Customer Success Leader

Scaling a customer success gameplan is unique to every organization. And, in order to offer customers the most value, it’s essential to keep customer success managers from becoming overwhelmed and overworked. Megan Costello, Director of Client Success at UpMetrics, shares her three methods for identifying overworked CSMs, as well as… - Her views on the evolution of CS - Her mental model for helping customers find value - The importance of diversity in the CS role - The best CS advice she’s ever received For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear other interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In almost any corporate office you walk into, there’ll be some sort of propaganda claiming their dedication to customer service. But real customer success comes from something deeper, more ingrained. Tanya Strauss, Director of Customer Success Strategy & Operations at ServiceNow, joins Eric in this episode to discuss why CS should be a discipline in your organization — not just a poster on a wall. Plus, they discuss… - How to maintain great CS outside of the office - Why CSMs should be more honest & proactive with customers - Advice for people just getting into CS For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear other interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Lots of times we get caught up in automating every part of the customer experience. Sure, technology can make things more efficient. But be careful not to scale the human out of the experience. The Founder & CEO of ClientSuccess, Dave Blake, joins Eric on this episode to discuss… - How to offer and scale human-first experiences - Pitfalls to look out for when scaling a human-first experience - Why it’s important to balance relationships with results For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear other interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Product knowledge is important, it’s true. What’s equally — maybe even more — important than knowing your product? Knowing your customer’s vertical. In this episode, Eric sits down with Megan Piccininni, Regional VP of Customer Success at Salesforce. The two talk about… - Why Salesforce is moving to a more specific vertical model - How their CS teams have started to specialize in specific verticals - Ways Salesforce educates their customers - How Megan’s team adds value to the renewal process For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear other interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

A successful customer success team always aligns with the customer — even over the business. But you can marry customer success to business outcomes. You just need to start with the right mission and values. In this episode of Customer Success Leader, Eric sits down with Richard Myers, Vice President of Customer Support & Customer Success at Linode, to discuss what customer success success really looks like — and how to achieve it. They cover: - Why success teams are a function of support, not sales - How to align with your customer and your business goals - Why you should be your customer’s first choice — not their only choice For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear other interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Serving your customer via your product and CS team interactions is a bit of a balancing act. There needs to be a healthy level of both. In this episode of Customer Success Leader, Vanessa Hannay, Sr. Director of CS at Muck Rack, talks to Eric about… - Striking a balance between customer interactions w/ the product & CS team - Tips on establishing trusting relationships with customers - Why losing a company isn’t losing a customer For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you know your customer's objectives, challenges, and timeline? If not, you might be practicing random-access customer success. Your customer could feel like you're executing acts at them rather than for them. In this episode of Customer Success Leader, Eric sits down with the Founder and CEO of DesiredPath, Kia Puhm. The two discuss... - What failure looks like in customer experience - Random acts of customer success vs. Holistic customer success - Why customer mapping helps CX as well as marketing - Moving the burden of intent from human to machine For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you struggle with providing long-term value for skeptical customers? Mike Egan, VP of CS & Integration at BenchSci, suggests driving every single conversation and customer interaction with the outcomes most important to the individual. In this episode of Customer Success Leader, Mike offers even more tips for winning over skeptical customers. Plus, he and Eric discuss… - Why it’s essential to always keep customer outcomes in mind - Obstacles he faces when working with some of the world’s top scientists - Why it’s important to share customer successes internally, too For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who owns the customer experience? Most would say the CS team. But, in order to be truly customer-centric, it should be the entire company starting with the CEO. In this episode of Customer Success Leader, Eric sits down with the VP of CS at Amplitude, Arjun Devgan. The two discuss… - How to prove your value to the customer year after year - Why Arjun breaks CS into success, services, and support - Why the CEO needs to empower the organization to be customer-centric - The importance of having a top-level metric For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Not all great CSMs have traditional CS training. Some — like Graham Gill — transfer their skills from roles like product management to CS.   Graham, the VP of CS & Services at Accent Technologies, shares how he found his way to customer success and brought his knowledge of product with him. Plus, Eric and Graham discuss…    - How to break down silos and build a foundation of alignment   - Why it’s important for CSMs to empathize with other roles   - How CSMs can create strong customer relationships in a pandemic   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Being on the receiving end of a customized customer experience is the warm, fuzzy feeling every customer loves. But how do organizations personalize their CX at scale?   Can every customer get the warm fuzzies?   Teresa Anania, VP of Global Customer Success & Renewals at Zendesk, thinks — to some degree — every customer can have a customized experience. She shares her CX strategy with Eric, as well as…    - How to develop an outcome-based approach with high-touch customers   - How to engage an entirely remote CS team   - Advice for new CS leaders   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

When you have as many different types of customers as Monday.com has, there needs to be some consistency in the onboarding process.   Monday.com Onboarding Team Manager, Lisa Fox, joins Eric in this episode to share how her team has created a repeatable onboarding process for customers. Plus, the two talk about…    - Obstacles in the onboarding process and how to overcome them   - 3 phases for a successful onboarding   - Why every CS leader should have authenticity and empathy    For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Restructuring an organization’s CS process is tough to do in-person. Imagine doing it 100% remote!   Fortunately, Benoit Bouteille, VP of Customer Experience at Tinyclues, had ample experience in leading remote CS teams before his organization decided to restructure.   In this episode, Eric and Ben discuss…    - How remote teams should look at CS and CX   - Why Ben focused on breaking down silos within his organization   - How to design your organization around customer outcomes   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We’ve all heard it before: Communication is key. So why are businesses still so bad at it?   Leigh Hamer, Director of Customer Success at Lumavate, shares her strategy for crafting communication dependent on the receiver in this episode of Customer Success Leaders.   Plus, she and Eric talk about…    - Measuring success based on your platform’s ease-of-use   - Mitigating the scariness of new updates   - How Leigh has been accounting for a new customer profile   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Stopping customer churn shouldn’t be a CS leader’s main concern. It should be a result of achieving more meaningful goals.   In this episode of Customer Success Leaders, Maranda Dziekonski, VP of CS & People Ops at Swiftly, joins Eric to discuss…    - Why CS leaders should be leveraging relationships they’ve built   - How to be more than just a churn-stopper   - How CS leaders can act as internal advocates for customers   - Why advising has been so important to Maranda’s career   Resources mentioned:   - Catalyst’s Coaching Corner   - Customer Success Leadership Network Slack channel   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Customer success is all about driving value.  But that’s not limited to your customer success team.  It’s company-wide. And your product better live up to what you sold it as. Today’s guest is Chad Horenfeldt, Customer Success Coach at Kustomer. He has experience in a variety of customer-success-centered roles and came on to share the wisdom he’s gained over his impressive career. In this episode, we discuss: What customer success is Why your product needs to live up to the hype Why leadership means a dedication to lifelong learning For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.  

One thing you learn as the co-founder of a bathroom advertisement business is the importance of organization.   Jordan Silverman, VP of Customer Success at MarketMan, joins Eric on this episode to discuss organization in customer success. Plus, they talk about…    - Unique challenges of customer success for the hospitality industry   - Entrepreneurial skills that can be transferred to customer success   - The importance of being a good steward of customers’ businesses   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you thought customer success and account management are the same things, you’re probably not alone.   There are some similarities, however, there are bigger differences that make them distinguishable jobs.   Joining Eric in this episode is former Account Manager and iZooto’s current Customer Success Manager, Bhavika Kochhar. They discuss…    - The main differences between customer success and account management   - How to successfully work with customers from other geographies   - How to navigate a customer’s unresponsiveness   - Why it’s okay when tech fails us sometimes   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Have you ever been to a party with a friend who doesn’t introduce you to anyone? So you just stand there awkwardly and count the seconds before you can leave.    It’s a less than desirable experience, right? Why do we make customers go through it then?   Josh Fedie, the founder of SalesReach.io, joins Eric to help resolve the awkwardness that is traditional sales handoffs. Plus, the two talk about…    - How to mitigate buyer’s remorse for new customers   - Why sales should be involved after the initial sale   - What B2B customer success can learn from B2C   Check out Josh’s show, The Buyer Enablement Podcast.   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Being in and around a startup can be a stressful place, especially when you’re trying to land investors.    Automation helps complete repeatable tasks in these kinds of situations. However, there are areas where a founder needs more specialized content and assistance.   Lynne Zagami, a former lawyer and Head of Customer Success at Shoobx, joins Eric to chat about empowering entrepreneurs through educational content. They also discuss…    - How relationship management skills have helped Lynne shift from law to customer success   - The importance of having a responsive culture   - How to manage great customer success without causing burnout   - Why you should be answering client questions before they’re even asked For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io. To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

There aren’t many companies that are able to say that they have a comprehensive understanding of each of their customers.   In fact, most companies are coming up short when it comes to seeing their customers wholly.   In this episode, Eric is joined by Chris Hicken, the CEO of ‘nuffsaid, a team helping knowledge workers prioritize their communications. The two chat about…    - Why so few companies are measuring their customers’ success   - How to continuously create value for customers   - How Chris’ team combines qualitative and quantitative data to get a 360-degree view of their customers   Resources mentioned:   - Value Measurement Maturity Scale   - newsletter.nuffsaid.com   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.   To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Customer Success Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We’ve all heard about sales and marketing alignment. But, to enable your customers to reach their full potential, it takes alignment between sales and customer success, starting at leadership.   In this episode, I caught up with Skaled Consulting CEO, Jake Dunlap. Jake shared how leadership can help customer success and sales teams cultivate power users.   Plus, we covered…    - How focusing on power users instead of new deals benefits sales orgs   - How to align your customer success team w/ the business objectives of customers   - Why a growth mindset outperforms a service-only mindset   - Tools to help your customer success team be more proactive   Resources mentioned:   - Outreach.io   - LinkedIn Sales Navigator   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.

Customer Success Programs are popping up at companies everywhere and with good reason. If you aren’t yet familiar with what goes into developing one, or have one up and running, you’ll definitely want to check out this episode.   Today I talked with Steve Heuber, Customer Experience Strategist at Genesys, and he shared some valuable insights from his experience putting together successful CS Programs across the country.    We talked about:    - Introducing the concept of a Customer Success Program    - Tailoring programs to meet needs on a project by project basis   - Building and earning a trusted client partnership   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.

This probably isn’t a newsflash to most of us but… the customer isn’t always right.   They are, however, always the hero. This is a super relevant concept, especially when it comes to cybersecurity and protecting your customers from breaches.   To give us the lowdown on customer care in cybersecurity, I sat down with Stacie Ward, VP of Customer Care at Red Canary. We talked about:    - How customer success and all other departments create a cohesive wheel around the customer   - Why it’s helpful for customer success teams to have a senior leadership ally   - How to forge trusting customer relationships in cybersecurity   - Expert advice for professionals new to customer success   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.

Someday, when you finally purchase that Tesla you’ve always wanted, you’ll want someone to walk you through all the features before hitting the road. Things like the cruise control, the wipers, how to connect your phone to the bluetooth, etc.   Product professionals like Sara Lauer, Senior Director of Customer Success at Reflexis Systems, Inc., make sure their customers know everything about the product before putting it in drive (although, they don’t sell Teslas).   Sara joined me in this episode of Customer Success Leader to discuss…    - Why it’s crucial to know all of the stakeholders in the company before pitching a solution   - The obstacles that get in the way of building strong customer relationships   - How customer success tech has changed   - How to get your customers to open up about the value they gain from your product   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.

Customer Success is not just an exit survey or ensuring that messaging is getting through.    Kristi Faltorusso, Vice President of Customer Success at IntelliShift, details out how her team is involved from Day Zero through testimonials and references.   What we talked about:   - Customer Success partnering with other cross-functional teams.   - Driving operational efficiency, and maximizing customer assets.    - The need for agility in customer success.   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.

For early-stage companies, building the foundation for a customer success program can be a little daunting. It’s not enough to simply push your product out to market. An in-depth understanding of the customer experience is imperative for designing a strategic plan to support and bolster the efforts of the organization as a whole.   Things like market fit, the power behind your sales engine, and identifying the right problem to assure the right solution are all things Jeff Breunsbach, Director of Customer Experience at Higher Logic, looks at when working with clients.    He joined me on the show today to share his insights on best practices for setting up and maintaining a customer success program.   We talked about:   - Steps to stand up a successful customer success program   - How customer success drives business outcomes   - Challenges that can prevent programs success   For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.

Welcome to Customer Success Leader, a podcast by Flatfile! For more info, check out customersuccessleader.com or send a message to hello@flatfile.io.