3 Things Founders Can Do To Build A Thriving Customer Success Practice

In the early days of most startups you are working hard to build revenue and a solid customer base that agrees to stay on long enough to realize the return on what you spent to obtain them as a customer.

What can founders do to help spark the fire of customer success in companies just getting their legs? Let’s look at three strategies you can start with today:

1. Find Talent— This is often found by finding a CSM who has some team leadership qualities, 3–4 years of experience managing customers in your key customer target profile, and can commit to spend their time relentlessly focused on driving your vision for the next 6 months. Focus the interviews around understanding ability to execute, strong interpersonal communication skills, and a desire to learn. (Strong conviction for owning the customer experience is crucial.)
2. Answer The Why — A thriving Customer Success practice begins with understanding why you have a customer using your product, then building validation of the use and the value of the outcomes your product or service provides to that customer. (Funnel this value based reporting through already established relationships with your customer to ensure everyone agrees that your product or service continues to address their needs.)
3. Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate! — Your culture must focus on providing a safe environment for Customer Success to share insights in an open and transparent manner. Find time for your CSM to have a seat at the table with your product manager, sales leader, and marketing manager. Define the scope of the conversation (ie segment of customers, upgrade customers, churn risk, etc) Building trust amongst teams with Customer Success early will help ramp your sales and marketing cycles with real customer data.

If you want to get a head start on resources you can read more below.

Companies like Gainsight are focused on selling their CSM platform but they are also champions of the community. Nick Mehta CEO of Gainsight has co-authored 2 books that should be the part of any CSM 101 course:

Customer Success: How Innovative Companies Are Reducing Churn and Growing Recurring Revenue

or

The Customer Success Economy: Why Every Aspect of Your Business Model Needs A Paradigm Shift

What you cannot buy is time. The best companies realize that no matter how much you raise, you have to use the most of the time given. What are questions you have while thinking about a new Customer Success practice?