The business I came into
LegalZoom’s revenue had centered for 17-plus years on a single moment, forming a business entity, and the small business segment drove nearly 80% of it. The company had not shipped a new offering in over four years, and continued growth depended on moving past one-time transactions. It was also preparing to go public, and satisfaction lagged because the experience after purchase was confusing.
The role I was hired for
I built three design and innovation teams from the ground up between 2016 and 2020.
How my role changed
| Years | Title | What changed in scope |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Design strategy manager | Assembled and led the cross-functional innovation team behind Equip. |
| 2018 | Senior service designer | Led the year-long Front Line Experiences study with a strategic partner, and began the baseline small business owner journey. |
| 2019 – 2020 | Experience strategy director | Led the multi-year experience strategy for the small business segment and the team that did it. |
What changed
| Result | Number |
|---|---|
| Equip served 2,600 small businesses and brought in $6.5M in revenue in its first two years | $6.5M |
| Equip turned the contact center from a cost center into a product delivery division, through the Business Advocate role | |
| Equip catalyzed a company-wide shift from transactional to relationship-oriented products | |
| Four joint-service concepts co-created with strategic partner 1-800-Accountant | 4 |
| A measurement methodology and platform criteria for the end-to-end customer experience (2018), and a post-purchase vision for core products (2019) |
The initiatives, in order
2017
LegalZoom Equip
Assembled a cross-functional innovation team with up to six months to find a path to $10 million in new annual revenue. Research with eight owners led to a subscription built around a dedicated business advocate.
- Participant research
- Service value proposition definition
- Concept prototyping and pilots
- Team design and leadership
Read the case study
2018
Front Line Experiences
A year-long study with 1-800-Accountant of how front-line staff in sales, care, operations and tax serve the same customer, ending in a service blueprint and four joint-service concepts.
- Service blueprinting
- Participant research
Read the case study
2018 – 2020
Small Business Owner Journey
Baseline research with owners at different stages, then a measurement method, a post-purchase vision, partner integration improvements and research on aspiring owners.
- Journey and experience mapping
- Roadmaps and evolution plans
- CX measurement
Read the case study
(nine months)
Small Business Formation
A clearer, staged first 12 weeks after forming an LLC, with a phased progression model.
- Journey and experience mapping
- Roadmaps and evolution plans
2016 – 2020
Leadership in Design
Three design and innovation teams built from the ground up.
- Team design and leadership
Read the case study
What I carried forward
LegalZoom taught me that a company cannot grow past a transaction until it understands what happens before and after it. I learned to put front-line people in the research, to prototype the service before the product, and to leave behind roles and frameworks other people can run. I used the same approach at Indeed and use it now at RGLR.