Turn Metrics Into Momentum: Mario Guisado’s Dashboards That Drive Results

Have you ever built a dashboard, shared it with leadership, and gotten nothing but blank stares or off-target questions?

In this episode of Live Chat with Jen Weaver, I’m talking with Mario Guisado, a veteran support leader who’s made a career out of turning messy metrics into clear, strategic stories. Mario has led support and data efforts at multiple orgs, helping teams coach more effectively, present cleanly in QBRs, and collaborate better with product and engineering.

🔧 This podcast is sponsored by Supportman.io linking Intercom to Slack for instant made-for-you ticket QA.

This isn’t just another reporting process. It’s a framework for building dashboards that actually get used.

What we cover in this episode:

• How to choose your “keystone” metric and build your dashboard around it
  

• The difference between strategic and tactical data (and why you should separate them)
  

• Ways to test your metrics before committing to them
  

• Why your dashboard should come last, not first
  

To skip the summary and go straight to the source:  

The Problem:  

Support leaders often find themselves buried in metrics that no one seems to understand or care about. Dashboards get built, but they don’t drive action. Execs tune out. Agents feel disconnected. And the reports you spent hours on? They get ignored or misinterpreted.

You’re not alone, and you’re not stuck.

Mario Guisado has seen this at companies of all sizes. He’s worked through the chaos and found a way to bring structure, clarity, and purpose back to support reporting. Here’s how he does it.

The Answer:  

Mario shared a 6-part process for building dashboards that tell the right story to the right people, and actually drive progress inside the business.

1️⃣ Pick Your Keystone Metrics
Start by choosing the one to three metrics that best represent your team’s value. These are your north stars.

2️⃣ Identify Supporting Data
Use internal data to coach your team. Use strategic data to speak to leadership. Keep those lanes clear.

3️⃣ Pressure Test Your Story
Don’t introduce a new metric because it sounds good. Track it quietly first and see if it actually influences anything.

4️⃣ Build a Shareable Format
Once the story is clear, then you build the dashboard to reflect it—not the other way around.

5️⃣ Watch for Common Pitfalls
Map your data back to the themes that product and engineering care about. Dashboards can bridge those conversations if you know what each team values.

6️⃣ Iterate as You Grow
Don’t wait until something’s broken. Revisit your metrics, retire the ones that aren’t useful anymore, and be clear with your team when changes are coming.

The Impact: Mario’s framework has helped support teams increase CSAT, coach agents more effectively, and get invited into strategic conversations with other departments. By telling better data stories, support becomes a partner, not just a back-office function.

If you’re trying to connect the dots between your support team and the rest of your org, this is your starting point.

💬 We’d love to hear what resonated most. Reply to this email or leave a comment.

🎙 Catch the full conversation on Live Chat with Jen Weaver →  

See you next time!

Jen