In the fast-moving world of telecommunications, where technology evolves daily, and client needs shift by the hour, it’s easy to get lost in the metrics. But for Andy Maioli, Manager of Enablement, Customer Success at Zayo, the secret to navigating this complexity isn’t found in a spreadsheet; it’s found in the genuine human connections we build along the way.
Andy’s philosophy is simple: “If people like what they do, they do it better.”
After six and a half years at Zayo, rising from a service expert working on tickets to managing enablement for the Customer Service organization, Andy learned that technical skills are only half the battle. The rest comes down to authenticity, confidence, and the willingness to ask the right questions.
From Service Expert to Enablement Leader
Andy’s journey at Zayo has been far from static. Starting on the front lines, he moved into a Customer Success Manager role for financial customers before graduating to dedicated support for Zayo’s most valuable strategic clients.
It was during these high-stakes interactions that he realized the importance of looking beyond the transaction. He recalls early feedback from a mentor that changed his entire approach: “He told me it’s OK to take a few minutes at the top of a meeting to just talk to people. At the end of the day… people are people.”
This realization, that clients are more willing to collaborate when you treat them as people first, became the foundation for his transition into enablement. Now, he uses those insights to help train Zayo’s teams, helping them navigate the gray areas of customer success with confidence.
The “End of the Ham” Philosophy
Continuous improvement is a buzzword in many corporate settings, but Andy views it through a unique lens. He shares a story about a family cooking a ham, where generation after generation cuts the ends off before cooking. Finally, someone asks their Great Grandma why she did it, only to learn it was because her pan was too small back in the day.
Progress doesn’t transpire in a vacuum.
The lesson? “Progress doesn’t transpire in a vacuum.” For Andy, true enablement means challenging the status quo. It requires:
- Asking and Listening: You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. Soliciting feedback from the front lines is essential.
- Checking the data: Verify if a feeling is a one-off incident or a system issue.
- Driving Adoption by asking “Why”: You don’t need everyone to agree, but you need them to understand why a change is happening.
“If I don’t know something is broken…we can’t fix it,” Andy explains. By fostering a culture where questions are encouraged, Zayo ensures that outdated processes, much like cutting the ends off a ham, don’t persist simply out of habit.
Building Trust Through Radical Transparency
How do you build trust with high-profile clients and internal teams alike? According to Andy, you have to stop “fudging” the truth.
“Everyone can tell when you are fudging,” he says. “When you’re not confident in what you are saying… it comes through.”
Instead, Andy advocates for a balance of directness and empathy. Whether it’s delivering bad news or managing expectations, the goal is to be truthful without being catastrophic. If you promise a follow-up in three days, you send that email, even if the only update is that there is no update yet. That consistency proves to customers that you are working for them, building a reservoir of trust that pays dividends when challenges inevitably arise.
Empowering Teams to Enjoy the Ride
I try to make sure that we are setting our teams up for success so that everyone can feel confident, even if we don’t have all the answers.
At the core of Andy’s work in enablement is the belief that competence breeds confidence, and confidence leads to enjoyment.
“I try to make sure that we are setting our teams up for success so that everyone can feel confident, even if we don’t have all the answers,” Andy says.
Customer Success at Zayo is dynamic, often involving dealing with ambiguity and solving problems that didn’t exist the day before. By equipping teams with the right resources and training, Andy helps remove the stress of the unknown. When employees feel capable, they can stop worrying about how to do their job and start actually enjoying the processes of problem-solving for customers.
As Zayo looks toward the future, navigating the AI revolution and new integrations, this human-centric approach to technical work is more vital than ever. It’s about recognizing that while the technology is complex, the people behind it will always need clarity, recognition, and a reason to smile at the end of the day.