Szuyin Leow, VP of Customer Experience at Transcend joins the hosts ⁠⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Jon Johnson⁠⁠  & ⁠⁠Josh Schachter⁠⁠. They discuss the importance of hiring subject matter experts in customer success and the impact of personal experiences on professional development.

0:00 - Preview

0:36 - BS & Intros

4:04 - Meet Szuyin

6:08 - Need for GDPR rules

8:25 - Kristi is not friends with Josh

8:55 - CS & CS tool stack at Transcend

13:51 - Hiring a CSM for renewals

17:45 - Kristi is insecure about not having a consulting background

25:41 - Pick a leader, not a job

26:54 - Identifying superpowers

28:50 - You don't need a CS background

34:00 - Personalizing interactions beyond the monkey sphere 43:15 - Simplifying customer experience

___________________________

👉 Connect with the guest

👉 Connect with hosts

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for ⁠UpdateAI⁠ - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at ⁠https://blog.update.ai/⁠

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. ⁠Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

________________

Keywords:

How to keep your customers happy

customer success manager

customer support

customer success management

Customer Success Manager role

hiring tips for customer success

steps in hiring a customer success manager

consulting and customer success

experience versus expertise

Paul Holder, CEO of OnRamp, joins the hosts ⁠Kristi Faltorusso⁠, ⁠Mickey Powell, Jon Johnson⁠  & ⁠Josh Schachter⁠.

They discuss how OnRamp is designed to streamline the onboarding process for customers.

The conversation covers the shift from viewing customer success as a cost center to recognizing its role in driving growth and revenue.

From Paul's experience at Troops to his transition to co-founder, this episode explores the importance of putting the customer at the center of every business decision.

Timestamps

1:07 - Welcome to The Pantless Podcast

2:43 - Meet our hosts

4:58 - Bid Adieu Mickey!

9:42 - Josh & Kristi argue about the right way to introduce guests

11:30 - Meet Paul Holder

12:22 - The onboarding tool stack can be chaotic

16:41 - OnRamp is not just another onboarding platform

20:14 - Leading the CS Team at Troops

22:53 - Jon takes center stage

23:39 - How can CSMs ensure growth & retention

25:55 - Kristi is ambitious

26:38 - Practicing customer obsession

30:18 - How can CSMs become irreplaceable?

32:28 - Transitioning as a Co-Founder

34:39 - Banter & Closing

Jon Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilliamjohnson/

Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Josh Schachter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/
👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast

Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Y8B6do0iado


Tired of answering the same customer queries over and over again? How about cloning yourself?

Let's hear from our guest, Bethany Stachenfeld, Co-founder & CEO of Sendspark, about scaling personal touch with AI. 

Timestamps
0:00 - Preview & BS
3:13 - Meet our Guest
4:23 - Sendspark
6:50 - Personal touch at scale with AI 
14:01 - Drive behavior change - 3x engagement on your emails with video
23:41 - Future of AI Automation
25:25 - Adapt or Die
29:15 - check out 
30:20 - CS over Sales? 
36:03 - Leading a startup
37:50 - Let's wish Bethany a happy birthday 

Sendspark is a platform that helps Customer Success (CS) and sales teams connect with customers using AI-personalized videos at scale

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

As the GM, of EMEA at Quiq, Ejieme, our guest on this episode leads the growth and expansion, while also serving as the executive sponsor of the culture committee. She is also the founder of Success in Black, an award-winning platform to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in customer success. She is also an active angel investor and advisor to various pre-seed and seed-stage companies across different sectors. 

Timestamps
0:00 - Preview
1:43 - Jon goofs up intros
5:14 - Meet our guest
7:25 - We didn't meet at Pulse
8:50 - Ejieme shares about Success In Black
15:26 - Sign up for Success in Black
18:50 - Ejieme shares insights about Quiq
23:29 - Kristi is launching a new show
24:10 - Ejieme's career in consulting
26:47 - Customer experience in the NY Times
29:12 - Stepping into the role of VP of CS with no CS background
30:19 - Building a CS Team at Snaps & addressing challenges
35:58 - Merger of Snaps with Quiq
39:45 - How being in CS has turned out to be valuable for Ejieme's role as a GM
46:45 - Challenges of being a GM with a CS background
48:05 - Ejieme's plans for the future

Connect with Ejieme: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejieme/details/experience/
Sign up for Success In Black: https://www.successinblack.co/

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

We are heading in 2024!
 
In this episode, our hosts Josh Schachter, Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson  & Mickey Powell debate whether there will be a decline in the role of the generalist Customer Success Manager (CSM) in 2024.

00:00 - Preview & Intro
01:08 - Jon is sensitive about his music
08:16 - Everyone shares their lows and highs of 2023
20:50 - Kristi & Jon predict the decline of generalist CSMs, Mickey disagrees

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!


Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast

Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/jHrl8ZBNhyI

Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast

Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/f21ShT6YZA0?feature=shared

Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork

Wouldn't life become a breeze if renewals could be automated?

Well, Renewtrak does just that!

 Mathew Cagney joins  Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson  & Josh Schachter and they discuss
- Focusing on renewals 
- How Renewtrak works
- What's up with renewals?
- Justifying revenues
- Predicting the likelihood of churn
- Integrating Renewtrak with other systems
- Birth of Renewtrak
- The CS team at Renewtrak
 

Connect with Mathew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewcagney/
Checkout Renewtrak: https://www.renewtrak.com/

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast

Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/N22Id931Tb4

Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork


The role of the customer success team evolves at each stage of the startup.

Eric Kingsbury, Founder of Retain Solutions, the go-to consultant in the Customer Success Enablement space joins  Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson  & Mickey Powell to discuss the evolving landscape of customer success roles in various stages of company growth.

0:00 - Preview
1:10 - Jon was a cheerleader
5:10 - Meet our hosts & guest
9:35 - Eric's path to CS Enablement
14:35 - Eric's experience applying for a job at Heap
16:16 - Transitioning as a consultant
21:00 - Getting started with CS Enablement
24:50 - Why aren't companies deploying CS Enablement
28:32 - Eric's learning curve as a CS Enablement consultant
32:27 - Enabling CS for different stages during the startup journey
40:00 - Living the solopreneur life
42:20 - Closure 

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast

Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/N22Id931Tb4

Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork


Mickey is back! & Let's welcome Kristie Gaunt to the UpdateAI Squad!

Kristie had been an AE at Gainsight for the past 2years.

Join Josh Schachter, Kristi Faltorusso, Jon Johnson  & Mickey Powell  to learn more about
14:10 - Working at Gainsight
16:55 - The Work Culture at ClientSuccess
18:00 - Navigating Strengths on the Career Highway
23:05 - Getting Hired at Gainsight
25:45 - Bidding Adieu to Gainsight
28:30 - Hiring for a New Role at a Startup
30:36 - Cons of Startup Life
38:30 - Cultivating a Growth Mindset in the Startup Jungle

12:00 - Big Shoutout to Hamish Stephenson (Selr.io) (Check out the episode "Who Wins the Tug-of-War, Team Customer Success or Team Sales?")

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast

Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/me_SnBXsUyI

Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork

Our hosts,  Josh Schachter, Kristi Faltorusso, & Jon Johnson, are joined by Tanya Earles, the SVP of customer success at Tebra. Tanya, who leads a team of 470 people across 16 functions, brings insights into the intriguing question: Are leadership and customer success truly on the same side? 

Key Topics 
- Managing customer success from "Ivory Tower"
- Measuring and validating KPIs
- Is the future of CS dark?
- Sustainability in relationships at the workplace
- Making an impact as an individual
- Importance of Journey Mapping
- Tanya's next role
- Tanya's advice to her "entry-level" self

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

Send Kristi, Jon, Mickey & Josh a message - https://www.speakpipe.com/UnchurnedPodcast

Watch the banter on YouTube - https://youtu.be/ycxNw-diImY

Join our upcoming FREE Pranayama Sessions for the CS community by signing up here: https://lu.ma/updateai_breathwork

Kristi Faltorusso has made a lasting impact on the customer success community. 

Join us as we delve into her modeling career, and how her upbringing shaped her for success. Kristi's journey is inspiring and a testament to hard work and hustle.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter

👉 Sign up for UpdateAI - the only Zoom virtual assistant for customer-facing teams.

👉 Be the first to know when a new episode of Unchurned is dropped. Sign up for our newsletter at https://blog.update.ai/

👉 Josh would love to connect to hear your feedback & suggestions. Get in touch with him on Linkedin.

👉 Get the advice and insights you need to thrive in Customer Success. Subscribe to the CS Insider Newsletter