Every conversation is an opportunity to build stronger connections with your customers. Customer relationships are everything—yet many businesses still struggle to deliver truly personalized, one-to-one experiences. It’s a challenge to juggle the diverse needs of a multi-generational customer base while keeping up with the pressure to grow revenue. So, the big question is: are you rising to the occasion?
In the OpenTextTM MarketPulse Survey for Digital Experience, we uncovered some eye-opening insights into the state of customer success today. It’s clear that business leaders recognize the importance of customer success—but there’s a significant gap between intention and execution. Nearly half of respondents (48%) hold the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) responsible for driving customer success initiatives, yet only 41% have a well-integrated customer success function as part of their strategy. Despite this, 62% of decision-makers acknowledge customer success as a critical priority, and 67% see it as a key driver of revenue and growth.
So, what’s holding them back? A lack of budget (41%), skill gaps (36%), and poor internal communication (34%) remain the biggest barriers to success. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered—these insights provide a roadmap for overcoming these hurdles and positioning customer success as a key player in driving sustainable growth.
Insights from the front lines of customer success
1. Measurability is the key to success
Customer success leaders are hyper-focused on connecting their efforts directly to revenue. It’s no surprise that satisfaction metrics like NPS and CSAT are among the most commonly used to track success (60% of survey respondents). But the sophistication doesn’t stop there—customer lifetime value (CLV) and improvements in operational efficiency are also important indicators of success (49%).
In fact, 55% of decision-makers say that clear ownership of post-sale engagements and demonstrating the impact of customer success on revenue are critical to their success. With the right KPIs and a deep understanding of the customer journey, your team can ensure that customer success not only meets expectations but fuels revenue growth.
2. Empower your employees to drive efficiency
A huge pain point for many teams is the need to juggle multiple applications and systems. About one-third of respondents listed this as a top frustration. In fact, 76% of decision-makers say reducing the number of tech solutions is a top priority, with 81% favoring consolidation onto a single platform wherever possible. This is why choosing a tech partner that integrates seamlessly into your existing stack is essential—especially one that offers a broad range of capabilities to improve the overall customer experience.
Empowering your employees with the best tools to delight customers isn’t just nice—it’s necessary. By giving your team the resources they need, you’ll boost both productivity and customer satisfaction.
3. Combat burnout with a customer-first culture
The pressure to achieve “growth at all costs” can lead to burnout and fragmented efforts. I had the opportunity to attend and speak at the Customer Success Festival last month. I met many leaders who shared their concerns about the well-being of their teams. Customer success leaders must define clear roles and responsibilities, set expectations from the start, and foster proactive engagement with customers.
Additionally, automation can play a huge role in reducing repetitive tasks and boosting productivity, allowing your team to focus on what really matters: delivering outstanding experiences. A growth engine that scales is built on the right fundamentals: a customer-first culture that values agility, experimentation, and iteration.
Discover more ways to align your customer success strategy with your growth goals. Click here to learn how you can drive customer success beyond acquisition.
