The Customer Success Playbook

Customer Success Playbook Postgame Season 2 Episode 43 - Vitor Meira - Scalling Customer Success

• Kevin Metzger • Season 2 • Episode 43

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This episode explores the challenges and strategies of scaling customer success operations, featuring Vitor Meira, Senior Customer Success Manager at Zendesk. The discussion covers managing large customer portfolios, leveraging AI for enhanced customer support, and maintaining personalized relationships while handling hundreds of clients. Key insights include Zendesk's hybrid approach to customer support, data-driven decision making, and the transformative potential of AI in customer success.

Detailed Analysis

Portfolio Management at Scale

  • Zendesk's CSMs manage approximately 200 clients each
  • Hybrid support model combining personalized attention with scalable group sessions
  • Implementation of data-driven customer health scores for proactive management
  • Strategic approach to ghost account reactivation through targeted campaigns

Technology and Innovation

  • Extensive use of data analytics for customer insights
  • Customer health scoring system for preventive care
  • AI integration for enhanced efficiency and personalization
  • Potential for AI-powered pre-meeting briefings and 24/7 support

Cross-Departmental Collaboration

  • Emphasis on team-based approach to customer success
  • Integration between sales, marketing, and technical teams
  • CSMs acting as bridges between customers and sales for upselling
  • Value-driven relationship building versus traditional sales approaches

Future Trends and AI Implementation

  • AI's role in transforming onboarding and technical support
  • Natural language processing for customer interaction analysis
  • Continuous learning systems for AI-powered agents
  • Balance between automation and human connection

Training and Development

  • AI-powered training materials creation
  • Efficient employee development without dedicated training teams
  • Scalable learning solutions for customer success teams

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You can also find the CS Playbook Podcast:
YouTube - @CustomerSuccessPlaybookPodcast
Twitter - @CS_Playbook

You can find Kevin at:
Metzgerbusiness.com - Kevin's person web site
Kevin Metzger on Linked In.

You can find Roman at:
Roman Trebon on Linked In.

Bot 1:

All right, let's dive into scaling customer success. We're taking a closer look at episode 42. of the Customer Success Playbook, Season 2.

Female Bot:

Okay.

Bot 1:

Roman and Kevin had Vitor Mira, a Senior Customer Success Manager at Zendesk, on the show.

Female Bot:

Right.

Bot 1:

And they were talking about how to keep customers happy when you've got hundreds of them.

Female Bot:

That's a tough one. Yeah,

Bot 1:

like a real head scratcher for CSMs. It can be. So, what stood out to you about Zendesk's approach?

Female Bot:

Well, I thought it was really interesting how they blend personalized support with, uh, customer support. Right. You know, scalable solutions. Vitor mentioned their CSMs each handle something like 200 clients.

Bot 1:

Wow.

Female Bot:

That's a ton of relationships to manage.

Bot 1:

That's a lot.

Female Bot:

So they've figured out a way to make it work by offering that one on one interaction for those really specific needs. But then they also use group sessions for things like product updates or best practices that apply to lots of customers.

Bot 1:

Oh, that makes sense. Yeah. So they're hitting both sides. You get that individual attention, but also make things more efficient with group learning. It's a smart strategy, but it's not just about dividing the workload. Zendesk has another trick up their sleeve, and that is data.

Female Bot:

Data, yeah. They've got a

Bot 1:

whole team analyzing everything from how customers use features to the type of plan they've got.

Female Bot:

And that's where the customer health score comes into play.

Bot 1:

I was going to ask you about that. I saw that in my notes and was like, what is that?

Female Bot:

It's kind of like a thermometer.

Bot 1:

Okay.

Female Bot:

It gives the CSM a quick snapshot of how healthy. That client relationship is. So if a customer's score starts to drop, that's a sign for the CSM to reach out and check in.

Bot 1:

Oh, so it's like preventative care?

Female Bot:

Exactly. Like before it becomes a big problem.

Bot 1:

I like that. A data driven approach.

Female Bot:

Yeah. It takes out the guesswork.

Bot 1:

Makes a lot of sense to me.

Female Bot:

It does.

Bot 1:

But even with great systems, you still get those ghost accounts.

Female Bot:

Right. The ones that go silent.

Bot 1:

Vitor was talking about how Zendesk reaches out to them with targeted campaigns.

Female Bot:

I see, yeah.

Bot 1:

You know, showcasing what a CSM can really do for them.

Female Bot:

Yeah, it's about showing your value.

Bot 1:

It's proactive.

Female Bot:

It is. It makes you think how many chances we're missing by not being more proactive ourselves.

Bot 1:

I know, I was thinking the same thing.

Female Bot:

Like reaching out, building those connections. Exactly, yeah. It's so important.

Bot 1:

And it highlights a key point that Vitor kept coming back to.

Female Bot:

Yeah.

Bot 1:

Customer success. It's not a one person show.

Female Bot:

No, it's a team effort.

Bot 1:

You need collaboration across all departments.

Female Bot:

For sure.

Bot 1:

Think about it. Sales has insights into relationships. Marketing can share success stories. Tech teams have that deep collaboration.

Female Bot:

Yeah, when those teams work together, that's when customer success really thrives.

Bot 1:

That's a good

Female Bot:

point. And speaking of collaboration. Yeah. The conversation took a pretty interesting turn when they started discussing AI.

Bot 1:

Oh yeah.

Female Bot:

And how it could impact the whole field.

Bot 1:

You could just feel the energy shift when they got to that topic. Right. Both Vitor and the hosts. They see AI as a game changer.

Female Bot:

A total game changer.

Bot 1:

And they had some pretty mind blowing possibilities.

Female Bot:

Oh, definitely. Imagine AI sorting through mountains of data to give CSMs insights before a meeting.

Bot 1:

Or acting as customer specific agents, offering support 24 7.

Female Bot:

That would be incredible.

Bot 1:

Right. It's like having a whole army of virtual assistants working around the clock to keep customers happy.

Female Bot:

It makes you wonder, what does that mean for CSMs in the future?

Bot 1:

Right. If AI is taking care of routine tasks, CSMs can really focus on what matters, building those relationships, getting a deeper understanding of customers needs, being a trusted advisor.

Female Bot:

So it's like AI handles the what, and the CSM focuses on the why.

Bot 1:

That's it, exactly.

Female Bot:

But before we get lost in the AI future. Okay. Let's talk about Zendesk's approach to upselling and expansion. Right,

Bot 1:

right.

Female Bot:

Because Vitor explained their strategy, and it's different from the traditional model.

Bot 1:

Yeah, instead of just pushing for the next sale, they're focused on those value driven relationships and figuring out how to help customers grow.

Female Bot:

And the CSM acts like a bridge between the customer and the sales team.

Bot 1:

Exactly.

Female Bot:

Makes sure that, you know, Any upsells or expansions make sense for what the customer actually needs.

Bot 1:

So it's a win win?

Female Bot:

A win win, yeah. The customer gets the most out of the product, and Zendesk grows sustainably.

Bot 1:

And it circles back to that idea of collaboration, right? It

Female Bot:

all ties together.

Bot 1:

Everyone benefits.

Female Bot:

It does.

Bot 1:

Okay, so, let's address the elephant in the room. Managing 200 clients?

Female Bot:

Oh boy, yeah. That

Bot 1:

just sounds overwhelming.

Female Bot:

It does, but Vitor was really honest about both the good and the bad of working with so many clients.

Bot 1:

Yeah.

Female Bot:

He talked about all the learning you get from being exposed to so much.

Bot 1:

Like a crash course in different industries.

Female Bot:

Exactly, different business models, different ways people use the product.

Bot 1:

You learn a lot.

Female Bot:

You do, but he also admitted that you can't go as deep with each client when you have that many.

Bot 1:

Right, it's a trade off. Breadth of experience versus depth of engagement. That's it. It makes you wonder, how do you keep things personal with so many relationships?

Female Bot:

Well, that's where Vitor's advice comes in.

Bot 1:

Okay.

Female Bot:

He was all about building quick rapport, being super organized, and being really focused with your time.

Bot 1:

Time management, crucial.

Female Bot:

And he emphasized that collaborative mindset again.

Bot 1:

Which

Female Bot:

goes back to what we were saying about teamwork.

Bot 1:

Right.

Female Bot:

By relying on other departments expertise, CSMs can provide great support, even when they don't have tons of time for individual interactions.

Bot 1:

So it's working smarter, not harder.

Female Bot:

Exactly. You don't have to be superhuman to manage a huge portfolio.

Bot 1:

You just need the right strategies and the right team.

Female Bot:

Right.

Bot 1:

And speaking of superheroes, Let's get back to AI.

Female Bot:

Let's do it.

Bot 1:

Because that's where things got really interesting.

Female Bot:

It felt like we were stepping into the future. Vitor actually shared his own experience using tools like ChatGPT.

Bot 1:

Right. I remember that.

Female Bot:

And it was amazing to hear how much it's already boosting his productivity.

Bot 1:

Yeah. And he thinks the real power of AI. is it's ability to analyze all that customer data. Mountains of it. And give CSMs insights that would be impossible to get manually. It would take forever. He even talked about AI creating pre meeting briefings for CSMs. Wow. So they'd have a clear understanding of each customer. Each account's needs, challenges, and goals before walking in. Can you

Female Bot:

imagine?

Bot 1:

It would be like having a superpower.

Female Bot:

Totally. It would revolutionize how CSMs interact with clients.

Bot 1:

Especially in these scaled environments.

Female Bot:

Exactly. When it's just impossible to know everything about every account.

Bot 1:

It's like having a secret weapon for personalization.

Female Bot:

Even with hundreds of clients.

Bot 1:

So, what did Roman and Kevin have to say about AI's potential? They brought a unique perspective, right?

Female Bot:

Yeah, Roman especially focused on how AI could change onboarding and technical support.

Bot 1:

Yeah, I remember that.

Female Bot:

He thinks AI tools will be able to handle a lot of those routine tasks.

Bot 1:

Making things smoother and faster for everyone. Exactly. Less friction for customers.

Female Bot:

Right, get them up and running quickly and effortlessly.

Bot 1:

And Roman reminded us that we're still in the early days of AI.

Female Bot:

Yeah, just getting started.

Bot 1:

The technology's changing so rapidly.

Female Bot:

It's moving fast.

Bot 1:

We're only scratching the surface of what's possible. So much potential. Now what about Kevin? What was his take?

Female Bot:

Well, he took us even deeper into the AI world, exploring some of the cutting edge stuff in natural language processing and machine learning.

Bot 1:

That's his area of expertise.

Female Bot:

It is, and one of the things he talked about was using recorded customer conversations as training data for AI powered agents.

Bot 1:

So it's like Giving those agents a crash course in understanding customer needs.

Female Bot:

Exactly. How they communicate, their preferences, everything.

Bot 1:

They become incredibly sophisticated over time.

Female Bot:

Oh yeah, imagine that.

Bot 1:

Like personalized assistance for every customer. Available 24 7.

Female Bot:

That's the dream.

Bot 1:

Kevin even mentioned a company called Cast App. That's doing some cool work in that area.

Female Bot:

Yeah, they're developing AI agents that can actually understand and respond to complex customer requests.

Bot 1:

Impressive.

Female Bot:

Very impressive.

Bot 1:

And he made a really important point about AI.

Female Bot:

What's that?

Bot 1:

It's not a set it and forget it thing.

Female Bot:

Right.

Bot 1:

These systems have to keep learning.

Female Bot:

It's like sending your AI to school.

Bot 1:

Constantly expanding its knowledge, you know. It's jaying

Female Bot:

up to date.

Bot 1:

Yeah.

Female Bot:

Now, before we wrap up this first part, there was a really interesting side conversation about using AI for training.

Bot 1:

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that.

Female Bot:

This was a real aha moment for me.

Bot 1:

I know, me too.

Female Bot:

So, Roman was talking about how he uses AI for training. AI powered training software, and it completely changed their approach to employee development.

Bot 1:

It's amazing how quickly he can create those high quality training materials.

Female Bot:

It is. And he doesn't even have a dedicated training team.

Bot 1:

That's incredible. It's

Female Bot:

a perfect example of how AI is giving everyone access to these sophisticated tools.

Bot 1:

It's like having a virtual training expert on call.

Female Bot:

Exactly. And it made me realize that AI isn't just for customer success, it can transform learning and development everywhere.

Bot 1:

That's an exciting thought.

Female Bot:

It is, but let's bring it back to our main topic.

Bot 1:

Okay.

Female Bot:

We've covered a lot of ground, from Zendesk's strategies to the incredible possibilities of AI.

Bot 1:

And we even got some personal insights from Vitor.

Female Bot:

Yeah, it made the whole conversation really engaging.

Bot 1:

It did, but we're just getting started.

Female Bot:

We left off talking about how AI is already making waves in the customer success world.

Bot 1:

And Roman's using AI to basically become a one man training department. It's amazing.

Female Bot:

It really shows you the power of AI.

Bot 1:

Yeah.

Female Bot:

But let's flip this for a sec and talk about the possible downsides. One that pops up a lot is that worry about making the customer experience feel less human.

Bot 1:

Yeah, that whole fear of AI making things feel cold and robotic, I think that's a valid concern.

Female Bot:

Totally. But at the end of the day, AI is just a tool, right? It's up to us how we use it.

Bot 1:

I see what you mean.

Female Bot:

It's not about getting rid of human connection. It's about making it better. better.

Bot 1:

I like that. Yeah.

Female Bot:

So how can companies actually put AI to work in customer success? Where do you even start?

Bot 1:

Well, I'd say step one is figuring out your goals. What are you trying to achieve? More efficiency, a more personalized experience, maybe both.

Female Bot:

Once you have a clear goal in mind, then you can start looking at all the different AI tools and tech out there.

Bot 1:

And there are a lot. Chatbots, virtual assistants, stuff to analyze how customers are feeling, platforms to predict what they'll do next. It can be overwhelming.

Female Bot:

It's like trying to pick a candy in a massive candy store. Exciting, but a little scary.

Bot 1:

Exactly. That's why it's super important to do your research and choose solutions that fit your needs and your budget.

Female Bot:

And you don't need to do everything all at once, right?

Bot 1:

Right.

Female Bot:

Start small, focus on one or two areas where AI can make a big difference, and grow from there.

Bot 1:

Test the waters before jumping in.

Female Bot:

Exactly. But even with all the cool AI tools in the world, they're only as good as the information you give them. www. microsoft. com

Bot 1:

That's where data strategy comes in.

Female Bot:

Data is what makes AI work. So you need to collect the right customer data, make sure it's accurate and complete, and then, this is the big one, understand what it's telling you.

Bot 1:

So it's not just about having data. It's about making sense of it.

Female Bot:

Exactly. And those data visualization tools and dashboards can be really helpful. They can show you patterns and trends in your data so you can make smart decisions. So as we wrap up part two, think about this. How can you use data to really get your customers? How can you create personalized experiences that respect their privacy? And how can you keep human connection at the heart of it all? Microsoft Mechanics www. microsoft. com Great questions to think about.

Bot 1:

This deep dive has given you a glimpse into the future of customer success. A future where data, AI, and human connection work together to create incredible experiences for your customers. Now it's your turn to take these insights and shape that future. Go out there and create customer experiences that are not just successful, but exceptional.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Kevin Metzger

Co-host
Head Shot

Roman Trebon

Co-host