As a trusted advisor to our customers, building strong relationships in these unprecedented times is crucial. Our goal at GR8 People is to not only offer a significant impact and ease of doing business, but to consistently deliver value and ensure customer success with our solutions. As Chief Customer Officer, the GR8 People Customer Success team emphasizes the importance of understanding the effects of the world on our customers’ businesses, whether workforce, economic or technology. It is always our job to address their immediate questions and concerns.
In the current business climate, building meaningful and trustworthy relationships takes effort and time. Despite being competitors, SaaS companies all strive for the same goal – delivering the success their customers want and deserve. To stand out, a company should provide a significant impact and ease of doing business. Proving the value of the relationship and delivering customer outcomes is crucial, but is there a better way?
As Aptitude Research recently commented “Our research shows that over the past year, companies have increasingly noted that implementations were not delivered on time nor on budget. Satisfaction with providers dropped to 20% as a result.”
I spoke with Patrick Amaral, Chief Customer Officer at GR8 People, about the impact of today’s changing world on relationship building, implementation and the role of customer success (CS).
What makes the Customer Success Function unique?
In the Customer Success function and role, particularly during a severe talent shortage and uncertain economic conditions, it’s not just about encouraging customers to use new features in the platform, but also about consistently delivering value and ensuring their success with our service/solution.
At GR8 People, our focus has always been on creating and delivering business value and measurable outcomes, regardless of economic or industry constraints. The post-pandemic world has accelerated the shift towards a value-based model and CS plays a critical role in helping customers achieve their business outcomes.
To effectively support customers, we must be their trusted advisors, able to communicate with a focus on delivering outcomes and value, while always working to achieve our customers’ business goals. Customer success is not limited to a specific department, but requires commitment and elevated service from all customer-facing teams. The past few years have highlighted the importance of having a clear understanding of customer needs and a service mindset to drive success. Communication must be outcome-focused and value-driven, moving from “how can we help you succeed” to “by implementing X, we will improve Y and Z.” Delivering success must always be a priority.
Commitment and Excellent Service and Support
Customer success is closely linked to performance and business results. CS involves commitment and elevated service, with a focus on achieving the business’ goals and delivering desired outcomes. It’s a combination of art and science, requiring both a clear understanding of customer needs and a service mindset to drive success. Also, having a formal CS department is not as important as having a CS concept in place. CS is not limited to a department or function and can be practiced by sales, support, or other customer-facing teams. The key is to have a clear understanding of customer needs, challenges, and how the platform drives success.
At GR8 People, we understand that customer success is a critical part of a larger puzzle and cannot succeed without support from other teams within the organization. By committing to building strong relationships, we strive to create a sustainable and growing business for our customers.
Keep an eye out for Part 2 of our interview with Patrick, where we’ll explore common implementation pitfalls and how to avoid them.