Todd Kirk reviews a conversation with Dave Blake, CEO of ClientSuccess.com, about the importance of embracing vocal customers and the value of Net Promoter Score (NPS). Todd emphasizes that NPS can be a valuable tool when used correctly to understand customer sentiment and experience. He advises against using NPS for individual performance evaluation and suggests having the survey come from someone other than the customer's CSM. Listen to explore strategies to encourage customer feedback and...
Apr 12, 2024•11 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast What role does the Net Promoter Score (NPS) play in customer success? Join Dave Blake, the founder and CEO of Client Success, as he shares how NPS can be used as a tool to understand the customer experience, rather than the sole predictor of customer retention or churn. Dave shares best practices for implementing NPS, including the frequency of surveys, the importance of genuine feedback, and the need to engage with customers who are not providing feedback. He also highlights the significance of...
Apr 09, 2024•44 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast In this Friday's recap, Casey Trujillo reminds us of the importance of moving beyond monthly active usage (MAU) as the sole indicator of customer success in the SaaS industry. He shares the 'watermelon theory' concept and explains how you can use the ladder framework today to progressive from simple goals like education and adoption to better aligned software use with customer's goals. Takeaways Monthly active usage is an important indicator of customer success in the SaaS indust...
Apr 05, 2024•8 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Is MAU really the best way to know if your customers are engaged? Join Todd Kirk and Casey Trujillo as they discuss the role of monthly active usage (MAU) in SaaS businesses. They explore how MAU, while important, is just one metric that tells the story of how well your customers are doing. The episode introduces the ‘ladder’ concept, linking adoption to behavior change and organizational impact. We end with a prompt for listeners to put the ‘ladder’ into practice. Takeaways Monthly active usage...
Apr 02, 2024•30 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast Highlights of our conversation with Ashley DeKerlegand, Director of Customer Education @ Quickbase where we discuss the need for updated instructional design models and a focus on outcomes. Chapters 00:00 The Challenge of Educating Customers 01:06 Outdated Instructional Design Models 03:20 Customer Education and Adoption 04:13 Incorporating Feedback from Customers 05:11 Continuous Improvement and Customer Satisfaction 06:10 Effective Training Evaluation 07:07 Transferring Learning into Practice ...
Mar 29, 2024•11 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Summary Do you like your LMS? In this episode of SaaS Therapy, Ashley DeKerlegand from Quickbase discusses the limitations of traditional learning and development (L&D) approaches in the SaaS industry. She highlights the challenges of using the ADDIE model and SCORM in a rapidly changing SaaS environment. Ashley emphasizes the importance of customer feedback and collaboration between L&D and customer success teams. She suggests using surveys to gather actionable insights and focusing on ...
Mar 26, 2024•43 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes what customers say they want is different than what they actually want. Today, we're re-capping how to use "the magic wand" question to uncover the real pains, challenges and goals you client has. The closer you can get to unearthing that information, the better shot you have at delivering the kind of value that really matters to your clients. Takeaways Maintaining open communication with customers is crucial for building successful relationships. Customer feedback plays ...
Mar 22, 2024•7 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Stop wasting the first 5-minutes of your client calls. There are better ways to personally connect with clients, show them that you see and understand them, and then get to work on defining their ideal future state. Today we're covering practical steps for asking better questions and using active listening with your clients. Takeaways Customer success managers should focus on helping customers take ownership of their own adoption and business value. Asking the right questions and actively li...
Mar 19, 2024•29 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Only 28% of clients report that their QBR is valuable to them. What else are we doing that just doesn't work? today, we're recapping the highights of our recent conversation about the levers in our control to re-shape the funnel, with Justin Edwards, the lead of the revenue practice with Mercato Partners. Takeaways SaaS companies are facing challenges due to changes in the economy and growth rate decline. Expanding revenue within existing customers is crucial for efficient growth. Tradit...
Mar 15, 2024•10 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we're joined by Justin Edwards, SVP of Revenue @ Mercato Partners (a venture capital fund supporting early-stage technology companies). In his role, Justin works closely with revenue teams in tech startups as an expert growth advisor. In this episode, Justin discusses the biggest challenge facing startups today - the decline in growth rate, and what Customer Success teams can do to take control of their available levers. Takeaways The decline in growth rate is the biggest challenge fa...
Mar 12, 2024•54 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Our Friday re-cap of MEDDPICC, the framework for understanding and predicting the likelihood of a sale or renewal. Today, Casey reminds listeners of the key parts of MEDDPICC and how to start putting the framework into action. Takeaways MEDDPICC is a methodology to help customer success managers and sales reps understand the likelihood of customer renewal. Champions within customer organizations are crucial for fighting for renewal or purchase. Criteria for identifying a champion include access ...
Mar 08, 2024•9 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast The first year of a new customer's contract is key to how long they'll stay a customer. But account teams often find themselves in reactive mode as clients' priorities, key points of contact, and budgets shift. In this episode, Todd and Casey discuss MEDDPICC - a framework for account teams to use as they move a customer from purchase to renewal in a shifting landscape. Did your product make your clients more money? Did it save them money? Or did it protect them from risk? Always sta...
Mar 05, 2024•34 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Our regular Friday re-cap of our Tuesday interview with Tim Hill, Director of Customer Success at Gong, a rapid-growth revenue intelligence company on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list. Takeaways Investing in customers is crucial for their success. Sales and customer success have different focuses and timelines. Measuring the outcomes of investments is essential. Engaging key personas and delivering value builds trust and retention. Understanding customers and providing incremental value is ...
Mar 01, 2024•10 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Do your key customer contacts experience real value in your product? Tune into to our conversation with Tim Hill, Director of Client Success at Gong, a rapid-growth revenue intelligence company on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list. Tim shares insights into driving customer retention and growth, emphasizing the importance of engaging key personas and earning their trust and attention. We also discuss the alignment between sales and customer success, and the need for incentives that support bo...
Feb 27, 2024•48 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Each Friday, we'll unpack the key points, or dig further into one specific topic, from our Tuesday episode. Repetition is key to learning, and we're here for it. Summary In this check-in, Todd revisits four incredible gems from our conversation with Maranda Dziekonski (SVP of Customer Success and Ops @Datasembly), including: How customer success must evolve in response to current economic conditions Insight into how Client Success should tie themselves to revenue outcomes and learn how t...
Feb 23, 2024•10 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Maranda Dziekonski, SVP of Customer Success and Ops at Datasembly, is a ground-up builder with over 20 years of experience in crafting world-class operations, specializing in Customer Success, Support, Tech Support, and Sales across B2B, B2C, and B2B2C sectors. Maranda's leadership has earned accolades as a Top 100 Customer Success Strategist, amongst many other recognitions. You can follow Maranda on Twitter @marandasays. Resources Connect with Casey Connect with Todd Visit the show page Ge...
Feb 20, 2024•48 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Get to know your hosts, Todd Kirk and Casey Trujillo, as they discuss the importance of relationships in SaaS, the challenges that arise in these relationships, and how to respond. They'll share data, stories, voice of customer, and actionable tips you can use right away to improve your customer relationships and drive retention. Takeaways Relationships are crucial in the SaaS industry and require constant attention and effort. Challenges often arise in SaaS relationships, including misalign...
Feb 13, 2024•18 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of SaaS Therapy, Todd Kirk and Casey Trujillo discuss the quarterly business review (QBR). They address the anxiety and stress that customer success managers often feel when conducting QBRs and emphasize the importance of preparing for them. The hosts provide tips on how to review data with the point of contact before the QBR, focus on the customer's needs and strategic initiatives, provide value to the executive team, look forward to future initiatives, and make the point of...
Feb 12, 2024•30 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast 
