There are actually 5-I’s in your customer success team. You can build your team around them, share them with other departments in your organization and even improve upon them – they are that good.
So what are the 5-I’s and how did I become part of TEAM?
Interaction
Interaction occurs within a team, across departments, with competitors, with partners and most importantly between customers and prospects. All of which can have an influence on your interaction with a customer. Customers expect timely and effective interaction, regardless of whom they might be dealing with in your organization. And the interaction shouldn’t just occur when there is a problem – stop firefighting so you can have those meaningful interactions that will delight your customers.
Intimacy
A successful SaaS company on a growth trajectory is likely experiencing initial growth through acquisition, activation and conversion. And each one of these customers has differing expectations of your service and they are all searching for a clear business benefit and value to using it. You can help them realize both through personalized engagement. As you continue to acquire new customers, your organization will also need a means to affordably help the customer success team deliver this personalized service to a large number of customers and prospects – to become an intimate trusted advisor.
Intuition
When you can eliminate the manual time-wasting complexity of your customer success process and you inevitably increase the opportunities for personalized engagement. An insight-rich visual workflow will help every customer success team member easily prioritize their time and maintain focus on important customer issues and high value tasks. With intuition like that they can anticipate risks and opportunities quickly and easily.
Influence
Successful customer success teams motivate people throughout the entire customer relationship lifecycle – after acquisition, activation and conversion (see Intimacy above) follows adoption, retention, referral, revenue and growth – effectively closing the loop between your customers and your business.
Impact
The shortest time to first value is achieved through personalized engagement that begins at the earliest stage of your business model – freemium, trial, beta, pilot – however your organization defines acquisition. The goal is to convince your customers that your service meets their business needs from their very first interaction with your service and your company. To have the most impact, make that first interaction the most personal.
Is there an “I” in your team? Share how your team succeeds at success.