In today’s modern world, where clients can interact with almost any brand online from the comfort of their own homes, companies need to do more than just answer questions if they want to provide meaningful support. They need to build positive, long-lasting relationships with their clients, based on anticipating and fulfilling their needs, and keeping them satisfied. That’s where Customer Success comes in.

At Finyard, we recognise the importance of putting our clients’ needs first and are committed to providing them with the best possible experience, both in terms of product and support. Our Customer Success Team is here to help clients from the moment they are onboarded and across their lifetime with the company, ensuring there’s always someone to assist them.

1. What is Customer Success?

“At Finyard, Customer Success is about treating every client like they are our only client”, says Irina Kutkova, Head of Customer Success. 

This highlights the importance we place on providing a better quality of service. People nowadays want more than just support, they expect companies to anticipate their needs. Customer Success is a proactive approach that’s about building long-lasting relationships with clients, where the main goal is to help improve their satisfaction by maximising their use of our products. Our team achieves this by identifying and resolving potential issues before clients encounter them, while also ensuring that, when challenges are faced, they are clearly communicated.

2. How to build an effective Customer Success Team?

“To be effective, companies must take a comprehensive approach to Customer Success, informed by detailed analyses, with clearly stated goals”, according to Irina.

Analyses allow us to gain a clearer picture of the current situation, including how the client journey flows and any problems that may be faced. We can then identify what resources will be required, both from an employee and technical standpoint, helping us fill any gaps. We also need to have a clear communication strategy, outlining tone of voice and personalised messaging for each client, as well as correct procedures in place to maintain efficiency.

3. What skills does a Customer Success Team need?

“There are a range of qualities we look for when hiring for our team. These include hard skills like industry experience and understanding the client journey, as well as soft skills like attention to detail and the ability to self-educate”, Irina mentions.

At Finyard, all Customer Success Team members benefit from comprehensive training, including a range of courses, webinars, and tests. New members joining are also assigned a tutor or mentor, who oversees their journey with the company, providing feedback on their work, as well as guidance for handling specific scenarios. This approach ensures that everyone who joins our team has all the knowledge and resources they need to perform to the highest level, helping maintain client satisfaction.

4. How has AI transformed client interaction?

The introduction of new technology like machine learning and AI has transformed client interaction in recent years, helping us map the customer journey and identify bottlenecks in the services and products we offer. It allows us to better categorise clients by analysing their behaviour, and helps highlight areas where more support is needed to improve retention and client satisfaction.

While improving the client experience by introducing elements of automation is a good thing, we must always keep in mind that “people want to talk to other people, especially when it comes to matters that are important to them”, says Irina, which is why it’s important to offer that human touch alongside any automated technology.

5. Why is Customer Success important?

Customer Success is more than just maintaining client satisfaction. It plays a key role in driving client retention by building strong relationships and ensuring customers continue to derive value from the product.

Beyond that, “a Customer Success Team is very important for product development, as we communicate directly with clients and can pass along feedback for improvements to developers”, explains Irina.

At the same time, the team also plays a major role in identifying new revenue streams and growth opportunities within existing accounts, including through the likes of upsells and cross-sells.

All these elements make our Customer Success Team one of the most important at Finyard, and key to ensuring the smoothest possible experience for all our clients.