Why cognitive friction can make a feature fail

The difference between a forgettable onboarding call and a game-changing one? The questions you ask. Early in my career, I treated onboarding like a product tour. I thought covering every feature = success. But customers don’t remember every feature — they remember if you helped them see a clear path to their goals. Now I approach onboarding conversations with 3 simple questions that shift the focus from “demo” to “value”: 1: What outcome brought you to us? (Align on the real “why”) 2: What will success look like 90 days from now? (Anchor expectations) 3: What obstacles might slow you down? (Surface risks early) When customers answer these, I can tailor the journey, flag red signals before they grow, and make onboarding feel less like a checklist and more like a partnership. If you had to add a fourth question to this list, what would it be? #CustomerOnboarding #CustomerSuccess #ClientExperience

In every sales demo or client onboarding, there's one principle I always circle back to: "𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬." At first, it sounds counterintuitive. Why not dive straight into solving the customer's pain points, tweaking the solution on the fly, or rallying the engineering team to customize features? But here's the reality in customer success and solutions engineering: If you're running on fumes—skipping your own skill updates, ignoring work-life balance, or neglecting to recharge with industry insights—you can't deliver peak performance. You'll fumble the demo, miss key integrations, or worse, burn out mid-project. Business works the same way. We're wired to jump in: Map customer needs, engineer tailored solutions, celebrate wins with the team. But we often forget to fuel our own engine. Self-investment isn't selfish. It's strategic. It's how you stay sharp to guide clients to success, bridge gaps in complex deployments, and turn challenges into scalable victories. Because you can't innovate from an empty tank. #CustomerSuccess #SolutionsEngineering #SelfCareInTech #LeadershipLessons

Most reps ask questions… wrong. "Do you have time to talk?" → instant no. Better: "I’m curious… how do you handle [pain] today?" Small tweak. Big difference. People talk when asked the right way.”

Why Customers Don’t Care About Your Org Chart   A customer once told me, “The hardest part isn’t your product—it’s when I get bounced between teams.” That really stuck with me. Our product requires work from 2–3 different internal teams. Naturally, issues come up that sit outside my direct scope. But here’s the thing: the customer doesn’t care about our org chart. They just want someone they can trust to own their success. That means I can’t point fingers or say, “That’s another team’s job.” Even if it is. My role is to gather the information, coordinate with the right people internally, and make sure the customer has one clear, confident answer. It’s fine for them to know multiple teams are involved. What matters is that they always feel there’s one person guiding them to go-live. Because at the end of the day, customers don’t remember which team solved the problem. They remember who stood by them until it was solved.

🔥 Anti-Pattern #3: "Customer vs. Business Goals - When No One Wins" Running two days behind my usual schedule because I wanted to get this one right. Here's the lie product teams have been sold: customer outcomes and business objectives are opposing forces. Reality? Teams become firefighters constantly rebuilding the model home with new backsplashes while competitors win with better floorplans. The pattern I keep seeing: → Customer escalations drive roadmap decisions → Wrong discovery questions generate feature requests instead of revealing problems → "Customer-centric" becomes code for "we'll build whatever customers ask for" Result: You're doing customer support with engineering resources, not product strategy. When you solve systematic customer problems that drive their success, those solutions naturally create business value at scale. Both outcomes matter equally because they're the same thing when you understand patterns instead of chasing symptoms. Check out my article here on Substack for more: https://lnkd.in/gKEV5EPu #ProductManagement #CustomerSuccess #ProductStrategy #strategy

Sometimes, being a Customer Success Manager is like being a therapist. It’s about more than just problem-solving – it’s about truly listening, understanding, and connecting on a deeper level. Active listening and emotional intelligence are crucial for understanding the needs of both the customer and their business. By combining empathy with insight, we can identify potential risks, address challenges before they arise, and create a roadmap that leads to mutual success. Finding solutions that benefit both parties? That’s the heart of what makes this role so rewarding.  #CustomerSuccess #ActiveListening #EmotionalIntelligence #EmpathyInBusiness

Have you ever thought setbacks could be the key to success? That's right! When I first dived into the world of SaaS, I faced countless challenges. It felt like a never-ending uphill battle, and yet, those early setbacks became my secret weapon. • Let's rewind to when I made my first significant mistake. I released a product without thoroughly understanding customer needs. The feedback was brutal. But instead of giving up, I listened closely. • In SaaS, customer feedback isn't just valuable; it's a lifeline. Understanding what your users need can transform your service. I turned feedback into fuel for improvement. 💡 Actionable Insight 1: Embrace Feedback Feedback might sting, but it's crucial. Instead of taking it personally, see it as a learning opportunity. - 💬 Specific Steps: Host regular customer feedback sessions. - ✍️ Implement suggestions where feasible and communicate changes back to users. • Then came the issue of retention. Customers were trying us but not sticking around. Losing a customer is costly, whereas retaining one can be much more beneficial. • Through trial and error, I found that proactive communication was the answer. It wasn’t just about the 'what' but the 'how'. 💡 Actionable Insight 2: Proactive Communication. Communicate regularly and proactively with your clients to keep them engaged. - 🔄 Specific Steps: Set up automated emails or personal check-ins. - 📅 Use tools to track customer interactions and flag any potential concerns early on. These setbacks taught me resilience and adaptability. Today, our growth in the SaaS market is a testament to those lessons learned. Ready to turn your setbacks into success stories? Let’s chat about your experiences! What's one lesson you've learned from a challenge in your career? #SaaS #CustomerSuccess #FeedbackMatters #ProactiveCommunication

Lately, our support team’s been ON IT. Helping customers through the tough stuff. Catching bugs before they blow up. Turning “this is so frustrating 🥴” into “thank you so much for sticking with me.” 😎 And honestly? It’s reminded me just how valuable this work really is. Support isn’t just about closing tickets. (One more time for those in the back: IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CLOSING TICKETS!!) 🫠 It’s about listening when someone’s having a rough day. Spotting patterns no one else sees. Advocating for users when no one’s watching. And doing it all with heart, patience, and a ridiculous amount of skill. 😶🌫️ I’ve seen teammates de-escalate customers with grace. 💅🏽 I’ve seen feedback from ONE chat lead to a fix that made HUNDREDS of users' lives easier. I’ve seen support folks shape how we build, improve, and grow EVERY single day. So this is a little (or not so little 😅) shoutout to the people behind the chats, calls, and tickets. YOU make the customer experience what it is. YOU make the product better. And YOU make this work meaningful. Leaders: if you’re not listening closely to your support team, you’re missing out on some of the best insight (and talent) in the company. 🤦🏽♂️ #SupportLife #CustomerExperience #Teamwork #Leadership #Gratitude #VoiceOfCustomer

May I confess something? 😅 Usually I hate when a ticket comes from Customer Support, but sometimes I kind of love it. ❤️ Of course I don’t like when a bug is discovered. Especially by a customer trying to complete a transfer and failing. But with the right perspective, those moments become an opportunity to uncover gaps and evolve the product. 🚀 Instead of only fixing one problem at a time, I look for patterns that drive lasting improvements. Very often, those “small” issues reveal big opportunities 🌟: improving onboarding, clarifying error messages, or addressing system dependencies to make the product more scalable. That’s why today I see every bug or support ticket as more than a fix, it’s a signal.💡 Signals, when read carefully, help us build not only a better product, but also a stronger and more reliable experience. ✅ 👉 How do you find opportunities for product growth in everyday issues?

A Hard Truth in Business & Marketing “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” - Bill Gates In the world of business, customer feedback is not just an opinion - it’s a roadmap for growth. 👉 Negative feedback shows where we need to improve. 👉 Criticism highlights blind spots we often miss. 👉 An unhappy customer today can become your most loyal customer tomorrow - if we listen, adapt, and respond with care. ✨ Every challenge is an opportunity. ✨ Every mistake is a lesson. ✨ Every customer is a teacher. Because success isn’t built on applause alone - it’s shaped by the courage to learn from dissatisfaction and turn it into trust. 🔑 How do you handle unhappy customers - do you ignore them, or learn from them?