Scaling Customer Experience Operations

If your CX Program simply consists of surveys, it's like trying to understand the whole movie by watching a single frame. You have to integrate data, insights, and actions if you want to understand how the movie ends, and ultimately be able to write the sequel. But integrating multiple customer signals isn't easy. In fact, it can be overwhelming. I know because I successfully did this in the past, and counsel clients on it today. So, here's a 5-step plan on how to ensure that the integration of diverse customer signals remains insightful and not overwhelming: 1. Set Clear Objectives: Define specific goals for what you want to achieve. Having clear objectives helps in filtering relevant data from the noise. While your goals may be as simple as understanding behavior, think about these objectives in an outcome-based way. For example, 'Reduce Call Volume' or some other business metric is important to consider here. 2. Segment Data Thoughtfully: Break down data into manageable categories based on customer demographics, behavior, or interaction type. This helps in analyzing specific aspects of the customer journey without getting lost in the vastness of data. 3. Prioritize Data Based on Relevance: Not all data is equally important. Based on Step 1, prioritize based on what’s most relevant to your business goals. For example, this might involve focusing more on behavioral data vs demographic data, depending on objectives. 4. Use Smart Data Aggregation Tools: Invest in advanced data aggregation platforms that can collect, sort, and analyze data from various sources. These tools use AI and machine learning to identify patterns and key insights, reducing the noise and complexity. 5. Regular Reviews and Adjustments: Continuously monitor and review the data integration process. Be ready to adjust strategies, tools, or objectives as needed to keep the data manageable and insightful. This isn't a "set-it-and-forget-it" strategy! How are you thinking about integrating data and insights in order to drive meaningful change in your business? Hit me up if you want to chat about it. #customerexperience #data #insights #surveys #ceo #coo #ai

What it means to shift from 'spray-and-pray' marketing to a unified, account-based GTM aimed at your exact ICP ⤵ Last September I featured a story about how Parabola did all this (a) in under 30 days, (b) without a RevOps team, and (c) with a TON of 🔥 automation. Here’s the update: pipeline has grown by 717% since September. All with the same size marketing team 🤯 How they rapidly built a scaled ABX motion from scratch: 1️⃣ Identified - ICP-fit accounts & contacts are sourced using Clay, Sales Nav, Cargo 🧱 and ChatGPT - All data gets pushed to Salesforce 2️⃣ Aware - Accounts get warmed up with LinkedIn paid ads, scaled email, LinkedIn connections and referrals – in addition to other bespoke tactics and campaigns - They are flagged as aware if buyers start engaging via email (2+ contacts with 2+ email opens), accept LinkedIn connections, visit the website, or engage in the community - Tools: website tracking (Clearbit, HubSpot), email & LinkedIn automation (Apollo, Outreach, La Growth Machine), community (Slack) 3️⃣ Interested - Accounts progress as they demonstrate more meaningful engagement & intent - Key signals include visiting high-intent website pages (ex: pricing page), starting a free trial, attending an event, etc. - Tools: webinar (Sequel.io), trial (Redshift), website tracking, product usage data, ETL 4️⃣ Evaluating - All of the above is meant to generate high intent, ICP pipeline for sales - Accounts progress here by booking a meeting with sales or requesting a demo - This is where more manual, high-touch outreach comes into play (aimed at warm accounts) - Tools: meeting routing & booking (Calendly), marketing automation (HubSpot) The big learnings over the past 8 months:  - Content & offers are everything for getting a response  - Not all triggers are created equal when scoring account stages  - The data won’t be perfect, don’t let that stop you  - The best GTM plays involve both marketing & BDRs This is what a focused GTM looks like. Marketing, sales, CS, product and even ops all play a role in building pipeline with the right accounts. Huge shoutout to the Parabola team (Alex Yaseen, Ben Pollack, Adam Reisfield) for taking folks behind-the-scenes! PS, Parabola just launched a game-changer for anyone interested in automating workflows like ABX stages (think Cursor for Ops teams). You can check it out here: https://parabola.io/ #abx #marketing #automation

I used to believe Customer Success should drive the product roadmap. Here’s what I know now. The roadmap should be a collaborative design, built by Sales, CS, Support, Product, Marketing, and Leadership together. No one team sees the full picture. ▶️ Marketing sees market shifts. ▶️ Sales hears why deals are lost. ▶️ Leadership ties it all to strategy. ▶️ Product builds scalable solutions. ▶️ Support sees recurring pain points. ▶️ CS sees where customers struggle. When we isolate roadmap ownership, we build for one team. When we collaborate, we build for the entire business. Want true collaboration? Set it up intentionally: 1️⃣ Monthly cross-functional planning meetings: Bring leaders together to align on customer feedback, market signals, and business priorities. 2️⃣ Voice of Customer (VoC) programs: Collect real user feedback consistently — surveys, interviews, success metrics. 3️⃣ Closed-lost analysis with Sales: Review why deals are lost and what patterns could inform the roadmap. 4️⃣ Support ticket and escalation reviews: Identify top friction points that need attention. 5️⃣ Market research and trend studies: Analyze competitor moves and emerging trends quarterly. 6️⃣ Executive alignment sessions: Validate that roadmap priorities map directly to company strategy. The roadmap shouldn’t be a surprise. It should be a shared vision. One that every team feels connected to — and proud of. How does your company approach roadmap collaboration today? Because if you're only building with one team's input, you're only solving one piece of the puzzle. ____________________ 📣 If you liked my post, you’ll love my newsletter. Every week I share learnings, advice and strategies from my experience going from CSM to CCO. Join 12k+ subscribers of The Journey and turn insights into action. Sign up on my profile.

60% of support tickets are repetitive. And, customers expect immediate responses. That creates pressure on teams and frustration for customers. This is why support is one of the most practical and now proven places to apply AI. AI can handle common, repeat questions instantly, in your tone, using your knowledge base and CRM data. That frees up humans to focus on situations that require judgment, empathy, and creativity. One of our customers, The Knowledge Society (TKS) Society, did exactly that. Every enrollment season, they saw a surge of messages across email, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. The busiest time of year was also the most overwhelming for their team. They implemented the Customer agent to answer common enrollment questions around the clock. Today, close to 80% of inquiries are handled automatically. Their team now spends more time on complex conversations and less time copying and pasting the same answers. The (ISSA) International Sports Sciences Association also scaled with Customer Agent. They were managing multiple support channels across different tools. The experience was fragmented for their team and inconsistent for customers. By introducing an AI agent to handle repetitive questions across channels, they cut response times in half and created a more consistent experience. Over 8,000 companies are already using HubSpot’s Customer Agent, with resolution rates above 67%. This is the real opportunity with AI in support.

One of the biggest challenges in customer experience (CX) initiatives isn't just getting buy-in—it's making sure communication flows seamlessly across different teams to drive meaningful progress. It's not enough to have passionate people involved; it's about aligning everyone around a shared purpose and ensuring that action follows. I see it all the time—CX councils or teams that meet to discuss customer feedback, but the conversation doesn't always translate into real change. It's critical to go beyond just reviewing the numbers. We need to collaborate, co-create, and drive real impact for our customers. So how do we ensure communication within cross-functional teams leads to action? ▶️Structure your meetings to drive progress. If you have cross-functional buy-in, it's essential to manage those meetings effectively. Make sure that everyone understands their role, the goals, and what success looks like. It's not enough to simply review metrics—what are the actions you'll take based on those insights? ▶️Unify efforts across the organization. In many organizations, different teams—like those working on journey mapping and those focused on customer insights—work in silos. We need to bring those efforts together around your customer experience mission, ensuring that all teams are aligned with a shared definition of success. ▶️Be proactive and resourceful. Don't wait for things to fall through the cracks. Be a resource to your team members, follow up, and offer support where needed. This could mean helping a colleague facilitate a journey mapping session or providing customer feedback to help illustrate a challenge. Communication is key, but proactive support is what drives progress forward. When working cross-functionally, the responsibility doesn't end with the meeting. We need to be deliberate about setting expectations, following up on actions, and ensuring everyone understands how their efforts contribute to the larger customer experience mission. Great communication can turn fragmented efforts into unified progress. Let's make sure we're not just talking about customer experience, but working together to make it happen. How do you ensure effective communication across teams in your organization? Drop your process below! #CustomerExperience #CX #CrossFunctionalTeams #Collaboration #Leadership #Communication #CXStrategy #CustomerJourney

Here’s the roadmap for the first 90 days as a Customer Support leader: 1️⃣ Quantitative Support Analysis - Identify all areas where support resources are being misallocated or wasted. This might include overstaffed low-value channels, inefficient workflows, or poor escalation management. Re-allocate those resources to high-impact areas (eg. FCR) - Audit and optimize reporting systems to ensure clean, actionable data. Close gaps in ticket categorization, response time tracking, and CSAT/NPS data. 2️⃣ Qualitative Feedback from Customers AND Agents 🙋 Customer Perspective: - Conduct qualitative interviews with your top 10 happiest customers and your top 10 most dissatisfied customers. Unpack what drives satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) in their interactions with support. Spot trends and root causes in the support journey. - Shadow at least 5 live support interactions per week across channels (email, chat, phone) to identify recurring customer needs and operational friction points. 🧑💻 Agent Perspective: - Run qualitative interviews with your support agents. Ask them: * What are the most frustrating tools or workflows you deal with daily? * Which processes cause unnecessary delays or duplicate work? * What changes would make it easier for you to deliver great support? - Observe how agents use your support tools during live interactions. Look for inefficiencies like switching between too many platforms, unclear documentation, or delays in accessing customer context. 3️⃣ Quick Wins to Drive Impact Within 90 Days - Improve ticket routing and prioritization to ensure that critical issues are handled faster and by the right team. Many support teams leave SLAs unmet simply due to poor routing logic. - Simplify the self-service experience. Review and update your KB content to make it more reflective of the questions customers actually ask. - Streamline internal handoff processes between support tiers or other teams like product and engineering. Reduce resolution time by eliminating unnecessary back-and-forths. - Create an agent empowerment program. Provide quick wins for agents by removing common blockers, like slow systems or overly complicated approval processes. An empowered team = faster resolutions. - Highlight support’s wins. Build a repository of customer stories where support played a key role in success. Share these stories internally to drive alignment with sales, product, and customer success. 4. Set the Right Expectations Many companies expect a new support leader to focus solely on efficiency (e.g., reducing costs or ticket volume) in the first 30 days. This often backfires, leading to burnout, poor team morale, and degraded customer experience. Instead, focus on building the foundation: improving workflows, understanding customers AND agents deeply, and optimizing the team’s ability to drive meaningful resolutions. 💡 What’s your go-to strategy for the first 90 days in a new support role? 💪

I was in a call this morning with a respected industry thought leader, and we ended up talking about one of the biggest internal challenges in Customer Success: when things go wrong for a customer, where does the blame live? Is it in Sales for setting the wrong expectation? Is it in Product for missing or broken functionality? Is it in Operations or Accounting for a confusing billing experience? There are plenty of targets, and many CS pros will instinctively point at teams across the org. And honestly, those things do matter — misalignment across functions is one of the most common structural blockers CS organizations face today. But the harder question (the one we often avoid) is this: When something isn’t working for a customer, have we looked in the mirror to see if we played a part in allowing that to happen? Customer Success has the unique privilege of representing the entire company to the customer. We build trust, advocate for outcomes, carry the company flag, and influence how the customer perceives every interaction. And with that privilege comes responsibility: the responsibility to look at ourselves first when issues arise. Not to absorb blame unnecessarily, but to approach every problem with the humility that leads with: 👉 Did we set clear enough expectations? 👉 Did we fully and accurately translate the customer’s needs internally? 👉 Did we communicate with enough context and impact to influence action? 👉 Did we partner with a spirit of collaboration rather than blame? Too often, issues become a game of “whose fault is this?” instead of “what can we learn and fix together?” When CS approaches our role as truth-teller, integrator, and co-owner of outcomes, including our own part in the narrative, the organization becomes better equipped to solve the real problem. Here are three action steps to help us get this right: 🔹 1. Self-Reflect before escalating Before sending that “Urgent Customer Issue” email, ask yourself: Did I fully understand the customer context? Did I include potential solutions or recommendations alongside the issue? 🔹 2. Translate with context, not frustration CS isn’t just reporting facts, we’re bridging perspectives. Partner feedback needs to land in a way that adds clarity and urgency, not just noise. 🔹 3. Lead with humility and accountability Admit when we could’ve done something differently. Highlight wins when the team solves something cross-functionally. Model curiosity and shared ownership rather than pointing fingers. Privilege without responsibility is entitlement. Responsibility without humility is defensiveness. When CS leads with both, we not only protect customer value, we build internal credibility and influence. Let’s keep raising the bar. 👊 #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #CrossFunctionalAlignment #Humility #ServeWell #GrowthMindset #BetterEveryDay #CSLeadership #CreatetheFuture

𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 I still remember those endless nights in SEPHORA, manually counting thousands of items. That’s why Starbucks’ announcement today resonated so strongly with me. They are rolling out AI-powered automated counting across all their North America coffeehouses: 11k stores. What’s remarkable is the technology mix: 👀 Computer vision to instantly recognize products on shelves. 🔢 3D spatial intelligence to capture placement and quantities. 🪩 Augmented reality overlays guiding partners through the process. 📈 AI analytics that flag low-stock items and will soon automate replenishment orders. The results are striking: ✅ Inventory now counted 8x more frequently. ✅ A process that used to take one hour, now takes minutes. They are reporting a saving of 16,500 hours per week. ✅ Sales people spend less time in the backroom and more time crafting and connecting with customers. Starbucks calls it “technology in the background, craft and connection in the foreground”. And that’s exactly why it matters: technology here is the enabler of efficiency, consistency, and focus on consumer experience. Starbucks is not alone. Walmart with robots scanning shelves, Inditex embedding RFID across its stores, and Amazon Go pioneering frictionless checkout all point to the same truth: the future of retail advantage lies in mastering the invisible backbone of operations. 👉 We’ve moved beyond pilots and “experiments.” AI, AR and computer vision are becoming part of operational infrastructure. Having lived both sides, the manual counts and the promise of automation, I guess this will become the standard for every retailer. #RetailInnovation #AI #AugmentedReality #Operations #CustomerExperience

In the clutter of D2C brands, customization can make you win. Last weekend, I was trying to buy a gift for my friend's anniversary, but every option felt generic. Basic. Non-memorable. Then, I found a leather wallet and cardholder set online where I could add their initials, choose the leather texture, and even include a hidden photo inside. Suddenly, it became a gift they’d remember. This experience made me realize that as the landscape matures, we’re moving from an era of 'product-market fit' to 'product-person fit.' Here’s why I think mass customization is becoming the new competitive advantage in retail: 1/ The New Consumer Psychology Five years ago, customization was a luxury add-on. Today, it's becoming the baseline expectation. When I asked my teenage nephew why he refused a popular sneaker brand, his answer was telling: "If I'm wearing the exact same thing as everyone else, what's the point?" The data confirms it: > 60% of Millennials and Gen Z prefer customized products. > More surprisingly, they’re 4x more likely to recommend brands that offer customization. 2/ The Business Transformation The most fascinating insight I’ve discovered as an investor: Customization is creating an entirely new business model. Take Traya – they analyze your background, health, diet, and lifestyle through a 30-question diagnostic, then create regimens with 4x higher efficacy. The result? ₹7Cr → ₹300Cr in 2.5 years. Or Bombay Shirt Company – by letting customers design everything from the collar to the thread, they’ve achieved what seemed impossible: mass-produced customization at scale. 3/ The Economic Advantage When we analyze the unit economics, customized products are creating an unfair advantage: > Customer acquisition costs drop by 35% (word of mouth increases). > Return rates fall by 55% (customers keep what they helped design). My favorite examples: > Perfora’s name engraving on toothbrushes. > Mokobara’s luggage monograms (they started it). > Lenskart.com’s custom-fit frames. Yes, it adds cost and effort. But it makes you stop while you’re scrolling. And it makes the customer feel like the ONLY customer. That’s everything today. 😉 Which customized product experience has impressed you the most? #ConsumerTrends #Customization #Retail #D2C

Early in the life of every company I've built, I give the Blueberries & Pancakes Speech. If a customer asks us to bring them pancakes with blueberries on Saturday at 7:30, we're gonna do it. Doesn't matter that we're a software company. The point is the posture: get obsessed with dazzling the customer. Here's the problem. That posture doesn't scale. Say yes to every request, every edge case, every "can you just add this one thing" and you stop being a software company and start being a consultancy. So enterprise software made a deal: take our roadmap, learn to live with it. Build vs. Buy. Pick your poison. AI breaks that deal. The work that made customization too expensive — tracking what Customer A needs vs. Customer B, preventing one update from breaking a dozen edge cases, keeping it all from flying apart — turns out AI is good at that work. Not faster coding. Managing variation at scale. That's Build-With. Customers get their pancakes without their vendor losing the plot. The companies that figure this out first are going to eat the ones still debating which poison to pick. More here: https://lnkd.in/gvPHZMqn