Customer satisfaction doesn't guarantee retention, and challenging conversations are often essential for genuine success. Strategic CSM from Outreach.io, Alex Glick shares his experiences losing an enterprise account just months into a role and how it reshaped his entire approach to customer success.

• Happy customers still churn when they don't see ROI, while frustrated customers might renew if they recognize business value
• Success plans are only valuable when continuously referenced and aligned with business outcomes
• Complacency is dangerous especially with enterprise accounts – there is no "ramp time" luxury
• Cross-functional relationships and internal political capital critically impact your ability to advocate for customers
• Adoption metrics alone don't drive renewals – they must connect to business outcomes executives care about
• Building a network of mentors and professional relationships is crucial for career growth in customer success
• Challenging leadership assumptions when necessary establishes you as the true voice of the customer

Follow Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-glick/

🌐 Website
https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/

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📺 Watch Full Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaH58ojbaWym4ej_PedQ4Fw

Marlee Wagner, Head of Customer Success Programs & Strategy at EverHealth, shares a cautionary tale about a failed CS platform implementation due to overlooked data infrastructure incompatibilities, and provides crucial advice for evaluating customer success platforms.

• Carefully examine your data infrastructure compatibility when evaluating new platforms
• Involve RevOps early in platform evaluations to avoid technical mismatches
• Consider three critical data aspects: validity, access, and infrastructure compatibility
• Consult with marketing teams who have previously integrated with your CRM
• Include the future platform administrators in the decision-making process
• Hire administrative talent before finalizing platform selection when possible
• Start with small pilot programs when implementing new processes
• Build relationships with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment

Follow Marley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marleywagner/

🌐 Website
https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/

📰 Subscribe to the JDTT Newsletter –
Get raw insights, no-fluff frameworks, and tech touch tactics straight to your inbox: https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/jdttnewsletter
🎙️ Be a Guest on the Podcast
Have a CS horror story or digital-first strategy worth sharing? Submit to be a guest:https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/podcast

🔗 Connect with Joe on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephdigrande

📺 Watch Full Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaH58ojbaWym4ej_PedQ4Fw

De' Edra Williams, Chief Customer Officer of DeepHow, shares how her team turned a potential $2.2 million customer churn into a full renewal with expansion by mobilizing cross-functional resources and developing a strategic intervention plan. This customer success recovery story demonstrates the importance of proactive renewal planning, deep customer listening, and aligning solutions with specific business outcomes.

• Building a rigorous renewal process that starts 6-12 months before contract end dates
• Implementing a red-yellow-green forecasting system with clear intervention triggers
• Mobilizing cross-functional "red teams" for at-risk accounts below 40% renewal probability
• Sometimes breaking up with customers is necessary when product-market fit is lacking
• Maintaining candor and trust even when parting ways can lead to future opportunities
• Customer success must embrace revenue metrics (ARR, NRR, customer lifetime value)
• Creating strong partnerships across sales, marketing, and product teams
• Focus on solving customer problems: making money, saving money, or saving time
• Understanding the value of referrals and brand evangelism from satisfied customers

For more insights on customer success strategies, follow De'Edre Williams on LinkedIn and check out her Star Trek-themed newsletter that breaks down customer success concepts.

Find De'Edra on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deedraswilliams/

🌐 Website
https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/

📰 Subscribe to the JDTT Newsletter –
Get raw insights, no-fluff frameworks, and tech touch tactics straight to your inbox: https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/jdttnewsletter
🎙️ Be a Guest on the Podcast
Have a CS horror story or digital-first strategy worth sharing? Submit to be a guest:https://www.joedoestechtouch.com/podcast

🔗 Connect with Joe on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephdigrande

📺 Watch Full Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaH58ojbaWym4ej_PedQ4Fw