From Firefighter to Superhero: Moving Towards Predictive Customer Success

The days of operating in reactive mode, fighting fires, and barely keeping your head above water are over. The new customer success imperative is clear: Become profitable or die. It's a bold statement, that evolved from McKinsey’s “Grow fast or die slow” several years ago to a new business mantra where financing has dried up and AI is on the rise.

Gainsight's Customer Success Operational Process Maturity model is a great inspiration on where we need to look next: predictive customer success.

Borrowing from this model, let's dive into the five key stages on your journey towards customer success nirvana:

1. Operationalize the Customer Lifecycle:

• Reactive: Remember those days of ad-hoc segmentation, scrambling to respond to feedback, and siloed departments? It's time to leave them behind.
• Predictive: Embrace a fully integrated approach across all functions, leverage one-to-many interactions, personalization, and even in-person touchpoints. Imagine seamlessly managing every customer segment, anticipating their needs, and proactively engaging them throughout their journey. In order to do this effectively you need to have data quality, so if you aren’t there yet, this is your first place to start.

2. Master the Art of Managing Customer Risk:

• Reactive: Remember fighting fires with no pre-existing plan? Surely no one will miss those last minute panic calls where your manager and several other team members had to join to rescue a client.
• Predictive: Proactive risk identification becomes your superpower. Leverage diverse data sources and cross-functional processes to foresee potential issues before they erupt. Think of it as having a crystal ball – except yours is powered by data and collaboration.

3. Demonstrate Value Like a Pro:

• Reactive: Inconsistent methods and forgettable presentations won't impress anyone.
• Predictive: Systematically track and communicate customer progress towards their desired outcomes using data and even platforms like Ecosystems. Imagine the impact of showcasing quantifiable value at every step, creating loyal advocates for your brand.

4. Drive Expansion and Advocacy with Superhuman Efficiency:

• Reactive: Manually passing leads to sales? Time for an upgrade.
• Predictive: Unleash the power of automation to identify whitespace opportunities, track advocacy contributions, and incentivize champions. Think of it as having an army of AI-powered assistants working tirelessly to unlock new frontiers and turn customers into raving fans.

5. Unlock Cross-Functional Visibility:

• Reactive: Stuck in an information silo? Break free!
• Predictive: Imagine an automated dashboard, accessible to all levels and departments, offering real-time insights into customer health and success. Collaboration becomes effortless, decisions data-driven, and everyone aligned towards a common goal: customer retention and expansion.

This roadmap might seem daunting, but remember, even superheroes start somewhere. As the saying goes: "The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score." Take the first step today, analyse your current stage through a thorough CS maturity assessment, and choose one area to focus on that aligns with your company’s imperatives. In today’s day and are when we can all have an army of AI assistants, we all must leverage data and technology, and empower our teams.