Kenji Hayward

Trailblazer
DISC Type : ID

Senior Director of Customer Support at Front

San Francisco Bay Area, United States

Overview

Kenji Hayward is the Sr. Director of Support at Front and a Co-Founder of CraftCX, recognized as the 2025 Customer Support Leader of the Year. He excels at building award-winning, AI-first global support teams and holds certifications in AI business strategy. Colleagues describe him as collaborative, intentional, and a fantastic listener.

Kenjis professional philosophy is deeply rooted in "ikigai, " a Japanese concept for finding purpose in work, inspired by his grandmother. This principle guides his passion for mentoring his team and fostering their professional growth, believing that genuine care is the foundation for exceptional customer experiences.

He has successfully built such a strong team culture that customers have tried to poach his support agents.

Personality Overview

Informal

Assertive

Friendly But Fast

They do not mind taking risks and can make hard decisions, if necessary.  They are charming and have the ability to align others behind their decisions. They respond better to a combination of speed and relationship.

Topics They Care About

AI in Customer Support
He is an AI innovator, holds certifications in AI business strategy, and has developed the "AI Experience Impact Score" to measure AI service quality.
Scaling Support Teams
Has extensive experience scaling international, omni-channel support teams from the ground up to over 200 members at companies like Front and Revel Systems.
Purpose-Driven Leadership
His leadership is shaped by the Japanese concept of "ikigai" (a reason for being), focusing on building passion-driven teams and mentoring talent to grow their careers.

Media Appearances

Interview with Kenji Hayward of Front. Featured in CustomerThink

See Now

Episode 9 of Beyond the Queue – Featuring Kenji Hayward, Head of Customer (Front). Featured in Facebook (Stonly)

See Now

Work History

5-2024
Senior Director of Customer Support at Front
5-2020 - 4-2024
Director of Customer Support at Front
4-2018 - 4-2020
Head of Support at Front
7-2016 - 4-2018
Director of Support at Fluxx
8-2014 - 7-2016
Director of Support at Revel Systems

Education

Education details unavailable from San Francisco State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 13 Location : San Francisco Bay Area, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : Senior Director of Customer Support at Front
URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To Kenji

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Talk about yourself and some of your achievements at the start of the conversation
  • Ask them for a lunch or coffee once some rapport has been established
  • Showcase existing customers and use case-studies to grab their attention

DONT's

  • Don’t hesitate from asking them how they truly feel about your product
  • Avoid unnecessary negativity or slowness
  • Don't make any commitments that you might not be able to fulfill

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Kenji is

  • Relationship and product conviction matter equally, followed by a sense of achievement.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Kenji

  • If they are not convinced, they will say no albeit in a friendly manner.


Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Kenji move?

  • They can reach decisions quickly if they develop trust and confidence in the product.
  • Can Kenji take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks if necessary.

You And Kenji

Personality Compatibility


Other Front Employees

Explore more public profiles from related professionals at the same organization.

More Profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Search more profiles

Looking for someone else? Search here for anyone.

Or visit Humantic AI to know more.