Rethinking the Role of Customer Success: A Radical Take

Onboarding Therapy

In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil challenge the traditional structure of customer success (CS) teams. They discuss whether CS should remain tied to revenue-focused goals or shift closer to product development, potentially evolving into a "product success" function. This thought-provoking discussion dives into the challenges facing modern CS teams, from misaligned incentives to the diminishing value of customer interactions.

Highlights include:

• The difference between valuable customer interactions and superficial check-ins.
• Why product managers often create stronger customer relationships than CSMs.
• The pitfalls of CS teams as “cost centers” and how it affects their impact.
• Strategies for fostering collaboration between product and customer success teams.
• A bold idea: should customer success sit within product teams to align on customer outcomes?

Kim and Shareil share candid experiences as both customers and CS professionals, offering actionable tips to bridge gaps between CS and product teams. They explore how businesses can empower their teams to deliver genuine customer value and rethink traditional CS structures.

👉 Have opinions on this topic? Share your thoughts or reach out if you'd like to join a future episode to discuss product and CS collaboration!