CS School

Can customer success strategies be replicated across different regions and cultures?

In this episode, we sit down with Jomilsa Sousa, a Customer Success Manager based in Dubai, to explore why standardized playbooks often fall short in international markets.

Jomilsa shares her firsthand experience contrasting customer success approaches between the UK and the Middle East, revealing how communication preferences, relationship-building expectations, and client engagement vary dramatically across regions.

From tech-driven approaches in some markets to high-touch, personal interactions in others, she explains why adaptability and human connection trump rigid frameworks.

Key topics include:

🎙️ The limitations of standardized customer success playbooks in global markets

🎙️ Cultural nuances in communication and relationship-building across the Middle East

🎙️ How to educate clients about the value of customer success in different contexts

🎙️ The importance of customizing strategies while maintaining core principles

Tune into this episode for valuable insights on building meaningful relationships and driving success across cultural boundaries.

Customer success is at an inflection point. AI isn't just a buzzword – it's fundamentally rewriting what it means to be a CSM. Yet adoption in CS is lagging, and those who wait risk being left behind.

In this episode of the CS School podcast, we're joined by Adam Parsons, Client Success Director at Degreed, to explore how AI is transforming the role – from task-driven execution to insight-driven strategy. We break down where AI adds real value today (research, news analysis, and client intelligence), how to experiment with the right tools, and why curiosity and intentionality will separate leaders from laggards.

Adam draws from his own journey to highlight the mindset shifts needed to thrive in a future where CSMs act as strategic partners, not just problem-solvers. If you want to stay relevant – and indispensable – in a rapidly changing landscape, this episode is your roadmap.

👉 AI is reshaping how we work in customer success.

👉 Adoption of AI in customer success is slower than expected.

👉 AI will change the nature of the CSM role from task-based to insight-based.

👉 CSMs should lean into AI tools to enhance their work.

👉 Research, news, and analysis are key areas where AI can assist CSMs.

👉 AI can help CSMs understand their clients better and provide value.

👉 Curiosity and intentionality are essential when integrating AI.

👉 CSMs should pick specific problems to solve with AI.

👉 The CSM role will evolve to be more consultative and strategic.

👉 Ongoing education and adaptation are crucial in the AI landscape.

Akash Singh joins us to discuss the importance of customer success in go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

In this episode of CS School, we're joined by Raymond Otero, the Director of Global Customer Experience (Strategic Programs) at Microsoft, about the intersection of customer experience (CX) and customer success (CS).

Raymond discusses the evolution of CX and CS, the cultural shift towards customer centricity, the use of technology in CX, and the measurement of CX success.

Raymond shares a case study of how Microsoft integrated CX and CS with Adobe, resulting in cost savings, improved app performance, and increased customer satisfaction. He also addresses common misconceptions about CX and CS and offers advice for implementing CX initiatives in small to medium-sized businesses.

• CX and CS have evolved significantly in recent years due to technological advancements and changing customer expectations.

• CX and CS are not limited to customer service or support; they encompass the entire customer journey and focus on proactive engagement and value realization.

• Cultural shifts towards customer centricity have improved customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty.

• CX and CS initiatives should involve collaboration across departments, including marketing, product development, and sales.

• Metrics such as net promoter score (NPS), customer satisfaction (CSAT), and customer effort score (CES) can be used to track and measure CX success.

• Implementing CX initiatives in small to medium-sized businesses requires starting with one metric, collecting data, and demonstrating the return on investment to gain buy-in from leadership.

• Attend Ray's keynote session "Anticipating customer needs: Proactive services and analytics strategies for support teams" at Customer Support Summit on October 9, 2024.
• Connect with Ray on LinkedIn
• Join the CSC Slack community

Think empathy is the key to customer success? It's just the tip of the iceberg! Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the real game-changer, not just for your clients, but for YOU too.

We were lucky enough to chat with EQ champion Jenelle Friday, VP of Customer Success at Forecastable, about emotional intelligence (EQ) and its importance in customer success.

We discuss the four pillars of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

Janelle emphasizes the need for self-awareness as the foundation of emotional intelligence and the importance of understanding oneself and one's emotional triggers.

Emotional intelligence is essential to customer success and involves self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

• Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence and involves understanding oneself, emotional triggers, and past experiences that shape behavior.

• Building authentic relationships in the workplace requires empathy, curiosity, and active listening.

• Difficult conversations can be navigated with emotional intelligence by understanding one's own fears and the motivations of the other person.
• Embracing change and being open to new perspectives are key aspects of emotional intelligence in customer success. Leaders need to prioritize emotional intelligence (EQ) in their interactions with team members and customers.

• A relationship-driven approach is more effective than a sales-focused approach in business.
• Training and development in EQ are essential for leaders and customer success teams.
• EQ is crucial in the evolving digital and automated world.
• EQ can lead to personal and professional transformation.

Connect with Jenelle on LinkedIn to learn more about this fascinating topic and transform your approach to customer success, work-life and beyond!

We discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that CS Ops presents, as well as the specific skill sets and pathways that aspiring professionals in this domain should cultivate.

Join us as we unpack the intricacies of CS Ops, learn about Roger's day-to-day operations, and explore the future of this vital aspect of customer success within the tech industry. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting your journey, this episode promises to be an informative and engaging exploration of a field that is rapidly gaining prominence.

• How CS Ops differs from traditional customer success
• Transition into CS Ops
• Importance of personalization and proactivity
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Data-driven approach
• Scaling and operational excellence
• Overcoming challenges
• A typical CS Ops day
• Breakthrough moments
• Future of CS Ops

In this episode, we're joined by Akash Singh, Head of Customer Success (APJ) at Software AG, about the importance of customer success in go-to-market (GTM) strategy. We discuss driving adoption, navigating compliance and user privacy, evaluating customer success team performance, and aligning CS with GTM culture.

Akash shares innovative strategies his team has implemented, such as using capability adoption scores and telemetry data to measure adoption, automating risk tracking and mitigation, and aligning compensation targets with NRR.

Tune in if you're in the market for practical insights for building a successful customer success function within an organization.

If you listen to this episode, you'll learn how to:

• Implement innovative strategies to drive product adoption while navigating compliance challenges and diverse deployment scenarios.
• Leverage alternative data sources like capability adoption scores and telemetry insights to track usage without relying on sensitive user data.
• Evaluate and optimize your customer success team's performance through automated risk tracking, sentiment analysis, and aligned success plans.
• Align customer success compensation with your go-to-market strategy by focusing on unified metrics like net revenue retention.
• Build an effective customer success function by taking a customer-centric approach, continuously measuring results, and tightly aligning with broader commercial teams.

Want to follow along with the slides Akash mentioned? Click here to download the presentation deck:

• Capability adoption scoring: 09:49
• Transaction metering: 14:24
• Catching and mitigating risks early: 19:34
• Sentiment update: 20:45
• Success plans: 22:01
• Success plans and how they can lead to CSQLs: 22:47

Carry on the conversation and connect with Akash on LinkedIn for more insightful conversations.

Plus, you can did you know Akash is one of our 24 CS leaders to watch in 2024? Check out his feature in CSC's 24 in 2024 report.

No one achieves greatness alone; Akash's achievements were made possible through the contributions and encouragement of the Software AG customer success leadership team!A very special shout-out to:

Sanah Ali, Customer Experience Operations Manager at Software AG

Bridget Cleary, Director of Customer Success at Software AG

Andrew Cutler, Senior VP of Customer Success at Software AG