Cotera

Your customer support org is a GOLDMINE of information - how can you leverage it effectively to grow your business faster? Ibby recently chatted with Alejandro at FCP Euro about just this. Here’s are the highlights: ?? Don't underestimate the value of getting to know your customer with pre-purchase interactions. At FCP Euro, 40-50% of customer contacts happen before purchase. ?? Shift the perception of your contact center from a cost center to a revenue driver by tracking attribution data and demonstrating the impact of support interactions on conversions. ?? Leverage AI and machine learning? tech to automate the synthesis of qualitative insights from customer interactions, reducing dependence on manual tagging and analysis. Read the entire interview below, and thanks again to Alejandro for sharing his expertise!

Product innovation in complex, multi-product environments presents unique challenges. How can leaders navigate this landscape while driving meaningful results? Ibby recently spoke with Steven Joos about managing product ecosystems in companies built through acquisitions. Here’s are highlights: ?? Understand the bigger picture. Step back and ask, "What does this company want to be when it grows up?" ?? Create financial clarity and develop a system that translates product development efforts into clear financial terms. ?? Implement lightweight governance that provides focus without stifling innovation. Read the entire interview below, and thanks again to Steve!?

Driving customer-centric support can be a game changer for any business. How do you build a support team that truly puts customers first and leverages their feedback to drive product improvements? Ibby recently spoke with Stephen at Splashtop Inc. about just this. Here are the highlights: ?? When top execs, including founders, actively participate in support channels, it sets a powerful example and reinforces a customer-centric culture. ?? Create direct feedback loops. Regular calls with customers gives you an insight into product improvement you need to make and features to prioritize. ?? Prioritize based on *impact*. When you're figuring out what to work on in the product, focus on benefits to the broader user base rather than solely on one customer ?? Foster a culture of growth within support teams - customer support agents have a ton of information about improvements to make, so having upleveling built-in to your org structure makes sure you keep talent that can help you grow. Read the entire interview below, and a big thanks to Stephen for sharing his expertise!

Driving product innovation through customer-centricity is crucial for software companies. But how do you balance this when your business blends both software and physical goods? A few weeks back, Ibby chatted with Shadi at Postal who shared some great insights. Here’s the highlights: ?? Balance metrics with product sales. At Postal, revenue to GMV (gross merchandise value) is a key health indicator. ?? Get developers close to customers. Ensure technical teams have direct exposure to customer feedback and needs. ?? Find the "hooks". Identify key "aha moments" and repeat behaviors that drive long-term retention and expansion. Read the entire interview below, and thanks to Shadi for sharing his expertise!

Building a customer success team from scratch can be daunting. How do you tackle churn, drive upgrades, and leverage data effectively in a fast growing startup? Ibby recently chatted with Dylan at Workyard about just this. Here’s the highlights: ?? Get your hands dirty. Don't be afraid to do the job yourself to truly understand your customers’ needs and pain points. ?? Develop clear indicators. For example, “upgrade indicators” and “churn indicators” can prioritize focus and actions. ??? Segment feedback to organize customer sentiment around specific products and features to guide improvements. ?? Build cross-functional relationships. Work closely with sales and product teams to align on customer priorities. Read the entire interview below, and thanks to Dylan for sharing his expertise!

Designing products that truly resonate with your customers is super critical. How do you bridge the gap between what ?????????????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? and what ???????? ???????????????? ????????? Recently, Ibby chatted with Stefan, a product development leader that's run tons of teams. Here’s the key insights he shared: ?? Leverage real-world data to understand actual customer data, rather than what they say in interviews. ?? Prioritize existing customers - their satisfaction can lead to powerful word-of-mouth marketing. ?? Create tight feedback loops between product, marketing, sales, and customer support teams to make sure everyone's on the same page about what you're building and how to talk about it. Read the entire interview below, and again thanks to Stefan for coming on - keep an eye out for his upcoming Numbers and Narratives episode!

Leveraging data is crucial for e-commerce, which is super competitive. Which begs the question: How can sellers navigate the complexities of platforms like Amazon to truly understand their business performance? A few days ago, Ibby chatted with Karen at Titan Network about just this, here are the highlights: ?? Don't just focus on sales numbers. Track your product's rank, keyword performance, and qualitative data like reviews to get a complete picture of your e-commerce business. ?? Understand your true profitability. With various fees on platforms like Amazon, it's crucial to have a clear view of your earnings after all costs are accounted for. ?? Continuously test and iterate. Use A/B testing to optimize key elements of your product listings, such as main images and titles. ?? Recognize that different product categories may require different strategies and metrics. What works for one seller might not work for another. Read the entire interview below, and thanks again to Karen for sharing her expertise!

Leveraging data to drive CX improvements is crucial for modern businesses. But how can companies effectively translate insights into action? Recently, Ibby chatted with Adrian at QuestionPro, who shared some great insights. Here are the highlights: ?? Go beyond surface metrics. High NPS scores don't tell the whole story - dig deeper to understand the real customer experience. ??? Map the entire customer journey, recognizing there may be multiple onboarding stages throughout the lifecycle. ?? Combine multiple data sources: Use a mix of data on how customers are using your product, customer feedback, and employee insights for a comprehensive view. ?? Involve customers directly in conversations with product and engineering teams to ensure that their pain points are being heard ?? Use AI judiciously, focusing on areas like data analysis while maintaining a human touch in customer interactions. Read the entire interview below, and again - thanks to Adrian for coming on!

Scaling product development when your customers are young, small, and growing fast is a huge challenge. How do you balance a "sane" product strategy when you have really diverse customers? Recently, Ibby chatted with Ryan at CallRail who shared some valuable insights on product management for a diverse market. Here are the highlights: ?? "Cross-Sell-Ability" - focus on building things that you can sell across your customer base, rather than just catering to the loudest voice. ?? Foster tight collaboration between product, engineering, design, and go-to-market teams from project kickoff to make sure that products are launched smoothly and pack a punch. ?? Focus on immediate, important use-cases. At CallRail, customers with at least one integration are a LOT less likely to churn, regardless of what the integration is. ?? Balance quantitative metrics with qualitative insights - this makes sure that you're balancing usage and sentiment data together. Read the entire interview below, and thanks to Ryan for coming on!

Our very own Becca Weiss, VP of Customer Success, shares Flatfile's innovative approach to customer success - or as she calls it, "radical support." Check out her recent interview with Ibby Syed, of Cotera, on scaling customer success with data-driven strategies. https://lnkd.in/g4Z7Bug6