CS Angel

True customer retention goes beyond surface-level metrics. The real magic happens when you map out a customer’s entire “sphere of influence.” This means: ?? Documenting your champions ?? Identifying executive sponsors ?? Understanding the broader impact of your solution ?? Tracking who’s invested in your program and why Metrics aren’t just about tracking risks but also about creating lasting, meaningful connections. We’re excited to highlight our angel Bhumika Arora, Founder of Ruffday Services ??, and her work on the “sphere of influence” concept. These strategic inroads have allowed Bhumika to transform her clients from vendors to business-critical partners. Learn more in the comments.

?? What is customer value? ? Value is not the same as customer sentiment, engagement or action. ? It is the recognized outcome of a stakeholder in fulfilling a business need. Yesterday, our portco Foresight hosted the "Rethinking Post-Sales" Workshop in Boston with 20+ post-sales leaders. Here is what we learned: 1. Value is hard to track, 79% of operators don’t track value and nuggets of insights are often hiding in Success Plans stored in a drive that doesn’t get easily updated 2. Adoption metrics are a proxy for value. We liked how Happy Luther framed tracking adoption in isolation to value -“You could have a successful operation, but your patient still died” 3. Giving customers a dynamic system where they can determine the importance + efficiency of outcomes you provide is the fastest way to start tracking value Furthermore, Foresight’s value assessments have an 80% response rate and allow you to measure trends in customer value at an account and aggregate level. Interested in learning more? Meet with Nigel Hammond, Founder at Foresight by checking the link in the comments. Thank you to Underscore VC,?Happy Luther and Chris DeLisle for co-hosting this insightful event for the Boston CS community!

In 2025, CSMs need to have a more data-driven approach to customer relationships. Guy ??? Rahamim, one of our Angels, is a great example of how this can be done ?? He leverages customer behavior analytics and Ideal Customer Behavior (ICB) metrics to detect risks early, prioritize high-value accounts, and build stronger customer relationships. Guy talked about this in detail on Anika Zubair's (another one of our Angels) podcast, The Customer Success Pro, recently. When CSMs use these metrics in their day-to-day, they are able to: ?Address issues proactively before escalation ?Focus efforts where they create maximum impact ?Deliver measurable outcomes that drive loyalty Want to be an effective CSM in 2025 and beyond? Acquire technical skills like data visualization and combine those with strategic customer engagement. This creates a powerful formula for retention and growth ??

We love seeing powerhouse women in Customer Success come together to share their expertise! ?? Our Founder Gemma Cipriani-Espineira and angel Daphne Costa Lopes recently had a great conversation about scaling CS, driving retention in the long tail and building high-impact teams. If you are thinking about how to drive customer outcomes at scale, this conversation is full of valuable insights ??

Successful operators diversify. We bring together top-tier founders building the future of Customer Success, vetted and backed by CS experts in our group. Our next Demo Day is happening on March 19, featuring the following Founders (shown left to right): ?? Brent @ Reef AI – A vertically specialized, data science-as-a-service platform helping companies predict and prevent churn with intelligent retention modeling. ?? Kishan @ Overhyped AI – AI-powered onboarding voice agents that adapt to every user, boosting activation and product adoption. ?? Olivier @ Turf – An in-app customer community platform that makes communities stickier by combining engagement data with product activity. ?? Natan @ Genway AI – AI-driven customer research at scale, delivering automated churn interviews to collect unbiased, actionable feedback. These high potential startups are redefining the future of CS, and we're giving angels the opportunity to invest in them. Want in? Join the CS Angel waitlist today for instructions on how to be a part of the community shaping the next wave of CS innovation.

Last night, we put CS on Display at the MoMA in NYC! We turned The Modern’s Bar Room into a living exhibit of bold ideas, meaningful connections, and the future of CS. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, including CS expert and our New York co-host, Adam Bambrough and Nigel Hammond, Founder of Foresight (a company backed by the angels who sponsored the event)! As we reflect on an inspiring evening, we leave you insights from the conversations had: ?? AI & Automation Are Transforming CS – The challenge is balancing efficiency with the human touch. ??? Customer Value Must Be Measurable – CS programs need to quantify, uncover and communicate impact in ways that resonate. Keeping Success Plans in a G-drive won’t drive results. ?? Smart CS Tech Investment Is Key – Leaders prioritize data intelligence, predictive analytics, and journey orchestration. CS is an art that thrives on collaboration, bold thinking, and moments like these. Thank you to our NYC angels for being part of it!

We’re excited to announce an upcoming fireside chat between Josh Schachter, CEO of UpdateAI, and Brandon Cestrone, Founder of CS Insider! There’s a lot of noise about AI. Josh and Brandon will cut through the AI noise and talk about real, actionable insights you can implement today. Many of our CS Angels will be in attendance to this exclusive conversation. You won’t want to miss it! ?? What you'll learn: ??The real ROI of AI in Customer Success? ??Why Josh made the bold move to eliminate UpdateAI's free plan? ??How "Smart Meeting Summaries" are revolutionizing CS workflows? ??Practical AI strategies that won't break the bank Josh will also share his insights from his journey building UpdateAI and implementing AI solutions that work. No fluff, just honest conversations and insights. ?????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ???????? ??&?? ??????????????! Bring your toughest questions about AI implementation, scaling challenges, or startup experiences. ?? March 25th ? 9am PST / 12pm EST Registration in comments?? Come out and support UpdateAI and all they do to give back to the CS community!

Angels like Emma Lo are at the heart of our community. Investing in what they know best and shaping the future of CS! ??

Last week, we hosted our first Pay It Forward of 2025. More than 60 CS professionals attended, wanting to uncover AI strategies to help them better serve their customers. Here are some key takeaways in case you missed it: ? Identifying AI Opportunities: Look for pain points in the customer journey, like support ticket volume, health score drop-offs, and areas where CSMs spend excessive time. Leverage existing tools and features before adding new tech. ? Implementing AI Quickly: Focus on tools that integrate seamlessly with your current tech stack and address specific business goals. Pre-alignment with IT, security, legal, and finance teams is crucial for smooth implementation. ? Ensuring Customer Success: Maintain open communication with customers throughout the implementation process. Gather feedback and iterate based on their needs. Connect pre-sales promises to onboarding and success plans. ? Driving Adoption & Avoiding Shelfware: Focus on the training and create a positive feedback loop to encourage adoption. Top AI tools recommended by the panelists: ?? UpdateAI: For meeting recaps and customer insights. ?? HubSpot: For content creation and data analysis. ??ChatGPT/Claud: For email polishing and personal communication. We had a fantastic panel featuring Sabina M. Pons, MA (CEO & CCO, Growth Molecules?), Daphne Costa Lopes (Global Director, Customer Success, HubSpot), and Nisha Baxi (Head of Community & AI-Scaled Support, Gong). Big thanks to our sponsor, Gainsight, and Tori Jeffcoat for sharing key trends in AI adoption and the importance of purpose-built AI solutions for revenue teams. Check out our latest blog post that recaps the event and provides additional resources. Link in comments??

This is what strong female leadership in Customer Success looks like! Congratulations to Emilia D'Anzica, MBA, PMP, Sabina M. Pons, MA and the team at Growth Molecules? for this exciting new chapter...