Why is your Customer Success team underfunded, marginalized, and overlooked?
“Because leadership doesn’t value our contribution, or all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into keeping our customers happy – especially when dealing with problems like product bugs or bad-fit customers that were never our fault to begin with; we can’t control the cards we’re dealt. Acquisition gets all the glory while Customer Success gets relegated the part of the unsung hero.”
OK, ready for some tough love?
“It’s not them, it’s you,” says Anna Talerico of Arthur Ventures while handing out some hard truths to Customer Success leaders during her session “When Customer Success Is a Second-Class Citizen” at BIG RYG, ChurnZero’s annual Customer Success conference.
As a former Customer Success executive and current SaaS business advisor to founders, revenue, and customer leaders, Anna brings a refreshingly candid perspective to the table on how to get a seat at it. Anna’s Customer Success experience runs the gamut – from her early roles as an individual contributor to leading and scaling teams of her own. Throughout her career as an entrepreneur, Anna has overseen Customer Success at every company she’s founded or led – keeping the function near and dear to her heart. With Customer Success roots and a venture capitalist mindset, if there’s anyone who knows what it takes to spot growth opportunities, prove your worth, and elevate your stance within SaaS organizations, it’s Anna.
Now, ready for some good news? Getting Customer Success the organizational stature it deserves isn’t as hard as you may think. “You can change this dynamic, oftentimes, with really simple fixes,” says Anna.
Continue reading on the blog to see ways your Customer Success team can get more clout and a seat at the table.