Granola AI, an AI-powered note-taking tool for meetings, serves a dynamic customer base that includes startup founders, CEOs, and user researchers. With rapid growth fueled by key milestones like their super successful public launch and Series A announcement, Granola needed a support platform that could keep pace with their expanding user base while laying a strong foundation for scaling support.

The challenge

As Granola scaled, their reliance on Slack and email for customer support became increasingly unsustainable. Handling over 400 messages per week, the team struggled to stay organized and provide consistent responses.

Jo, Chief of Staff at Granola, reflected, “We had a super-engaged early adopter group, and we needed a way to organize their feedback. Before Plain, we were using a shared Google inbox, which made tracking threads almost impossible.”

The challenge was exacerbated during moments of heightened visibility, such as their product launch and Series A announcement, when user queries surged dramatically. To maintain their momentum, Granola needed a reliable support platform to help them scale quickly and efficiently.

Why Plain?

Rather than evaluating multiple platforms, Granola turned to Plain based on familiarity and speed. Jo explained, “We were moving so quickly, it was very much about who we knew and what we knew. Plain was the right choice because it allowed us to get started fast while offering the flexibility and configurability our technical team needed.”

Granola saw Plain as the ideal solution for their first support platform, thanks to its:

• Developer-focused design: Tailored to meet the needs of highly technical teams.

• Streamlined Slack integration: Unified Slack alongside their other support channels, into one manageable platform.

• Flexible setup: Provided the ability to integrate tools like Linear for ticket management.

• Scalable foundation: Designed to support fast-growing companies like Granola over the long term.

Jo mentioned, “Plain gave us exactly what we needed as a first support tool – clarity, speed, and the confidence that it will scale with us as we grow.”

The solution

Granola implemented Plain just days after their public launch, and quickly saw a transformation in how they managed support. Key benefits included:

1. Centralized inbox: Slack and email support requests were unified in Plain, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools.

2. Efficient prioritization: Urgent issues, such as app-breaking bugs, were flagged and routed to the top of the inbox, ensuring swift resolution.

3. Time-saving workflows: Features like AI-powered suggested responses and keyboard shortcuts helped the team handle repetitive queries with speed and ease.

4. Improved collaboration: Integration with Linear enabled faster collaboration between support and engineering, ensuring customer feedback translated directly into actionable outcomes.

The impact

Since adopting Plain, Granola has built a strong foundation for scalable support:

• Faster response times: The team can now address customer inquiries more quickly and consistently.

• Efficient scaling: Plain provides the tools and structure Granola needs to handle their growing user base without adding unnecessary complexity.

• Stronger collaboration: By linking tickets and internal discussions, the team has improved communication across departments.

• Solid customer experience: Granola can now close the loop on feedback, ensuring users feel heard and valued.

When Granola announced their Series A, the surge in customer activity could have overwhelmed their team if they were still managing their support without a dedicated platform. With Plain, they seamlessly managed the influx of support requests, ensuring no message was missed and critical issues were prioritized. Jo noted, “Plain gave us the tools to handle high volumes of support during a huge growth period. It’s transformed how we manage support and set us up to scale effectively as we grow.”

Looking ahead

Granola AI sees Plain as a critical partner in their long-term growth. As they continue to expand their user base, the team is confident that Plain will evolve alongside them, offering the tools and flexibility needed to support their ambitions.

Jo shared, “We chose Plain as our first support tool because it was the right fit for our fast-moving team to get going quickly. It’s helped us stay organized and responsive as we 100x-ed our users, and we’re confident it will keep supporting us just as well as we continue to grow.”