“When you go from putting out fires day-to-day in the general grind of a startup, to actually seeing results? It’s massively rewarding, especially when you begin to notice actual momentum and change in your company.”
- Jenna Chau, Head of Customer Success at Invelo
Most companies face challenges when sculpting out a customer success function – let alone startups. So where should you start?
In this episode of CS School, we're joined by Jenna Chau, Head of Customer Success at Invelo, who reveals the best steps to take when building a CS function from the ground up.
Key discussion points
- When do you know the right time to start a CS function?
- Are startups more product-led than customer-led?
- The qualities to look for when hiring your CS team members.
- What tech should a startup choose?
- The CS metrics you should start with.
- How processes shift and develop over time.
- How to balance the expectations of the C-suite/senior leadership with your own CS team.
- The importance of conferences and networking when building a CS function from the ground up.
A little bit about Jenna
Jenna Chau got into customer success through a combination of her background in both software development and customer service.
When Jenna joined Invelo, she was only their third official hire, so she knows a thing or two about getting started with a company's bare bones. Jenna’s role involves overseeing the overall customer success strategy for the company. In her time so far at Invelo she's built out Invelo's customer success function from scratch, expanded her team, and realized that CS is truly where her heart lies.
Resources
- Connect with Jenna on Linkedin
- Connect with Jenna on Slack
- Read Product-Led Onboarding (2021)
- Read Measure What Matters (2018)
- Find a Customer Success Festival near you
Learn how to set up your own customer success function
Has this article opened your eyes to the possibility of building your own customer success function, we have the perfect course to help you position CS to a leadership team and establish a successful customer success operation.
Introducing... Building a Customer Success Team Certified |Masters.
By taking this course, you'll discover how to:
🔧 Leverage technology and automation to streamline customer success operations and improve efficiency.
🧑🎨 Sculpt out a strong CS function and learn for your business, including where CS slots into the client experience and why it’s an investment for the future.
🎨 Create effective customer onboarding processes and ensure a seamless transition from sales to customer success that sets the stage for long-term relationships.
🧱 Build a culture of continuous improvement by cultivating a mindset of learning and growth within your customer success team.
