The Growth Signal

In this episode of The Growth Signal, host Alyssa Nolte sits down with Anika Zubair to challenge a common belief in SaaS: that sales is the main growth driver. Anika shares her hot take: Customer Success (CS) is actually the biggest lever for long-term revenue growth. Together, they unpack why CS teams are often overlooked, how to shift that narrative, and what leaders can do to start owning their impact.Whether you're a CS leader, a revenue owner, or just tired of being treated like a support function, this episode is a must-listen.3 Key Takeaways:Customer Success manages more revenue than sales, so why aren’t they treated like it?If you want credit for growth, speak the language of revenue: NRR, GRR, and dollars.Your job will change. Embracing adaptability is no longer optional...it’s survival.

In this episode of The Growth Signal, host Alyssa Nolte sits down with Customer Success leader Kristi Faltorusso to challenge one of the most common beliefs in business: that experience is what sets you apart. Kristi’s hot take? In the age of AI, that’s no longer true. This conversation dives into how AI is reshaping roles, why legacy systems like customer health scores are outdated, and what leaders must do to stay relevant.If you're a CS leader, operator, or just someone wondering how to stay ahead as AI changes everything, this episode is a must-listen.Why You Should Listen: This isn’t a hype session about AI. It’s a grounded, honest look at how the job is changing—and what to do about it. Kristi shares both strategy and practical advice you can apply right now, whether you're leading a team or trying to future-proof your career.3 Key Takeaways:Experience alone won’t cut it anymore – AI gives everyone access to the knowledge that used to take years to earn.Health scores are broken – Most are built on bad data and gut instinct. It’s time for smarter, automated signals.Learn by doing – The best way to prepare for what’s next is to get your hands dirty. Build a GPT, try a tool, share what you learn.

In this episode, Alyssa Nolte sits down with Emma Sopadjieva to break down why customer experience (CX) can’t live in just one department. Emma makes the case that every team – from legal to finance to sales – plays a role in how your customer feels. And if you’re not measuring the impact of that experience across the whole journey, you’re missing big opportunities to grow.Emma shares real-world lessons from building CX strategy teams inside companies like Samsara and ServiceNow. They talk about what it takes to turn insights into real change, how to build trust across functions, and why “calling your baby ugly” might be part of the job.Why listen? If you’ve ever wondered why your CX programs aren’t moving the needle, or felt stuck trying to prove their value, this episode will help you connect the dots between customer delight and business results.3 key takeaways:CX isn’t a department – it’s everyone’s job. Even back-office teams impact the customer.You can’t just collect feedback – you have to act on it and tie it to financial metrics.Empowering employees to wow customers matters just as much as fixing what’s broken.

We’re drowning in data but starving for insight and according to Kevin White, most go-to-market teams are sitting on a goldmine of buying signals they don’t even realize exist.In this episode, Kevin, Head of Marketing at Common Room, makes a bold claim: signals are becoming a commodity. Everyone has access to the same job change alerts, website visits, and intent scores. What separates teams that win? The ability to resolve identity, unify fragmented data, and act with relevance, not just personalization.We dig into:Signals don’t matter if you don’t know who they’re fromTons of companies track clicks and visits, but if you can’t tell who’s behind the action, it’s useless. The real magic happens when you connect the dots to a real person.Don’t just personalize, be relevantMentioning someone’s job title or company isn’t enough. What actually works is reaching out with the right message at the right time, based on what they actually care about.Figure out what really puts people in buying modeInstead of chasing every piece of data, focus on the one or two key moments that signal someone’s ready to buy, then build your strategy around those.This is a must-listen for anyone overwhelmed by dashboards, chasing the wrong leads, or trying to make sense of the noise.

In this episode of The Growth Signal, Andrew Carothers joins Alyssa Nolte to challenge one of the most stubborn assumptions in customer success: that digital-first experiences are only for low-value customers. Drawing on 17+ years of experience building Cisco’s customer experience org, Andrew makes the case that all customers - large and small - now expect seamless, personalized, and self-serve digital experiences.Key Takeaways:Why digital isn’t a budget solution—it’s a strategic advantageThe duck-on-the-water analogy and what leaders miss below the surfaceHow legacy org structures and siloed data sabotage CXWhat Webex got wrong (and Zoom got right)The first steps for any leader who wants to build a truly frictionless experienceIf you think high-touch equals high-value, this episode might just flip your perspective.

In this episode of The Growth Signal, Alyssa Nolte sits down with Christine Lawther to challenge the traditional role of Customer Success. Together, they explore why retention can’t be owned by one team and how companies need to reframe CS as a company-wide operating system. Christine shares her perspective on internal misalignment, the emotional drivers behind B2B buying decisions, and what it really takes to create customer value. This is a conversation for anyone tired of seeing CS play defense in a game that should be won company-wide.Key Takeaways:Retention isn’t a CS problem...it’s a signal that something is broken across the org.Customer loyalty is emotional first, logical second. Ignore that at your own risk.The most strategic CS leaders are bilingual, fluent in both business outcomes and human behavior.Connect with AlyssaConnect with Christine

Customer Success doesn’t need a rebrand—it needs clarity.In this episode, Alyssa Nolte talks with Katie Yagodnik about the credibility gap facing CS teams and how to fix it from the inside out. They unpack the disconnect between CS’s actual impact and how it’s perceived across the business, then get tactical about how to prove value without sacrificing trust.We cover:Why CS has a branding problem (and how that’s hurting internal influence)The difference between CSQOs and CSQLs, and how to start tracking them todayHow to build the same trusted relationships internally that you do with your customersWhy great CS leaders think like RevOps, not just account managersIf you're tired of CS being seen as “just support,” this episode will help you reframe the conversation.Guest: Katie YagodnikHost: Alyssa Nolte

Customer journey maps can be a powerful tool, but only if they reflect reality... not just your internal strategy. In this episode, Emily Garza joins Alyssa to unpack the risks of assuming your neatly mapped journey matches what customers actually experience. Drawing from years of experience in CX strategy and post-sale growth, Emily explains why listening beats labeling, and why real retention starts with real relevance.Together, they explore what it takes to build a living, breathing customer experience strategy that adapts, evolves, and actually works.3 Key Takeaways:Most journey maps reflect internal org structure, not customer behavior - and that’s a problem.Segmentation based on behavior, not just revenue, leads to more relevant and effective experiences.Retention improves when teams use journey maps as a conversation starter, not a finish line.

In a world obsessed with speed, automation, and scale, what happens to the human side of Customer Success?In this episode, Alyssa Nolte sits down with longtime CS leader Renu Ahluwalia to unpack what we lose when efficiency takes priority over empathy... and how the best teams are reclaiming trust, honesty, and real connection.From rethinking “value” to navigating conflict without escalation, Renu shares hard-won lessons about building sustainable relationships in high-pressure environments. They explore why the strongest CS strategies start with alignment, not appeasement—and how to scale without losing your soul.

In this episode of The Growth Signal, Alyssa Nolte sits down with Rachel Provan—leadership coach, CS expert, and psychology nerd—to explore why the human element is vanishing from modern business and what we can do about it. Rachel argues that corporate culture has become emotionally abusive, treating employees like disposable cogs instead of people with real needs, fears, and ambitions.They unpack the psychological roots of fear-based leadership, how our brains are wired to resist change, and why logic often takes a back seat to emotion, even in B2B. Rachel shares practical frameworks for coaching first-time managers, aligning teams without micromanagement, and making room for self-actualization at work.The conversation connects leadership psychology, employee experience, and customer success into one powerful idea: you can't fix customer churn without first fixing how you treat your team.Whether you're leading a CS team or rethinking how your organization operates, this episode will challenge you to put humanity back at the center of business.3 Key Takeaways:Empathy over ego...true leadership starts by regulating your own nervous system so you can lead others effectively.Burnout isn’t a personal failure...it’s a systemic signal that something in your approach or environment needs to change.Customer Success leaders need space to think, not just react...and that starts with stepping out of survival mode.