Tell us something fun about yourself. I’m a heavy gamer. If I’m not at work or on LinkedIn, I’m most probably in a long gaming session.
If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself as a new CSM? Probably not much as he did just fine and I’m sure he would appreciate the unknown. However, for the sake of the question, I’d tell myself that being caring is as important as any other CSM skill. As a CSM it’s very important to be empathetic and caring for your customers more than anything else.
What book, podcast, or influencer do you recommend checking out? I’d recommend checking out Jeremy Donaldson. Jeremy has created such a warm homey space for CSMs on his LinkedIn content. Just by following his content, you are guaranteed to meet new CSMs and learn so many new things every day.
What is the one tech tool you can't live without? Excel is my best friend. I know there are many tools that may be easier or more advanced than Excel, but the infinite possibilities in Excel make it the best for me by far, not only in my work but in my personal life as well.
How can those looking to break into CS get started? CS is practically a new field, and I think there is no right way to start, however, I found that by following the right CS influencers and investing a bit of time and money in a SuccessCoaching certificate, you can have a good start and would be able to answer almost any question during an interview.
What's next for Customer Success? Customer Success is becoming more essential than ever. As of today, the majority of companies that have a CS department are SaaS, I believe what’s next will be that CS will expand beyond SaaS. It will become more of a mindset and a general company methodology, where you may need a CS department to educate everyone in the company to understand their customers correctly.
What’s something you recently learned the hard way? Job searching can be very depressing, and it’s nice to find a nice warm community to keep you going and remind you that you are not alone.
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