Can Customer Success help increase Product Adoption?

Remember the last time you said these words – “let me google it” Despite the fact that all you are doing is a web search on the internet, and that there are a multitude of search engine competitors like Bing, Yahoo, etc. prevalent, the fact that Google has become synonymous with finding things on the internet speaks volumes about how much this product has stuck with the masses.

Product stickiness means that your product/service is indispensable for the customer. It’s that utopian state where each and every company wants to be and works tirelessly towards it

When you see a Customer’s entire lifecycle, there are a few factors that influence product stickiness.

Factors influencing Product Stickiness

• Get the ball rolling:

One of the factors which plays a major role in product stickiness is how easy it is to implement and use the product. If the product is easy enough to implement and integrate, a lot of business end users will use it as part of their routine and product adoption will increase. Some additional contributing factors to this are the integration support from the vendor, consultation based on other successful implementations and complete transparency with regards to the execution steps of the project plan.?

• Problems at the door:

Problems are eternal. In this age of instant gratification, it’s imperative that your product is able to solve the customer’s short term problems as soon as possible or at least show some good progress so that your brand establishes trust with the customer.

• Return On Investment:

Problems are not only eternal, they are incremental. This one is crucial and a deciding factor for the longevity of any product. If your product serves just as a band-aid solution, it comes with a shelf life. This should immediately trigger sirens in your head. It’s really important for your product to evolve with the customers’ needs in the long term. It’s a win only when your customer realizes that they can recover its monetary value within a definitive period of getting implemented! There is a huge cost involved in implementing any product – right from the sourcing of the product to making it available to the end user. No company wants to bear that cost or go through that rigorous process again and again.

How Customer Success can lead to Product Stickiness

Be a trusted advisor:?

CSMs are the trusted advisor for the customer and customers look up to the CSMs to know more about how the product/service can solve their problem. One (or several) ideation/discovery sessions with the customer is needed to understand the problem statement and various aspects which are the root cause, to provide the best possible solution. Regular reviewing of the solution provided is also essential to make sure that the solution is leading towards the desired outcome. If not, necessary reinforcement actions should be taken to steer the project on course.?

Support funnels Product Development:?

Since we are constantly talking to the customer, we know what product feature is working for the customer and what is not. It’s the customer success manager’s responsibility to report what feature the customer is eagerly waiting for (in many cases, it’s the only reason why they stick around), and convey the same to the product team so that they can add those features in the product roadmap as per their (company’s+product) vision.?

Meaningful Feature Adoption: 

If the product offers multiple features, then it is the CSM’s responsibility to route the customer to use the right set of features based on their specific business needs. If the customer is not using the right set of features then the chances that they see value in the product soon lower significantly. Focusing on short term goals and utilising the product/service accordingly is the key to get the results sooner and win the trust of the customer.

In essence, Customer Success can not only contribute towards product adoption, but it actually is one of the driving factors in ensuring brand loyalty and product stickiness.