On this episode, Jeff Kushmerek and I talk about software startups and building customer success teams.

Jeff has more than 20 years of experience with software startups. He started working as a developer in the 90’s, and has been part of teams at Endeca (purchased by Oracle), Brightcove, and Virgin.

While at Brightcove, Jeff started to notice the change from on-premise software to SaaS (Software as a Service), and how that was affecting customer onboarding and implementation. Then, when he was at Virgin, he noticed the need for more specialization on customer success teams.

For the last 10 years, Jeff has been working with companies to make the continuous improvements to Customer Success and Professional Services teams that are needed. Jeff understands that many factors have an impact on the important first steps that create customer satisfaction and customer retention.

Along the way, Jeff has coded, managed products, created teams, fixed teams, and rolls up his sleeves to help wherever needed.

“Customer success starts before the sale.” – Jeff Kushmerek Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- Why should the customer support team get involved before a deal is closed

- The importance of having a dedicated support team

- New software tools that help with customer success operations

 

Resources Mentioned:

Book: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss Connect with Jeff Kushmerek:

Jeff’s Website: www.jeffkushmerek.com

Thanks for listening!

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