CS Perspectives from Gainsight

Scheduling meetings can be very time consuming; and can often be the reason why customers don’t schedule meetings at all. Reducing the friction between both account management teams (i.e - Customer Success Managers, Account Managers, Solution Architects, etc.) and customers can help significantly with improving the response rate of your requests for a meeting. One tool to help with this is Calendly. A popular calendar booking service that allows third parties to select a time slot that is convenient for both them and you, without the need for long email chains back and forth. Calendly in particular has some great features such as round-robin scheduling (great for pooled teams) and group bookings (great when you want both a Customer Success Manager and Account Manager to attend). Once your team has selected a tool such as Calendly, the next challenge is getting your customers to book the time at the right point in their customer journey. This can vary between all sorts of different use

Hi, We have a full partner strategy, and don't have direct customers. Currently we are using the Allbound as a partner portal. E.g. for onboarding of partners, sharing of documentation, deal reg forms, etc.We are looking into Gainsight Community to be able to engage/interact more with our end customers/users. To simplify our tech stack we were wondering if we could Allbound by Gainsight Community.Are there other Gainsight Community customers who have a partner strategy? If so, is there any experience in using Gainsight Community also as a partner portal?Thanks,Bram

Building relationships is not about transactions, it’s about connections. - Michelle Tillis Lederman The renewal experience is important when it comes to keeping our customers happy and making our business grow. So, it's crucial that your team stays in touch with the right people involved in the process to make sure those renewals go smoothly. One great way to do that is by setting up a system to check and confirm who the key stakeholders are. This way, we can reach out to them directly, have more personalized conversations, and increase our chances of successful renewals. When we know who the key stakeholders are we are able to build connections.Before diving into how to set up checks and balances, it's important to understand your organization's renewal process and identify who is typically involved. Answering the following discovery questions will help you:What does your renewal process entail? What stages and touch points are involved Who are the typical stakeholders involved? Who

Remember the first time you used a voice assistant to set a timer or play music? That small taste of hands-free computer control felt like magic. Now, imagine a world where AI can navigate your entire computer system with the same intuitive understanding as a human assistant sitting at your desk. On Oct 22nd, 2024, Anthropic released Computer Use. Per their website: 'Available today on the API, developers can direct Claude to use computers the way people do—by looking at a screen, moving a cursor, clicking buttons, and typing text. Claude 3.5 Sonnet is the first frontier AI model to offer computer use in public beta'.Let's examine this capability and what it means for businesses below.Beyond Simple AutomationCurrent automation tools are like trains on tracks - they follow pre-defined paths and break down when something unexpected appears. But imagine an AI that can adapt to changing interfaces, understand context, and navigate computer systems with human-like flexibility. This isn't ju

 Picture this: It's Monday morning, and you need to understand why customer engagement dropped last month. Your current options? Wade through multiple spreadsheets, wait for an analyst to build a custom report, or click through countless dashboard filters hoping to stumble upon the answer. Sound familiar?Here's a reality check: while every enterprise software product comes equipped with robust reporting features, what users actually want isn't reports – they want answers.The Hidden Cost of Traditional ReportingFor too long, getting business insights has felt like playing a corporate version of telephone. You start with a simple question: "How are our customers using our product?" What follows is an all-too-familiar routine: requesting reports, waiting for them to be generated, analyzing various visualizations (yes, including those occasionally indecipherable pie charts), and often repeating the entire process when the initial data doesn't quite answer your question.This isn't just inef

"Help! My champion just left the company!" "Wait, when did this person join the account?" "Why are these emails bouncing? We just had a QBR!"Sound familiar? 🙋‍♀️I've been having fascinating conversations with many of you about a challenge we all share - maintaining accurate contact data. Every time I bring this up at customer meetings or CS events, I see knowing smiles and hear deep sighs of recognition.Last week, a CS leader shared something that really stuck with me: "We spent months building the perfect digital engagement strategy... only to realize half our contact data was outdated. It felt like planning an amazing party but sending the invitations to old addresses!"This got me thinking about how we've traditionally approached contact management:Traditional Approach:CSMs manually updating contact records Quarterly contact audits "Last known good" email lists Reactive updates when emails bounce Endless spreadsheet maintenanceThe results? Usually:Outdated org charts Missing key sta

Embarking on the digital customer success journey can feel daunting—deciphering ownership and team responsibilities often poses just one of the many challenges. Questions loom:Who should spearhead the digital customer success team? Is hiring dedicated resources necessary to begin? Where should this team fit within our organizational structure?Let’s navigate the best approach to structure your team and support your journey into digital customer success.1. Inaugural Steps: The Tiger TeamStart by assembling a digital customer success 'tiger team,' comprising representatives from pivotal departments like Customer Success, Marketing, Operations, Support, and Product. While it may seem like a medley of opinions, having one representative per department minimizes the "too many cooks" situation. 2. Evolutionary Phases: The Journey to DedicationAs your digital customer success journey blossoms, recognizing the value becomes paramount. At Gainsight, our pivotal shift occurred in 2019, leading us

Remember 2021? NFTs were the talk of the town, remote work became the new normal, and traditional customer onboarding was still largely a manual, time-consuming process. Fast forward to today, and artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how we bring customers onboard - not by replacing human expertise, but by making it exponentially more powerful.Gone are the days when customer onboarding was a simple handoff process. In today's enterprise SaaS landscape, it's evolved into a specialized function that can make or break customer success. But here's the challenge: how do you maintain quality while scaling your onboarding operations? The answer lies in the strategic application of AI.The New Face of Customer OnboardingToday's onboarding ecosystem is a complex network of specialists, each playing a crucial role in customer success. Implementation teams handle technical setup, Customer Success Managers guide long-term strategy, and dedicated training teams ensure proper customer enablemen

 Picture this: A neural network peers into a brain scan and spots a tumor that three skilled radiologists missed. Another one listens to whale songs and decodes a previously unknown pattern in their communication. And somewhere in a lab, a third network is dreaming up new molecules that could revolutionize battery technology. Welcome to the fascinating world of neural networks, where artificial minds are pushing the boundaries of what we thought possible.Remember your first day learning to ride a bike? At first, you wobbled and fell. But gradually, your brain formed new connections, strengthened pathways, and suddenly – balance! This remarkable process of learning and adaptation isn't just limited to biological brains anymore. Welcome to the fascinating world of neural networks, where artificial intelligence mirrors the very essence of how we learn.The Architecture of IntelligenceImagine walking into a vast control room. At the front, you see rows of sensors catching every detail of th

Remember when virtual assistants were just glorified alarm clocks? "Hey Siri, set a timer for 30 minutes." Those days feel almost quaint now. In 2024, we're witnessing something far more revolutionary: the rise of AI agents that can actually get things done – from booking your flights to writing your code, and even running entire business processes autonomously.The New Digital WorkforceAI agents are fundamentally different from the chatbots and virtual assistants we've grown accustomed to. Think of them as digital employees who can understand context, make decisions, and execute complex tasks without constant human supervision. They're not just responding to commands; they're proactively solving problems.For instance, an AI agent can now:Schedule meetings by understanding everyone's preferences and time zones Research competitors and generate market analysis reports Debug code and suggest optimizations Manage customer support tickets from start to finish Monitor and adjust digital mark

 Remember the first time you called a customer service line and realized you were talking to a chatbot? That slight pause in conversation, the too-perfect responses, and perhaps a hint of frustration as you repeatedly asked to "speak to a human." Fast forward to 2024, and AI has evolved dramatically – but so have customer expectations. The question isn't whether to use AI in customer interactions anymore; it's about finding the perfect balance between artificial intelligence and authentic human connection.The New Reality of Customer SuccessToday's customers demand both efficiency and empathy. They want instant responses at 2 AM and deep, meaningful conversations about their business challenges during working hours. It's a tall order, but one that forward-thinking companies are learning to fulfill by masterfully blending AI capabilities with human expertise.The Art of Knowing When to Use WhatThink of AI and human interaction as a well-choreographed dance. Each partner has their strength

Managing risk within your portfolio is close to, if not, the number one priority for CSMs. Many find themselves hesitant to open risks for their customers because they are concerned it might seem like they aren’t being a successful CSM. However, I would argue that identifying risk in your portfolio and raising it makes you a more successful CSM. As leaders, it is our role to ensure team members have a way to identify risks in their portfolio and share them back with the organization. One of the best ways to do this is to have a Call To Action (CTA) type in Gainsight for Risk.  The good news for you is that “Risk” is an out of the box CTA type in Gainsight. So you are already on your first step there! This allows your team to create CTAs for each risk in their portfolio. Then your leadership team is able to see reports on how many risks are in the customer base (more on this later).  When you’re starting a Risk process, best practice would be to identify 2-3 main risk types. Typically,

Picture this: Pope Francis strutting down Vatican City in a pristine white puffer coat. The image went viral, capturing global attention and sparking countless discussions. The twist? It never happened. The photo was created by Midjourney, an AI image generation tool, demonstrating just how far artificial intelligence has come in creating hyper-realistic imagery.Welcome to the new frontier of visual creation, where the line between human-made and AI-generated art is becoming increasingly blurred. Midjourney: The Creative PioneerMidjourney, developed by a San Francisco-based research lab, has emerged as one of the leading forces in AI image generation. Like its counterparts DALL-E and Stable Diffusion, Midjourney transforms text descriptions (known as prompts) into stunning visual artwork. The platform's ability to generate photorealistic images has captured the imagination of artists, designers, and creators worldwide.The Magic of PromptsThe true power of Midjourney lies in its ability

"I know kung fu." When Neo uttered these words in The Matrix after instantly downloading combat skills to his brain, it seemed like pure science fiction. Today, watching AI systems master complex customer interactions, predict behavior patterns, and enhance human capabilities in real-time, that scene feels strangely prophetic. Only instead of downloading kung fu, we're watching AI transform Customer Success at a pace that would make even Agent Smith raise an eyebrow. From Fear to Excitement The transformation in how Customer Success teams view AI mirrors the broader story of technological adoption. Initially, there was that familiar knot in the stomach – the same one people felt when computers first entered offices or when email began replacing phone calls. But something remarkable is happening now.A Support Team Lead recently shared how her team went from dreading AI implementation to championing it in just three months. The turning point? When they realized AI wasn't just handling mu

During The Power of Working Better Together with Gainsight PX+CS webinar, we discussed PX+CS use case maturity, reviewed tangible exercises to help Product and Customer Success teams develop strategic PX+CS use cases, and highlighted the amazing things that can be done with PX+CS integration for various types of pricing models.  Missed our webinar? You’re in luck! You can find the recording below. And check out this Gainsight University course to learn more about building your PX+CS strategy (team exercises included).  

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, we've witnessed a remarkable progression from simple chatbots to sophisticated AI agents. This evolution represents not just technological advancement, but a fundamental shift in how businesses and individuals interact with digital systems. Let's explore the key stages of this evolution and examine why AI agents are positioned to become the next transformative force in technology. The AI Spectrum: Bots, Copilots, and Agents Bots: The FoundationBots represent the initial wave of AI-powered tools. Characterized by:Specific, predefined task execution Rule-based decision-making Limited adaptability and learning capabilities Basic natural language processingWhile effective for simple tasks like answering FAQs or retrieving basic data, bots lack the sophistication required for complex problem-solving.Real-World Example: Domino's Pizza revolutionized fast-food ordering with their Facebook Messenger chatbot. This rule-based system s

Hey CS Community,We’re thrilled to invite you to a groundbreaking event that’s all about empowering your Customer Success teams with smart, sustainable strategies—Digital Success Unplugged. Set for a half-day of virtual learning and networking, this event is designed to fuel your customers' success without your teams' burnout.Why Attend?  Digital Playbooks Unlocked: Learn from the best as top CS leaders share their secret sauces for digital-first success. Actionable Strategy Sessions: Walk away with strategies you can implement immediately—no fluff, just the stuff that works. Exclusive Fireside Chats: Get up close with CS legends discussing the real tactics that have transformed their teams and operations. Elite Networking: Connect with peers and leaders to expand your knowledge and your network. Event Details:  Date: October 16th, 2024  Time: 8am PT - 12:15pm PT Register for free here: Digital Success Unplugged Who will be there with me and what are you looking forward to learning abo

Hi Admins! This post shows you how to insert tokens inside the URL. It is super simple to implement and it is very helpful since this use case is very common where Admins want to embed the URLs that are customer specific. I am here showing the use case where I have configured a email for CSM to notify them when Sentiment score drops/changes. In the email template, I want to embed the link which navigates to the respective account’s C360 page. The first part of C360 page URL remains consistent and last part of URL keeps changing with respect to account.  In the email template, click on the insert link so that you can place the URL towhich you want to navigate.  The new pop-up window appears where you insert the token within in URL. As the Account Id as I highlighted keeps changing I am tokenzing that. We can map the token to any fields in “Edit token Propoerties” section, here I am mapping the Account→ Id from Account object.  Here is how it looks after I tokenise the URL: Hope this hel

I'm excited to invite you to my upcoming webinar (Sept 12th at noon Central) where I will share insights from my experience in helping organizations across various industries implement and scale their Voice of Customer (VOC) programs.During this session, I'll be diving deep into how Gainsight leverages VOC to enhance customer experiences, increase retention, and align company priorities with customer needs. We'll cover key areas that can transform your approach to customer interactions and outcomes.Key Items We'll Explore:Gainsight's Approach to Voice of Customer: I’ll walk you through how Gainsight integrates VOC into its strategic priorities to drive customer-centric decision-making across the organization. Understanding Key Feedback Types: We’ll delve into the three crucial types of customer feedback—Customer Effort Score (CES), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and Net Promoter Score (NPS)—and how each contributes to a holistic view of customer sentiment. Driving Impact with NPS: I’ll

In our monthly meetup group about the CS Ops of Digital Customer Success, we spoke in February 2023 about measuring digital CS. Here’s what we learned! 🎞️️️️ Recording of key takeaways from each breakout room 📝 Note-taking slides from the breakout rooms Learn about these meetups in the future by signing up for the monthly CS Ops Newsletter.

Unlock tangible opportunities for improvement in just a few weeks with our Customer Success (CS) Strategic Assessment Program. This comprehensive 4-step analysis covers discovery sessions, CS charter evaluation, customer lifecycle alignment, and financial metrics review. You'll receive a detailed, actionable roadmap with strategic initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction, retention, and drive growth. Ready to elevate your Customer Success strategy? Let's get started on your path to success. https://lnkd.in/gNYmAf7g 

In a world of AI and hyper-personalization, how do we build an ethical approach for 1:many programs? In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital customer success, leveraging AI and hyper-personalization can significantly enhance customer experiences. However, as we build these 1:many programs, it’s crucial to consider the ethical implications involved. Just as with AI, setting clear boundaries and guidelines is essential to ensure we prioritize the well-being and trust of our customers. Defining Limits Similar to AI EthicsOne key aspect is defining limits similar to the ethics of AI. Establishing boundaries helps prevent potential misuse and ensures that the technology serves its intended purpose without overstepping ethical lines. Transparency in how AI algorithms make decisions and their impacts on customers is crucial. This transparency builds trust and ensures that customers understand and consent to the technology’s use. Writing Ghost ContentWriting ghost content, such as emails

On April 23, 2024 Nuria and I co-hosted a Webinar on how we were able to optimize Onboarding by using Gainsight PX and Gainsight CS.Here is the original link to the Webinar:Nuria and I decided to create this post in the Community to address the questions that were raised in the Webinar, but due to time restrictions, we were not able to address. Here is the complete list of questions. We will add the answers shortly.Q: With the risk management workflows, can you add more detail as to what are some of the cracks / gaps customers fall into? And how do you identify those?A: Q: Is this the only onboarding program or do you offer a "white glove" implementation services product as well?  If so, do implemented clients go this onboarding journey also?A:Q: How does the R&R work with the product team for in-app content and how do you stay aligned?A:Q: How do you align the CS tech touch activities with marketing programs? Does CS and Marketing work together to build out these programs?A:Q: How