I would leave off the "instead of by an individual." Why include it? It is something we all know and define clearly inside the org but the customer only needs to know that they now have a team. If they have a relationship with a CSM I might have the assigned CSM deliver the message and have them address any feedback.
The biggest battle internally is not defining tech touch as less than, inferior to, or a second rate experience to the one to one model. It isn't but if you message that, it is what internal partners will pick up (and often assume) and create a perception where tech touch is "the bottom" of the CSM hierarchy. When done well, Tech Touch is every bit as successful as one to one and can meet all the same objectives. (I took great pride in being the top performer among all CSMs in every metric possible in my days a tech touch CSM! Beating every single CSM from every other tier, almost every time!)
I like the team part and the difference is you introduce the team to the contacts, VS an individual. Do you segment by ARR?
How do you manage escalations, or other feedback that the team gets from the pooled customers? I have seen it handled various ways, sometimes redirected to support by default. Does messaging that the pooled customers get (Totango/Gainsight campaigns etc...) have an individual's signature, a generic team signature, a a persona or other? I am in the process of defining all of this.
I am a big proponent of moving customers who are not responsive to the tech touch tier. Sometimes they don't see the value. or any reason to meet with the CSM, sometimes they are self-service oriented and have a go it alone approach, and sometimes they just don't want yet another meeting! Why fight it?
In my last gig we had a team who managed tech touch and were available when needed. If something came up, a direct engagement was possible. We had customers with an ARR of $10,000 and others with $2,000,000. Guess who we were prepared to move back and was watched just a little more closely?
It scaled very nicely and the fear of the tech touch team being overwhelmed never came to fruition. As an added bonus, I took delight in turning as many high value tech touch or scale customers and enrolling them in our advocacy program. No one contributed more to the advocacy program then our scale team! It was a great achievement that few inside the org thought possible.
I love your approach.
Hi Mary,I hope you had a relaxing weekend!I'm a bit late to join this discussion but indeed it's a great question and I really find the responses helpful!Probably there are a few things which might be helpful to answer this question. 1) The customers are well aware of the current model and benefits they are getting from a dedicated CSM?2) If yes, then you could prepare the list of benefits and showcase what similar values they will get once the account is transferred to the success or support team3) Once they start with this model and you feel that their concerns are a bit complex to address by the support team or they will get more value if a dedicated CSM is assigned to their account then share those reasons with them.4) Once they feel that a dedicated CSM can be more useful for their business needs then they will surely opt for this.5) And if the customers are not aware of this model then you can gradually transfer the communication by making sure that they get the same level of dedication.
Great discussions in this thread so thank you for bringing this topic up. I believe you have received a lot of different options to explore. My concern was whether you had a contractual obligation of any sort which I am glad to hear is not the case in this situation, and for the customers that are aware of the ACV threshold, I am sure they will understand......for the ones that didn't, with the right message/approach (like the one Ashley described), this should be a relatively less painful transition.
As discussed, we have implemented some changes to the methodology for the alignment of the account assignments at JLLT/Corrigo. Your account will now be managed by a team of Customer Success professionals instead of by an individual CSE. Your first point of contact will be the JLLT OneServiceCenter, previously named the Support Team. If your request is something outside of a standard request (i.e. additional training, consulting, custom reporting, configuration work required, etc.), OSC will escalate the request to the Customer Success Team.
Please be assured that our team is committed to your success, and we will do everything we can to make sure that you are informed about product updates, best practices, and new features and functionality. I do want to point out that JLLT University has been updated with new content including recorded webinars, new release presentations, and surveys, so please review at your convenience: https://university.jllt.com/
Contacting the OneServiceCenter
If you include the following information in any messages sent to the OneServiceCenter, it will expedite you getting a resolution
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this change, please let me know. It has been a pleasure working with you! I have really enjoyed getting to know you. Thank you for your partnership. Please don't hesitate to reach out if I can assist you with anything.
Great discussion. This is, as already mentioned, a difficult one. I will share what I have done at my organization, which may or may not work as a possible solution depending on the size of your org and how many customers are impacted by the change: To lay a little background- the reason we considered a change was because we noticed a lot of customers no-showing cadence calls, not having enough to cover in calls because of lack of resources on their end, and in the end, they were using the product, happy, and only really needed help with how-to's (in their mind). Additionally, we needed to be nurturing these customers even more, but on their own terms/time- not on a set cadence call. Plus, we are growing, and it was time to consider breaking off a segment for a more automated experience. I battled with the same question- how to approach the change with customers. I decided I would run a test. I selected a portion of the customers and set up calls with as many of them as possible- 15-20 min was really enough time. I had a "pitch" of the idea and the why and let them know it was a feedback call and it was a choice.
I was pretty amazed that around 99% of all customers I spoke with were very excited about the idea to move to a model that fit their needs better. The few others that pushed back remained with their CSM and I am monitoring the engagement. For the next group of customers, I am testing another approach- we will be sending communications from our Success@(company).com email reminding them of the resources and team they have available. This will be followed by invitations to group workshops and other ways to learn and engage. The key now is to continue to build out programming and touchpoints that really do nurture these customers without those 1:1 relationships. I will mention that we still have 1:1 high touch implementation and onboarding for all customers, but based on a set contract engagement threshold, certain customers go into the growth model from there. I still have a lot to learn and a lot of data gathering to do before I really know if one approach was/is better than the other. I guess my point is- maybe it doesn't have to be one way- test! test! test! talk to your customers. They will tell you the answer most likely. What I heard from the first group was that it made so much sense that my second test was validated. Now, to find out if the more bulk communication of the change is successful/well-received....Hope this helps or at least sparks other ideas! KayleeDir. Customer Operations
2) Re: building out a 1 to many -- yep. That's something we want to kick off (again) towards H2. Meanwhile, all customers are part of marketing's flows of blog posts, webinars, and the like.
3) "I think you should look at a phase approach send a note out to all customers who would be affected letting them know of the decision. Let them know that they will still have full access to support teams, KA, Product Tours and will be receiving the same Newsletters etc but that at the time of renewal they will have the option to add a CS leader to their renewal who'll be responsible for X (Because you'll want to associate the value)." Love it. Thank you.
2) What type of direct and indirect engagements do you have? You want to off load some of those customers, I understand, but would it make sense to build out a Tier model where you have 1 CS person handle a large number of T3 accounts but is more or less directing indirect (Email, Newsletters, Protips, coffee talk) type engagements? It's a scenario where you aren't spending a ton of cycles and resources but still showing some love and building value in customers' accounts.
3) I think you should look at a phase approach send a note out to all customers who would be affected letting them know of the decision. Let them know that they will still have full access to support teams, KA, Product Tours and will be receiving the same Newsletters etc but that at the time of renewal they will have the option to add a CS leader to their renewal who'll be responsible for X (Because you'll want to associate the value). And if they don't again, they'll receive the same great service they've known to love and trust.
Hey Mary, That is a tough one. I have a few thoughts and then perhaps an idea. 1) What's driving this direction? Growth and unwillingness to invest more in CS bodies? Maybe a misconception or perception from above on the value of CS? Or other? I ask because its important to let your Executive Team know the value that CS brings not only from an annual NRR or growth perspective but also through the relationship aspects. This years Executive Champion at Mom and Pops Garage is next years Executive Champion at American Honda. Specifically (and this stat may have changed) but CISO's move about every 2/3 years. And building those relationships through CS springboards future growth. I understand there are other variables and a hypothetical situation but its not a false statement either and I've personally seen a CISO bring our company in and displace existing solutions in 4 different stops. He started at the mom and pop and wound up on the Wall Street. And his number one response as to why? "I trust your solutions, and your team gives me guidance on the things I'm needing and the things I haven't seen yet" CS all day long.
Hello Mary,It is a tough one indeed. A few questions:
