Guest Post: How SaaS Companies Can Use Customer Experience to Drive Sales

This week we feature an article by Noa Danon, co-founder and CEO of EverAfter, a company that helps build lasting relationships with customers and partners using data and content. She writes about how companies can keep their customers happy while looking for opportunities to sell more.

SaaS has changed the traditional sales rules. With SaaS, purchases are mainly cloud-based with major demand. Because of this, prices are cheaper as new companies, products and solutions come to market daily. Due to this, competition is fierce as many SaaS companies are highly vulnerable to churn if they are not satisfying their customer base.   

Marketing, in general, is becoming more expensive and prospecting is becoming harder. In a Hubspot survey, 40% of salespeople said getting a response from prospects was more difficult than 2 years ago. 

Combined with the ever-changing landscape of the SaaS industry, it is no wonder that sales leaders have been asked to help manage customer relationships, even though this is not their strength. Traditionally, sales leaders are motivated by increasing the number of new logos and the thrill of the sale rather than splitting their attention to managing the day-to-day relationships of customers.  

Having a dedicated team of Customer Success managers is a much better strategy for companies who want to focus on keeping their existing customers happy while looking for opportunities for upsell. This allows the sales team to do what they do best while still bringing in several additional benefits to the overall sales process. Here are a few reasons why Customer Success should be separated from Sales.  

Use Customer Success as a carrot

Integrating a new software can be nerve-racking as you gamble on the success of the sales process while building a new relationship with your supplier. SaaS companies by and large have a fantastic sales process but fall short in the aftercare of their customers. By building a dedicated Customer Success team that can be introduced during the sales process can alleviate this concern. In addition, it might just push your prospect over the finish line who might be having some hesitation.  

Increasingly important is the word of mouth and recommendations of others. 93% of consumers trust the recommendations of friends and family when making a purchase decision. If a prospect searches online or reaches out to their network to find out how you treat your customers after a sale then you want the feedback to be glowing. The additional credibility could make a huge difference to your closing line.  

In-depth client understanding

A Customer Success Manager can play a greater and more strategic role with the client. By embedding this person into the day-to-day of your customer, you can minimize frustrations and pain points. This can also be fed back to both the product and sales team to prioritize fixes and even new uses cases.  

By becoming a valued and trusted advisor for your clients, the Customer Success Manager can advise on new opportunities such as upsells and can encourage your customer to break out of their usual patterns and realize where there can be room for improvement.  

Create a virtuous circle

The sales team still has a vital role to play by the Customer Success team can make the lives of sales that much easier. By having greater visibility into the practicalities, they are trained to seed the idea of upsells and cross-selling.  

Yet they would then hand it over to the sales team again to close the deal. They would prep the sales team thoroughly to maximize the chances of an agreement but there would be no internal conflict as each team understands their individual roles clearly. The Customer Success team can prevent the sales teams from wasting time and energy going down the wrong path as they better understand the client’s needs. 

Collaboration is easy

Not surprisingly, SaaS companies need to ensure they are continuously expressing value to the customers and keeping internal departments on the same page and many admit this is a constant challenge. Yet, the problem can be easily solved by technology by utilizing a centralized hub available to all internal stakeholders and the customer so timeless and outstanding tasks are easily communicated and won’t be missed. This can be especially useful when working remotely. Don’t let the fear of siloed workforces stop you from making the change that will increase retention or minimize churn.   

Final thoughts

At EverAfter, we believe retention, expansion, and advocacy is the best way to grow your business and the implementation of a Customer Success team is critical to a healthy pipeline. In today’s world, keeping your customers is a secret to gaining more in the future. Introducing a single hub is an ideal way to ensure harmony between the teams for the best possible outcome. 

Noa Danon is the co-founder and CEO of EverAfter, empowering companies to build lasting relationships with customers and partners using data and content.