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In today's dynamic business landscape, the role of a Customer Success Manager (CSM) has emerged as a pivotal force in fostering enduring customer relationships. The customer journey, at its heart, is the path that transforms a mere transaction into a meaningful partnership.
Ashlynn Rickord Werner, a CSM here at PlotBox, provides insights into her role in supporting our customers as they digitally transform their operations.
My role revolves around ensuring our customers' satisfaction. In the Customer Success team, our aim is to make sure that customers using PlotBox are not only content but also successful in their journey, both during implementation and as active users. We provide comprehensive support, addressing queries about product features, new improvements, and any issues that arise. Our ultimate goal is to guarantee that all our customers are happy with PlotBox.
In short, the customer journey guides the seamless progression from idea to achievement.
This journey to success involves key stages that ensure a smooth transition from the start of engagement to project completion. The first, ‘alignment’ stage is crucial as it moves the customer from signing the contract to starting the project. Our internal teams work together here to gather important project details from the Commercial team, setting the groundwork for the next steps.
The alignment stage speeds up the gathering of vital project information, leading to a strong partnership kick-off. This leads into the ‘execute phase’, where we make the project's vision a reality through careful planning and skilled execution. With precise navigation and dedication in each phase, we guide our customers to exceptional success, ensuring their journey with us is outstanding.
Establishing a solid foundation for a partnership is absolutely crucial for successful digital transformation and the overall project. One key aspect is involving Customer Success right from the beginning. By understanding our customers' processes, pain points, and reasons for choosing PlotBox, we can become their trusted advisors throughout their entire journey.
Customers can freely approach us with questions or concerns, whether it's about their data or more complex business decisions.
Our aim is to be their advocate and a reliable partner, supporting them at every step of the transformation process. This collaborative approach is pivotal as it allows us to build a strong and enduring relationship with our customers.
Ensuring effective communication falls partly on Customer Success and partly on the project team during the execution and delivery phases. To achieve this, we establish the frequency of meetings right from the start. After the kick-off, we schedule ‘goals workshops’ and decide on meeting intervals—whether it's monthly, bi-weekly, or quarterly. This early establishment of clear communication objectives is absolutely essential.
Apart from these meetings, we utilize project tracking tool software for managing delivery tickets. Once the project is live, this becomes even more crucial. As a Customer Success Manager, I review progress and work closely with the support team to ensure customers are updated on their open tickets and their current status. This way, they feel well-informed and connected to the process.
Q5. How do you ensure a deep understanding of customers' needs and expectations throughout the transformation process?
Understanding our customers' needs and expectations throughout the project is crucial.
It helps us tailor our approach and deliver a smooth and successful digital transformation. By actively involving the customer in the process and assigning them specific roles, such as data owner, process owner, and financial integration lead, we ensure they play a major part in the project's success.
Identifying key stakeholders early on helps us know who to rely on for vital information and decision-making. Involving the customer in various phases of the project, especially during data and process-related activities, is essential since they possess the knowledge of their own business. By engaging customers and making them active participants, we create a smoother transition and a more successful digital transformation.
During the process alignment phase, we carefully analyse the customer's current processes and discuss potential changes needed to align them with PlotBox's capabilities. It's about putting their day-to-day operations into the perspective of PlotBox, ensuring that they can seamlessly integrate the platform into their workflow.
If a customer has identified process improvement as a key delivery goal, we maintain regular check-ins throughout their journey to gauge their progress and satisfaction, especially after the process alignment phase. Once their process alignment session is completed, we schedule a separate call to ensure all their questions have been addressed and to understand how they feel about the changes made. This post-alignment health check helps us verify if their new processes in PlotBox align with their previous ones and if they feel comfortable with the transition.
However, our involvement doesn't end at the go-live stage. We continue to support customers and monitor their processes beyond that point. We keep a close eye on how their processes evolve post-go-live. There might be legislative changes or new requirements that they need to adapt to, and we guide them through those adjustments.
In the past, some customers may have been hesitant to involve their entire staff, believing that only the management should handle the project rollout. However, we emphasise the importance of engaging the wider team early on. By including all staff members in the process, they gain a better understanding of the benefits and functionalities of PlotBox. Consequently, they feel more connected to the transformation and become more receptive to the changes.
When striving to achieve the perfect balance between people, process, and technology, it becomes essential to involve all stakeholders. From senior executives to end-users working in different roles within PlotBox - their perspectives matter significantly. Understanding their needs, adoption challenges, and unique processes is crucial in making the digital transformation as seamless as possible.
Ultimately, the success of the digital transformation lies in striking the right balance between technology, processes, and the people using and following them. By aligning these elements harmoniously, we can drive positive change, empower individuals, and create a lasting impact on the services provided to the families in their time of need.
Embracing change is a critical aspect of undertaking a digital transformation. This endeavor requires a significant investment of time, energy, and financial resources. It's essential for individuals and organizations to be open to change during this process.