Customer Success Hive’s Post

Day 1. Personalization- A very powerful tool Let's picture this scenario; I ordered a plate of food from XYZ and I received a wrong order. I instantly become upset and in that same vim, reach out to their customer support team via call. After expressing my displeasure, the CX rep who knows only but my first name, begins to apologize and in the process calls my name. 'I am so sorry, Miss Ella, I do understand how frustrating this is...' In this scenario, the use of my personal name in the conversation plays a key role in de-escalating the situation. It is a subtle but powerful form of personalization. When someone uses your first name in a conversation, it creates a sense of familiarity and respect even if the interaction is happening remotely. This can make you feel acknowledged as a person and not just another complaint, case or issue to be resolved. If you are a CX rep reading this, also remember that personalization goes hand in hand with an empathetic tone as this can go a long way in transforming a negative experience into a positive one.

Something exciting is coming on Monday! Hey wonderful LinkedIn community, Our team at Carly Agar Training has grown a lot lately, and I’ve caught myself thinking often about how I started helping Customer Success job seekers in the first place.. One of the main reasons I got into career coaching was to make Customer Success more accessible to career transitioners from other fields AND to help experienced Customer Success professionals rediscover what they love about their CS careers. While doing that, I wanted to make sure that I was consistently providing high-value FREE content to everyone who was kind enough to listen to what I had to share. That’s why I’ve decided to invest more time and attention in one other channel of mine where I can support Customer Success professionals like you to reach their career goals quickly, confidently, and sustainably... ⚡ Think: FREE exclusive information about my personal and professional journey, lessons from my experience in Customer Success and business development, industry insights, client stories, job search tips, and so much more… And if you want to be one of the first to find out what this exciting update is, drop your name and email in the link below [in the comments], and you’ll know first thing on Monday! Do you already have any guesses what it is? Tell me in the comments below ⬇️ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hi! I’m Carly Agar, a Customer Success career coach with 10+ years of industry experience, and I help career transitioners AND experienced professionals land their next dream role in Customer Success. Check out my LinkedIn profile to access tons of free resources and to find out how my team and I can help you reach your Customer Success career goals. #jobsearch #customersuccess #careercoach #customersuccesscoach

🌻 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 🌻 Choosing a career in Customer Success was a no-brainer for me! Here’s why: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬: I love connecting with people and building lasting relationships. Helping customers achieve their goals and seeing their success is incredibly rewarding. Plus, who doesn’t love making new friends at work? 🤝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦-𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠: Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to find creative solutions. It keeps me engaged and motivated. It’s like solving a puzzle, but with more coffee and fewer missing pieces! 🧩☕ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: The field is ever-evolving, offering endless opportunities for learning and growth. Just when I think I’ve got it all figured out, there’s a new trend to master. 📚 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤: Knowing that my work directly impacts the success of our customers and the company is fulfilling. It’s like being a superhero, but without the cape (though I’d totally wear one if it were allowed). 🌟🦸♂️ 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Working with diverse teams across the organization ensures no day is ever dull. We’re all in it together, sharing ideas and probably too many memes. 🤗 Customer Success isn’t just a role; it’s a passion. What drives you in your career? #CustomerSuccess #CareerJourney #WhyCSM #Passion #ProfessionalGrowth #RelationshipBuilding #WorkHumor

Is role progression one of your goals for 2025? If so, you’re not alone. We found that 46% of customer-focused pros want to progress in their current role and org this year, with 36% looking to change both their company and role. Whether you’re seeking to boost your all-important network or focusing on levelling-up your knowledge and technical skillset, it’s pivotal to lay early plans for growth this year. Your first step towards career development in 2025? Customer Success Collective Summits in New York, March 11 & 12. Maximize your refreshing L&D budget by grabbing your pass for $300 less, before midnight Friday, January 17. CS Summit: https://lnkd.in/er7zNuvU Customer Support Summit: https://lnkd.in/ez754myD *Source: State of Customer Success Report 2024

Is role progression one of your goals for 2025? If so, you’re not alone. We found that 46% of customer-focused pros want to progress in their current role and org this year, with 36% looking to change both their company and role. Whether you’re seeking to boost your all-important network or focusing on levelling-up your knowledge and technical skillset, it’s pivotal to lay early plans for growth this year. Your first step towards career development in 2025? Customer Success Collective Summits in New York, March 11 & 12. Maximize your refreshing L&D budget by grabbing your pass for $300 less, before midnight Friday, January 17. CS Summit: https://lnkd.in/e88_kyYj Customer Support Summit: https://lnkd.in/eiGYjMpE *Source: State of Customer Success Report 2024

Is role progression one of your goals for 2025? If so, you’re not alone. We found that 46% of customer-focused pros want to progress in their current role and org this year, with 36% looking to change both their company and role. Whether you’re seeking to boost your all-important network or focusing on levelling-up your knowledge and technical skillset, it’s pivotal to lay early plans for growth this year. Your first step towards career development in 2025? Customer Success Collective Summits in New York, March 11 & 12. Maximize your refreshing L&D budget by grabbing your pass for $300 less, before midnight Friday, January 17. CS Summit: https://lnkd.in/eJFZFXbV Customer Support Summit: https://lnkd.in/eqbgKf_K *Source: State of Customer Success Report 2024

As I approach my two-year anniversary as a Customer Success Manager with Compt, I’ve been reflecting on how rewarding this journey has been. After spending over seven years in sales, making the leap into customer success felt like a big change, but it turned out to be one of the best career moves I’ve ever made. My time in sales taught me how to build strong relationships, understand client needs, and deliver real value and skills that became the foundation for my success in this role. But working in customer success has taken those abilities to another level, allowing me to focus on creating long-term partnerships, driving impactful results, and supporting customers through every stage of their journey. These past two years have been nothing short of transformative. I’ve had the chance to work with amazing teams and customers who inspire me every day. I’ve been asked to face challenges that pushed me to grow both professionally and personally. And I had the privilege of earning recognition as an award-winning CSM—a milestone I couldn’t have achieved without the support of incredible colleagues and mentors! For anyone considering a career pivot: don’t underestimate the power of your transferable skills. If an opportunity feels right, go for it. You might be surprised at how much growth and fulfillment it brings.

Bookmark this! ⬇️ 5 Questions I'd ask in my interviews to avoid ending up in a bad fit role... 🔥 How do you balance getting the visibility you need into your CSM's accounts with giving them the freedom to own their books? ^^(To avoid a super micro-manager) 🔥 What data are your CSMs empowered with to make strategic decisions about their accounts? ^^(To avoid a role where you have no data to work with) 🔥 What's something you feel like you spend a lot of time on that you wish you could take off your plate? ^^(To avoid a CSM role where you're glorified support) 🔥 What's one thing a lot of people don't understand about working in {industry}? ^^(To avoid joining an industry that's more complex/boring/etc. than you thought) 🔥 Can you give a recent example of how {company} helped someone on your team achieve their professional goals? ^^(To avoid a place where your professional development won't be prioritized) __ What are some questions you'd add to suss out a good vs. bad fit role? Drop 'em below and let's make this thread a go-to resource for all customer success pros! __ #customersuccess #customersuccessjobs #jobsearchadvice

Want to get started working in Customer Success? I've been working in client-relation roles for 8 years now. And what I can tell you (from experience) is to do well, you need to listen, hear what's behind someone's problem, and understand the deeper "why". So, here's the 1 tip I'd give you if you wanted to pursue a similar career path: Mirroring When you repeat back what someone says, you accomplish a few things: • First, you've validated they're being heard. • Second, they'll clarify if you didn't quite understand them. • Third, you'll get confirmation that you're both on the same page. Ultimately, it's about staying aligned so expectations are met (and hopefully exceeded). Which leads to everyone being happier and more successful.

🏋♀️ All the Endeca employees were forged through this difficult but rewarding experience. 🏋♀️ Aside from some outliers, it’s hard to do unreasonable things and it’s a lot of work. If you sign up for the work, you need to be committed to it. Here are the career learnings they would tell up & coming operators today: 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 I tell people when I speak at universities how valuable it is to have gotten six to seven years of work experience out of school before we started Toast. Learning to be a manager, spending time in sales, engineering, marketing, etc. You learn a lot of basic skills learning about the lifecycle of products, “what good looks like” and what a high growth company looks like. -Steve Fredette I got to experience the early days, finding PMF, and then getting to scale. Through those chapters I learned you need a different organizational strategy at each of those phases. The people who were there at the beginning got to see the magic of being an “athlete” on the front lines, representing the company well and getting $hit done -Julie Yoo 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 There’s kind of an unwritten rule that if someone from Endeca asks for help, you help them. It’s so important to have a professional network that you feel like you accomplished something special together with. We’ll always have that bond. We all appreciate each other and what we did together. -John Andrews 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 I learned the shrewdness and intensity with which you need to approach company building. I learned how to be a critical product decision maker, leveraging “product grit”. Learning the patterns on the art of using professional services - picking and choosing who you listen to - in order to refine a good product experience. I learned what “good people” means. People that are collaborative, that inspire you, and how to treat each other. -Andrew Lau I really valued the time I spent in the field working with world class Enterprise Sales reps. Knowing what large scale Enterprise software sales looked like has served me so well in my career. Also, working on “hard tech” as an engineer is really helpful to then inform some of the complexities of why products are hard to build. -Vinay Seth Mohta 𝗕𝘂𝘁…𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 High growth environments allow you to see lots of people, patterns, and higher frequency repetition allows a breeding ground for you to learn stuff. -Andrew Lau Be super picky about the people you work with. Life is too short. I was so lucky to work at Endeca early in my career. I had no idea until much later. -Julie Yoo A clever, mischievous, and fun loving group who enjoyed competing, innovating & winning. If you’re looking for a great startup to join and grow your career with, I hope you can find something similar. Because if you can’t win with friends, why do it at all?