𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵

In climbing rope, strands are woven together to strengthen the cord and prevent disaster.

In business, customers demand quality products and experiences—nurturing these relationships is essential to avoid the risk of lost revenue and missed opportunities.

Growth comes from combining financial tools, operational skills, and effective communication into a unified customer success strategy.

The Strands of Growth

Finance: Acquiring new customers costs far more than retaining existing ones. Also, as customer tenure increases, profit margins grow.

Operations: A scalable, efficient process drives growth, but customer churn can derail this momentum.

Sales: Customer lifetime value soars through high retention, consistent upsells, and word-of-mouth referrals.

A dedicated customer success team helps achieve these outcomes.

Let's explore how to improve your "tensile strength" by building a resilient and evolving customer success process.

Start with Clear Values

To make an engagement collaborative, I always share these values with teams:

Solutions. When issues arise, we will focus on quickly discovering and implementing the best options for the customer. Avoid blame and punishment.

Balance. While addressing crises promptly, we will think proactively about systems to prevent similar issues. Building strong foundations now helps avoid problems later.

Learning. When significant problems occur, we will investigate root causes and identify improvements (e.g. updating products, refining processes, or strengthening skills).

While my engagements often begin by addressing upset or dissatisfied customers, I aim to quickly shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive improvements.

After sharing these values with the team, I focus on three key areas: preventing potential issues before they gain momentum, setting clear expectations upfront to avoid future frustration, and maintaining constant communication to spot emerging problems early.

Prevent Issues

Regular Cadence. Schedule consistent check-ins to discuss progress and gauge satisfaction. For products, establish clear channels for quick feedback and team communication.

Probing Questions. Build deeper relationships by asking meaningful questions like "What could be improved?" or "What are your plans for next year?"

Gauge Changes. Track numerical feedback over time to identify meaningful trends. While individual fluctuations may not be significant, consistent patterns deserve attention.

Different Stakeholders. Engage both direct users and decision-makers to gather insights and assess their satisfaction, as they jointly influence your success.

Set Expectations

Onboarding: Create clear checklists and steps for clients. During onboarding, define specific deliverables and success metrics. Clarify the process for raising and escalating any concerns.

Process: When issues arise, communicate the next steps and timeline to your client. Don't maintain silence if a problem remains unresolved.

Progress: Keep clients updated on ongoing solutions. People are generally understanding when kept informed, but they can grow frustrated without regular communication.

Communicate Constantly

Poor communication is at the root of many customer problems.

Escalation: During client onboarding, clearly explain how to escalate issues when they arise. Provide multiple contact methods—email, video chat, phone, and other channels. Additionally, inform clients about separate channels for providing feedback and suggestions beyond their regular contacts.

Cadence: Reach out at least quarterly to gather feedback and discuss any changes or challenges. For businesses with thousands of users, consider surveying a random sample of customers. You might also establish a user group where clients can share insights directly.

Feedback: During live meetings, ask open-ended questions like "What's our biggest challenge in serving you?" and "How can we help you grow?" Remember to observe both verbal and nonverbal cues—tone of voice and body language matter as much as words.

Speed: Respond promptly when problems occur. Show that you understand the client's concerns and acknowledge their frustration. Always conclude conversations by outlining the next steps and providing a clear timeline for resolution.

Solve Problems

Mindset: Most people see problems as either our fault or their fault. However, I encourage clients to adopt a partnership mindset.

Perception: Remember that for most people, how they use a product and their interactions during service are just as important as—if not more important than—its effectiveness.

Helpful: Share insights about new features or better ways to use your product with users. They'll appreciate these tips and likely be more understanding if issues arise.

“Clients really appreciate specific ways to save money,

increase efficiency, and grow revenues.”

– Paul Bianco

When facing a problem, understand both the issue and its impact on the customer. Sometimes, there is a way to help them even before the resolution is ready.

Next Level Customer Success

Implementing these changes above will quickly show a return on investment. To build lasting relationships, consider these key elements:

Community: Create opportunities for people to connect, celebrate customer successes, and share market insights and trends. You would be thankful in their shoes.

Events: Provide valuable learning opportunities that help your audience solve current and future challenges. For example, I created a "Know the Unknown" series for one client that boosted their sales pipeline while serving their customers.

Reviews: Collecting testimonials and case studies demonstrates your value to both current and prospective customers. These can be shared alongside positive customer updates.

Give More: While most companies aim to deliver basic service at minimal cost, I take a different approach—delivering more value than expected. This approach may include offering trial access to new features, sharing competitive analysis reports or white papers, and connecting customers with potential partners or vendors.

All of these efforts build trust, which helps you in the long term by increasing retention, upsells, and referrals based on a strong reputation and partnerships.

Key Takeaways: A robust customer success program is crucial for maintaining valuable revenue streams (i.e. better retention, increased upsells, and more referrals) and turning existing customers into advocates.

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I wrote this post with AI editing. Photo by Shubhendu Mohanty.

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