by Jake Proffitt, Vice-President of Client Solutions
In client services, growth is something you feel before it ever shows up on paper. The volume increases. The pace shifts. The questions get more complex and what used to be a quick conversation across a desk starts requiring coordination across teams.
That’s when you find out whether ownership is cultural or circumstantial.
At CCT, we support environments that don’t close. When something escalates, it doesn’t wait until Monday. A ticket can turn into a working session within minutes. Accounting, technical, and support perspectives converge quickly because the floor is moving, and our clients expect clarity.
What I’m proud of is how instinctive that response has become across our teams.
No one waits to be told to step in. Directors clear their calendars without hesitation. Younger team members lead difficult calls with composure and sound judgment. That reflex didn’t happen by accident, instead developing over time, reinforced by a simple expectation: whoever is closest to the problem owns it.
I’ve been part of CCT through several stages of growth. In the early years, proximity made responsiveness automatic. As we expanded, preserving that immediacy required more structure — but the standard didn’t change.
Today, I oversee five directors and the teams responsible for all client-facing services and support across our products. The depth in that group has been key to our teams’ successes. Accounting expertise sits alongside development experience. Our shared solutions team brings subject matter specialists who move quickly when something doesn’t fit neatly into a queue. When a complex issue surfaces, we’re not scrambling for perspective. Instead, we have people who understand the system from multiple angles and care enough to stay with it until it’s resolved.
Services work includes friction. Installations surface edge cases. Integrations reveal complexity that didn’t show up in a demo. Clients understand that. What they watch is how you respond.
When something falls short, we explain it clearly, outline the fix, commit to a timeline, and follow through. Over time, that consistency builds credibility in a way flawless messaging never could. I trust this team in those moments because I’ve seen them absorb pressure without defensiveness and take accountability even when the root cause isn’t simple. Our clients notice this too.
Internally, the expectation is simple: mistakes are part of the work, but hiding them isn’t. When something goes wrong, we talk about it directly, fix it thoroughly, and learn from it. That approach builds far more trust than pretending everything runs perfectly. When people know they can admit a miss without being sidelined, they grow faster. Pride at CCT doesn’t come from avoiding errors, but rather from how we handle them when they matter.
Skepticism in this industry is understandable. Most operators have been promised exceptional service before, and I get it — when you’ve heard the pitch enough times, you learn to keep your guard up. We don’t try to overcome that with bigger claims. Instead, we create visibility. Prospective clients are invited to speak directly with current ones. They walk properties. They ask whatever questions they want. The confidence comes from knowing the work can stand on its own, without polishing it.
Technology, including AI, plays a role in sharpening performance. If historical ticket data helps a support agent resolve an issue faster, that matters. If onboarding improves because knowledge is easier to access, that strengthens the team. But responsiveness still depends on people who feel responsible for outcomes. In a relationship-driven industry, that doesn’t change.
The same thinking applies to innovation in our products. For example, Kiosk Intelligence analyzes usage patterns to recommend optimal servicing times. It reduces unnecessary handling, keeps capital working, and removes repetitive tasks so teams can focus on higher-value work. Efficiency matters because it strengthens the experience.
As we move into 2026, expectations continue to rise. Operators are asking sharper questions about impact and long-term value. That environment demands clarity as well as discipline.
But ownership doesn’t scale on its own. It has to be built into how you lead. That means giving people visibility into consequences, involving them in difficult conversations, and trusting them with outcomes instead of just tasks. Over time, that trust compounds, allowing clients to experience it in practical ways. Issues are addressed without layers of hesitation. Communication feels direct rather than filtered. The person closest to the work has the authority to carry it through, which leads to steadier decisions and fewer surprises. What begins as internal trust becomes external confidence.
One of the things I value most about this stage of growth is watching the next generation of leaders at CCT take on real responsibility and carry it well. Many joined early and have grown alongside the company. They’ve moved from learning the systems to owning outcomes. When pressure rises or conversations get hard, they don’t step back. They step in — and they stay with it.
That confidence grows where expectations are clear and trust is established. I’ve watched people mature quickly under that standard. I’ve seen what happens when someone realizes they’re capable of more and rises to meet it. That progression matters more to me than any growth metric.
As CCT continues to expand, the systems will become more sophisticated and the volume more complex. That’s all part of building something sustainable. What requires steady attention is ensuring that growth never creates distance between our teams and the clients who rely on us. I believe ownership has to remain personal.
That mindset and culture have carried CCT through every phase of growth so far. As we continue to expand, protecting it is how we make sure the next chapter feels just as personal as the first.
