For a long time, community was treated as a side project, often owned by support, and focused mainly on deflecting tickets.

That’s no longer enough.

Over the past few years at Box, I’ve seen how community can become a strategic force across the entire customer lifecycle. Not just in support, but in sales, product, customer success, and even category creation.

But to unlock that potential, we need to stop thinking of community as a forum—and start thinking of it as a driver of experience, insight, and growth.

What is a community?

People often confuse a crowd with a community. But the distinction lies in intention. A group of people rushing into a store on Black Friday isn’t a community. A community forms when there’s a clear mission and a shared identity – when people show up not just for what they get, but because they feel part of something.

And while B2B communities might not be as wild as the running of the bulls in Pamplona, the same psychological dynamics are at play: belonging, identity, and shared purpose.

Community always comes down to two things: who it’s for, and why it exists.

For any company, if you can define the “who” and the “why” around your product and mission, you’re on the right path. In fact, the more specific you can be in the early days, the more traction you’re likely to gain. Specificity builds momentum. From there, you can expand.

Here’s why communities are non-negotiable for customer success
Communities enable customers to interact, share knowledge, and find solutions without needing one-to-one interactions with CSMs.
Customer Success CollectiveGrace Gupta

How community supports go-to-market

When our COO asked for a treasure map to show what community could do for Box, it sparked an important reflection. 

Community has evolved significantly over the past few decades. It’s no longer just about support or ticket deflection – it’s now about digital engagement and building full customer lifecycle hubs.

That’s the vision we’re working toward at Box. We’re exploring how to integrate community everywhere, because customers are engaging with your brand in more places than ever before. 

Whether it’s a Slack channel, a Reddit thread, a LinkedIn post, or your own forums, these are all touchpoints where community can help you meet customers where they are and make a lasting impression.

The rise of self-service and peer learning

We’re seeing a major shift toward self-service. While it's been talked about for years, it's still underutilized, and when it is used, the experience is often lacking. But that’s changing, especially with younger generations, who increasingly expect seamless, self-guided product experiences.

This is where community can step in as a powerful tool, particularly for education. People learn from documentation and videos, yes – but they often learn more from their peers. 

When someone sees another user solving a problem or using a product in an innovative way, that’s inspiring. It creates momentum. It also allows customers to see what’s possible with your product in real-world scenarios.

Measuring the impact

Common Room, a revenue intelligence platform, did a detailed study of 140 B2B SaaS companies. The results showed clear links between strong community programs and metrics like ARR expansion and feature adoption. And those findings match what I’ve seen in my own experience.

Community is a value exchange. You give value to your customers, and in turn, you receive value back. That might mean giving them a platform to share expertise, boost their careers, or gain recognition. 

And what you get back is equally powerful: insight, advocacy, and loyalty.

You can measure that value in a variety of ways, some quantitative, some qualitative. But the key is to be intentional about how you approach it.