What is that one thing that separates successful companies from those who are just keeping their heads above water? Is it a remarkable product? Amazing customer experience and support? More resources to devote to research and marketing? Having a great product helps, but it’s not a guarantee of future and long-lasting success. An amazing customer experience coupled with impeccable customer support is quintessential, but sometimes you need more than that to succeed. Having plenty of resources is certainly a good thing, but that may not last for long; you may run out of cash, people may leave you for another competitor. What will last is your will and determination to keep going when all seems bleak and lost.
If having a great product is not enough, if having a lot of resources cannot guarantee success, and if offering an amazing customer experience won’t always yield the best results, then what will keep you at the top of your game? Enter customer success. “Customer is king” is probably one of the most used terms in marketing, sales and everything that has to do with customer management. Now, the customer may or may not be always right, but there’s one thing that never changes: the customer needs to be taken care of, to be listened. Above all, the customer wants to add long-term added values to his company, to his clients, to himself. That’s where customer success comes into play.
Contrary to popular belief, customer success is not a synonym for customer support. Sure, there are some similarities between the two terms, but that’s all. Customer success is more than building landing pages, creating innovative marketing campaigns and solving technical issues in a timely manner. Customer acquisition is only the first step in a long and elaborate process that leads to enduring and satisfactory relationships between the company and its customers. Customer success is what happens after a sale. How can your customer get the most out of your product? How can your customer use your product to its expected outcome? How can you help your customer be successful by using your product? If you can answer the above-mentioned questions, you’re on your way to unlocking the key to customer success.
As competition becomes more and more fierce, companies are looking for new strategies and methods in order to stay ahead of the game. Customer success has become crucial, regardless of the industry. The key here is long-term success. While most companies can keep customers satisfied for a certain period of time, very few companies turn satisfied customers into their best advocates. After all, who knows you better than your most loyal customers? Customer success is a proactive and deliberate effort to help your customer get the most out of your product. It’s an ongoing process. No company has ever stepped into the business, proclaiming: “I don’t need more customers!” The thing is, when they get more customers, many companies struggle to keep them satisfied, let alone turn them into brand advocates.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can achieve customer success. One of the best ways is having a solid and flexible CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system at your disposal. Deliver an amazing customer experience, close more deals and turn satisfied customers into brand advocates. You might be wondering: “How can I focus on growing my company and increasing brand awareness if I have to do all this by myself?” You don’t have to. A great CRM doesn’t simply help you close more deals, automate everyday tasks and increase overall efficiency; it also brings you the right tools and expertise to achieve customer success. That’s why it is vital to have a customer success manager for your CRM solution. While you concentrate on growing your company, the success customer manager makes sure you get the best out of the CRM.
What exactly can a success customer manager do in order to give you the best of a CRM? For one thing, he has the in-depth knowledge and expertise of the CRM and how it can fit your business needs. A knowledgeable success manager will help you through the whole process, from the implementation of the CRM to working out details that might make a big difference in the long run. After all, long-term thinking is the epitome of success- no matter the industry you’re in. Customer success can involve several things, from ensuring that your current customers get the best out of your product/service to making sure that the CRM aligns with your long-term goals and a lot more in between.
A customer success manager will not only help you see the value of the CRM for yourself, but he will also try to understand your long-term vision and explain how the CRM can be used to reach your long-term goals. A great customer success manager has know-how of the CRM, an in-depth knowledge of the industry you’re in, and the expertise to align the CRM with your needs. Having a solid CRM is a good premise for success, but it’s not a guarantee for enduring success. A CRM that offers ongoing support through a knowledgeable customer success manager is what every company needs.
Customer success should be an integral part of every company, no matter if it’s a newly-minted startup, a medium-sized firm or a large enterprise. We’re here to make sure your company runs as smoothly as possible, and more importantly, make sure you succeed. Flexie offers a dedicated customer success manager for all paid accounts. This way we make sure the CRM aligns with your needs and long-term goals. While you run your company, we make sure you succeed.
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