In this episode of Your Customer, Your Success, host Gary Marra sits down with Alison Dixon, Chief Customer Officer at Portnox, to explore what customer experience looks like in one of the world’s most high-stakes industries — cybersecurity.

Alison shares how she built Portnox’s CX organization from the ground up, why time-to-value matters more than ticket counts, and how to keep customers engaged when your product works best in silence. From building health scores that actually mean something to fostering multi-year loyalty, Alison explains how she’s redefining customer experience for a “set it and forget it” world.

It’s a conversation about mindset, measurement, and making the invisible value visible — a must-listen for CX and CS leaders navigating complex, technical spaces.

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Cyber CX Is High Stakes – In cybersecurity, silence often means success. The challenge is showing ongoing value when customers only notice you if something breaks.
2. Mindset Shapes Outcomes – Alison believes your “brain creates reality before you see it.” Approach every customer interaction with the expectation of partnership, not conflict.
3. Health Scores Need Heart – Metrics only matter if they drive action. Portnox ties health scores to multi-year contracts, relationships, and proactive outreach.
4. Time-to-Value Over Tickets – Don’t obsess over support volumes; focus on how quickly customers feel protected, confident, and empowered.
5. Executive Buy-In Is Everything – Get leadership involved early, not just when churn risk surfaces. True CX success is a company-wide sport.
6. Visit First, Build Second – Processes and dashboards evolve forever; customer connection must come first. Face-to-face insight beats any CRM metric.

Timestamps:

01:22 – Intro – Gary opens the show (Manifesting Better CX) with Alison Dixon, CCO at Portnox

01:50 – From Cybersecurity to CX – What customer experience means when the stakes are high

03:15 – Building CX From the Ground Up – How Alison built Portnox’s CX function from scratch

05:38 – Metrics That Matter – Time-to-value, renewals, and why multi-year deals tell the real story

08:00 – The Umpire Problem – CX in cybersecurity: customers only notice when something breaks

11:32 – The “Aha” Moment – A customer story that defines Portnox’s value

14:15– Health Scores That Hold Water – Turning data into meaningful action

18:50 – Executive Buy-In – Connecting leadership to CX and customer outcomes

21:52 – Hiring for the right reasons – Why traditional or conventional hiring might not work

25:51 – Lessons in Leadership – What Alison would tell her past self

29:22 – Does It Hold Water?

34:21 – Chip Shots

📚 Book Recommendation:

Alison's Picks: Anything by Cal Newport!

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World ... and more!

🔗 Connect with Alison:

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-dixon-msod/

Website : https://www.portnox.com/

🔗 Connect with Gary Marra:

·       LinkedIn:                    https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-marra/

·       Marra CX Hub:           https://marracxhub.com/

·       YouTube:                    YCYS YouTube Page

Want to be a guest on Your Customer, Your Success? 

Send Gary Marra a message on PodMatch here: 

https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726154102094403cb5558fc4

#CustomerExperience #CustomerSuccess #Cybersecurity #CXLeadership #Podmatch #CX