Introduction
At the core of effective customer success strategies lies the wisdom shared by Abby Schommer, Chief Customer Officer at RevScience. In her insightful perspective, Abby highlights the pivotal importance of understanding that outsmarting your client can inadvertently lead to losing them. She emphasizes the need for a mindful approach in articulating the value of sophisticated technologies, using language that resonates with clients and assures them that the product is tailored to their needs.
Abby, drawing from her extensive experience, sheds light on the reciprocal relationship between organizational success and individual growth. As she articulates, ‘She/he/they thrive, you thrive.’ This mantra transcends the organizational landscape, acknowledging the powerful impact of success at both macro and micro levels. Whether empowering an individual power-user to implement new systems or witnessing their growth as they move between organizations, the ripple effect of customer success is profound.
Furthermore, Abby advocates for the strategic virtue of ‘getting quiet’ in customer interactions. This approach, she contends, unveils valuable insights such as client constraints, success criteria, and even occasional competitor insights. Importantly, Abby underscores the influence of clients speaking externally about your brand, emphasizing its potency as a sales mechanism.
In this exploration of customer success wisdom, join us in delving into Abby Schommer’s insights as we unravel the keys to fostering meaningful client relationships and ensuring sustained success for both clients and organizations alike.
Abby Schommer - Chief Customer Officer- RevScience
- Outsmarting your client is losing your client
Some of us work on pretty sophisticated technologies. And it’s easy to think that touting such sophistication can make clients feel ‘on the cutting edge’ or that they’re ‘getting their money’s worth.’ But with that, you also risk making them feel like ‘this product isn’t really for me.’
So be mindful about the language used to describe and educate around your solution (including acronyms!) to assure clients that the product is intended for them and can solve their problems, simply. - She/he/they thrive, you thrive
This is pretty obvious at an organizational level, but can be just as powerful at an individual level – because people move throughout and between organizations. That one power-user could get promoted (ideally as a result of working with you!) and be tasked with implementing new systems for an entire department. Then, they could be poached by another company to do the same.
So while aiming big, don’t underestimate the impact (& scalability) of success at an individual level, too. - Get quiet
Talk less and listen more. While often uncomfortable, getting quiet with customers 1:1 can get you some really valuable intel (client constraints, criteria for success, the occasional competitor insight, etc). Having clients speak about you externally too (within their professional networks, at events, etc.) is an incredibly powerful sales mechanism, much more than you telling your own brand story.