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In this podcast episode, Anika Zubair interviews Jay Nathan, COO of Churnkey, about his extensive experience in the SaaS industry and the evolving role of customer success. They discuss the key metrics that drive growth in SaaS, such as retention, customer lifetime value, and profitability, emphasizing the need for agility in tracking and adjusting these metrics. Jay shares insights into his role as COO, the strategic importance of aligning CS with business goals, and the dual focus on customer and company needs. They also explore how customer success is shifting to a more strategic, revenue-driving function within SaaS companies. The episode provides practical advice for CS leaders who want to make a significant impact on their organization.Want to win a free pair of airpod pros, sign up for a demo with Vitally: vitally.io/csproTimestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Jay Nathan & His Journey04:16 - The Role of a COO in a Startup08:17 - Key Metrics for SaaS Companies13:35 - Understanding Gross Retention vs. Net Retention18:28 - Customer Lifetime Value & Strategic Decision-Making24:03 - Metrics to Track in Day-to-Day CS Operations32:30 - Adapting Metrics as Your SaaS Business Grows43:30 - Quickfire RoundConnect with Anika:LinkedInYouTubeTikTokWebsite: thecustomersuccesspro.comCoaching with Anika: CSM RevUP AcademyFollow the Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCustomerSuccessPro Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVZCeBTFUFl2iysDe9uJu Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-customer-success-pro-podcast/id1733540749Connect with Jay Nathan:LinkedinCheck out his newsletter, GrowthCurveJay Nathan has over 20 years of experience in the software industry, having held leadership roles at prominent technology companies such as Blackbaud, Higher Logic, PeopleMatter, and now Churnkey. He has hands-on experience in bootstrapped, VC-backed, private equity-owned, and publicly traded software companies. In 2017 he launched a management consulting firm focused on SaaS companies and in 2018 launched the popular Gain Grow Retain customer success community, growing it to over 15,000 members worldwide. Jay has spoken and written extensively on leadership, sales, marketing, product, and customer success in the software industry. While his ultimate goal is to launch a Jimmy Buffett cover band, for now, he is focused on helping B2B SaaS companies grow and thrive.Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/
This week Jeff Breunsbach takes a look at how being successful with a scaled approach relies on prioritizing and executing on a small number of things very well. Simple options such as education and training Tracking consistency Strong content that resonates with customer needs By making sure these pieces are well built and have strong customer awareness, you are setting the stage for a scaled approach that works. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week, Jeff Breunsbach takes a look at some important components of customer education: Product Learn what part of your product aligns with the customer needs Our customers don't need to utilize every part of our product or be aware of every new feature Focus on the features and aspects they need and help them become experts in those areas Specialized education is better than a 1 size fits all versio Business Use educational pieces that help your users have a better understanding of their own business goals This helps make sure they are maximizing your product for their needs Market Understanding market trends can help your customers understand how your product fits into their goals Keep an eye on other products that have overlap and make sure those intersection points are well understood -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week Jeff takes a look at the impact of equating a Named CSM with quality service. With the current economy, having a named CSM is a luxury many companies are no longer investing. CS teams are now in a position to pivot, but an understanding of that impact must be understood in order to successfully transition. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week Jeff takes a moment to talk through the waves of the Customer Success Team journey. There are typically 3 waves of focus within the team as specialization becomes necessary. First 2 waves are mainly focused on 1:1 programs while the 3rd is all about scaling. However, in this state of moving away from 1:1 towards a more scaled focus, we need to add roles from the 3rd wave much sooner int the process. Learn more about setting your 2024 team and plans up for the best possible outcome. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week Jeff Kushmerek joins Jeff Breunsbach to talk about the difference between onboarding and implementation Onboarding Implementation Ongoing Finite Period Measurement - Time to Value Measurement - Time to Launch No handoffs Multiple handoffs Jeff K. shares his insights into how to handle the differing needs of Implementation in a way that supports the customer's goals, the metrics needed to be measured, and the outcomes that need to be defined. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Sandy Yu and Jeff Breunsbach talk about the importance of priorities in this week's Gain Grow Retain podcast. Knowing that there can only be one priority at a time, how do you select what to focus on? Here are some of the questions being discussed: Prepare by understanding the resourcing, the organizational needs, and the cost of NOT doing it for each potential priority Decide after gathering data (but don't let the research go on too long!) What are the responsibilities of the leader in helping the team successfully work on the prioritized project? How can you utilize routines to make it outcomes focused without stifling creativity? Connect with Sandy Revenue CCO -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week Rohan Gupta and Gopal Srinivasan, Partners at Deloitte, join Jeff to talk about a hot topic: AI in Customer Success. Generative AI has made access more accessible for the average person, but what are some ways CS teams can utilize AI to support the work they do in a more effective and efficient way? From practical suggestions for getting started to potential roadblocks, the conversation focuses on the shifts teams and companies are making to utilize this powerful tool. Connect with Rohan Gupta Connect with Gopal Srinivasan Implications of Generative AI: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consulting/articles/generative-artificial-intelligence.html Sustainable Growth in SaaS: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consulting/articles/enterprise-saas-ndr-growth.html The Shift to Customer Outcomes: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consulting/articles/the-shift-to-customer-outcomes.html -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week I spoke with Jen Jackson, a stellar customer experience leader at Litmos with a rich history in support & CS leadership. In our discussion, she delves into the world of micro-learning, the power of support metrics, and the vital role data insights play in shaping up customer success.Discover how Jen is revolutionizing customer experience by integrating rapid-fire micro-training into her strategies, empowering customers to learn swiftly and effectively. We discuss how defining the outcomes of digital CX is paramount, and the importance of internal collaboration and harnessing the power of LinkedIn comments for valuable tips and advice. This episode is a goldmine of wisdom from a dynamic leader driving the future of digital customer success. Tune in and equip yourself with the tools and insights to improve your own customer success program. You can't afford to miss this one!Jen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmjackson/Resources Mentioned in this Episode:BooksHubSpot's list of 20 great CS books: https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-success-books#oneDigital Customer Service: Transforming Customer Experience for an On Screen World: https://amzn.to/3YVpZMiPodcastsLeadership with Heart: https://heatheryounger.com/podcasts/Gain Grow Retain: https://podcast.gaingrowretain.com/Support the show+++++++++++++++++Listener Submissions:If you'd like to call in with commentary or a question to be addressed in a future episode, call our submission line at +1 (512) 222-7381. Leave us a 2-3 minute message with your comment or question using either your real name or a pseudonym, and we'll feature your clip on the show!Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic
This week, Jeff discusses the various stages of the CS team and focuses on the newest realm of specialized roles. All of the stages are important to building an effective team. These specialized roles: Scaled Program Managers, Customer Marketers, and Community Managers can help drive specific outcomes by developing campaigns that benefit customers whether they have a named CSM or not. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
In this re-release from April 2020, Jay Joined Mark Stoddard and Dave Blake of ClientSuccess as part of their CS Leadership Webinar Series. Although they talk about the impact of COVID on the market in general and customer engagement specifically, the conversation is just as relevant today as teams undergo major changes that often result in the loss of your primary stakeholder. After sharing some practical tips, the group them shifts to answering audience questions, making this a great podcast to revisit. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week, Jeff takes a quick look at the increasing need to build relationships, and the need to do it at scale. Why scale a relationship? The changing dynamic of the stakeholders themselves as well as the need to move away from a single point of contact are all factors. Take a listen to a variety of ways Jeff suggests to not only scale your relationships, but do it in a way that builds value beyond the current relationship building processes. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content. *This podcast is sponsored by Higher Logic Vanilla.
This week, Jeff takes a quick look at the idea that every customer gets a CSM. This belief has resulted in high costs, lower impact, and a mistaken idea that the CSM is the solver of all problems. Instead, focus on your top revenue generators for 1:1, and look at scaling the rest in an effective and valuable way. Strong self-service is much more valuable than a CSM with a 500-customer book of business with little to no interactions and no additional programs to support their needs. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content. This weeks' podcast is brought to you by Totango, a GGR Supporter
If you are in any roles in the post-sales Customer Success, or Account Management world, you have most likely heard of this week's guest. This week's guest started his journey studying Information Systems and Software Engineering before making the shift into Professional Services, Support, and Customer Success. Most recently, he is the Executive VP of Corporate Market and Chief Customer Officer at Higher Logic, an industry leader in cloud based engagement platforms where their data-driven approach gives organizations an expanded suite of engagement capabilities, including online communities, marketing automation, and much more. In his spare time, he takes that same love for community, and helps others on their journey to Gain, Grow, and Retain their customers. This week's guest is the heart of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Mr. Jay Nathan. In this week's episode, we discussed: Customer Centric Mindset Natural Curiosity For Customers Lessons From Duke Energy (Large Enterprises and Heavy Process) The Start of The Largest CS Community Using Your Own Product Much More! Please enjoy this week's episode with Jay Nathan. ____________________________________________________________________________ I am now in the early stages of writing my first book! In this book, I will be telling my story of getting into sales and the lessons I have learned so far, and intertwine stories, tips, and advice from the Top Sales Professionals In The World! As a first time author, I want to share these interviews with you all, and take you on this book writing journey with me! Like the show? Subscribe to the email: https://mailchi.mp/a71e58dacffb/welcome-to-the-20-podcast-community I want your feedback! Reach out to 20percentpodcastquestions@gmail.com, or find me on LinkedIn.
This week, Jeff takes a quick look at how to help your CSM team manage the increasing pressure they are under: 1:many programs. Jeff walks you through 5 steps to move quickly into some effective and simple ways to to allow your CSMs to scale where they can so they can focus on what they need to. -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content. Today's episode is sponsored by Totango
I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Jeff in this week's episode. Most of you will probably know him from Gain Grow Retain and his constant presence on LinkedIn. I was excited for this interview as Jeff has talked with so many amazing CS leaders and as such, has had his finger on the pulse for quite a few years now. In this episode, Jeff and I discuss the evolution of Digital Customer Success, practical advice for those getting started in DCS, the benefits of office hours and user-generated content, building customer relationships over time , among other things!Enjoy! I sure did...Jeff's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scaledcs/GGR: https://gaingrowretain.comHigher Logic: https://higherlogic.comResources Mentioned in this Episode:Newsletters:Chartr Newsletter - Data visualization: chartr.coPodcastsMy First Million: https://www.mfmpod.com/Digital CS Kudos!Greg Danes on the value of paying for educationMatt Dixon on reducing effortMonday.comSupport the show+++++++++++++++++Listener Submissions:If you'd like to call in with commentary or a question to be addressed in a future episode, call our submission line at +1 (512) 222-7381. Leave us a 2-3 minute message with your comment or question using either your real name or a pseudonym, and we'll feature your clip on the show!Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic
In this 10-minute trumpet, Jeff Breunsbach shares his views on how CSMs should be preparing for career growth. Instead of the Enterprise-level CSM being the goal, focusing on building scaled CS skills is going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. How? Leveraging a 1:many focus in areas that increase your reach Focus on writing skills Identifying self-service opportunities Large-scale impact on customers instead of a 1:1 focus with limited reach --- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
First aired on Leadership Masterclass on June 4, 2023, Jay Nathan joins Subha Shriniivasan to discuss multiple aspects of Customer Success. From the start of Gain Grow Retain to Jay's thoughts on Customer Success's role in a variety of organizational goals, this episode dives into some of the common questions being asked. Why do we need CS? How is CS different from other go-to-market functions? How can companies drive customer experience to build credibility for new customers? How do you structure your organization? Should CSMs become Account Managers? How should you measure the success of a CS team? What role does digital CS play? How should the CS team engage with other teams to tie to value and goals? Should CS own up-sells and cross-sells? Will AI replace CS? Hear Jay's take on each of these topics as he shares practical reasons for his beliefs and steps to move into more effecient and strategic processes. Original Episode Link -- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week GGR dusts off another gem from the past, this one from December 4, 2019. A strong CS Ops team can make a huge difference within an organization and be a force multiplier for the entire CS team. Jennifer Kirkland (formerly VP of CS Ops and Professional Services at Conversica, currently Executive VP of Client Success at Axero) joins Jeff and Jay to talk about how Jennifer used her account and product management experience to create a process that made a difference and helped the CS team build effective 1:many processes. How are you using your CS Ops team to increase your team's efficiency and effectiveness? ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Where should renewals live, and why it doesn't really matter... That's the focus of a conversation between Julie Fox, Senior Manager of CS at FloQast and Jeff Breunsbach this week. Regardless of which department owns the renewal process, it really has to be a team sport, where success is based on the involvement of everyone. Customers do not renew (or not) based on single experiences or relationships, so making sure a strong customer experience exists across all departments is going to be important. Connect with Julie here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Your customer won't wake up tomorrow thinking "I cannot wait to use XX product more today!" Jeff Breunsbach takes some time to look at the role change management plays in product adoption. Look for ways to reduce customer effort Identify business problems to solve Update processes where necessary Identify customer stakeholders who will be impacted Integrate into their existing tech stack Moving into helping customers through change management with a new product adoption can help you be seen as a business process and minimize the gaps or risks that exist before they impact adoption. ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Are you making sure your meetings are 'Can't Miss'? In this week's 10-minute trumpet, Jeff talks through some simple ideas for not only using meetings strategically, but adding simple before and after processes that can hep you make a lasting impression and stand out. 'Do the simple things really well' ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Rod Cherkas, CEO and founder of HelloCCO, joins Jeff Bruensbach this week to talk about creating predictability and stability through consistence processes, which come from building consistent skills. In order to make this happen, CCOs (or those who aspire to become one) should focus on: Building cross-functional relationships Communicating effectively Segmenting customers and building plans for each segment Use 1:many processes for repetive CSM work Help stakeholders learn customer experience Connect with Rod here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
CSMs are really in the business of helping our customer champions become really great change management experts. Let's prepare our customers for the people, process, and technology updates necessary to adopt our product Connect with Garrett here Connect with Michael here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Customer success teams aren't here to simply train the customer on using a product. Customer success teams are change management agents. Helping guide a customer to an outcome through people, process and technology habits. Reframe the thinking for your CS teams. Join the conversation. ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Are you using scaled CS as a universal engagement strategy? If not, you are missing out on giving your team the chance to build out their roles due to lack of bandwidth. In building relevant and actionable content, it is important that you: know the persona know the product know the market share best practices have a variety of content types webinars workshops 5-7 minute recordings in-product guies templates social media The result of a strategically planned content library that is easy to access is stronger customer engagement across all segments. It also allows your team to maximize the 1:1 activities that drive the outcomes you are looking to help your customer with. What ways are you using content to strengthen your customer engagement? ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Are your CSMs operating with a single point of contact? Damien Howley, CCO of Whip Around shares how having a Strategic, Tactical, and Operational focus in your customer relationships not only prevents that single point of failure when a main contact leaves, it strengthens your customer knowledge in a way that cannot be done with a single relationship. Learn what this looks like in real life, and how to effectively ensure your CSMs are utilizing this process well. Connect with Damien here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week, Karessa Parish, Growth Marketing Manager at ClassTag joins Jeff to talk about the connection between scaled CS and marketing. Here are some of the key takeaways: Look for ways to automate things that you do over and over Evaluate your content to align with customer self-service needs CSMs should be facilitators rather than information keepers Give a space for customers to talk to each other Examples of scaled ways to grab your customer's attention Connect with Karessa here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
QBRs are a topic of conversation almost any place that CS professionals gather. That is because they are a vital tool in helping customers understand how your product aligns with their business goals. The problem is these meetings have become another task, and one that many customers are skipping. So how do you move from the old way to a new, more engaging way of talking to customers? Make it more about them instead of you Share metrics and slides ahead of time - bonus points for recording a video companion! Share info about what stakeholders will be interested in specific information Open actual call with a chance for the customer to get clarification, but spend the majority of the time asking open-ended questions Identify scheduled meetings that you can join and share Create a 1-page document with post-meeting action items What are some ways you are shifting into a new QBR framework? ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Going above and beyond for your customers seems like a no-brainer, but is it really? Data shows that performing 'Hail Mary's' for your customer doesn't have any greater impact than simply meeting their needs. Matt Dixon shares some tips on what you should be focusing on, and the good news is it is relatively inexpensive in terms of money, time, and resources. We need to move our customers from signature to value as quickly and efficiently as possible. Allowing your CS team to focus on making the customer journey as painless as possible results in a bigger impact on customers and your bottom line. Connect with Matt here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
It seems intuitive: you increase retention by delighting your customers. However, data exposes the fact that something that takes a lot of effort and often the increased expense doesn't bring the results you are looking for in terms of loyalty, retention, or even advocacy. Instead, strong value and ROI come when companies look for ways to reduce the effort our customer have to expend to be our customers. Jay takes a look at how teams can work to make reductions in efforts that equip our customers for success by making our companies easier to do business with. ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Jay is joined by Christina Lock, Founder and CEO of Catch Talent. We talked about trends in the labor market and what she's seeing across the tech companies her team works with. Here are the questions we went over: What are the trends you see in both the job market and the labor market? How are employers responding to shifts in the labor market? What roles are most in demand right now from your perspective? How have the requirements changed over the past several quarters? There is a downward trend in candidate experience in tech, even when labor is in peak demand. Candidates being “ghosted,” lengthy and indeterminant processes, excessive assignments, etc. Why is this happening? How can hiring managers make the best decisions possible while streamlining these processes? If you've recently been let go, what are the top two or three things you can do to make yourself the most marketable? ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Today we are joined by Michael Tuso of Callypso as he brings his experience from sales and account management to share practices that customer success leaders can use: Building account maps can help you identify the right people Sets the stage for consistent account practices Finding ways to build maps at scale and community-driven techniques ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Make your champion the hero of the story when dealing with their finance partners. Here are 3 ways you can do that: 1) Help prepare them around how to defend the ROI of your product - remember to think about inputs and variables to the model. Think like a lawyer - you have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. 2) Beyond ROI, help them understand the downside of not using your tool. Think in terms of cost (particularly labor) and lost efficiency - the story/narrative is important here. 3) Make sure to highlight beyond your product, the other benefits that they would be missing - access to community/peers, industry expertise, integration/data that flows to other systems. Make it about the ecosystem, not your product. Numbers. Story. Ecosystem. You have to be solid on all three fronts. My guess is you have 1/3 today - if you can nail 3/3 it helps you going into your renewals this year. What else can you do to prepare your champion for the CFO conversation? ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week, Jon Johnson, Principle Customer Success Manager at UserTesting joined Gain Grow Retain to talk about how to scale in an enterprise environment. Building trust and showing value is a foundational part of the process but segmentation becomes the key to success. Create buckets to segment Get specific Simplify Scale can help you identify the right conversation with the right person at the right time. Connect with Jon ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Jeff and Jay come together to talk about three possibilities for leveraging ChatGPT in scaling your Customer Success program: Customer Discovery Key Contact Insights Strengthen Content Learn how using ChatGPT can help speed up some of the processes your team is doing, increasing the value of the time they have to spend with the customers. ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Data is the after-thought but it is the currency that will run your scaled customer success programs. Far too often we have our teams spending time in tools/data/systems when they should be spending time with customers. Jeff and Joel talk about why data is becoming important and how to use it to your advantage in 2023. You can find Joel here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week, Ian Hurlock joined us to talk about how your techstack can impact the data your customer success team uses to understand customer behaviors. In order to build a personalized and effective customer journey, your team needs to be able to understand the behavior of your customers. This comes from data that is not just information focused on sales behaviors, but includes every interaction on all platforms. This is often something that will need strong cultural buy-in to achieve. Your techstack is critical in being able to gather this behavioral data. What do you currently have and what data is missing? Use testing to understand the impact of different initiatives and pathways on your customers to figure out where you will get the best results so you know what to prioritize. Without a strong data set from an aligned techstack, this is not possible. You can find Ian here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Mary Poppen (CCO at involve.ai) joins Jeff today to discuss how personalizing the customer journey positively impacts their experience. Most of the time, personalization is a strong component of the high-touch model, but Mary shares how data can be used to build the same experience at scale. She gives practical suggestions about how to use the information you gather to create these high-touch experiences regardless of the customer type, and discusses some of the tech stack that can help support the CSM in providing a personalized journey for each customer. You can find Mary here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week Jay Nathan is joined by Wayne McCulloch, CCO at WalkMe where they discuss specific ways that a CCO can have an impact on the CS team no matter how long you have led them. Hear the process Wayne used to lead the CS team and create organization-wide initiatives (with strong employee empowerment) and a 3-year implementation plan as the entire staff focuses on better serving their customers. You can find Wayne here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week we are sharing a podcast that was published in January 2022. Jordan Silverman joins Jeff to talk about onboarding and implementation and how this timeframe is critical for customer retention. Making sure the customer journey is more customer-centric rather than company focused can help make sure your customers are seeing a very quick time-to-value, helping to increase the likelihood of retention for them. The first 30/60/90 days and having a plan to bring those activations and impact to the customer strengthens their usage. He shares how his team works to avoid the tunnel vision into what customers are doing as a whole, allowing a more holistic view of how you can support the work they are doing. Listen to some ideas that Jordan shared that can encourage customer investment in the process. You can find Jordan here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This episode from April 2021 has Ryanne Koch (Doumet) joining Jeff to talk about how metrics support the strategy conversations that help your CS team move from reactive to proactive. Using data well can help identify where and when to bring in your product within the customer process as well accurately identify customers in danger of churn, Learn how the team uses renewal surveys to identify trends across your book of business and how they utilize decks to scale customer conversations, allowing them to focus on the story and trends rather than just reciting data. You can find Ryanne here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week, Kristi and Jay talked about a variety of topics that give you some insights into who they are, how their early work experience helped shape them as CS leaders, and things they do to help themselves take some time to reflect deeper into their own lives. You can find Kristi here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week, Michael Cooksey, Head of Qualtrics XM Community walks us through how community has moved into the intersection of a variety of departments to bring a customer experience that has had a large impact in retention and growth. Michael shares the ways that community can be successfully used as a digital first touchpoint while still building and maintaining relationships. He also shares some tips for those considering the addition of a community as scaling becomes more of a necessity for so many organizations. You can find Michael here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Jan Young joins the team to talk about helping CS teams avoid the 'gap filler' moniker by bringing data from various sources together. It is important to look at scaling from a 1:1 approach (foundational model) to a more digital and scaled approach to allow a focus on strategy and relationship building. Joining with a comprehensive look at data, this helps you provide stronger customer enablement and builds an understanding of the big picture of your customer health and growth. Using a variety of sources (AI, data from other teams, etc) can help you apply the right data at the right time. You can find Jan here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This week Kristi Faltorusso joins Jeff and Jay as they discuss the lessons they have learned in the course of parenting that apply to CS. Patience through preparation and awareness, guidance through transitions and experience, and learning true needs through good questions are just a few of the areas that they show how the skills they are using with their kids can be applied to the needs of the customer. You can find Kristi here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
This episode from April 2021 brings Kevin Lau, Senior Director of Customer Advocacy & Experiential Marketing at F5 in to talk about how an advocacy group can help you scale the creation of emotional connections with and between customers. Developing a strategic plan to identify methods of engagement throughout the customer journey can lead to a natural and organic integration of a more formalized team whose goal is to provide natural conversations and insights. You can find Kevin here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Diane Ratigan (Director of CS for Corporate Team, Shannon Creghan (CS Executive), and Kimmie Harrington (CS Executive), all of Higher Logic join Jay today to talk about launching Office Hours. Hosting an Office Hours for your customers focused on the core concepts around using your solution rather than feature functionality. They share the process, difficulties, and successes experienced during the launch process. Help your customers connect to you and each other in a way that not only builds the quality of their programs but helps you scale on those questions and issues in a way that isn't possible otherwise. You can find Diane here You can find Shannon here You can find Kimmie here ----- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Erika Akroyd (Sr. Manager, Scale CS and Programs), Ryan Philpott (CS Program Manager), Charles Helms (Scale CSM) join Jay Nathan today to talk about how Pendo turned lack of staffing into an opportunity to develop an effective scaled model. They discuss how their scaled approach isn't a one size fits all for their customers, but is more strategic based on needs. They also moved into a strategic thinking realm rather than simply focusing on supporting the 'how-to's' through meeting planning, content creation and utilization, and using human resources where they will be most efficient and effective. You can find Erika here You can find Ryan here You can find Charles here --- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.
Mac Reddin, Founder and CEO of Commsor joins us in looking at how community can help companies adopt strategies that increase organic customer (and potential customer) relationships in a way that strengthens business goals. From looking at community as a potential first touchpoint to creating communities of practice that allow anyone to join in sharing knowledge and resources, organizations can move beyond the algorithmic advertisement model and into conversations. You can find Mac here --- Gain Grow Retain exists to connect people, knowledge, and ideas to advance the state of customer success. We're on a mission to connect B2B SaaS customer success leaders so that we can learn from one another. Check out more at GainGrowRetain.com! Or follow our GGR LinkedIn page. GGR was co-founded by Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan - be sure to follow for customer success content.