What opportunity does COVID-19 provide Customer Success teams?
I am a firm believer that adversity as horrible as it is, is usually coupled with an opportunity. Although this is not always apparent as you navigate the uncomfortable feelings problems provide, there is usually a silver lining and the field of Customer Success is no different. Speaking to fellow CSMs around the world their experiences are all vastly different — some work for companies that have benefited greatly from the lockdown cough cough Zoom and for others this is a time they would have preferred never to have come. If you have been able to continue working in Customer Success during this time you may have noticed opportunities to learn new skills, improve the way you communicate with customers and become *even* more obsessed with retention.
What I have found in this unique time in history, because I pray to God this doesn’t occur again in my lifetime again, is a new way of working with customers. Some of it is to improve the way we previously worked and other times it is to ensure that the customer is always at the top of mind. It sounds obvious but when you are riding the upward wave it is all too easy to forget who is king — the customer.
Communication
For some of your customers you may have found communication has become sparse. Lack of communication is never a good sign, pre, during or post corona. However this does present an opportunity for CSMs. When I think of all the marketing emails I receive I always open the ones I find valuable at the time. Now more than ever before communicating with your customer, stop and ask yourself are you about to provide any real value? Too often I think we communicate just to tick a task off our to-do list but with everyone strapped for time, some more than others if you can add value then your client will be more inclined to keep the level of contact going.
Case Studies
A business that is lucky enough to benefit from the lockdown is one that should be able to handle anything else that is thrown their way (we hope). Make ample use of customers who are seeing notable success using your technology. Who wouldn’t want to shine during one of the worst economic downturns in history? Use this time to do new and exciting things with your customers impacted positively, get case studies out, podcasts, essentially any material to showcase success using your platform.
Value
If your technology works across a range of industries you will be able to note the customers who pose a churn risk, for example, travel is one of the industries hit hardest by COVID right about now. As a business if you hadn’t previously considered diversifying your customer base, now may be the time to devise a diversified ideal customer profile. Additionally now might also be the time to ask yourself, what does value look like for our customers? Fortunately we will bounce back but business will be different. Some businesses may never decide to return to your offering even once recovered but those who perceive value day in day out will be back, but the onus is on us (customer success) to continuously help our clients receive and perceive value.
Until next time. Theresa
