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

Dickey Singh, CEO of Cast joins us this week for a bonus episode in which we discover his fascinating journey from a long line of engineering leadership roles to today, where he's leading the charge of AI in CS. We discuss at length what he and his team at Cast.app are doing to help revolutionize digital CS and what the future of all of this technology looks like.Topics covered include:Dickey’s long history with AI and his journey from an engineering background into serving customer success todayHe was ‘there’ at the inception of Customer SuccessHow Cast.app  helps its customers achieve 30x ROI via providing digital CS1:Many vs. 1:1 vs. Many:Many in Digital CSGetting persona-specific in your outreach, but don’t go by titles and go by responsibilities, interests and user profilesDigital provides efficiency and automation to drive efficiency for CSMsExecutive personas are likely not going to be in the app and a lot of C-level execs prefer text messagesSMS is a powerful way to reach certain personas and shouldn’t be as frowned upon as it isThe tendency for AI to hallucinate and how it needs to be verified by the humanCurrent and future state of AI in CS and how adopters stand to gain massive efficiencies. More and more useful AI tools are coming.Prompting won’t be as relevant in the future as it currently isEnjoy! I know I sure did...Dickey's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickey/Cast: https://cast.app/Pure Storage ROI with Cast: https://cast.app/purestorage-roi++++++++++++++++++ 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

James Lawson of River Consultancy Group joins us this week in a fun conversation that spans a wide range of topics including a growing sentiment among CS leaders that contributions to the customer journey should be cross collaborative in nature. James is the founder of River Consultancy Group and currently serves as CCO at key Computer Applications Ltd. It is this along with his long history in CS that have shaped his unique and healthy outlook on CS and how CSMs specifically can best position themselves in the future.In this episode, we cover topics including:  Why CS is so prevalent in software and not as much elsewhereCustomer success as a company-wide capability, not just CS functionInternal collaboration around customer journey actionsProviding value at scale with the illusion of it being personal Making sure we don’t forget to celebrate the success of our users and various personasCSMs who have strong consultative skills will have the edge in the futureStorytelling on the back of data points is where humans excel and this can be supported by digitalPersonalizing digital engagement by asking personas about their engagement preferencesThe importance of having your product and digital motions lead with simplicityContinually tweaking your ICP using internal and external indicators - especially among your smaller customers that are scaling, vs the largest customers.Enjoy! I know I sure did...James' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlaw-customersuccess/River Consultancy Group: https://www.riverconsultancygroup.co.uk/Resources:The Daily Stoic: https://dailystoic.com/Deep Work: https://amzn.to/3SHZabyShoutouts:Mickey Powell (Episode 001): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeypowell/Markus Rentsch (Episode 026): https://www.linkedin.com/in/markus-rentsch-customer-value-led-growth-for-saas/+++++++++++++++++ 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

Today's discussion with Dee Kapila is a fascinating insight into the world of building innovative digital programs within a very well known and broadly used organization, Miro. As Global Head of Scaled Customer Experience, Dee leads both digital and customer education functions. Her talk last year at Pulse on having SLG & PLG work in harmony for the benefit of the customer journey was fascinating on completely on point!Our conversation focused on:How digital CS is putting many functions and practices together to scale CX - not just CS.Digital CS in relation to other orgs in the company and ensuring you are building together with cross-collaboratorsLeveraging cross functional competencies to work together on securing the customer journeyFocusing on quick wins to get something going quickly, while you focus on the big picture, future state activities"Product vs. Sales Led Growth? Embrace BOTH with Scaled CX": Cliff notes of Dee’s talk at Pulse last yearHer scaled team structure and the importance of leaving room for variability when building these teamsScaled Customer Experience Team with three pillars: Scaled Education, Scaled Production & Digital Success with Scaled teams to supportA peek at the digital tech stack + the custom in-house tooling built at Miro In-app guidance needs to be elegant and not overbearing or clunky.Enjoy! I sure did...Dee's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deekapila/Dee's Talk at Pulse in 2023: https://pulselibrary.gainsight.com/video/product-vs-sales-led-growth-embrace-both-with-scaled-cxDee's Substack: https://deekapila.substack.com/Shoutout:Sam David @ Monday.com ++++++++++++++++++ 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

Ezra Zimbler is a long time LinkedIn team member, currently based in Dublin who is driving some really great initiatives and customer facing teams. He's a diversity & equity champion within the halls of LinkedIn as well as without. This is definitely a topic of conversation in this episode, along with LinkedIn's efforts around building customer community and how the teams are structured around digital CS. In this episode, you'll hear about:Ezra's background in sports management and his transition into CSHis team’s focus on customer enablementUsing digital motions to focus a CSMs time on having valuable conversation with customers instead of content creation & admin workStructure of CS around digital at LinkedIn using a ‘Programs’ teamHow LinkedIn structures around line of business and customer segmentImplementation of inSided at LinkedIn to drive community and starting with a core group of customers for early feedback and into broader availability launchState of the CS Community  in Dublin Ezras work in DEI and driving equity & diversity within LinkedIn and co-founding TransformHER to help break the double glass ceiling outside of LinkedInTreating LinkedIn content as more of a library vs. a feed where you can search for historic contentEnjoy! I sure did!Ezra's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezimbler/Customer Success Monthly Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7023248545004539904/Customer Success Monthly YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CustomerSuccessMonthly/Shoutouts:Dan EnnisDeclan McKiernan - Programs at LinkedInAndy Best - Community at LinkedIn+++++++++++++++++ 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

Sara Roberts (Bayview Talent and host of Success Unscripted) may not immediately jump out to you as an obvious guest of this podcast. No, she doesn't run a digital CS function nor does she have a rich history in CS.What she does have is her finger on the pulse for growing and scaling CS teams as that is her recruiting agency's specialty. As such, it was a great opportunity to talk about two specific areas: the state of the CS job market today and how to build & scale digital functions.In this fascinating interview we discussed:Being part of the Zenefits growth and the evolution into her establishing Bayview, specifically focused on CS recruitingHiring and the job search freeze are thawingSara’s motivation for starting the Success Unscripted PodcastThe importance of being vulnerable and sharing your hard experiences to help others who are doing the sameBuilding and scaling digital teams from a hiring perspective Hiring for digital is not just about putting your Junior CS teams in a scaled team but instead looking for technical resources, marketing people, product…etc.Start by analyzing what systems & people you have. What are the skills gaps in relation to what problems you’re trying to solve. That will inform your hiring strategy for digital.For a digital role - you are looking to hire people who can go deep into the data, but can also pull up and see the strategyPractical advice for CSMs looking for their next role: take on projects and prove you can already do the work of that roleFor those looking for work: Focus on the industry you already have experience with which will give you a leg up over other applicants. Focus on the ACV of the target customer that is within your comfort range. Finally, focus on what stage company it is vs. your experience.Don’t just send in your resume and call it a day - recruiters are likely not looking at those resumes. Find the manager of the team and send them a note on LinkedIn.Sara’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynneroberts/Bayview Talent: https://www.bayviewtalent.com/Success Unscripted Podcast: https://www.unscriptedpod.com/Resources:Crunchbase for conducting targeted company searches based on your criteria 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

Reminder! Enter for a Gold Pass to the CS Festival in Austin:Leave a review the podcast and send a quick screenshot to alex@digitalcustomersuccess.comGo to this LinkedIn post and Like it: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7152780848642068480Leave a comment on that same post. Easy!Today's Guest Annie Dean of RecastSuccess is a TRUE CS veteran and is one of those rare individuals who was around when the term 'Customer Success' was coined! What does that mean for us? Lots of insight and knowledge to learn from. In this fascinating conversation, Annie draws from her deep career at legendary companies like LinkedIn, Cisco & Coursera - as well as her current experience with RecastSuccess - to give us a ton of great nuggets of knowledge.It was also a pleasure having her on as RecastSuccess does so much to drive equity and diversity within CS - which is definitely worth highlighting. In this fantastic conversation, we cover a lot of ground including:How to prioritize where to start digitallyHow tooling has helped us to normalize digital CS The genesis of RecastSuccess and its mission to help foster diversity in CS The role profiles of Digital CS and how product management, marketing, sales ops  and data science fit in well with DCS - not necessarily CSM.How RecastSuccess partners with VCs & Startups to help grow CS orgs with well trained team membersEarly stage startups have an advantage because you can start with automations and have them in place from the beginningHow to be proactive with end-users (those that aren’t reaching out) to help drive outcomes for those executivesAverage professional in the US uses 80 apps regularly - which is why it is imperative to be proactive with users Semi-live webinars are a great way to scaleNew AI tools are there to augment and improve what you’re doing - not replace what you’re doing.Racial & Gender diversity in tech and RecastSuccess’ mission for building CS teams that are as diverse as possibleThe ever-present topic of whether to QBR or whether to not QBRAnnie's Industry Newsletter List 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

Enter the contest for a Gold Pass ($1300 value!) to the Customer Success Festival in Austin (Feb 13 & 14, 2024) by following these steps:Review the podcast on your platform of choice and send a quick screenshot to alex@digitalcustomersuccess.comGo to this LinkedIn post and Like it: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7152780848642068480Leave a comment on that same post about what aspect of CS Festival you're most looking forward to or any questions comments you might have about the event.Today's Guest Anika Zubair is a CS household name and award winning customer success leader who is constantly providing insanely valuable content to the community. She has led and scaled many functions throughout her career and is currently Head of Customer Success at Griffin. There are so many valuable nuggets of information to pull away from our conversation in this episode including:Leveraging technology to meet our customers where they are with what they needCovid normalized digital engagementThe resurgence of QR codesTransitioning from full-time gig to consulting and backThe difficulty of the current job marketUsing ‘CS Trailers’ to solve for customer engagement via short form, TikTok style video and how this style aligns with how people are consuming content todayCombining short videos (max 90 seconds) with analytics and strong call to actions can lead to strong customer engagementPractical example of a short onboarding flowThings like 'Spotify Wrapped' are HARD to get to but so effective if you doCelebrating customer wins and demonstrating value digitallyIt’s ok as B2B to communicate like B2C - we are all just humanAnika's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/Apps:Cast.app - Virtual Digital CSMBagel - Tie product features to revenue opportunities and customer feedbackContent:This is Growth PodcastRevenue Today PodcastCS Office HoursShoutouts:Dan EnnisJay NathanJeff Breunsbach+++++++++ 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

Enter the contest for a Gold Pass ($1300 value!) to the Customer Success Festival in Austin (Feb 13 & 14, 2024) by following these steps:Review the podcast on your platform of choice and send a quick screenshot to alex@digitalcustomersuccess.comGo to this LinkedIn post and Like it: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7152780848642068480Leave a comment on that same post about what aspect of CS Festival you're most looking forward to or any questions comments you might have about the event.Winner will be announced on Jan 31!+++++++++++++Today's Guest: Anita TothThere is no denying that there are a ton of amazing people in the CS community. Anita Toth is no exception. She is such a great presence in CS and regularly puts her academia background in full display with well thought through concepts and tangible take-aways that help elevate CS within our organizations. This conversation was jam packed with really great take-aways including:Anita's background in academiaHer transition into CS and the lessons that it can teach others about approaching transitionDeep research in CS and looking for patternsStandardizing customer feedback, CS inputs, etc. to drive data cleanliness and see trendsElevating CS within an organization from the kids table to the adult tableHow to feed CS' valuable customer data to the rest of the companyStart with Marketing and share details of your top 20% customers - help marketing build an ICP so that they can go help find more of that type of customerHow our tooling is helping us to produce insights for the businessCS’ main product should be insights on customer healthThe importance of CS leaders to understand other business leaders’ goals so that we know what insights can help themTrust and ethics in adopting GenAI and the inflection point that is coming where we won’t be able to tell the difference between human and algorithmSpeculating on the future use of GenAI within CSAnita's LinkedInATIChurn No More Leadership WorkshopResources:The School of Greatness: Lewis HowesDr. Joe DispenzaDoctor Mike+++++++++++++ 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

Bhavika Kochhar is one of those amazing individuals that does an incredible amount of service to the CS community and seemingly eats, sleeps & breaths customer success. She's been in the trenches as a CSM and is now pursuing her Masters in Engineering Management, where she is focused on pulling technical prowess into CS.I loved this conversation with Bhavika because she provided a lot of tactical advice, not only for leaders but also front-line CSMs on the mindset and general operations of great digital programs. Topics in our conversation include:How her love of tech brought her to the Engineering Management Masters program at DukeEven as a CSM - you can go an automate things to make your job betterDCS isn’t replacing the CSM - it’s in service of the CSM to make them more efficientThe benefit of being technically proficient on your product and your own tech stack/integrationsYour customers shouldn’t know that they are interfacing with different teams and systems. It should feel cohesive.Gender and racial diversity in CS and techEffective cross collaboration with other departments Asking questions is so important in getting to know other functions - being naturally curious is goodSuch great info from such a sweet person. I hope you enjoy...because I sure did!Bhavika's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavikak/Bhavika's Website: https://www.bhavikakochhar.com/CS Ladies initiative: https://www.linkedin.com/company/csladies/Resources:Customer Success Mindset: Building Customer-Centricity into the DNA of your Growth Strategy by Jyo Shukla: https://amzn.to/3vtw6N6The AI Empowered Customer Experience: A CX practitioner's guide to the possibilities and risks of AI by Simon Kriss: https://amzn.to/41Ob7R0+++++++++++++++++ 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

Digital strategist Alyssa Opella discusses incorporating digital motions into the post-sale journey, including data quality, interventions, and celebrating wins. Topics include career journey, org perception, executive communications, personas, and crafting personalized messages. They also highlight automation benefits, leveraging insights, feedback mechanisms, and finding inspiration from various sources.