Human-Centered Customer Success

While much of the work I do is focused on building processes and methodologies to build and scale Customer Success strategies, my first step is always getting to know teams and understanding their perspectives. Customer Success won’t work if the people who build it aren’t engaged and bought into the approach. Often, various functions feel burned by how customer engagements have been handled, and it is important to take these insights into account when building a strategy. In turn, Customer Success Managers and team members from all functions should remember that their customers are humans first! A few ideas on how this can be exercised:

• Be curious about how customers envision success and why. Look for what drives them and what they are passionate about.

• Understand how your clients are measured on their use of your solution - are they under the microscope if something doesn’t work? Can they be a hero if something exceeds expectations? Have compassion for how these situations affect them.

• Be honest. You don’t need to say “yes” to every customer request, but you do need to be transparent. While you can’t deliver on every request, try to connect the dots on how you will help achieve big goal outcomes.

• Let go of ego. It doesn’t matter if you are right about a customer disagreement. As in life, winning an argument doesn’t matter if people walk away upset. It is more fruitful for future success to ensure your clients feel seen and heard.

• Have fun! Be creative together about how your solutions can help them succeed and feel a sense of pride.

As important as it is to measure health and follow playbooks, stay grounded in the fact that humans need to connect with one another to truly make Customer Success succeed.