Customer success is continuously evolving, and our roles are changing all the time. It's important to acknowledge that we may not always be happy with these changes.
For those who aren’t familiar with change management, I’ll be discussing how we implement change in our companies, for our customers, and also for ourselves.
At my company Zaptic, we implement SaaS and software solutions, particularly for industries like manufacturing that may not be very tech-savvy. Often, these industries have little to no prior experience with technology.
A significant portion of our time is dedicated to managing change for individuals who aren’t comfortable with technology or with altering the way they are accustomed to doing things. This is the core of what we do.
In this article, I’ll go over the fundamentals of change management and how you can enable change in your company.
Understanding change management
Change management is about influencing people to do things differently.
Let's address a common misconception: customer success is often seen as the "sexy" department that every company wants, yet few truly understand what it entails or how to set it up for success.
As Customer Success Managers (CSMs), we must implement change within our companies, for our customers, and for ourselves. We have to get comfortable with these changes because much of our job involves setting expectations and guiding customers through doing things in new ways. This process isn’t always easy.
All change starts with individuals. You, as individuals, need to manage change for yourself. Your customers, too, are individuals – not just faceless entities. We must interact with them on a personal level.
Whether dealing with ourselves, our customers, or colleagues within our company, we often find that change management involves addressing individual needs and expectations.
It's essential to recognize that managing expectations extends to higher management and within our departments. As a Growth Coach, I work with many CSMs, helping them grow within their roles and the CS space. A common theme I hear is that their roles are constantly evolving – just when they get comfortable, new changes arise.
Recently, CSMs have been tasked with revenue KPIs. Traditionally, the role focused on strategic goals and customer outcomes. Now, there’s an added emphasis on revenue metrics, including net retention, growth retention, and expansion.
CSMs are increasingly accountable for sales-related targets, such as identifying opportunities and driving growth. They face questions about how much they sell to existing clients and are often required to track their time spent on upselling and cross-selling activities.
There is mounting pressure on CSMs to contribute to sales within the CS space. Many CSMs I speak with have noticed this shift. It's a significant change we must manage, as it redefines our roles and expectations. We need to be prepared to navigate these challenges and continue delivering value to our customers and companies.
Rahul Gokhale
