project around scaling

Melissa Logothetis
Melissa Logothetis Member Posts: 22 Thought Leader
5 Comments
edited November 2020 in Strategy & Planning
Hello everyone.

I was challenged in an interview with discussing how I would handle 45k customers. The product is mostly a self-service model.  I know that automation will be a big player here. I wanted to see if there was anything else I should consider. 

Thank you for your insights.

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Comments

  • Dave Johnstone
    Dave Johnstone Member Posts: 2 Seeker
    edited November 2020
    Hi Melissa,

    I'd say that there isn't enough information to answer the questions well and that you need to dig more deeply.  Possible questions:
    • What is their vision?
    • What are their desired outcomes for the position and for their clients in order of priority?
    • What is their business model? 
    • Is the position focused on Customer Success or is their a significant sales component?
    Once you get more information it'll be easier to offer a strategy that includes the answers to the above questions.

    Good luck!

    Dave
  • Melissa Logothetis
    Melissa Logothetis Member Posts: 22 Thought Leader
    5 Comments
    edited November 2020
    Hi Dave.

    Here is more information. The company is a VOIP provider. They are a High volume, low ARR ($20 mo.), transactional type set up. The onboarding is primarily self-service. They currently do not have a CS function. The primary concerns are centered around retention as they identified churn from no/low usage as well as from non-payment. As the overall company has other products there is the potential for cross-selling into other divisions but I'm not sure that is the primary focus at the moment. 

    I don't want to get too deep in the weeds at the moment on this as I have a LOT of questions about the types of customers they have. 

    My initial thoughts are to automate the engagements with the customer. Have the customers segmented based on industry/size and provide content directed at them that is specific to their segment. Due to the team size (2 CSMs initially) perhaps have a qtrly focus on one segment around expansion. Types of engagements can include how-to videos, feature focus, and case studies.

    Overall right now they are completely reactive in their contact with the customer so there is a desire to move to a proactive stance. 

    Hope this helps.
    Thanks.
  • Dave Johnstone
    Dave Johnstone Member Posts: 2 Seeker
    edited November 2020
    Hi Melissa,

    It sounds like their primary objective is to improve retention.  The reasons for the churn are:
    1. No usage / Low usage
    2. Non-payment (which is likely due to the no usage/low usage above)
    Has the company dug deeper into the reasons for no usage/low usage?  Any chance this has increased during the pandemic?  If so, is it possible clients have moved to other platforms such as Zoom? See this article.  

    I don't know the soundness of the linked article, but it seems to make sense.  Part 2 of the article is about how VOIP providers might compete with these encroaching platforms. 

    Hope this is useful.

    Cheers,

    Dave
  • Melissa Logothetis
    Melissa Logothetis Member Posts: 22 Thought Leader
    5 Comments
    edited November 2020
    THanks, I will take a look.