implementing necessary improvements when errors occur. In certain situations, we coordinate with the team to follow up on necessary developments to resolve issues.
- Monitoring the status of the live environment by participating in deployment and other infrastructure activities.
Contributions of Batman & Robin Support to Our Product and Team
In addition to its benefits for our merchants, Batman & Robin support contributes to our team and product in various ways:
- As Crafters, we aim to have expertise in various parts of the product to provide the most accurate answers and solutions to merchant support requests.
- We take pride in our product as a team and strive to make it better. Being Batman & Robin allows us to fully embrace the product and be involved in every stage, from sales activities to integration and development.
- We continuously improve our product by quickly implementing new features and enhancements based on customer feedback. We consider this a vital way to ensure our product remains at its best.
- We consider Batman & Robin beyond ordinary customer support; we’ve internalized this process and made it part of our team. This approach ensures we always do our best to provide support.
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