The Digital CX Podcast: Driving digital customer success and outcomes in the age of A.I.

Jay Nathan is the co-founder of GrowthCurve.io, Chief Customer Officer at Churnkey, and one of the most respected voices in the customer success community.  He joins Alex as they explore Jay’s early career as a software engineer, the integration of AI with other digital tools, and navigating the economic landscape of SaaS.Chapters:00:02:28 - Introducing Jay Nathan00:04:44 - A background in software engineering & web development00:08:52 - Institutionalizing customer centricity00:11:05 - Creating a great culture for employees00:13:19 - Customer success and organizational capability00:15:22 - Validating usability through customer interviews00:17:26 - The ABCAI methodology00:19:34 - Driving outcomes with digital00:21:43 - AI in the customer success world00:23:49 - Tailoring technologies for different team structures00:25:54 - The changing economics of SaaS00:30:13 - Human-to-human connections00:32:32 - Managing the customer life cycle00:34:37 - The intersection of company culture and ROI00:36:40 - Automating the business development function00:38:41 - Engaging with customers using marketing tricks00:40:40 - Shout outsEnjoy! I know I sure did...20% off of the Cover Your SaaS course: https://growthcurve.io/products/coveryoursaas?promo=dcsJay's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynathan/+++++++++++++++++This episode was edited by Lifetime Value Media, a media production company founded by my good friend and fellow CS veteran Dillon Young.  Lifetime Value aims to serve the audio/video content production and editing needs of CS and Post-Sales professionals.  Lifetime Value is offering select services at a deeply discounted rate for a limited time.  Navigate to lifetimevaluemedia.com to learn more.+++++++++++++++++Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

In this, my second solo episode - I wanted to spend some time trying to demystify Generative AI for CSMs and CS leaders alike. According to statistics, only 25% of CS workers utilize AI in the workplace on a regular basis, which I think is WAY too low - especially considering how stretched thin most CSMs really are.So - in this episode, we focus on proper prompting, a few tools that exist out there and a plethora of use-cases for you to dig into:0:00:00 - Introduction0:03:55 - Topic introduction. Why GenAI for CSMs0:08:42 - Why prompting is a fundamental skill to have0:09:36 - Using the RISEN framework for prompting0:11:31 - Taking care with proprietary and sensitive information when using Gen AI0:19:58 - Why it’s a bad idea to just copy and send, without proofreading and personalizing0:23:01 - Utilizing ChatGPTs memory feature to prevent having to copy/paste your prompts0:23:55 - Teaching ChatGPT on my tone of voice0:26:19 - Chaining prompts0:27:55 - Integrating this into your daily workflow0:30:21 - ChatGPT vs. Perplexity vs. Google0:32:42 - Perplexity research use cases for CSMs0:36:30 - The proliferation of new tools0:37:19 - AgentCopilot & HeyGen create personalized video for your contacts at scale0:39:45 - Ariglad analyzes support tickets to create and update knowledge base articles0:40:48 - Malik automates the creation of decks using your data and insights0:41:55 - OutroOne link discussed in the show is the DCS Tech Stack on the website: https://digitalcustomersuccess.com/tech-stack/Enjoy! Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

Matik's Scale + CS Virtual Conference: https://bit.ly/scalecs-aturkovicJosh Schachter is the Founder and CEO of UpdateAI, the conversation intelligence tool built specifically for the customer success profession.  He sits down with Alex to talk product management, the unorthodox genesis of UpdateAI, and, of course, artificial intelligence itself.Key topics:00:00 - Introduction02:50 - Josh's background in product management05:17 - Joining Idea Lab and finding inspiration07:52 - How UpdateAI got its name10:25 - A different perspective as a product manager13:02 - Commercialization and expansion of a product15:51 - The value of customer insights18:24 - Snackable & actionable insights for different stakeholders23:17 - The future of artificial intelligence in the industry28:50 - Human interaction in digital31:37 - Robots on the front line in technical support34:27 - The power of Chat GPT as a CSM37:04 - Future plans for UpdateAI39:41 - ShoutoutsEnjoy! I know I sure did...Josh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/Update AI: https://update.aiShoutouts:Kristi FaltorussoJon Johnson+++++++++++++++++This episode was edited by Lifetime Value Media, a media production company founded by my good friend and fellow CS veteran Dillon Young.  Lifetime Value aims to serve the audio/video content production and editing needs of CS and Post-Sales professionals.  Lifetime Value is offering select services at a deeply discounted rate for a limited time.  Navigate to lifetimevaluemedia.com to learn more.Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

Matik's Scale + CS Virtual Conference: https://bit.ly/scalecs-aturkovicIn this special edition, Alex sits down with Stijn "Stino" Smet, Head of Customer Success at Whale.io, the host of *two* customer success podcasts, and all-around loose cannon.  He joins Alex (in his studio!) for a very special joint episode of their podcasts to discuss career journeys, getting started with a digital practice, and more.The “more”:00:00 - Where to start with digital03:35 - Your First Digital CS Experience07:12 - The Core of a True Digital Team10:44 - Meeting an “Idol”14:15 - Transitioning to Digital Customer Experience18:03 - Quick Wins in Digital CS21:28 - Being Ahead of the Curve with Digital Customer Success25:11 - Stino’s Famous Playbook28:38 - Achieving Revenue Growth32:14 - “Light” Success Services35:40 - Creating and Tracking Campaign Metrics39:04 - Reviewing and Iterating on Strategies42:36 - The Sweet Spot49:48 - Laser beams and confetti53:40 - Shout OutsEnjoy! I know I sure did...Stino's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stijn-smet-%F0%9F%90%B3-330435a9/Shoutouts:Kristi Faltorusso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/Erika Villareal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erivillarreal/Anika Zubair: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/Diana de Jesus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadejesus/Dillon Young: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonryoung/Prashanth Jothi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prashanthjothi/+++++++++++++++++This episode was edited by Lifetime Value Media, a media production company founded by my good friend and fellow CS veteran Dillon Young.  Lifetime Value aims to serve the audio/video content production and editing needs of CS and Post-Sales professionals.  Lifetime Value is offering select services at a deeply discounted rate for a limited time.  Navigate to lifetimevaluemedia.com to learn more.+++++++++++++++++Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

Link to Matik's Scale + CS Virtual Conference: https://bit.ly/scalecs-aturkovic.Today, I'm joined by Jeff Heckler - a CS veteran with a lot of wisdom to share around the state of the industry, the AI tools with the most promise, and Slack overwhelm.In this episode, we cover a wide variety of topics, including:00:00:00 - Welcome To The Digital Customer Experience Podcast00:01:31 - Join The Matik Conference, Earn A $20 Uber Eats Gift Card Giveaway00:02:56 - Introduction00:04:21 - Leaving Business Intelligence & Falling Into Software00:10:17 - Digital Customer Success Since Covid-1900:11:43 - The Rise Of QR Code00:13:19 - Contraction In Headcounts And Budgets00:14:51 - The Economics Of AI And Tech’s Current Struggles In Today’s Economy00:16:26 - The Most Prominent Digital Trends In CS00:19:36 - Leveraging Ai Chat Bots For Support Ticket Deflection, Among Other Things00:20:58 - Communication Overload And Digital Emotions00:22:29 - Optimizing Digital Workflows And Tools00:23:58 - The Stickiness Of Tools00:25:34 - Learning From Mistakes And Cross-Functional Allegiances00:27:05 - Setting Up A Cadence For Product Sales Marketing Support00:28:20 - Shifting Mindset For Customer Success Managers00:29:36 - The Importance Of Cross Collaboration00:31:01 - Shout Out To Dickey Singh And Cast.AppEnjoy! I know I sure did...Jeff's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffheckler/Shoutouts:Irit Eizips: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eizips/Dickey Singh of Cast.app: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickey/+++++++++++++++++This episode was edited by Lifetime Value Media, a media production company founded by my good friend and fellow CS veteran Dillon Young.  Lifetime Value aims to serve the audio/video content production and editing needs of CS and Post-Sales professionals.  Lifetime Value is offering select services at a deeply discounted rate for a limited time.  Navigate to lifetimevaluemedia.com to learn more.+++++++++++++++++Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

Jenelle Friday of Forecastable and the Customer Success Collective’s “CS Leader of the Year” for 2023 is someone who is easily liked.  She's hyper-in tune with what makes people tick, and is even the author of her own framework on emotional intelligence in customer success.In this wonderful chat, we talk about:00:00 - Caring for your customers02:27 - Being Authentic in Customer Success04:41 - A Journey to Customer Success and Emotional Intelligence06:53 - The Importance of Being Human in Business Relationships09:11 - Being True to Yourself in Business11:19 - Acknowledging Fears and Embracing Imperfection13:29 - Emotional Intelligence and Self-Awareness in Customer Success15:37 - The Importance of Work in Relationships17:42 - The Importance of Human Interaction20:11 - Elevator Pitch for Digital Customer Success22:25 - The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Digital Communications24:39 - Using Emotional Intelligence for Customer Engagement26:47 - The Importance of Social Awareness in Decision-Making Process29:06 - Cultural Differences in Customer Success31:21 - Building a Customer Community33:33 - Coordinating Communication Across Departments35:42 - Understanding the Customer Perspective38:01 - Living Boldly and Courageously40:26 - Developing Soft Skills in Business42:27 - Fostering Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace44:51 - The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Digital Customer Success46:54 - Book Recommendations and Finding Normalcy49:04 - Soft Skill Development and Giving Back to the CommunityEnjoy! I know I sure did...+++++++++++++++++This episode was edited by Lifetime Value Media, a media production company founded by my good friend and fellow CS veteran Dillon Young.  Lifetime Value aims to serve the audio/video content production and editing needs of CS and Post-Sales professionals.  Lifetime Value is offering select services at a deeply discounted rate for a limited time.  Navigate to lifetimevaluemedia.com to learn more.+++++++++++++++++Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

As we pop the champagne on our 50th show, a heartfelt thank you is in order for every listener & guest who's joined me on this wild ride through the evolving world of digital customer interactions. It's a transformational moment for the show as we shift from focusing on 'Digital Customer Success' to encompassing the broader 'Digital Customer Experience', ensuring we capture the essence of every digital touchpoint. As such, we are changing the name of the show to 'The Digital Customer Experience Podcast'!In this episode, I'm going through and answering some of the most frequently asked questions that I get on a regular basis, which leads to the following topics:00:47 - New Podcast Name Announcement06:34 - What is Digital Customer Success07:38 - Digital vs. Scaled09:49 - Where to start with Digital Customer Success11:52 - Commonly overlooked vehicles for digital motions13:13 - Building health scores without product telemetry14:31 - Identifying user personas based on their activity within your resource15:05 - SaaS economics and how they impact the proliferation of digital18:43 - Measuring the success of digital CS21:54 - Team structure for digital cs26:54 - Technology recommendations30:45 - Outro & Thank you!A couple of links from the show:Website & Newsletter signup: https://digitalcustomersuccess.comDigital CS Definition Word Map: https://digitalcustomersuccess.com/digital-cs-word-map/DCS Tech Stack: https://digitalcustomersuccess.com/tech-stack/Cover Your SaaS Course by Jeff Bruensbach & Jay Nathan: https://growthcurve.io/cover-your-saasSupport the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

Kari Ardalan of Qualtrics is a staple in the CS community and has been leading scaled motions for YEARS - which is sometime that not a lot of people can say. She also sits on Gainsight's Digital Advisory Board - so yeah, she's qualified to talk about this stuff. :-)In this fantastic conversation, we talk about:Building digital first with humans coming in off of the back of those motionsThe evolution of ‘scaled’ from just email and outbound events to a push to come inboundBuilding one place portal where customers can go for everything and where CSMs can interact with their customersHow Digital is structured at Qualtrics across various departmentsInternal cross-collaboration on digital motionsWhat to look out for in a digital leader - specifically cross-collaboration and a varied backgroundFocusing on Support deflection metrics and areas to automateOther interesting metrics in use at Qualtrics: % CTAs launched, penetration rate of closed success CTAs (conversation), Monthly Active Users, Monthly Active Customers, Flow Completion, % of Renewals Not Assisted by Humans Balancing being tactical and strategic as a leaderUsing special interests among the team to drive career growth and creativity - including HackathonsCool examples of digital motions including customer-facing scorecards, micro-learning, AI and self-serve portals.AI bot & recommendation engine implementation at Qualtrics Letting data tell you who the customer personas areThe dependency on operations work streams to get things doneEnjoy! I sure did...Kari's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kariardalan/Link to Kari's post about the qualities of a Digital CS Leader: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kariardalan_digitalsuccess-leadership-recruitment-activity-7175101395631570944-qujn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktopShoutouts:Delores Cooper (Zendesk): https://www.linkedin.com/in/delorescooper/Austin Kwon (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinkwon/Kelly Bray (MongoDB): https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-bray-1684166/Rimple Patel (Eightfold): https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimpledpatel/+++++++++++++++++Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

Christine Raby, Founder of DeliverDelight, brings the heat in this episode where we cover off a very wide range of topics - some CS related and some non-CS related. Christine's background is absolutely fascinating and I've been a fan of her presence both on LinkedIn and TikTok for quite some time now. This episode is full of practical examples and advice for both ICs and leaders alike as we talked about:How CS is now experiencing similar maturation to what marketing experienced a decade+ agoLeaders need to be super focused on the benchmarks and metrics vs. how they ‘feel’ things are goingThe opinions of whether CS should own revenue or not is completely irrelevant as the goals are similar, the team should be united and therefore measured (and compensated) on the same/or similar metricsHyper-personalization  together with client success stories is a powerful combination for New Logos and expansion alike (N&E)Test your "ways of working" in an unscalable manner first and then figure out how to automate & scale it upAI is a tool - not a replacement for you role - it needs to be leveraged in order to help you get out of reactive mode and into proactively growing your accountCurrent state of startup economics and how that relates to Customer Success within these businessesThe trend towards de-centralizing CS into a strategy instead of just an orgTaking lessons from B2CTransitioning PS from a cost center to a revenue centerEquality and Equity in the workplaceLike I said, a wide variety of topics. Enjoy! I know I sure did...Christine's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineraby/DeliverDelight: https://www.deliverdelight.xyz/Shoutouts:Sara Roberts (Bayview Talent): https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynneroberts/Jess Osborne (GoCardless): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicareserosborn/Diana De Jesus (The Customer Success Project): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadejesus/How to Break Into Tech: https://howtobreakintotech.com/by Charlotte Chaze: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottechaze/+++++++++++++++++Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com

Irit Eizips has been in and around CS for a long time. From being in on the ground floor at Gainsight to running her very successful consultancy, she has been a staple in the CS community and consistently produces fantastic content that we all benefit from! In this episode, we get into: Irit’s days at the early-stage Gainsight and the culture of startupsHer home in consulting (CSM Practice) vs. being a full time employeeBeing part of CS from the ground floorThe advancement of CS to where certification and degree programs have enabled college grads an entry into the fieldDigital motions should support the work of humans in CSImplementing too much digital without touchpoints along the way can actually have negative customer implicationsIdentifying risk in customers who are disengaging with digital programsOver-use of email via redundancy and simultaneous emails from multiple organizationsThe use of avatars in digital for communications to make things more fun when appropriateProtecting revenue and expansion via process automations to flag risk early before renewal and even close it earlyA few examples of great digital motions and practical advice around designing themDesigning digital-first motions with client outcomes & a customer journey front and centerLoads of great info in this one. Enjoy! I know I sure did...Irit's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eizips/CSM Practice: https://www.csmpractice.com/CSM Practice YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSMPracticeResources:Seven Pillars of Customer Success by Wayne McCulloch: https://amzn.to/3TLXYogCCO Playbook by Rod Cherkas: https://amzn.to/3TLXYogOnboarding Matters by Donna Webber: https://amzn.to/3TRk9cuShoutout:Yair Bortinger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yair-bortinger/Yair's episode on CSM Practice Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pwj634-qu0+++++++++++++++++Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic🎬 This content was edited by Lifetime Value Media.Learn more at: https://www.lifetimevaluemedia.com