I’m Over This - Finding Motivation in 2020

By Amin Akbarpour

2020 has been such a tumultuous year for all of us on a macro level. Not to mention, all the micro things every individual had to deal with. I was reading a Twitter thread, by Dr. Aisha Ahmad, that reminded me that it’s been six months that we’ve been living in this “new normal.” From my vantage point, it appears these “unprecedented times” are weighing on us. Whether that means losing motivation with your passion or career, or struggling to stay sane and balanced between work and family responsibilities, it’s been a challenging period of time for all of us. I want to share a few things that either I or those close to me have adopted to help stay focused as we now prepare for month seven of the “new normal.” 

Gamification…It Works

Behavioral psychologists have confirmed how gamification can motivate us, so why not use it to your advantage? It can work in a number of ways, some examples being…

• At Work: Unless you’re a team of one, try translating your projects or tasks into daily goals and compete with another to hit them. As Customer Success people, it isn’t too difficult to take our KPIs and use that as a baseline to create a competition out of. For those who are not quota or goal-carrying, consider translating your project into individual tasks. You can even create a point system where everyone agrees to how many points per task and you keep track of score (in a Slack channel, for example).

• At Home: Any household or family chore could always be divvied up (I’ve seen some really interesting use cases of Asana, Trello, and Monday.com recently…) but where’s the fun in that? Even when you make it a competition, the strongest of competitors can lose ground after six months. I’ve seen two things work really well here – positive and negative reinforcement. What I mean by this is either set it up so that those who do not achieve their chores or responsibilities have to do things they don’t want to do (cook meals, do laundry, play with the kids while dressed up in a costume, use an accent for four consecutive hours, etc) or those who do achieve their chores or responsibilities get things they do want (relinquishing future chores, sanctuary time, etc).

Gamification only works because there are quantified goals. Of course, if there isn’t a meaningful prize then it may be a bit difficult to find motivation. Might I consider keeping these weekly and having the prize be a pool of funds that goes to the winner in the form of a meal? Happy to mention some food delivery apps here if the right one wants to reach out about a sponsorship!

Mental Clarification

We’re all mentally exhausted. Tired of spending so much time at home. Tired of not having work boundaries. Tired of not having home boundaries. It’s a lot and has been taxing. I truly believe that the long term mental health impact of the current pandemic will be much more significant than what we’re currently thinking or expecting. Regardless, what does this mean for us today? I’ve found it’s critical to create CONCRETE boundaries and enforce them at all times. This means having specific “work hours” and either disabling notifications for email and chat at a certain time or just completely turning it off. No one expects you to be on all the time. It’s okay to not respond to something that comes in at 9pm. We need to try to separate life from work, and if you let the two bleed into each other you’re setting yourself up for burnout. It’s a big reason I also have never been a fan of some of the robust tech campuses that have buffets, gyms, salons, beds, the works all onsite. It blurs the lines between life and work and I do not personally think that’s healthy for the majority of people.

Treat Yo’ Self

Also, don’t forget some oddly poetic advice from our friends at Parks & Recreation: Treat yo’ self. Feel free to take mental health days from work. Make time in the day to do what you need to relax and unplug. If you’ve historically been an energizer bunny who has never needed to do this, then it’s going to feel odd making this pivot. I fall into this bucket myself. Trust me – it may feel small or useless but that hour you earmark for yourself or that Wednesday you take off next week will help give you some semblance of control and let you recharge in a sustainable way.

I’d like to end this piece by quoting Dr. Ahmad, “do not despair of the 6-month wall. It’s not permanent, nor will it define you in this period of adversity. Trust that the magic that helped you through the first phase is still there. Take a breath & a pause. You’ll be on the other side in no time.”

The Success League is a customer success consulting firm that offers a Leadership Training program (upcoming session will be at a new 4pm Pacific time slot) that covers management best practices for Success leaders. For more information on this and our other programs and offerings, see TheSuccessLeague.io

Amin Akbarpour - Amin is a customer success coach and architect. With relationship-building at the core of his practice, he molds teams by instilling the necessary principles to transform them into trusted advisors. Amin is one of the founding advisors to The Success League. Amin is a University of San Francisco alum who now calls New York City home.

Oh, The Skills You'll Acquire

By Ashley Hall

In the Dr. Seuss’ classic, Oh, the Place’s You’ll Go!, you read through the trials and tribulations you’re almost certain to face through your life journey. Not everything will go as planned, you might get stuck. Sometimes you may even be scared, but with some perseverance and desire to figure it out, you will succeed in navigating “where the streets are not marked.” In reading through the classic story again I am inspired and encouraged to continue forging ahead in the unknown to come.

Now, in my version, the title I have in mind is “Oh, the skills you’ll acquire.” Years ago when I embarked on a career in success I knew my technical knowhow would increase and I’d get the opportunity to work with some of the world's most admired companies. Not only that, but I would be held to firm performance metrics including a sales quota (thanks, Kristen Hayer!) Beyond that, I couldn’t imagine what I truly was in for! Frankly, the list of skills acquired during my six years in success feels like it's miles long. Continue reading for all the unexpected skills I never knew I’d acquire as a customer success professional.

Legal expertise - Information Security 

There’s not been a single company that I’ve worked for yet where I’ve not acquired some new legal know-how. Beginning with HR laws and obligations while working for an HRIS company, to all important data privacy protocols like CCPA, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance.

Having participated in SOC 2 compliance certifications I’ve been able to hone in on project management skills along with cross-functional collaboration to ensure the organization is safely and securely meeting all regulations. Not only that but also articulating the updates and impacts to my customer base with those security and privacy protocols ensuring they too are compliant and meeting their legal parameters.

Legal Expertise - Contract Terms

While working for larger-scale organizations with thousands of customers I had the opportunity to send most legal questions to an internal legal department for full review and support. However, when working for earlier stage startups legal counsel is not in-house and can be an expensive hourly consulting fee. 

To expedite process and keep costs low I’ve had to learn quite a bit for basic contract term redlines. No better way to learn, than being thrown in head first! Contract sections such as fees and payment terms, termination, confidentiality, support levels, and uptime guarantees are now comfortable areas where I can negotiate and work through redlines and negotiations comfortably.

Technical and Business Translation

As a success professional, I find myself frequently in the chasm of colleagues and clients with varying business and technical acumen. In a given day I could be working with developers and engineers on an integration or issue, then leading a presentation with marketing leaders on their execution of success criteria, or negotiating an opportunity with a client procurement team. In these conversations with many different professional disciplines overlapping I find myself explaining API calls to procurement teams and business contract terms to our users. 

Even more often I find myself translating between different disciplines when working directly with clients, especially when recording their feature requests of what they need from the platform but also how and why the platform works the way it does, and the best way to adopt it to execute their goals.

Data Manipulation and Management 

If I had a dime for all the spreadsheets and data exports I’ve worked through over the years! From client projects like data migration and reporting to internal projects and communication I find myself in and out of numerous spreadsheets throughout the day. Honestly, I did not have many excel skills when I first started in success but truly picked it up very quickly to meet the needs of storytelling through data as well as collaborating both internally and with clients of all sizes. 

Product Issue Diagnostics

Over the years I’ve fine-tuned a successful approach for recording and conveying product issues and challenges. This workflow spans across tools like Zendesk and Jira along with screenshots and Lloom recordings. While of course we prioritize spending time with clients on their strategic direction, product issues and bugs are bound to turn up, and diagnosing and escalating them quickly is a key skill to hone.

Workflow Building and Goal Execution Paths

Partnering with a client as their “success” manager is no small feat - it's in the title! Success is expected and demanded in a quick fashion. I’ve worked hard at moving quickly with clients in identifying their goals or success criteria and mapping out a path to get there quickly. 

Frequently clients rely on the CS person very heavily for mapping and establishing their workflows in a new platform.

Change Management

From new clients adopting our software solution to team expansion and reduction I’ve experienced rapid change over the years and have grown a resilience and a calm when it comes to change management. As Dr. Seuss so wisely states, “bang ups and hang ups will happen to you,” however once you come out on the other side you’re all the much wiser and of course more experienced.

I truly never expected to gain expertise in so many varied skill sets. I should be so lucky for that pattern to continue and to learn even more. Just remember when you’re inevitably up against a new challenge and you’re not sure quite what to do, remember “you have to face your problems, whatever they are...And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed).”

“So...get on your way!”

Looking to add to your professional tool kit? The Success League is a Customer Success consulting and training firm that offers a Certified CSM training program which includes classes such as Career Development for CSMs and Cross-Functional Leadership. Visit TheSuccessLeague.io for our other classes and offerings.

Ashley Hall - Ashley loves to lead account management and success teams; from training newbies to building processes out of chaos. Ashley is one of the founding advisors to The Success League, and serves as a regular instructor for the company's CSM Training Program. She is a Director of Customer Success at Stackla, and brings her work experiences to her articles and classes. Ashley holds a BA from the University of Colorado, lives in San Francisco, and enjoys global travel.

Hello!? Am I on Mute?

By Roberto Anguiano

I can still remember the day of my job interview for my current role. I was extremely nervous. The process to get ready for the interview started the night before. I remember ironing my dress shirt, pressing my coat, picking out the right cardigan that would go over the dress shirt, and matching the belt with the dress shoes. Dress to impress, you always want to make a good first impression. Just some of the old school tips I picked up along the way in my career. Sitting in the lobby, I remember seeing everyone walking in, the building looking modern like a brand-new start-up. This was the reality that I knew. These days I spend most of my days in a t-shirt and jeans and hide behind a picture, where I’m well-groomed with a fresh haircut, as I conduct Zoom calls and almost never turn the video function on. 

As many of us now know to be our reality, COVID-19 not only ravaged our world community but literally made the world standstill. Hospitals became oversaturated, businesses were forced to shut down, many to never open again and thousands of lives were lost around the globe. It forced us as a global community to pivot and find new ways to conduct business, continue education, and interact with family and friends. As the shelter in place ordinance started to roll out, companies found themselves having to rely on video communication like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Facetime, and Skype. Tools that were usually reserved for board room conversation or the occasional remote employee all of a sudden became the new norm. 

As I began to ruminate about what to write, I decided to take a page out of John Krasinski’s book and highlight some of the lighter, funnier, heartfelt events I’ve seen over the past few months. For those that are unfamiliar, Krasinski noticed a lack of news outlets that just highlighted happy, funny moments in the news so, with his family, he created a YouTube show called Some Good News to change that. 

Appreciation on the Front Lines

During this pandemic, I’ve been able to see how creative and unique people from all walks of life are, and how they have been working through Covid-19. I want to highlight a few Zoom and online moments I’ve seen so far, showcasing what individuals can do when they come together for a common purpose. The first moment that comes to mind is a video that honors the heroes on the frontlines. For the past few weeks, hospital workers have been greeted every day at 7 pm with loud cheers. People showing their appreciation by banging on pots outside their homes, clapping outside of hospitals, honking their horns. Donating meals to hospital workers and staff, all to say thank you to the men and women risking their lives to save ours. With all the content of people being sick, videos of hope are also being shared. Patients that are beating COVID are leaving the hospital, and being celebrated by hospital staff.

Feeding the Hungry

With millions of people out of work, a large portion of the individuals impacted have been the men and women of the service industry. Yet in the resilient fighting spirit of community, many of the same men and women impacted by the pandemic are stepping up to make a difference. If you are in the city of San Francisco and have the opportunity to order for pick up, I encourage you to visit TOMA. TOMA not only dishes out the best burritos in the city but when owner Isidrio, known to many as Chilin, heard that there were kids not getting their free meals in school, he wanted to do something about it. As statistics show, many children depend on the free lunch provided at schools to subsidize a large portion of their daily meals. TOMA started donating free meals to kids and then increased the portions to feed their families as well. Even with his own business suffering from the pandemic, Chilin still managed to constantly feed healthcare workers by providing catering to hospitals, and free burritos to the men and women that work there if they showed up to pick up on their days off. TOMA, where they roll’em high and tight!

Virtual Milestones

Some of the best viral moments and creativity recognition have to be given to the class of 2020. To many of them, these past few months were supposed to be among some of their most memorable. However, with the shelter in place ordinances and schools being shut down, events like prom and graduation ceremonies were canceled. To many, this might not seem like the most important thing to worry about during a pandemic. Yet to someone who has been working their entire lives toward that moment it could be an emotionally devastating blow. That’s why it was inspiring to see so many people eager to support these graduates. From parents and community members hosting virtual graduation ceremonies via Zoom to having commencement ceremonies in their own backyards, people rallied to ensure that these graduates got the opportunity to experience their moment. As many from the class of 2020 prepare to embark on a new chapter, they will certainly come out of this more resilient and tested. Congratulations Class of 2020! 

Do the Time, Don’t Let it Do You!

This pandemic has proven that when there is a crisis, being surrounded by the right team makes a world of difference. It shows that collectively, whether in person or on a thirty person plus video call that collaboration, teamwork, and execution is still achievable. 

If there is anything that you take away from this article, know that it’s ok to be vulnerable and find unique ways to connect to your colleagues and clients during these trying times. That taking time to ask if they are doing ok, or if they need anything isn’t a weird or intrusive thing to ask these days. We are all in this together. Many of us went through months of quarantine, and are probably going a little stir crazy even amid some reopening. I know I am. Nonetheless, I’m thankful to be healthy and have the ability to still work and produce when many others don’t have that luxury. Before the quarantine I would interact with individuals that would say “If I just had the time I would…” or “ah! Don’t you wish you could just take a moment to stop and work on you for a while?” Well, this is it! Do the time, don’t let it do you! Take this time to learn that new language, work on those extra projects, anything that would otherwise not be possible before the world stood still. Stay safe and stay inside.

I would like to thank all the doctors and nurses on the frontlines and essential personnel who are risking themselves and their families on a daily basis so that we can still retain a bit of our normal way of life in the midst of this pandemic. We are indebted to you.

The Success League is a customer success consulting firm that offers online training (for both Leaders and CSMs) as well as consulting engagements. Please visit TheSuccessLeague.io for information on our full offerings.

Roberto Anguiano - As a core team member of the Aruba Networks Customer Success team, Roberto plays an important role in delivering the digital-first engagement strategy for the Customer Success program. Roberto is the lead CSM for the Digital-only segment and creates digital content. Additionally, Roberto is an award-winning public speaker and has represented the United States and his university in some of the highest levels of speaking competitions. Roberto holds an MBA in Finance from La Sierra University.

What's Your Reopening Plan?

By Evan Rich

This past week here in New York, we entered the first phase of reopening our city as we start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. If the last three months are any indication, this will surely be a lengthy process that requires many starts and stops. But observing how restaurants and other local businesses are adapting to meet the needs of their customers has made me pause to reflect on all that has transpired and take time to plan for what things might look like when our industry settles into its new normal.

The Changing Role of CS

As we’ve all navigated these unchartered waters, one sentiment I’m hearing often is that the influence held by Customer Success leaders is rapidly expanding within many organizations. Customer retention, churn and cash collections are top of mind for every management team, and the CS leaders responsible for delivering against these metrics are receiving increased exposure at the Board of Directors level. The gradual reopening of the global economy necessitates that these KPIs remain under close scrutiny for the foreseeable future, and this new reality makes it critical for CS leaders to be forward-looking and to design an operation that is built for the future. Rather than become paralyzed by the challenges brought about by the present circumstance, let’s shift our collective focus toward figuring out how we can deliver a differentiated experience as we return to something resembling business as usual.

Rethink the Composition of Your Team 

Customer Success hiring has long been dictated by the need to assign CSMs to accounts in close geographical proximity. Our new reality should push leaders to reconsider whether it still makes sense to limit the talent pool in this way. For startups and small businesses hard-pressed to compete with compensation packages offered by larger companies in their area, a geo-agnostic approach could form the most efficient path toward building a differentiated CS offering. Can a CSM deliver a best-in-class customer experience if he or she doesn’t live within driving distance of the client’s corporate headquarters? Absolutely! The same question holds when distributing accounts across the existing CSM team. If we accept that remote work is here to stay and office buildings might not welcome visitors for the foreseeable future, then it’s easy to envision the benefits of dividing up accounts to align with the various skill sets already represented on the team. Now is the time to explore other options for segmenting customers that might help further distinguish your products and services.  

Virtual Doesn’t Have to be Impersonal

I’ve written previously for this blog about how CS teams can deliver value at each point in the customer life cycle. I’d argue that having this mindset has never been more important than it is right now. If you’re able to cultivate content that appeals to your audience and adds value to their business, the “at-bats” should be plentiful. I’ve never seen senior decision-makers be more willing to carve out time for business reviews, industry conferences or small group events than they have been over the past few months. With travel severely restricted, the same is likely true of your management team. One silver lining of our new reality is that it will never be easier to connect a customer with your leaders or the executives at other peer organizations with whom you work. I’ve been a strong proponent of connecting customers with each other in the form of a Customer Advisory Board, and this feels like another activity ripe for reimagining in today’s environment. Just as with hiring, we are no longer limited by geography in planning these events. This offers you the opportunity to shake things up and form smaller working groups that are more conducive to a virtual conversation. In a world where we’re all deprived of human connection to some extent, these sessions can serve as a welcome break in the day for everyone and an opportunity to further distinguish your unique customer experience.

As CS professionals, we’ve relied heavily on in-person meetings to build relationships and establish important checkpoints throughout the customer life cycle. Whether in the form of a business review or casual drinks, we’ve leveraged these moments to take the customer’s pulse and define success criteria. While we may not be able to fall back on these in-person touchpoints for some time, we can still collect valuable insights and separate ourselves from the competition in this new virtual world.

Does your customer success leader or team need or advice or coaching? The Success League is a customer success consulting firm that works with executives who are ready to develop a top-performing customer success team. Visit our consulting page for offerings. TheSuccessLeague.io

Evan Rich - Evan formed the Customer Success team at NS1, an infrastructure technology company that is changing how internet applications are delivered. As Sr. Director of Global Services, he is responsible for account management, support and professional services. Evan holds a BS from Cornell University and resides in New York City.