Have you ever considered going into a role in customer success? What peeked your interest about it? Well, if you want to learn a bit more about what customer success roles look like, keep reading to see…
Some common misconceptions…
You need to know all the answers.
The customer is always right.
It takes a certain kind of person.
Digging deeper…
You need to know all the answers.
I’m about to blow your mind here. Ready?
No one knows all the answers.
No matter how much experience you have, you will likely run into someone who can ask you a question that stumps you. Which is totally okay. In fact, I would argue that the more important skill is research or information seeking. It’s okay not to have the answer to a question as long as you can say, “Let me find out and get back to you on that.”
The customer is always right.
Nope, and don’t get your hopes up, because you aren’t either.
When you are working with customers in a success role there is a process you must go through of humbling yourself. That’s sort of where that saying originates. However, it’s a bit flawed. Obviously, if the customer were always right, there wouldn’t really be a need for this role. However, there are some ideas here that are redeemable. I think that the real takeaway is that it doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong, but the customer should feel good in the interaction. The customer should never feel like you are saying that they’re wrong, clueless, or anything but a valued connection. So, stay humble, and treat the customer right, even when they’re not necessarily correct.
It takes a certain kind of person.
What does this even mean?
I personally would not prefer my questions to always be met by the same kind of person. Haven’t you ever called a 1-800 number only to be met by a success representative who you just clashed personalities with? It’s always like the second or third call, or transfer, before I hear some angelic voice that offers me just the answer to the question that I hadn’t been able to put into words. This is because people are people, and lots of them don’t like certain people. Every type of person is someone’s perfect customer success representative. The only type of person that should automatically rule out customer success, is someone who doesn’t want to do it, and knows that they don’t. Besides that, pretty much all personality types, and dispositions, can find success in this role.
So, what is customer success really like?
Well, let me tell you, it’s not just one flat answer. It really depends on your company…
Who are your customers?
What is their experience like?
Is there anything that would improve their experience with your business?
Are you offering them the best solution to their needs?
What more can you do?
To me, customer success is a lot of questions. The questions that you ask yourself, like the ones listed above, and the questions that the customers ask you, which are sometimes the same. I think that customer success, or service, is pretty much exactly what you’d think. It’s, in a general form, ensuring that the customer feels like working with you, or receiving your product, has successfully satisfied their needs or desires. It is making sure that they feel like you are there to serve them if they have any complications, complaints, issues, or questions.
Sometimes that’s over call, in a meeting, or in a chat box online. Sometimes it is done at events, fairs, or parties. Sometimes it is a handshake instead of a deal-break. It can be a lot of things. Don’t expect it to be simple, but expect it to be interesting. It may be a lot of investment, but you might just find that you’re investing in yourself the whole time.
Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them down below!