1-on-1 Agenda Pack: Customer Support Team (Email & Live Chat)
Assumptions: These templates assume your holiday rush falls roughly in Q4. Your team lead may run some of these 1:1s or join them. Longer templates have their own suggested length. The career-path examples are placeholders, so swap in the roles your company actually offers. Swap: "Project Kickoff or Retrospective" has been replaced with Ticket & Chat Review, because regular ticket feedback is one of your stated goals and project kickoffs are rare for frontline support.
Quick-Start Guide
- It's their meeting, not yours. The rep's topics come first. This isn't a status update or a stats review.
- Share the agenda 24 hours ahead in the running doc so nobody walks in cold.
- The rep adds their topics first. You add yours below theirs.
- Never cancel; reschedule. During the holiday rush, cancelled 1:1s send the message that people only matter when the queue is quiet. If you're slammed, shorten the meeting to 15 minutes instead of dropping it.
- Keep one running doc per person. Past notes, actions, and ticket feedback all live in one place, which makes review time much easier.
- End every meeting with owners and dates, even if there's only one action.
- Remote tip: Book 1:1s in the Eastern/Pacific overlap (roughly late morning to late afternoon Eastern) and away from your peak chat hours. That way reps aren't watching the queue while you talk. Make cameras optional, and screen-share for ticket reviews.
Rotation Plan
| Template | When to use | Suggested frequency | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. First 1:1 / Getting to Know You | New hire's first week, or when you inherit a rep | Once per person | 45 min |
| 2. Standard Weekly Check-in | Default for most weeks | Most weeks (6-7 per quarter) | 30 min |
| 3. Priorities & Blockers | Backlog is growing, tooling issues, or product bugs piling up | As needed (0-2 per quarter) | 30 min |
| 4. Quarterly Goal Setting | First 1-2 weeks of the quarter | 1 per quarter | 45 min |
| 5. Mid-Quarter Goal Progress | Weeks 6-7 | 1 per quarter | 30 min |
| 6. Career Growth & Development | Any calm week; avoid peak rush | 1 per quarter | 45 min |
| 7. Two-Way Feedback | Mid-to-late quarter | 1 per quarter | 30 min |
| 8. Workload & Wellbeing | Before, during, and after holiday rush | Every 2 weeks in rush; every 4-6 weeks otherwise | 30 min |
| 9. Ticket & Chat Review | Regular coaching on real tickets | Every 3-4 weeks (plus a mini version in every weekly) | 30 min |
| 10. New Hire 30/60/90 | At day 30, 60, and 90 for your 2 new hires | 3 times per new hire | 30 min |
| 11. Performance Review Prep | 2-3 weeks before formal reviews | 1-2 per year | 45 min |
| 12. Skip-Level 1:1 | You meeting reps who report to your team lead | 1 per rep per quarter | 30 min |
Sample 13-week quarter (one rep): Wk 1 Goal Setting · Wk 2 Weekly · Wk 3 Ticket & Chat Review · Wk 4 Weekly · Wk 5 Workload & Wellbeing · Wk 6 Weekly · Wk 7 Mid-Quarter Progress · Wk 8 Ticket & Chat Review · Wk 9 Two-Way Feedback · Wk 10 Career Growth · Wk 11 Weekly · Wk 12 Workload & Wellbeing · Wk 13 Weekly (or Review Prep if reviews are due)
Holiday rush quarter: Swap 2-3 Weekly slots for Workload & Wellbeing, and move Career Growth to the week after the rush ends.
1. First 1:1 / Getting to Know You
Use when: A new hire's first week, or your first 1:1 with a rep you've inherited. Length: 45 min (longer than usual; worth it). Who preps: Both
Before the meeting:
- Employee: Jot down 2-3 things that help you do your best work, and anything you're nervous about.
- Employee: Note your preferred working hours and time zone.
- Manager: Create their running 1:1 doc and share it.
- Manager: Prepare a quick overview of how 1:1s work on this team.
Agenda:
| Time | Section | What to cover |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min | Welcome & how 1:1s work | Purpose, cadence, running doc, "this is your time" |
| 15 min | Getting to know you | Background, what drew them to support, life outside work (only what they want to share) |
| 10 min | Working style & communication | Slack vs. email vs. call, focus time, time zone, how they like feedback |
| 10 min | Motivators & support needs | What energizes them, what drains them, what they need from you |
| 5 min | Wrap-up | Next 1:1 time, first action items |
Questions to ask:
- What got you into customer support, and what's kept you here?
- What kind of customer conversation leaves you feeling really good at the end of the day?
- Which drains you more, a long email thread or a back-to-back chat queue? Why?
- How do you like to get feedback on your tickets: written comments, a quick call, or walking through it together?
- When you're stuck on a tricky ticket, how do you prefer to ask for help?
- What's one thing a past manager did that you'd love me to keep doing?
- If time allows: What would make this team feel connected even though we're spread across time zones?
Notes:
- Working hours / time zone:
- Communication preferences:
- Feedback preferences:
- Motivators:
- Things to watch for:
Action items:
| Action | Owner | Due | Done? |
|---|---|---|---|
| [ ] | |||
| [ ] |
Manager tip: Write down exactly how they said they like feedback, and actually use that method in your first ticket review.
2. Standard Weekly Check-in
Use when: Most weeks; this is your default. Length: 30 min. Who preps: Employee first, then manager
Before the meeting:
- Employee: Add your topics to the running doc (wins, questions, frustrations).
- Employee: Flag one ticket or chat from this week you'd like a second opinion on.
- Manager: Review last week's action items.
- Manager: Pick one ticket or chat to give quick, specific feedback on.
Agenda:
| Time | Section | What to cover |
|---|---|---|
| 3 min | Quick check-in | How's the week going, casual cat |