This is Growth!

What does Customer Success look like in a company that uses a product-led growth strategy? So many people seem to think that you're either product-led or human-led. But the reality is that most businesses land somewhere in the middle. Ryan Seams, Senior Director of Customer Success and Services at Mixpanel is here to help us understand how a CS team works when a business is largely product-led. He has spent the last 9 years building the CS business in Mixpanel and has learned a ton of lessons that he is sharing with us, so we don’t have to make the same mistakes as we scale Whether your business is exploring a digital segment or considering going full PLG, this podcast will give you some insights on how some of the best in the industry are doing it! Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale

From startups to industry titans, most companies still haven't cracked the nut of delivering a highly proactive Customer Success service at scale. That's why it's important for us to talk about these challenges openly! In our very first solo episode, your host Daphne Lopes, tackles 3 burning questions about scaling Customer Success. Is scaled Customer Success right for your business? What's the right time to start scaling your CS team? What is the optimal sequence of events to go from 100% human touch to scaled CS? If you are curious about the secret steps to transform your CS approach from 100% human-powered to turbocharged scalability, this episode is for you! Get ready to ignite your CS strategy and amplify your business impact! 🔥 Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale

Mickey Powell, a visionary in customer success and founder of UpdateAI, dives into the transformative power of generative AI in customer interactions. He explains how tools like ChatGPT can personalize responses, making communication more effective. Mickey shares insights on automating administrative tasks to boost productivity and the importance of transferable skills for career growth. He also addresses the integration of AI into workflows, highlighting the necessity for human oversight to maintain trust and ensure quality in customer relationships.

The lines between Marketing and Customer Success blur when we start scaling the CS team. Many of the skills and tools needed to help drive and understand customer engagement and communication at scale are traditionally owned by marketing. But that doesn't mean marketing should own the Digital CS strategy. To help us unpack this topic I am joined by Jeff Breunsbach⁠, a leader that lives in the intersection of Marketing, CS and Community. In this episode, we delve into the transformative power of leveraging content and community to drive customer success to new heights. Jeff shares his wealth of experience and expertise, offering invaluable insights on how to effectively expand customer success initiatives while maintaining a personal touch. Discover the key strategies, tools, and techniques that have propelled Jeff's community Gain, Grow, Retain and learn how you can apply them to your own organization. Whether you're a seasoned CS professional or just starting your journey, this episode is packed with actionable advice that will empower you to build thriving customer success teams in today's dynamic business landscape. Tune in now and unlock the secrets to scalable growth and exceptional customer experiences! Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale

"The only constant is change." Get ready for a mind-shifting episode with senior Customer Success leader and Change Management expert, Margaret Harrison. As CS professionals we operate at the intersection of the vision our customers have for their organisations and their current reality. And we do that while navigating the waves of change inside our organisations. But change is not easy. In fact, change can be exhausting. In this episode, we discuss the psychology of change and why it can be so difficult to navigate it. We dive into simple and effective approaches to driving transformative change for your team and customers alike. And we leave you with 3 proven tactics to achieve successful change outcomes. Don't miss this captivating opportunity to ignite change and create a lasting impact in your organisation. Resources: Book - Switch Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale

Jan Young, a Customer Success Consultant with over 13 years of experience, shares her insights on becoming a great Customer Success leader. She discusses the power of storytelling and how it can bridge customer needs with business offerings. Jan emphasizes the importance of creating a pragmatic customer journey and developing a strategic roadmap for Customer Success organizations. Her blend of agile methodologies and emotional intelligence offers a fresh approach to leadership, inspiring listeners to enhance their everyday practices in this evolving field.

For the first episode of this season, I am joined by Marija Skobe Pilley. For some, Marija needs no introduction, she is a pillar of the CS community. But, if you are hearing your name for the first time, make sure to check her out on LinkedIn. She is the Director of Customer Success at Click up and the founder of Women in Customer Success. She hosts an incredible podcast interviewing the amazing women in CS and also runs a great mentoring programme called Power Up, where established success women including myself, mentor the next generation of CS professionals. Marija has built an incredible career in CS and we dive a little into her story during our conversation. But the meat of the podcast is really on how to scale basic CS approaches, Marija shares with us how she is helping Clickup scale its success function and has a lot of insights on what it takes to build CS from scratch. We cover tips on how to scale effectively, what roles are most important, building communities and more. You will leave this session with a ton of golden nuggets that you can apply immediately to your teams. Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale

Welcome to season 2 of the This is Growth Podcast! In Season 1 we got to know 9 people that built successful careers in Customer Success. For Season 2 we are shifting gears. The goal of season 2 is to help Customer Success leaders unlock the next level of performance of their Customer Success organisation. I want to help you go from Customer Success to Efficient Customer Success and then reach the holy grail of a truly Scaled CS organisation. These will be a series of conversations with the experts, the people who have been there and done that. Each episode will be packed with tips, honest discussions, and best practices that will take your team to the next level. And we want to help you do that while focusing on the most important aspect of CS: delivering customer outcomes. Get the latest podcast in your inbox by signing up for the This is Growth! newsletter at https://www.daphnelopes.com/ Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Padraic McMahon Senior Manager of Customer Success at Hubspot and former guitarist/bassist in the platinum-selling band The Thrills, to answer 4 listeners' career dilemmas: How do you know you’re on the right career path? I keep getting rejected for roles I feel like I am qualified for. What can I do to get the job? Should I stay in this company or should I go? Is management right for me? Padraic and Daphne discuss each dilemma, share personal experiences and offer advice on how to get unstuck if you are experiencing any of these situations. If any of these questions resonate, you will love this episode. Grab your headphones and find some headspace because this episode is packed with practical stuff you can start implementing today. Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale

When life throws us a punch, it hurts. There are no two ways about it. But it also presents us with an opportunity to get off the hamster wheel, pause, and reflect. It gives us space to explore interests, and relaunch with intentionality. Shane Stenson, Team Lead and Principal Customer Success Manager at HubSpot, shows us that a growth mindset is not just about climbing the career ladder, but a way to approach life. In this episode, we talk about the roadblocks and hiccups in our careers, and about landing on our feet. Shane shares stories about being part of a company that was acquired, feeling burned out and taking a career break, going for roles that didn’t feel right, failing interviews and the amazing feeling of knowing what your next step is. In his own words, “A lot of people think ‘I’ve worked so hard over the last 6 months to get into the particular role that I am in, I’ve grown so much’. But there is equally as much to be learned from scenarios where it didn’t work out in the way you would have hoped. It’s that old cliche, you learn more from the losses.” In midst of layoffs and uncertainty, this is a great episode to ground us. Music: Workday by Scott Dugdale