The Vocabulary of Customer Success: a Language of Love

If you’ve ever worked in a sales organization, you’re probably accustomed to hearing phrases like, “kill your number”, “attack the market”, “crush your quota”. Words match actions as assertive sales reps rally to hit their monthly budgets. In sales, it’s all about getting the signature before quarter-end.

Customer Success Managers, no less assertive on our mission, take a subtler approach to reaching goals—goals just as vital to the success of the company as the initial sale. With recurring revenues on the line each month (MRR), SaaS vendors don’t have the luxury of relaxing once the contract is signed. That first login is arguably the most pivotal moment in customer adoption.

Touch, engagement, renewal

In customer success parlance, touch, engagement, renewal are the words of the trade. It’s the language of love, n’est-ce pas? In a sense, it is. It’s a high-touch business whose customer adoption professionals are committed to nurturing and growing your customer base. We shepherd clients through the functions and phases of product use, building trust and loyalty as we go.

Customer success managers use words like coaching, adoption, and guidance. We’re also big fans of the word proactive; stepping in to offer suggestions for increased productivity or intervene with support before frustration sets in. Who else but a devoted customer success manager spends their days helping clients adopt and increase usage of your software, minimizes growing pains and ultimately expands your business?

Personal is Amity’s chief customer officer Louise Philp’s favorite customer success word. “Regardless of the number of customers I support or contacts I have, a personal interaction solidifies our connection. A simple email from a client changes everything. If I’ve connected with you, I know you, and our relationship becomes personal,” says Louise. And that’s the way we in customer success prefer to keep it — personal.