CS Application Training

Stefanie Wood

The current environment unfortunately has me in the job hunt.  The last company I worked for was very small and just ramping up, so there were no formal CS apps, other than Sales Force, being used.  I am no stranger to learning new applications, just need access to training.  Any suggestions on how to get trained on applications such as Gainsight, Churn Zero, Zuora, etc.?

Shari Srebnick

Hi Stefanie,

First, kudos to you for being proactive.  :)

In my opinion and experience, I think the CS software platforms are not hard to learn and you can ramp quickly.  I think the bigger piece to that puzzle is more about understanding how your new company is using the tool and more importantly, how they use it to manage the different stages of their customer journey/lifecycle.  Is it effective?  If not, why not? etc.  As a leader, I'd want to dig into that, and then I can always lean on my CS Software CSM  or my CS Ops person to train me.  

Good luck on your search!

Monica Trivedi

Hi Stefanie, 

To add to @Shari Srebnick's great points, I agree that the CS tools are usually pretty straightforward to learn. I found my first step when joining new orgs was  to understand if they tracked the customer journey and mapped out the process on who is doing what and when. Also what value is brought to the customer at each step. With respect to the tool, I look at how the company uses the tool, who in the company uses it (sales, product, support - only csms) and what were they hoping to achieve with the tool. Ultimately, the tool should make things easier for multiple teams in the company, be the conduit to manage customer relationships in the most effective way, and provide visibility across the organization. 

In addition to the CS tools, it is always helpful to understand what other applications are crucial to the business and if those are integrated with the tool or should be to provide more robust data. 

Good Luck with your search!
 

Stefanie Wood

Thanks @Shari Srebnick, I appreciate your insight!  Because many organizations desire you to have experience with these tools prior to joining them, I was hoping to get some pointers on how I might accomplish this without access to them through an organization.

 

Stefanie Wood

Thanks @Monica Trivedi, I agree with all of your points!  Because many organizations desire you to have experience with these tools prior to joining them, I was hoping to get some pointers on how I might accomplish this without access to them through an organization.

Shari Srebnick

@Stefanie Wood  that's frustrating for sure, but I think there is a way around it.   But to answer your question, not sure there is such a thing available.

First, no one person can know how to use every software out there - many orgs don't even have CS software and only use Salesforce.  Then what? 

Instead, I would focus the conversation - steer the narrative - towards your ability to learn new tools quickly, and provide examples with concrete ROI.  Showcase your ability, aka bring the receipts.  

I understand that there may still be challenges to this, but for me personally, any company that is going to make a hiring decision based on whether or not I have used a specific tool vs what I have accomplished and what I bring to the table, isn't a place I'd want to work.  

Monica Trivedi

Hi Stefanie, 

There are so many tools and so many new ones coming out all the time. Additionally the existing tools are always changing too so it would be difficult. 

One tip is to research what is out there. I know there have been several articles bench marking tools and also lots of CS webinars where tools are showcased. This year I attended the Pulse virtual event and lots of speakers shared best practices around Gainsight. Not exactly what you are looking for but a good way to learn about the different tools that a potential company could be using and speaking about what you know based on the research. 

 

 

Tim Gilhooly

Stefanie -

Gainsight offers free video training with their NXT edition. There are 10 free videos showing the main page and dashboards. I just started today. 

I realize this post is a few months old but wanted to help others that had the same questions I have. While we don't have access to the physical platform we can at least see the tabs, dashboards and bring this up if asked during an interview, networking, etc....

Let me know if you have any questions

Pam Micznik

Hi Stephanie,

A CS application provides a structure for your job.

You could write an article on LinkedIn^TM about a process you might use to support your future customers. Ultimately, understanding the process shows future employers that you will take control of the situation. @Monica Trivedi's suggestion to research would serve you well as you write.