Best practices for a successful launch
As a Customer Success Manager for Strategic and Enterprise accounts, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the launch of two successful company Qrews under AT&T’s Brian Hinshaw and MYR Group’s Jesse Guardado. Brian and Jesse both serve as admins for their respective realms, have years of Quickbase experience, are extremely knowledgeable about governance best practices, and have proven records of evangelizing Quickbase across their organizations. With backgrounds like theirs, it’s easy to see why they’re ideal Qrew leaders.
Company Qrews such as theirs are excellent avenues to connect campfires, share best practices, stay updated on new product features or realm policies, and foster a sense of community. Intrigued? If you're considering the launch of your own company Qrew or looking to enhance your existing user group meetings, here are the tried-and-true tips I’ve learned from these successful Qrew Champions.
- Make it official
Just as there’s a process for registering a community-led Qrew group, the same applies to Company Qrews. Don’t fret! This will be the easiest part of launching your Qrew. First, apply for the Qrew Champions program (what have you been waiting for anyway?) and then accept the challenge to lead a Qrew. Once you’re official, you can leverage Qrew-branded materials for your meetings and start reaping the rewards of your hard work and commitment—like automatic ascension to Qrew Champion status. You may even get some swag codes to give out at your meetings, which brings us to Tip #2...
- Incentivize participation with free swag
Not that your super engaging and incredibly informative Qrew meet-up won’t be enough to drive attendance, but everyone loves free stuff! The promise of swag can be a great way to attract participants and boost attendance. Not to mention the sense of belonging that will be created the day your entire Qrew shows up sporting Quickbase apparel. You might also consider how you can leverage swag codes to...
- Encourage active participation
This tip comes from MYR Group’s Jesse Guardado who recently re-launched his user group with a greater focus on engagement. How did he do this? Jesse created a camera-on culture for his meetings and involved as many of the dozen+ participants as possible in key meeting roles. One participant led the Q-Tip segment on best practices, another gave a summary of Empower 2024 content. Other important roles include attendance-taker, note-taker, and timekeeper. Jesse coordinates the meetings, but his Qrew truly takes ownership of their success. Active engagement is hands-down the most important factor to successful company Qrews and the area you should spend the most time strategizing. Starting to stress about your leadership ability? Don’t forget to...
- Lean on your CSM
You are not alone! Your Quickbase account team is invested in your success. Your Account Executive and Customer Success Manager are experts at coordinating resources, so lean on them as you plan. They can assist in bringing in guest speakers, like Quickbase SMEs or Product Managers who can run segments on build tips or product features. Your Qrew will feel like they’re getting white glove treatment, and you’ll look like the hero. You’ll know that these efforts are getting results because the next thing you’ll do is...
- Use participant feedback for continuous improvement
It may take a few meetings to really hit your stride, but you won’t get there without gathering honest feedback from your Qrew. You can leverage anonymous, real-time polls during the meeting (which also increases engagement—win, win!) or send out post-meeting surveys to gather insights. Whatever you choose, keep it brief, anonymous, and easy to complete. Gather feedback on what’s working well and what needs improvement, ensuring each meeting is better than the last. Speaking of subsequent meetings...
- Maintain a consistent meeting cadence
Consistency is crucial. Regularly scheduled meetings, whether monthly or quarterly, help build momentum and maintain engagement. (And if you aren’t sure which cadence works best for your Qrew, add it to your feedback survey!) Understand that building a community takes time and patience, but you’ll never get a thriving Qrew without consistency. Managing these meetings in a consistent way can be tough, but luckily for you, there’s a tool at your fingertips that works great for task management, so...
- Leverage Quickbase to manage meetings
AT&T's Brian Hinshaw worked with our Project Services team to build Qrew meeting management into their existing COE app. The attendee list is automatically populated from the list of app managers and support ticket submitters; notifications of meeting times and agendas are sent out with the click of a button; meeting attendance, recordings, and decks are stored in one place for user convenience; and Brian can easily send and collect feedback forms. This not only simplifies logistics but also enhances the overall experience for participants.
Still on the fence about whether a company Qrew is right for your builder community? Consider this: Do you manage a realm with dozens of active builders across disparate locations? Is Quickbase an integral part of your company’s tech stack and business strategy? Have you implemented a thoughtful governance strategy that relies on having a strong, well-informed builder community? If you answered “yes,” your user group is primed for Qrew status. So accept the challenge, implement these tips, and watch your community flourish!
