Customer success, for all its value as a career path and critical importance to business, requires a degree of patience and professionalism — especially when dealing with the occasional difficult customer or product issue.
How do customer success managers keep their cool in moments of duress? By leaning on the support of their team.
Customer success teams are at risk of experiencing frequent burnout in their professional lives. According to Vitally’s 2023 “The Secret Lives of CSMs” report, half of CSMs noted that they experience burnout at least sometimes, and over a third of respondents reported feeling burnout “often” or more.
In this environment, teams can provide an inclusive culture and a much-needed support system for CSMs. Data gathered by Gallup highlights that employees who feel valued as team members are 57 percent less likely to experience burnout.
To get a firsthand understanding of the importance of a robust, inclusive team culture in customer success, Built In Boston spoke with CS representatives from two teams in the Boston area, Workhuman and The Predictive Index. Both conversations cover what felt successful for each representative during the hiring process, what they love about their team culture and the advice they would pass on to other teams looking to upgrade their CS team culture.
Workhuman provides SaaS HR solutions that help companies meet today’s biggest human capital challenges.
How did you decide to join the Workhuman team? What stood out to you the most during the interview process?
I decided to join the CS team at Workhuman because I really felt connected to the overall mission and goal that Workhuman has: to make the workplace more human-centric. I wanted the opportunity to work with a product that I believed in and make a positive impact on my customers’ businesses and even their employees’ lives.
What stood out the most during the interview process was how absolutely personable and transparent my interviewers were. I could tell they wanted to make sure that they were giving me as much information about their experiences at Workhuman so that I may make the most informed decision possible.
What keeps you on your current team? Do you have any favorite aspects of your role or the team culture?
I know it’s cliche, but what keeps me on my current team is, of course, my teammates. The people at Workhuman are some of the best humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. They are smart, hardworking, committed and have the best intentions at heart.
“The people at Workhuman are some of the best humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
I would say that my favorite aspect of the team culture is our collective commitment to supporting each other. You can always count on someone to step in and help with absolutely anything you may need some support on or have a question about.
What advice would you give CS leaders eager to strengthen their own teams?
My biggest piece of advice that I would give a CS leader to help strengthen their team would be to foster a culture of honesty, vulnerability and feedback. I can guarantee you have future leaders within your direct team who are incredibly tenacious and motivated. When you give them a safe environment that encourages those qualities, you are granting the opportunity and permission to those individuals to think outside the box and be themselves, which can lead to some incredible outcomes.
I absolutely consider openness, transparency and trust in the work that your team is doing to be some of the most important elements of a successful customer success team.
The Predictive Index is a talent management and optimization company that helps businesses hire, manage and retain talent through its platform.
How did you decide to join the Predictive Index team? What stood out to you the most during the interview process?
Funny story, I actually applied and was interviewing for a direct sales position before joining the CS team. A wonderful thing about The Predictive Index is that its hiring managers truly use their own science to make sure you are the right fit for the role. My manager Kat attended my “Super Day” interview presentation, and from there invited me to interview with her and my director Mike for the client sales associate role. The interview with the two of them stood out the most to me in the entire process.
Although nerves always play a role in the interview process, I felt comfortable talking to them almost immediately and felt a sense of belonging. It was evident that they had a great working relationship and upheld core values I aligned with which also extended throughout the team. After talking with them about the team and their goals, I knew I had to be a part of the CS squad.
What keeps you on your current team? Do you have any favorite aspects of your role or the team culture?
As cheesy as it may sound, the people are what keep me on my current team — although I do love the work I do, too. The culture of the CS team values every member and celebrates even the smallest wins.
“As cheesy as it may sound, the people are what keep me on my current team.”
I’m used to working on small teams, but my favorite aspect — and one that I haven’t seen often — is that we have a director who is involved and truly invested in each individual on the team. Mike regularly and happily attends and schedules meetings to offer support and guidance, which is so greatly appreciated. Equally as impactful is my manager Kat Manning, who is the client sales associate team’s biggest cheerleader. Her honesty, reliability and positive attitude perpetuate the work culture that makes me excited to show up to work every day.
What advice would you give to CS leaders eager to strengthen their own teams?
From my former professional experience as well as my experience on the CS team, the most impactful thing I’ve found that strengthens teams is to be an empathetic, self-aware leader who leads by example. I truly believe that our team runs so effectively because our leaders are the first ones to volunteer to help or to get their hands dirty daily; nothing is too big or little for them to support. This makes for a unifying leader who people believe in and want to stand behind.
In addition to that, I think some of the most important elements to have on a CS team are individuals with strong communication skills who work towards the team’s success and support each other. When you put all of these elements together, you produce a highly effective team that is capable of reaching and exceeding its goals.
