What's Next for Customer Success in a World Reshaped by COVID-19

We're never going back to the way things used to be.

Nor should we want to. We can do better... far better.

What will the world look like once we beat back the tide of COVID-19? And what changes can you make in your business right now so that you emerge from this even stronger?

I don't know what's going to happen. No one does. The best we can do is look ahead to the world we want to create, the world we want to build together.

Normalize Overcommunication

Let's make caring, empathy, and transparency the benchmarks for how we run our business. Let's make these attributes hallmarks of our leadership style. Let's encourage these qualities in our team members, our partners, and everyone we work with.

What does this look like in practice?

• If you have questions, don't wait. Speak up now.
• See something we could improve? Tell us, and suggest a solution.
• Recognize accomplishments either one-on-one or in public based on the explicit consent of the people involved. Recognizing and sharing gratitude is now more powerful than ever before.

Customer Success for the Real World

I'm grateful to work with an incredible team at Extensis. When I first interviewed with the company, I learned they were shifting to a customer-centric model. Immediately I thought, "Yes, please! I want to be in the thick of this."

That was almost two months ago. If Customer Success and a customer-centric approach meant everything back then, they mean even more now.

Our team has turned to The Outcome Generation by Paul Henderson as we build our new Customer Success program. Out of the many gems in the book, this one stopped me cold:

Yes, those are my notes. Yes, I wrote 'MIC DROP' in the margin because I cannot imagine a more brutal, tough love distinction between "business as usual" and "the way it ought to be." This has never been more true, because there is no longer any such thing as "business as usual." When our understanding of "normal" is changing every day, and sometimes every hour, it doesn't make sense to yearn for the way things used to be. We must learn the right lessons from this disaster and prepare for a better future, or we will be doomed to repeat our mistakes the next time it happens. And it will.

This is the essence of Customer Success. Even as we face an evolving existential crisis, we need to prepare for a post-coronavirus future. Whatever else is going on with your business, you need to think about how to help your clients achieve their goals. And even as you plan meetings with client stakeholders, always remember that your employees are your best customers. How you engage with your customers now will determine their commitment to your vision for years to come.

Even when times are tough — indeed, especially when times are tough — we need to do all we can for our customers' success.

• Focus on your Ideal Customer Profile. If you don't have one, this is great time to define it. Which types of customers can you serve extraordinarily well?
• What are the success outcomes that you enable? How do these match up with your ideal customers' goals?
• How will your success outcomes help your customers achieve their goals at all times, and not just during a crisis?

The next few days, weeks, and months will flow by both slower and faster than you can imagine. When we emerge on the other end of this, the world will be forever changed. How will you change with it?