{"id":9398,"date":"2021-08-27T11:19:56","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T11:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpcrunch.com\/blog\/?p=9398"},"modified":"2023-12-12T15:35:44","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T15:35:44","slug":"customer-success-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpcrunch.com\/blog\/customer-success-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build a Five-Star Customer Success Strategy (+5 Real-Life Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you are here, you\u2019ve already realized that nowadays brands can\u2019t rely entirely on their product\u2019s quality. A good product itself doesn\u2019t mean anything. Imagine, you have a silver fork, but what it matters if there is a plate of soup in front of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies need to dig deeper and focus on whether the customers accomplish their goals with that product or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this \u201cdigging\u201d can be described with one simple (not really) notion: customer success<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> If clients succeed using your product or service, they continue buying from you. Basically, it\u2019s all you need to build a prosperous business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can focus on adoption, retention, expansion, or advocacy; or you can focus on the customers\u2019 desired outcome and get all of those things. <\/em><\/p>\u00a9 Lincoln Murphy, customer success growth expert.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know what the future brings, but it will definitely be difficult to achieve what you want without a concrete plan of action. That\u2019s why I am here to give you a starting point. You will learn how to build a customer success strategy in theory and from real-life examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is a customer success strategy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a series of actions and practices aimed at ensuring customers achieve their desired outcomes while using your product or service. It\u2019s relationship-focused client management that strives to align client and vendor goals for the mutually beneficial upshot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the plan is effective, it usually results in decreased customer churn and rising upsell opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is to note that a customer success strategy is about connecting all the activities of each company department (not just CSM representatives) and utilizing all the available resources to help a client achieve their goals with your product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer support vs customer success<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The difference between these two notions has been sparkling discussions in a number of teams. Let\u2019s make things clear, at last. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer support agents resolve product- or service-related issues. It\u2019s more of reactive work. For example, when a user doesn’t know how to customize the tool, they turn to customer support. Agents educate customers about how the product functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer success managers, by contrast, work with users proactively<\/a> to understand their business goals and inner motivations. They often reach out to clients first and ask questions or offer assistance. They also help users with onboarding and product adoption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both teams strive for the same thing: to deliver amazing experiences to their customers. They just have different methods to do that. This graphic perfectly illustrates the differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"customer
Customer success vs customer service<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Be not deceived by customer satisfaction either <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Customer success and customer satisfaction are different things, although they\u2019re closely related. One index can skyrocket, while the other drops down. How come?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, customer satisfaction is defined by how well your product or service meets your customer\u2019s expectations. But it doesn\u2019t guarantee that a user gets the desired outcome with the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There could be different scenarios: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cYes, your tool looks amazing, stylish with an intuitive interface but it lacks the functionality I need to achieve my business goals.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cI\u2019ve just installed your tool, it\u2019s great! But I am still far from the goals I want to achieve with it\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technically, these two customers can be classified as satisfied ones, but their degree of success is low. And if you are a B2B company charging recurring subscription fees, these unsuccessful users are the ones that are likely to cancel their subscriptions one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Okay, here is a graph to make it simpler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"customer
Customer success and customer satisfaction graph<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How to build a five-star customer success strategy? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You came here to find a clear answer on how to build a customer success plan. In brief, here is a framework you should start with. It illustrates the whole cycle of customer success strategy. If performed well, each step contributes to the end result, making you and your clients happy. Also, arm yourself with quality software tools<\/a> that are going to assist you on your way to success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surely, every company is different. But this is a general framework of customer success methodology that any business can use. Follow these steps while creating your own strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"customer
Customer success framework<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Brand awareness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, begin nurturing and assuring potential customers that your brand is confident and qualified enough to solve their problems. Make a clear statement – on your landing page, blog, and ads – what makes a customer a good fit for your company. Explain in simple words who can benefit from the cooperation and how. By doing so, you will share the content that speaks directly to your target audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer acquisition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure your sales team is well trained not just on a product but also on how to communicate with your customers. Their task is to define your client’s needs and prove that the product can satisfy them (if it can). It\u2019s vital to invest in business and relationship training for your sales agents, especially if you sell to company owners or C-level managers directly. This way your team will be able to relate to decision makers’ inner motivations and, generally, speak your customers\u2019 language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer onboarding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build a clear documented onboarding process<\/a>. Walk new clients through the whole stage until they are properly empowered to use your product to the fullest. Ensure that you provide a smooth shift from acquisition to onboarding, namely, internal steps to get started with the tool. It\u2019s a good idea to keep your sales team involved during the first part of the onboarding stage since they\u2019ve already earned the trust of newcomers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Value realization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an a-ha moment for your customers when they test and then realize your value. At this stage, they get what they want out of the partnership. First, exhale with relief. Second, keep polishing your offer. Customers’ expectations and needs tend to change, so you should do regular check-ups to ask them what they like and what they don\u2019t about your product. And if something pops up, you can quickly fix it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expansion offers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As time goes by and customers keep loving your product, it might be a good moment to offer them an upgrade. Again, if you regularly collect users\u2019 feedback, you know what features they miss on the current plan and what can boost their growth. But it will work only if they trust you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer Loyalty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This step is a natural result of the job you\u2019ve accomplished so far. Each stage of the cycle leads to this ultimate goal: growing your loyal customer base. But it\u2019s not the end (the circle doesn\u2019t have the ending point \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f). To keep users loyal, prioritize any communication that comes from them – a review, a message, or a referral. Also, consider giving them some discounts as part of the loyalty program<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 customer success strategy examples from real life <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this part, we’ll have a look at how world-known companies implement their customer success strategy<\/a>. Hopefully, it will spark your creativity! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Facebook – proactive customer support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Each time you resolve customer issues before they become problems, you act proactively. While some companies answer questions only when they arise, others try to identify possible road bumps and get rid of them in advance. Usually, the latter win, since clients love them better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As many as 83%<\/a> of US adults want a brand to self-diagnose problems related to the product or service and reach customers proactively. If companies do so, consequently, they get 3 main benefits: <\/p>\n\n\n\n