Parul Bhandari, a Chicago-based Customer Success consultant, shares insights on building impactful retention programs. She emphasizes the necessity of aligning with customer goals and the role of early engagement in setting up successful strategies. Parul discusses her journey into fractional consulting and the trend's rise in the industry. The conversation also highlights the importance of adapting retention efforts as customer relationships evolve, with a focus on viewing challenges as opportunities for growth in customer success.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Parul's CS Leadership Journey
Parul Bhandari shared her journey starting as a consultant and building the first customer success team at a SaaS startup.
She enjoyed building the function from scratch and later worked in scaling CS teams in larger organizations.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start Retention Early and Proactively
Start building retention programs well before the first renewal date by understanding contracts and risks.
Track customer goals and outcomes from the first interaction to set the foundation for success and renewal.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use CS to Track Product Market Fit
Continuously track product market fit and customer segmentation by gathering customer goals and outcomes as part of CS conversations.
Document and communicate mismatches in product market fit to improve retention and business decisions.
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In this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, host Anika Zubair and guest Parul Bhandari discuss the critical aspects of building effective customer retention programs. Parul shares her journey from leading customer success teams to becoming a fractional consultant, emphasizing the growing trend of fractional roles in the current market. The conversation highlights the need for early-stage startups to prioritize retention strategies alongside acquisition efforts, ensuring a solid foundation for long-term success. In this conversation, Anika also highlights the need for continuous engagement with customers and the role of health scores in retention efforts. The discussion covers practical steps for building retention programs and the significance of viewing challenges as opportunities for growth.
00:00 Introduction 08:13 The Importance of Early Stage Customer Success 12:09 Creating Retention Programs from Day One 13:37 Understanding Customer Goals and Outcomes 16:21 The Role of Product Market Fit in Retention 20:12 Tracking Metrics for Early Stage Companies 25:31 Essential Metrics for Customer Retention 27:53 Identifying Customer Retention Challenges 28:23 Evolving Retention Strategies for Growing Teams 29:46 Understanding Customer Health and Renewal Programs 31:14 Structuring Effective Renewal Processes 32:42 Navigating Customer Sentiment and Product Changes 34:57 Re-Onboarding and Stakeholder Realignment 36:54 Leveraging Health Scores for Retention 39:42 Transforming Challenges into Opportunities 41:07 Surprises in Mature Retention Phases 43:05 Engaging Customers for Long-Term Retention 45:27 Keeping Retention Strategies Fresh 49:12 Practical Steps for Building Retention Programs
The Customer Success Pro Podcast 