BLOG

This week Jon Johnson (UserTesting) & Josh Schachter (UpdateAI) are joined by Parul Bhandari (CustomerXSuccess), Lawrence Waldman (Exegy), and Jenny Calvert to advocate for a proactive, strategic approach to customer management. Throughout this conversation, our guests highlight the importance of internal alignment, strategic planning, and a holistic approach to customer success—all aimed at fostering sustainable growth and alignment with long-term business objectives. So, sit back, relax, and join us as we unearth valuable insights and actionable strategies to elevate your customer success efforts.

Arit Nsemo (Senior Director of Customer Success at SearchSpring) joins hosts Josh Schachter (Founder & CEO, UpdateAI) and Kristi Faltorusso (CCO, Client Success) to share how she navigates the challenges of proactive customer risk management and managing interruptions to boost productivity for CSMs. She also discusses her experience at CS100.

Daniel Silverstein, VP of Customer Success at Carta, joins hosts Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter on this episode to share insights about the pivotal moments that shape customer success and the critical understanding of customer personas’ life cycles.

Jon Johnson, Josh Schachter, and Kristi Faltorusso sit down with Ziv Peled, the Chief Customer Officer at AppsFlyer. Ziv shares his valuable insights on managing customer relationships, the impact of AI on customer success, and the crucial role of human touch in building strong connections.

Brett Queener, Managing Director at Bonfire Ventures joins Kristi Faltorusso & Josh Schachter to shed light on the challenges faced by startups, the significance of customer success, and the transformative impact of AI in the industry.

Brent Grimes, Founder and CEO at Reef.ai joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. Brent shares insights on outcome-based scoring for customer health and the power of leveraging data for predictive modeling in customer success. They also discussed the potential future convergence of structured and unstructured data and the impact of AI agents on future work.

Hosts Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter are joined by Julio Franco, Chief Customer Officer of Zappi. They discuss the hurdles of educating customers on best customer success practices, the struggle to invest in customer education and consulting services, and the need for systematizing and reboarding customers.

Ben Winn, Director of Community at FirstMark, joins Kristi Faltorusso & Josh Schachter to explore the dynamic landscape of venture capital, AI in customer success, and the challenges faced by early-stage companies. They also banter about their grades, dating apps, and much more.

Alex Turkovic joins Jon Johnson, and Kristi Faltorusso to delve into the intricacies of customer success management (CSM), the disconnect between customer experience strategies and practical implementation, the role of emotional intelligence in business decisions, tackling data quality and management & much more.

Customer success roles fall short of true value creation.
The industry has inadvertently boxed itself into creating safe, activity-based roles rather than ones driven by tangible outcomes and accountability.
It’s time to rethink and reinvent the essence of customer success.

Customer success leader, Paulina Staszuk joins hosts Jon Johnson and Josh Schachter to delve into the critical importance of a structured onboarding process for new employees and its impact on successful customer relationships. They also share humorous banter and insights about creating a positive employee experience, the value of customer success in the tech industry, and the significance of taking a break to recalibrate.

Sam Loveland, Chief Customer Officer at SalesLoft, joins Jon Johnson, Principal CSM at User Testing, and Michael Forney, VP of CS at Responsive to delve into the intersection of AI and customer success.

Alok Sharma, CEO of Funnel Story AI, joins Josh Schachter, Founder & CEO of UpdateAI, and Jon Johnson, Principal CSM of UserTesting, to discuss the strategic role of CSMs in using technology to drive business outcomes.

John Gleeson, the founder of Success Venture Partners joins Josh Schachter, founder of UpdateAI to share his startup investment thesis, the need to deeply understand customers and the potential for software to enter underserved spaces. The conversation also delves into the future of technology, job prospects, and the excitement around AI advancements.

Josh Schachter sits down with Damien Howley, author of “Control Your Customer: A Guidebook for Customer Success Managers”. Damien explains the concept of “controlling your customer”, the STO framework for segmenting customer contacts, the importance of celebrating every win, and the value of quantifying the customer’s gain from a product.

Customer success icon Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, joins our hosts Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson, & Josh Schachter for a candid conversation packed with insights on the evolving CS landscape. From a sneak peek at Pulse 2024 to the future of AI in CS, Nick brings his trademark wit along with wisdom on key trends like:

Emily Lockhart, VP of Customer Success at Percona, joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss the importance of value delivery in partnerships, building proactive customer relationships, utilizing AI and technology to enhance efficiency, and automating playbooks, hiring for CS roles. Kristi also explains the difference between product and customer advisory boards and their significance.

Seth Terbeek, VP of Customer Transformation at DrFirst joins Josh Schachter & Jon Johnson on this episode of the CS & BS. Seth emphasizes failing forward, pivoting, and fostering a customer-centric mindset.

From navigating the complexities of executive engagement during customer onboarding to the evolving industry perspective on engaging with executives, this episode provides a deep dive into the critical aspects of customer success. Join us as we explore the importance of domain expertise, leadership’s role in fostering an authentic workplace, and the significance of understanding a company’s culture and core values

Alex Farmer, CCO at Nezasa, & Michael Forney, VP CS at Responsive join the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠.