Building a Customer Success Team from Scratch!

Can you build a customer success team from scratch in just 12 months?

In this interview of the CSM Practice Podcast, Irit Eizips and Mariana Nikolova reveal the secrets behind transforming a legacy tech organization by establishing a best-in-class customer success team.

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 

• The foundational steps that ensured success, including the critical role of a CS charter
  
  
• How a structured, phased approach turned challenges into growth opportunities
  
  
• Real-world results: millions in incremental revenue and improved customer satisfaction

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓

Mariana is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in management consulting and strategy execution, focusing on business transformation to drive scale, profitable growth and enhanced customer experience. She has a strong track record of improving performance for Fortune 500 companies in the technology and services sectors, bringing expertise in organizational design, strategic initiatives, and post-sales transformation. Mariana holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and has held key roles with Kearney, Dell, and HERE Technologies.

🔗 You may connect with Mariana via LinkedIn

𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒

📑 Read: The Magic of Cross-Functional Communication in CS

🎥 Watch: Is Customer Success a Function or a Strategy?

⏬ Download: CSM Profiles Infographic

👉🏻 Whenever you’re ready...If you're an 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘊𝘚𝘔 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, there are 3 powerful ways I can help you fast-track success while avoiding common pitfalls:

1️⃣ 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙮 𝘾𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙆𝙋𝙄 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙩
Track key KPIs to boost CSM performance. Grab my cheatsheet to focus on metrics that matter—scale smarter & grow revenue. Click here to download.

2️⃣ 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 11,000+ 𝘽2𝘽 𝙀𝙭𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨
I share strategic insights & practical tools to help you hit your quarterly goals faster while scaling your CS operations efficiently. Don’t navigate this alone - tap into a thriving community of leaders who are optimizing their CS strategies & driving serious impact. Click here to join.

3️⃣ 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝘾𝙎𝙈 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚?
Building a CS practice for the first time doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle. With the right frameworks, you can achieve results faster than you think. I help experienced executives build a proactive, high-performing CS team—without the guesswork & costly missteps of figuring it out alone. Learn more.

📌 Visit our Website - CSM Practice

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:51 How Did the CS Team Start?
• 5:04 Transitioning Roles to CSMs
• 6:55 Initial Steps Building a CS Function
• 9:54 Benefits of a CS Charter
• 12:11 What We Rolled Out First
• 18:30 Business Impact
• 25:06 Change Management in Launching a CSM Team
• 27:49 Global Team Structure
• 29:27 Hiring Considerations
• 31:08 Key Lessons Learned
• 34:16 Applying CS Experience to a New Role
• 35:38 Support Team Evolution