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ChurnZero Customer Success Professional Spotlight – Brian Hartley
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It’s time for another installment of our blog series where we spotlight a Customer Success professional and get their take on the industry as well as get to hear some of their top tips they’d like to share.
Today we are showcasing – Brian Hartley. Brian is the Senior Director of Customer Success at RFP360, where he leads the customer experience team. He is responsible for creating outstanding and memorable user experiences through onboarding, ennoblement and continuous support.
RFP360, offers the only full-circle RFP management solution designed for issuers and responders. Through innovative technology that leverages big data and automated workflows, as well as a keen understanding of the complexities of procurement and bidding, they help their customers develop strategic RFP processes that deliver results.
So without further ado, let’s hear what’s Brian’s take on the Customer Success industry as well as some trusted advice he’s used along the way.
Q&A:
Brian Hartley, Senior Director, Customer Success, RFP360
Q: Why do you think it’s important to invest in Customer Success?
A: Investing in tools and resources that allow your team to be as proactive as possible is crucial to success. In today’s world there are thousands of SaaS tools and all are dependent on recurring, subscription revenue. In order to maximize lifetime value you need to have tools and people to monitor, identify and quickly address product engagement challenges, while also building and maintaining a good partnership with your customers.
Q: What’s the best thing a customer has ever said to you?
A: When a stakeholder told me that during her review she was given really high marks on the program we deployed together. When the product or service I manage has a direct impact on a client’s annual performance review, that is a “mission accomplished” type feeling.
Q: In your opinion, what makes your company better at Customer Success than others in the market?
A: I am fortunate to have a strong team of onboarding, engagement and support consultants. They all work really well together to solve problems and be solution oriented. The incredible morale and comradery on my team is something that happened organically and is very powerful in our quest to provide a high level of service to our customers.
Q: What is your philosophy on Customer Success management?
A: I try to empower everyone on my team to own and manage their respective projects and customers. I am here to support and advise my team. I give them the space and freedom to develop their own strategies and creative approaches. Learning through challenges and experience can really help shape and define a career.
Q: What’s one thing that you think is holding back the Customer Success industry?
A: While I think it has gotten better, the one area that is holding the industry back is that customer success is represented as a support team. While support is one of the functions, our consultants who manage customer relationships are responsible for adding value and driving adoption. It is important for us to help educate our customers about how our team operates so they fully understand each function and the overall depth of knowledge and services available.
To read more about the great work the RFP360 Customer Success team has done, check out this success story on how they became more proactive in their customer outreach and how they increased conversions for their free trial users to paid subscriptions.
Customer Success Around the Web
- Sales Won’t Save You This Time Around– Learn how to maximize your profits, tune your operations, and boost your customers in your quest to survive this recession.
- Customer Success and Revenue– Check out why CS should step up and embrace revenue numbers.
- How To Forecast Revenue During Uncertain Times– Forecasting revenue can be difficult at the best of times. See how to go about it now.
Fighting Churn is a newsletter of inspiration, ideas and news on customer success, churn, renewal and other stuff and is curated by ChurnZero.