Episode 087 -Jenny Weigle - The Most Common Frustrations for Community Professionals

Chris Detzel: So, welcome to another peers over beers i'm Crystal and.

Jenny Weigle: i'm Jenny weigel hi again.

Chris Detzel: it's nice to have you on again.

Jenny Weigle: Thank you good to be here, I.

Chris Detzel: Really liked your background oh my gosh.

Jenny Weigle: I did this for you, Chris I know this for you yeah i've i've been watching the show and seeing that you've had some fun backgrounds going on here, so I thought i'd jump into canvas make one real quick.

Jenny Weigle: Once again, I apologize, that I am not fully playing, along with the beer concept, I am drinking my coffee with you today so.

Chris Detzel: Well, thank you i've already had a bunch of coffee your two hours.

Chris Detzel: Two hours ahead of you so yeah.

Chris Detzel: So you had this topic wise you had something that you want to bring up from, I guess, was it six their own or.

Jenny Weigle: yeah from the latest cms history report, I thought this would make for a fun and interesting topic so for any of you who have already downloaded the report, the topic i'm referencing can be found on page 23.

Jenny Weigle: And it is.

Jenny Weigle: anyone wants to follow along yeah it's the most common frustrations for Community professionals.

Jenny Weigle: And there's a number of things listed here that I want to go back and forth and talk with you on Chris, but I feel like little disclaimer ahead of time, we should say that there could be a separate show for each.

Jenny Weigle: One of these yeah we're just gonna talk very high level through through some of them and I don't have last year's.

Jenny Weigle: Report up in front of me to compare maybe i'll I can try to find that and pull it up, while we're talking but I know it's just I think it's interesting enough to kind of go through these and.

Jenny Weigle: and talk about this and Chris i'd love to hear from you to about how were these rank as a frustration for you, because you are in there, you are a.

Jenny Weigle: director of Community and and running a Community every day, I am just consulting clients on their Community so i'm curious to hear how much of this you're experiencing and i'll be happy to share what i'm hearing from my clients.

Chris Detzel: yeah I think that's good and I just got your download what page say was 2323 so the number one thing on here was engagement So how do you engage your users and i'm still looking but.

Chris Detzel: So I would agree, I think you know engaging your users is probably the hardest thing to do, you know in any community, but you know, I think that one is is that you have to think about.

Chris Detzel: A strategy around engagement, you know a lot of people and a lot of Community managers that i've heard.

Chris Detzel: just go to the tactics and straight off to the tactics, you know instead well you know we can have an ask me anything we can have.

Chris Detzel: You know webinar we can have you know all these things that are good good tactics to drive, but if you don't know what you're trying to accomplish and how are you going to get there.

Chris Detzel: And then you know, so I would say, you know, come up with a strategy, so what are you trying to accomplish so it could be.

Chris Detzel: 1000 different things, but one of them could be that we're looking at deflecting cases, you know, this is a typical support Community so okay.

Chris Detzel: If you're looking at deflecting cases, you need to write content on those kinds of things right, you need to find smart people that can help you answer some of those questions or even.

Chris Detzel: You know, some of your customers that can post some of those questions so you know you get to start building, you know kind of a repository.

Chris Detzel: of good content that's engaging to your audience right and then, then you can start building that strategy around it or build a strategy and then you could build.

Chris Detzel: The roadmap and tactics to drive that strategy that's it that's what you have to do if it doesn't work, then you go back to the drawing board and redo it.

Chris Detzel: Right, so I mean it's a hard thing i'm not saying it is you know hey sending emails when people first log into your community as a tactic, you know, having a webinar program that's a tactic having you know.

Chris Detzel: Those are tactics to drive different things they're important some of them are more important than others, but they're not.

Chris Detzel: What do you think I mean that that was the number one thing on the list, so I hear it all the time and think that we could talk about all those things you know or that thing for like two two episodes.

Jenny Weigle: I think what i'm hearing from you is just that if you don't have a strategy, and you are kind of looking at your engagement.

Jenny Weigle: Through an individual tactics it's going to be harder to prove that you're getting success it's going to be harder to have a consistent engagement experience and.

Jenny Weigle: Sorry, but just so people listening can further understand the context of this question, especially where Chris and I are at.

Jenny Weigle: The.

Jenny Weigle: back up just a bit Chris although you meet excellent points, the question itself in the report is, what are your top frustrations about managing your community and its activities.

Jenny Weigle: and number of respondents with 732 that might I think the total number of respondents was 700 something something so I feel like we're you know we've definitely got a nice size of the respondents were.

Jenny Weigle: answering this question and a little note here that I appreciate the amex including that the respondents could choose up to three.

Jenny Weigle: items and the number one, the first item that we are talking about here is difficult to consistently engage members, and that was at 46% so I, I agree with everything you just said, Chris and I want to pose a question to you.

Jenny Weigle: Do you think, do you do we see this number changing ever because do we ever see it, you know getting very.

Jenny Weigle: Low that it's not going to be that difficult to consistently engage Members I kind of just feel like that is going to be that is going to be an ongoing challenge of running online communities, what are your thoughts, we will ever see the number change.

Chris Detzel: I think that the way people want to engage are different than each other right, so the way I want to engage into a Community is going to be different, the way you engage so, for example.

Chris Detzel: Maybe you like to go post questions on a Community or maybe you like to go answer questions on a Community but I like to speak, I like to.

Chris Detzel: watch a video or online, you know what I mean like so and I don't really go to communities to look at a bunch of saying I don't which I don't but I look at communities, more so.

Chris Detzel: in a different way, but so you've got one know that not everybody's going to engage in the same way and you've got to build programs, you know the tactical programs.

Chris Detzel: To engage your users in the way they want to be you engaged so they're all different, so you know that number probably isn't going to change, and the reason I mean it's sort of can change and it depends, how you define engagement.

Chris Detzel: You know, again, to me, is you know just because somebody logs into Community they post they do okay that's engaging.

Chris Detzel: But maybe maybe somebody from another organization comes to your webinars but they're not really on the Community doing anything well that's engaging that's an engagement tack, or at least a.

Chris Detzel: You know one thing that they do to be engaged, you know what I mean like.

Chris Detzel: And there's probably some value there you know but i've i've seen lots of people on my webinars that never come into the Community, the only reason they log into the Community is to get to the webinar.

Chris Detzel: You know so you've gotta just got to think about you know what are the things you're trying to that you're driving to engage them and if all you have is a Q amp a.

Chris Detzel: there's only a few people that will engage that way, and if you have rewards and recognition, some people like that some people like badges some people don't give a shit about pageants you know what I mean it's just.

Chris Detzel: it's just the way it is, and so you know the answer is it's probably not going to change, especially if you're only looking at one aspect of the Community to and engaging, but it can change depending on your and how you're engaging the programs that you build so.

Jenny Weigle: Well i've done a little sleuthing here, Chris and I did find this same question posed from last year's the 2020.

Jenny Weigle: Years therefore.

Jenny Weigle: interesting that the top frustration number one from last year's report was that it's hard to quantify the value of the Community, that was at 45% That was the number one number two.

Jenny Weigle: it's difficult to consistently engage members, and that was at 43% so yeah we saw a little higher percentage, this time, but I I just feel like.

Jenny Weigle: that's going to happen it's going to be where it's always going to be difficult, and the day someone says to me i've never had difficulty in that i'm.

Jenny Weigle: going to just say i'm a call them out say I don't believe you you're here you're not practicing Community management correctly, this is going to be something think we, we will always work towards and try to improve and better in our in our field to how to consistently engage our Members.

Chris Detzel: I think that.

Chris Detzel: it's a good point I don't see it as frustration necessarily I see it, more as.

Chris Detzel: One how am I engaging my members and what are other things I can do, if I have the staff or if it's just me, and you know it can only do certain things.

Chris Detzel: And then I also know there's only a certain number of people that will even engage in the Community anyways so not everybody is going to you know if you have 1000 customers at all thousand customers or people at those companies are going to engage.

Chris Detzel: into that community, even if they're even if that's their field, they just don't do it, you know and so.

Chris Detzel: A low number of people on your Community will engage what is that number seven to 10% and then even a lower number one to two or maybe 3%.

Chris Detzel: Of those 10% is going to be like your super users so let's put in perspective and let's create the programs for those people that are going to engage period and and not worry about trying to get everybody engaged, you know just be smart that's all.

Jenny Weigle: I think this there's something to setting expectations around this.

Jenny Weigle: yeah.

Chris Detzel: yeah i'm gonna communicate that yes.

Jenny Weigle: Yes, and if you're expecting to get 100% of engagement, then yes you're gonna have a lot of difficulty getting consistent engagement in your community and guess what probably won't happen.

Chris Detzel: 20 or 30% that's not gonna happen, most likely, you know.

yeah i'm so.

Jenny Weigle: Real quick looking at back at the graph from this year's report at the very, very bottom of it, there is an option, Chris there was an option to select I don't have any frustrations about.

Jenny Weigle: It and 3% of people selected that.

Jenny Weigle: Okay 3% that youth i'm talking to you please contact Chris and I love to talk to you and find out.

Jenny Weigle: Why you don't have any frustrations, how is everything going so wonderful for you, I would like to hear.

Chris Detzel: Exactly your community is perfect.

Jenny Weigle: So oh that's I just found that entertaining and kudos to the 3%.

Jenny Weigle: But i'm not.

Jenny Weigle: kidding please reach out to us.

Jenny Weigle: Please yeah.

Chris Detzel: Absolutely um and then number two is and I hear this a lot, too, is.

Chris Detzel: hard to quantify the value community.

Jenny Weigle: Yes, and that falls at 38% of respondents selected that that was the second choice to this question this year interesting how last year that was the number one answer.

Chris Detzel: And let me know which sounds like it was 45% last year.

Jenny Weigle: yeah So hopefully That means that people are maybe learning a little bit more about how to quantify the value of community.

Jenny Weigle: And yet there are some more stats later on in this report that I think there was one that said 10% of people only 10% of respondents really know how to prove the Roi of their community so.

Jenny Weigle: yeah and there's the report gets into a little bit more on this and we're not going to have time to dive fully into this, but again, this will constantly be something that Community professionals need to work toward I think.

Jenny Weigle: But now you are brand new to the field or you've been in it for 10 years.

Chris Detzel: I agree it's it's it's a tough one to quantify the value I think what you have to do is one you probably need a sponsor at the high high end like my CEOs a huge fan of it, but he does want me to show.

Chris Detzel: Roi and you know that Roi can come in a lot of different ways and getting to that Roi will be the challenge could take you two or three years really to kind of.

Chris Detzel: Maybe longer to build that up right because you need business systems connected, you know when we think of B2B let's just be specific B2B companies that you know.

Chris Detzel: That you know you need to be connected to systems, you need to probably have a data science scientists to kind of look at hey you know.

Chris Detzel: When when a customer is one example when a customer is engaged and involved in the Community, in some ways.

Chris Detzel: You know they they renew at higher rates they buy more they do those things that stuff's hard to prove and it's hard to get to.

Chris Detzel: Now some things that you are starting to see from an Roi standpoint is like case deflection no no go Saunders posted something else I forgot what she said, but.

Chris Detzel: case, I think I wrote that down Oh, she said ticket interruption is what she calls it, I like it.

Jenny Weigle: I like it, yes.

Jenny Weigle: That is excellent phrase and right on.

Chris Detzel: yeah ticket interruption so basically when I have to go into why she stopped that you can listen to the other peers over beers for that.

Chris Detzel: The previous one.

Chris Detzel: But so basically what she was saying is or we can do is you starting to see more people being able to look at case deflection so, for example, case deflection is a customer or somebody that has a problem with their.

Chris Detzel: there's piece of software and they create a case, so that the support team can help them well the support team.

Chris Detzel: When you look at a high level metrics they have $1 attached to that case so from beginning to end, how much does that dollar.

Chris Detzel: How much is that case work and then you know, over time, Community when you start looking at Community and attaching that to case deflection you can start looking at you know one, what is important thing.

Chris Detzel: from beginning to end, does that cost, and then you start looking at.

Chris Detzel: You know, it could be page views or some probably not page is probably not the best one, but some other metrics.

Chris Detzel: That look at how many times have people looking at that those discussion questions that you're posting you know, did they create a case and stuff like that so some of that.

Chris Detzel: You know, you need a you need some people to help you get to that point.

Chris Detzel: But you're seeing it all over the place, I mean you're seeing a lot of these companies doing it, you know, like the MC software has been doing it for years, when you talk to Matthew and some other people, so it just you can get there.

Chris Detzel: it's just harder to kind of really look at that full fledged you know Roi you know say well you know we spend X on Community we have these many Community managers and then you know.

Chris Detzel: Community and the platform cost X community has given this X number of dollars, you know that's that's kind of a.

Chris Detzel: Hard thing to do, but when you start seeing your numbers post things when you start looking at.

Chris Detzel: stories that they're coming in, like you know, one of the stories, for example, is in July, we had a webinar on community.

Chris Detzel: And a prospect came and listened to the webinar was in depth webinar and then in February or March or earlier this month, the prospect, since we had a linkedin message directly say hey I came to your.

Chris Detzel: webinar back in a year ago, and you know now we're ready to look at mdm so I sent over to sales and everything else you don't think I promoted that heavily Of course I did so it's promoting those stories and looking at those stories to show.

Chris Detzel: You know that you are bringing some kind of value, you know any story that you have so I mean, even if, even if it's tiny you need to bring that in, and that will start.

Chris Detzel: buzzing it up people start believing it and and they start seeing it, you know these things take time and you know but bringing the stories, the first couple of always bringing stories because communities have really great stories that you bring in so I sent a lot So what do you think.

Jenny Weigle: I think you're right on on all of it and I loved when you were talking about case deflection and support in my experience, it does seem to be the easiest.

Jenny Weigle: way to prove if that is, you know how you're using utilizing your Community if that is the purpose of your community.

Jenny Weigle: That seems to kind of be the go to, and also because there's already a lot of.

Jenny Weigle: You know calculators and and formulas out there for that purpose if you are using Community for other reasons for product customer success marketing.

Jenny Weigle: There I haven't seen as many you know formulas or easy way to easy ways to quantify Roi so I can understand why people mark this as.

Jenny Weigle: As a frustration, but again I, I wonder how much easier, will this be I also wonder the people answering this like how many of them were new to Community versus senior in Community because.

Jenny Weigle: All of us who have been in this a while have started to hopefully find our niche on how to measure these things and present them to our sponsor business sponsors and executives and if you're a newer than this, yes, can all be very overwhelming and.

Jenny Weigle: I can see how it's going to frustrate you a lot more.

Chris Detzel: I agree, like i'll give you another example, because I think examples are the key at the end of the day is you know, last year, our Community, launched in April 28 and.

Chris Detzel: In June, I think you know, we had four or 500 numbers it wasn't all that much, but one of the problems we're trying to solve marketing said, Chris.

Chris Detzel: You know what can we do because we don't have any gartner reviews and that's a marketing activity we don't have any no gardener reviews at all.

Chris Detzel: And I was like well, I mean I can reach out to the Community and send a direct email to them all, you know and see if anybody were to reward or you know rate us, you know, and then I created a contest, so I said.

Chris Detzel: What I can do is, do we have budget yeah we get your budget so maybe it was a 10 or $15 gift card to starbucks.

Chris Detzel: And I sent an email, and I said hey customer or hey bill, you know you're on the Community really appreciate you being on there and engaging with us, you know we're looking for reviews on our guard on gardener you know here's the link will give you 10 bucks 15 bucks and then.

Chris Detzel: And then.

Chris Detzel: just send a picture to show that you rated us you don't have to show the rate reading, but just say you know, because at the end of it, it says, thank you for your rating.

Chris Detzel: And so they did, and I get over, and I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but it for us it was a game, give us 20 plus reviews on gartner reviews and what I heard went up.

Chris Detzel: And you don't you know how heavily promoted that because that you don't think that's the value that the Community I have access to all of our customers on everybody that's on it, thousands of people.

Chris Detzel: And I can just send a quick email to all of them if I wanted or whatever right asking the right written viewers, and you know what happened.

Chris Detzel: Yesterday I got a message from our cto and founders Chris we need some GT reviews and and gartner reviews, can you do this again now.

Chris Detzel: I don't think I should own it but am I going to help him out yeah, and the reason is because I know community can bring it but.

Chris Detzel: I gotta figure out a way to make sure Community gets credit for that to you have to give credit where credit's due period I have there's really should I don't care how bad people think you sound or whatever.

Chris Detzel: get credit for it, you don't say Oh, I get the credit know you say hey Community brought in these things, then every time you get to be in from this organization, the staff, whatever start seeing those things tell those stories.

Jenny Weigle: That is an impressive response rate Chris and great story, and I can what tremendous value that that has brought awesome and now do you feel like you need to change your approach getting this ask again for this do you feel like you need to yeah because.

Chris Detzel: The answers are reaching out to ask you yeah how are you going to change your approach.

Chris Detzel: Well, I don't know yet, but what I have done is, and I think this is important, as I don't own that you know somebody else in marketing own.

Chris Detzel: And so they need to put a strategy around it, and then you know because what's going to happen is if I continue to do it then there's a.

Chris Detzel: Like Chris do it once a year, or whatever you know, this should be, we should be a strategy around there there's tactics to drive that strategy to say.

Chris Detzel: You know, instead of begging people once a year at you know, at the end of the deadline, whatever that is June, July, why are we, you know, so you know it's working with that person to say hey you know how can we do this together.

Chris Detzel: You know, and then going from there, I think that is the better approach and to say you know because.

Chris Detzel: I don't want to become the owner of that at the moment I don't want to become the owner of it because I don't I don't have any people.

Chris Detzel: You know what I mean, and so I don't need to drive something else, in addition to what i'm driving today, so you have to just not say I won't do it, I will do it because the cto and founder asked me to, but you know.

Chris Detzel: let's see if I can also get some other people to do some other stuff that actually owns it, you know I mean.

Jenny Weigle: Yes, and I hope that everyone listening or watching this takes what you just said to heart because.

Jenny Weigle: What you just described as an example of setting your boundaries Chris because, if we are very frustrated as Community professionals and that's the topic we're covering today.

Jenny Weigle: Then you need to know where to draw the line on what you're being asked to do so, everyone take that to heart, Chris just described, you know what you know what he needs to do for himself to.

Jenny Weigle: just focus on what's important for Community and where someone else needs to kind of stepping in on something that yes, it involves the Community, but you don't have to do it all.

Jenny Weigle: You know, so that was a.

Jenny Weigle: Beautiful example of that I love hearing stories of that and i'm so glad that you, you know those moments Chris and when to kind of, say, I can do this, but here's how you know just to set those parameters.

Chris Detzel: Well, you know, can we get budget and who's going to send the email, what is the email look like what is, you know what is your role.

Chris Detzel: sides of my role, because I have a whole slew of contacts I can send this out to probably get you 10 or 15 reviews for each place right for g to end Gardner but you know let's let's put some ownership somewhere else to you know that's all.

Jenny Weigle: yeah awesome great example thanks for sharing that should we move on to the next frustration.

yeah.

Jenny Weigle: All right, the third one on the topping The list is that efforts are largely largely manual and not automated coming in at 34%.

Jenny Weigle: Oh, I hear this all the time and I, I feel I feel that frustration as well.

Jenny Weigle: This actually from the last year's report came in at the as the third option again 37% so we're seeing consistency in kind of the top frustrations from here over here.

Chris Detzel: yeah.

Chris Detzel: i've got a lot to say about that too, so, or at least some thoughts around it is one is again in your strategy and your Community strategy engagement is but.

Chris Detzel: You think of your Community strategy, it needs to kind of be on your roadmap you got to think about what do you want to automate and how do you want to automate it so you know when I think of.

Chris Detzel: I guess it just depends, so when I think of like sso, for example, and maybe I didn't go into the automation piece or whatever, but.

Chris Detzel: And just kind of this complete a great customer experience for our users, nobody wants to go into login 20 systems, nobody wants to go in and search these different.

Chris Detzel: Go to docs and search go to Community and search, but it got me and search go to you know the support portal and search and all these different places So how do you find some of these systems together.

Chris Detzel: And and and and those kinds of things and when you're talking about automation so that's, the first thing that you know online and maybe that's not really good automation but the other piece of my.

Chris Detzel: On it depends on your platform, so you know, like higher logic platform does a very good job of automating kind of this customer experience winning meaning they have these things, called automation tools.

Chris Detzel: And so, when a customer logs and you can send an email directly to them say thanks for logging in here a bunch of things you can go do.

Chris Detzel: And then you can send another email if they haven't logged in logged in and last few days or posted or you can just set up automation rules all over the place automating that.

Chris Detzel: Whole journey, the whole customer experience and everything else so that's one piece so it's probably depending on your platform and and then the other piece is.

Chris Detzel: You know if you have a platform that you know it's like an intelligent platform, or you know, one of those platforms that you know, has basic functionality.

Chris Detzel: Then you have to believe you got to get it, you get to have a plan to build it, you know I think the end of the day comes down to your plan and what you're trying to achieve and what you're trying to do.

Chris Detzel: not sure exactly what automation means, but I do think automating everything is the key at the end of the day, when I look at reports i'm having to sit there and.

Chris Detzel: build my own reports, you know because i've got some stuff from our logic, I guess stuff from Google analytics I guess some stuff from salesforce.

Chris Detzel: So yes, how do we put that into tablo or something like that just give me really cool reports well you know what is, you need a resource you'll find the resource, because you know nobody's going to give it to you.

Chris Detzel: and

Chris Detzel: And then start slowly but surely know what you want to do and go get there, and to me the reporting piece is probably the hardest piece, to put it all together and showing business outcomes and everything else.

Chris Detzel: Because it's all manual like I keep coming up with new stuff I can do, but it's all manually God damn.

Chris Detzel: You know so.

Jenny Weigle: Yes, I still dream, the day we get a platform that has all the bells and whistles and functionality, that we want in one it's got LM s in it it's you know and it's got every analytic that I would ever want it presents itself to me very easily, as I know, it's a big dream.

Jenny Weigle: Until the dashboard or.

Chris Detzel: Why not, why not have like a.

Chris Detzel: Microsoft bi or or tablo kind of thing built inside, so that you can just bring in different data sources, whether it's Google analytics or salesforce data I don't know whatever.

Chris Detzel: gainsay data, who knows all that stuff that just goes into Community gives you a nice little dashboard that you can build.

Chris Detzel: you're gonna have to do some stuff yourself, but you know just that's that's where these platforms can help and they just.

Chris Detzel: i've had this conversation before platforms are just not entertaining not number zero I don't know any of them that are you know and it's all the same shit you know, basically, you know and i'm just like.

Chris Detzel: What does innovation like when I tell them and, like you, it's going to take a long term.

Jenny Weigle: And to me innovation looks a lot like these.

Jenny Weigle: Really neat systems like orbitz.ai and how that connects and facilitates these one on one connections and you know so.

Jenny Weigle: Is it a Community platform itself no does it help when the towards your engagement strategy on your Community platform absolutely so I you know I wouldn't be surprised if a company like that got picked up one day or something you know.

Chris Detzel: And I can plug and play right like.

Chris Detzel: Why does it these Community platforms easily just plug and play into these other things you know, like like a snowflake or those kinds of things it just plugs and plays and people's you know.

Chris Detzel: Back end systems, you know, so these Community platform, companies need to not just have really robust api's but easily connecting api's and allows like a dummy like me to do it, you know.

Jenny Weigle: Well, until that time.

Jenny Weigle: I think i'm just gonna have to deal with this as a frustration and I think we're going to continue to see it in this list of the top frustrations, will it always stay in the top three who's to know find out next year.

Jenny Weigle: All right.

Jenny Weigle: Should we go to the next one, or should we kind of like keep this focused on the top three.

Chris Detzel: let's go to the next one, why not.

Jenny Weigle: All right, so the fourth.

Jenny Weigle: item in the list was not enough staff at 27% and also looking back at last year's report, this was also the fourth item 28% so this one.

Jenny Weigle: continues to be a top frustration didn't we didn't really see much of a change from percentage, not enough staff and you even alluded to this and how you do it all Chris so this it sounds like this is still a frustration for you too.

Chris Detzel: yeah I think here's The thing is, in Nicole has said this before and I think Elizabeth kinsey said it in the past is you know.

Chris Detzel: You have to build it and and and show the value of it first before you get stuff right like nobody's gonna nobody's going to.

Chris Detzel: give you a bunch of staff they're just not and then you're going to say, well, could give me this and I can go do this kind of stuff so.

Chris Detzel: that's that's the reality of what you're going to have to do it and you're always going to have any Community team you're going to have to deal with.

Chris Detzel: Even if you have a team of four or five, even though you think oh it's amazing no.

Chris Detzel: I mean you still have that in get I mean if somebody over all things engagement or they're they're doing a lot of different things they could be doing.

Chris Detzel: You know, not just webinars, but they can do event type stuff they can do you know all the tactics around you know engaging online.

Chris Detzel: Community users and things like that, when you have a content strategist they can be focused in on all this content that maybe they're working with marketing maybe they're working with the customer.

Chris Detzel: team customer success or whatever to to get you know support team and things like that so you're all the value of community is many to one you know one too many kind of thing right so.

Chris Detzel: You think of like I literally have thousands of or 1000 people in my community and I manage 1000 the CSM has 20 or 30.

Chris Detzel: People that they manage right like.

Chris Detzel: So I think that it's always going to be a little bit too many.

Chris Detzel: kind of thing and that that's that's how you know i'm not saying you don't need stuff I think you need to show the value of Community have your.

Chris Detzel: Your plan and then, as you kind of continue to get by and excitement and things like that.

Chris Detzel: Those things that you alluded to earlier to say well i'm not going to do this because I don't have the bandwidth is the important piece because.

Chris Detzel: You know, things that we're really good at building these programs, and then, how do you how do you.

Chris Detzel: sustain those programs at the end of the day, you can't it's not scalable for you to do it.

Chris Detzel: You know, at the end of the day, you know if i'm doing one webinar a week, you know and i'm creating two or three blogs.

Chris Detzel: or four blogs, a month on every single webinar you know and that's not sustainable, by me, in addition to all the other shit that I got to do right, you know and so.

Chris Detzel: show the value first and then then have your ask, they say no, then you say no to additional things that come up, I mean you don't always say no, but.

Chris Detzel: You just have to know that you can't take on additional projects, you know I mean you just push that and then you get to really understand what is.

Chris Detzel: You know, is your organization really that committed to Community you know, and what that really means that's what you got to think about is maybe they are yeah he did a lot of people say they're committed action speaks a lot louder than your works, I mean.

Jenny Weigle: That was one of my favorite episodes where you were talking to Nicole about that and to hear her approach to adding staff to her team, I need.

Jenny Weigle: That and her insight and experience that is incredibly valuable so if you'll get the chance if you're listening.

Jenny Weigle: Go check out that episode, I know you've done a few episodes with Nicole, do you know what that was called what was the name of that one no, it was either the first or second item.

Jenny Weigle: With Nicole yeah if you want, and the mini masterclass and.

Jenny Weigle: And you know, the best way to prove value to get stock go and listen to the episodes with Nicole Saunders.

Chris Detzel: yeah it's it's really good she just comes with a lot of expertise and how she's hired I mean, and you know so does Elizabeth kenzie I think both those.

Chris Detzel: Really, you know they're they're scaling their communities and because you know, like slack and zendesk I mean there's so many people using their products.

Chris Detzel: I mean there's the communities are just going to get out of hand, you know what I mean like it's just going to be crazy, but the opportunity is big for them, you know.

Chris Detzel: And so yeah how they've scaled with staff and everything else, and you know what is their staff look like when we do, and everything else you know they get some operational Community managers you got some you know.

Chris Detzel: Things like that, so any ideas they they certainly already they're already doing it, you know so yeah.

Jenny Weigle: Well, Chris looking at the rest of this list things really kind of start to taper off there and I would say, if we were to segment this list.

Jenny Weigle: These for the the the top it they clearly represent the largest percentage of responses so.

Jenny Weigle: We could go on and on and on, but I feel like we've covered some pretty important frustrations and hopefully enlightened people a little bit about how they can handle these things if it is a frustration for them.

Jenny Weigle: And so I i'd love to ask you something outside of the world of community.

Jenny Weigle: If you don't do.

Jenny Weigle: Okay what's top of mind for you outside of community life right now.

Chris Detzel: yeah that's that's an interesting interesting question and, and when I wasn't, but I think that to me, I like so when I think of personal.

Chris Detzel: stuff really like you know my wife and I are big runners you know i'm going to have my son here in the summertime all you know the whole entire month of July, you know and so.

Chris Detzel: Those things are always on my mind, so you know one is.

Chris Detzel: What kind of fun things are we going to do we're always going somewhere so in August we're going on this, my wife and I are going on it's really big trip to.

Chris Detzel: Colorado and running 120 miles of these mountains and six days and 20,000 feet again and so we'll have an amazing trip there.

Chris Detzel: You know, I was thinking about going to France and June haven't solidified that but have a good friend of mine that you know lives out there and wants to go hiking and.

Chris Detzel: camping in the mountains.

Chris Detzel: Out there and then you know so it's just staying active right like I just.

Chris Detzel: Personally, that those are the things that are on my mind, you know, like my son my son's going to go to camp in July and he's going to have a ton of fun.

Chris Detzel: For a couple of weeks and he's gonna you know, so I always love to hear stories when it comes back about.

Chris Detzel: What he's done, and you know go fishing it goes camping and he goes horseback riding they go in a boat and do a bunch of crap you know, like it just so that kind of stuff is fun to listen to me and then.

Chris Detzel: You know, and then the last thing is is from a career standpoint, you know i'm always thinking about you know moving my career.

Chris Detzel: Up to another level, like you know going to promotion this last year, which was good, but you know online community is obviously a thing I can do, but you know how do I think about Community in a bigger grand scheme of things you know and really kind of you know, affecting that.

Chris Detzel: You know I don't know so does that answer the question.

Jenny Weigle: yeah it does and i'll take the question was inspired by like one of my favorite podcast is called pantsuit politics and it's about political but, at the end.

Jenny Weigle: House always say you know what's on your mind outside of politics and I love that because it gives me a little glimpse into who they are, and so this is, you know just something I wanted to spring on yet, because you know I love your.

Jenny Weigle: Questions I love.

Jenny Weigle: questions for you i'm.

Chris Detzel: crazy what's on what's on your mind because usually i'm the one asking questions.

Jenny Weigle: So I am preparing for a birthday next week and I have some rituals I do around my birthday really it'll be Tuesday April.

Jenny Weigle: Well anyone's listening.

Jenny Weigle: Thank you.

Jenny Weigle: yeah and so i'm just getting myself ready for some rituals, and some of those rituals are I dedicate some alone time I blocked it off on my calendar, and I take some time.

Jenny Weigle: usually have two separate days, because I take the first day to reflect on the last year and I, what did I accomplish what if I achieve what was.

Jenny Weigle: You know, surprising an unexpected how did I handle uncertainty like there's a lot of things like for on a on a professional and personal level, that I like to reflect on in the last year.

Jenny Weigle: And then I like to write out some things that I hope to accomplish in this next year this next age, but I don't finalize that list I like to sleep on it for a bit and then come back to that list and.

Jenny Weigle: More and and finally so it's you know some personal reflecting period that I give myself and it's always really refreshing and eye opening and I.

Jenny Weigle: learned a lot about what the last year meant to me and was like for me where I want to grow in my next year, so that's kind of what i'm getting together and taking the time to do that.

Chris Detzel: I love that my wife's birthday is April 4 so.

Chris Detzel: we're gonna go to a nice.

Jenny Weigle: yeah.

Chris Detzel: yeah going to go into really nice dinner and for to get her presence and all that stuff so I mean she's good.

Chris Detzel: she's a big big.

Chris Detzel: advocate of birthdays Christmas and.

Chris Detzel: anniversaries so you know we don't have to do.

Chris Detzel: You know valentine's day or anything like that you know, but all the rest can go big.

Jenny Weigle: So I.

Jenny Weigle: Think I would get along with her.

Jenny Weigle: yeah that's great.

Chris Detzel: And i've just learned to.

Chris Detzel: make haste, not be that big in it, but why not, I mean it's what she really loves and I think you know you celebrate big and you know when she turns 50 and a couple of years yep it's going to go big really big I don't know what it's going to be about oh my God so.

Jenny Weigle: All right.

Jenny Weigle: yeah start planning.

Jenny Weigle: All right.

Chris Detzel: Well Jenny this is really great and I love the enthusiasm and the just the questions that you bring to the show what to do it again, but this concludes another peers over beers i'm krista to.

Jenny Weigle: Jenny weigel thanks for having me good.

Chris Detzel: Thanks Jenny.