Mehtaphysical Musings: Taylor and That One Football Guy

Every year, we host a CxO conference where we invite CS leaders to come together and discuss the latest industry trends and strategies. This October, we hosted it in Austin, and we solved one of the greatest debates in all of Customer Success through a survey to attendees: Should CSMs own renewals?

And our results? Drum roll, please:

It was almost a 50/50 split—for the third year in a row. So maybe some things will never have an easy answer!

Though after walking away from CxO, there are several sure trends in the CS industry. Innovation around Digital CS and AI were existential to everyone’s strategy going forward; below is a roundup of incredible conversations and best practices from the conference:

• Industry Trends : We surveyed participants ahead of time. Over 5500 CSMs were represented by their leaders, so there are tons of interesting tidbits here around the cost of CS as a % of ARR, GRR/NRR trends and more (including a very reassuring statistic about CSM headcount!).
• Scaling CS with Digital : One of the panels was all about Scaling Digital CS. Above all, customers want to feel connected and inspired. Our attempts to scale with digital need to keep these northstars in mind when elevating our products.
• Monetizing CS : Salesforce’s President of CS, Jim Roth, joined us on stage to talk about Monetizing Customer Success. Spoiler alert: it’s never been a better time to include this tactic in your SaaS cost structure.?
• Generative AI: Our panel around Generative AI was another highlight—particularly the different lenses people are using to approach their AI implementation. Check out the full post to compare our list with your company’s perspective on AI.

Hopefully, you see some of these trends in your company—as well as some of this excitement around innovation. I’m excited to reach the next phase of Customer Success together!

World Mental Health Day: The Reality of Mental Health Experiences We All Face

I read brave accounts last week (during World Mental Health Day) on LinkedIn regarding personal mental health experiences.

I thought I'd share mine...

For most of my adult life, I saw myself as a resilient and optimistic person. And I think my exterior manifestation of myself, particularly at work, reinforced that belief.

I still believe those traits are in me. But in a year where our family has dealt with several significant personal challenges, I've realized that I never understood the more complete version of who I am.

I started seeing a therapist/psychiatrist in June. I learned so much - about my biochemistry and my childhood - that shaped who I am (lots of good things btw!). I realized that there were parts of my background that didn't serve me or those around me. And my eyes were opened to the fact that I can evolve myself to help myself.

My therapist is leading me on a journey of understanding myself. I spend 90 minutes a week with him. In parallel, he has helped me with medicine. Nothing has helped me more this year than going through this process. And for me, I'm looking at this as a lifelong commitment.

This process has given me some broader observations:

• So many people struggle with similar challenges and don't feel comfortable talking about them.
• Because of this lack of open conversation, many don't seek help.
• Those that do often feel lonely.
• So many well-intentioned comments like "just stay positive" or "focus on the good things" undermine the reality of mental health experiences.
• I'm privileged to have resources to get help. But the mental health system is inequitable. We let so many suffer because of this.
• Just as if I developed a debilitating disease, it's been helpful to tell myself one thing. My biochemistry and childhood issues aren't my fault. Saying that is so powerful for me. My opportunity is seeing myself and getting help. But it's not my fault that I am who I am.

Mental health is a huge part of health overall - and should not be taboo. I'm hopeful our society treats it that way over time.

You can check out others’ comments in the original LinkedIn post here .

CURRENT MOOD

I realize that ‘middle-aged, male tech CEOs who love Taylor Swift’ isn’t a large demographic. However—I think I was onto something! I may still be a die-hard Steelers fan, but knowing that Tay Tay will release a “You Belong with Me” 2.0 (once again in the bleachers), I’m ready for those NFL autumn Swiftie vibes. Oh, and I hear that football guy is a pretty good athlete.

PULSE IS HAPPENING NEXT MONTH IN AMSTERDAM

Don’t forget to pack your clogs for Pulse Europe, coming to Amsterdam on 15th-16th, November, 2023. Hope to see you there!

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