Pylon

Maranda Dziekonski (she/her) is in the 🔆 Spotlight 🔆! Maranda is currently the VP of CS at Id.me, and she has an extensive 20+ years in the CS space. We are excited to spotlight her today! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? I actually fell into it by chance and luck - because I love it! My first ever customer success job was over 20 years ago now. It wasn't called Customer Success, but that's what it was. I managed a customer portfolio, ensuring they had what they needed to be successful, looking around corners for any risks and so on. While I have owned multiple functions in an org, some further away from Customer Success, like HR, some closer like Support, I have always made Customer Success my home. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘁? Not learning more about the business, which is why I tell folks to dig in deep. When I say business, I am referring to both the ones you work in and the ones you support. You cannot be a trusted advisor if you don't understand your customers day to day, and you also cannot control your destiny if you don't understand the whys behind what you do. I didn't get clear on that early. I just checked the boxes. When I finally realized how important that was, my career truly took off, and my role had more purpose for me. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? Learn about the business you are working in and supporting. You should know what NRR is, what impacts it from the business standpoint, and what levers you have to impact it. You should know what renewals are coming up for your book of business, not just a quarter out, but a few quarters out - because the further you think and strategize, the greater the chance you can positively impact that renewal event. Oh, and don't be afraid to own a number. It may be scary at first, but ultimately will help your career. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? People who still use NPS as their primary metric and folks who completely discount the value that NPS can bring. It's rarely the end-all-be-all for any organization, but when done right, it can be a great data point for any organization.

"What's Pylon's SLA?" Tabs pinged our Slack channel so I flew out to NY and answered in person 😳 There's our SLA. Proof in pic below* JK. We're built different but not that different. Having solid relationships with customers is sick because you can just hit up GS S. and ask to co-work for the day 😎 Got to see the Tabs team in person and witness how they work. A lot of smiling, energy, and getting shit done. Hit them up, they're on to something and hiring 💪🏽

Introducing... 📖 Knowledge Gaps 📖 Gaps surface what topics are missing in your KB. They join our AI-KCS suite of tooling which includes: 1. AI Article Generation 2. Templates 3. Similar Article Detection 4. Knowledge Base 5. Conversational Agents Your new support flow becomes... Customers ask questions → you answer them → periodically check for new gaps → use AI article generation to draft new articles into pre-defined template formats → similar article detection keeps your knowledge base clean → the content feeds your conversational agents to answer that question the next time. This works only for knowledge-centered questions which is fewer in B2B, but still highly impactful. This is a BFD. Enjoy!

Andrea Bumstead is in the 🔆 Spotlight 🔆! Her most recent role was VP of CS @ Kindsight and she has built several high-performing customer success teams across both B2B and B2C industries. It's an honor to spotlight her today! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? I began my career in marketing and then spent several years as an account executive. My transition into customer success was sparked by the industry’s shift toward subscription-based models and cloud-based solutions. I saw an opportunity to be at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry and profession. Additionally, I’ve always had a passion for building relationships and working closely with customers, so moving into customer success felt like a natural and exciting fit for me. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? A common misconception is that customer success doesn’t require sales skills. This couldn’t be further from the truth—upsells, cross-sells, and renewals are often integral to the role. In fact, customer success is a key revenue driver for most organizations. The ability to navigate commercial negotiations, identify opportunities to add value, and advise customers on new products or services is essential for any Customer Success Manager. These skills ensure both the customer and the business achieve their goals. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? Start by connecting with Customer Success Managers to learn about their daily responsibilities, challenges, and rewards. Take a few courses, such as those offered by Success Hacker, and join customer success communities like the Customer Success Network, Women in Customer Success, or the CxXchange. Don’t worry about lacking direct experience in customer success—many successful professionals come from diverse backgrounds. As a leader, I’ve hired individuals with experience in fields like event planning, hospitality, fitness, and small business ownership. What truly matters is a customer-first mindset, strong problem-solving skills, and a genuine interest in helping others succeed. Having some sales skills also doesn't hurt ;) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗩𝗣 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? The most fulfilling aspect of my role is working with people—both within my organization and with our customers. Internally, I thrive on collaborating with teams to solve complex challenges and refine go-to-market strategies. Externally, I love partnering with customers to understand their definition of success and designing journeys that deliver meaningful value. For me, the human element is both the most rewarding and the most challenging part of customer success, and it’s what keeps me deeply passionate about this profession.

I’m calling it. Pylon will be the next Zendesk - and that’s their floor, not their ceiling. They have a dream Founder team. 2 Caltech alums (Robert Eng and Advith Chelikani) and a customer obsessed CEO (Marty Kausas) who lives, breathes, and sleeps Sales & Product. It's incredible to see how much they've shipped in a little over 2 years. They've won over tastemakers in their own fields: Deel, Framer, Modal, PostHog. At mLab, I managed 3,000+ Zendesk support tickets. Pylon's agent view gives support reps multiple ways to organize work, tailored to individual preferences. No more one-size-fits-all workflows. Slack channels have become an incredibly popular way to provide support. It’s a first class concept in Pylon - you can create tickets directly from Slack messages, so you don’t forget to follow up on important threads. And of course, AI. They’ve found a natural, no-brainer fit for AI in their product. You can auto-generate knowledge base articles directly from support tickets. How much wisdom is lost in support conversations? No more "we should document this"... only for it to never happen. No more losing institutional knowledge in ticket black holes. I hope they find a way to measure and quantify the amount of time & resources saved from this feature - it’s a game changer. 🫡 to the Pylon team, can’t wait to watch you change the future of CX.

Shimon Perry is in the 🔆 Spotlight 🔆! He's currently a mentor at QUAY Acceleration, helping B2B entrepreneurs with their post-sales strategy. Prior to this he has been in many CS leadership roles such as VP of Customer Success & Support at Sellics It's an honor to spotlight him today! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? I started my career in Sales and later transitioned into Account Management in the gaming industry. I loved engaging with clients, maintaining long-term relationships, and always following up to check on their progress. Over time, I realized my passion lay in advocating for clients, guiding them to success, and mentoring teams. Becoming a Customer Success and Support Leader felt like the natural next step. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? Many organizations see Support as a reactive function, focused solely on resolving issues quickly and achieving customer satisfaction. However, this approach overlooks a crucial opportunity to identify risks and uncover growth potential proactively. Early in my career, I recognized this gap and developed playbooks to train Support teams to spot these triggers, act on them, and drive added value for clients. It's about transforming Support into a value-growth engine. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜? AI will revolutionize post-sales teams by shifting their focus from their reactive and repetitive tasks to proactive ones. With AI insights, CS teams could further personalize interactions and dedicate more time to relationship-building activities with clients that in turn drive value and strategic insights. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? Work on your listening skills—it’s the foundation of success. Stay curious and adopt a learner’s mindset. Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions and show genuine empathy by inviting clients to “tell you more.” These conversations often reveal unexpected insights that can help you deliver exceptional value.

Very excited!!!!! Can't wait.

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Edward W. is in the 🔆 Spotlight 🔆! He's the VP of Client Services at Delivery Solutions, a UPS company that is focused on helping enterprise retailers scale. We're very excited to feature him today! 🙂 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? I got into Support and Customer Success through an incredible opportunity at Time Warner Cable, where I was promoted to lead a new White Glove Support Department called SignatureHome. This department focused on delivering elevated, concierge-level service to high-value customers, ensuring every interaction was seamless and impactful. The experience of building and leading a team dedicated to white glove service ignited my passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences. It also opened the door to Support and Customer Success leadership, where I’ve continued to focus on empowering teams, driving customer satisfaction, and building strong, lasting relationships. This foundation has shaped my approach to customer-centric leadership throughout my career. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? Most people think Support and Success are reactive roles, focused solely on solving problems or handling complaints. In reality, they’re proactive, strategic functions that drive customer satisfaction, retention, and growth. Success is about building relationships, anticipating needs, and ensuring customers achieve measurable value, not just putting out fires. These teams are revenue drivers, fostering upsells and renewals by delivering value. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜? Post-sales teams will evolve significantly with AI, moving from reactive support to proactive, predictive engagement. AI will enhance customer insights, enabling teams to anticipate needs, prevent churn, and personalize experiences at scale. Routine tasks like ticket triage and onboarding will become automated, allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives, relationship building, and delivering higher-value outcomes. AI will also empower post-sales teams with real-time data and decision-making tools, redefining how they drive customer success and retention. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀? Focus on empathy—understand your customers’ needs and frustrations to build trust. Master your product; deep knowledge is key to solving problems confidently. Be proactive, not just reactive, by anticipating customer needs. Own mistakes transparently and value relationships; support is about people, not just transactions. Finally, stay curious and embrace continuous learning to grow. [Continued in comments]

Emre Tekoglu is in the 🔆 Spotlight 🔆! He's the VP of Customer Support at Zywave, which helps power the modern insurance lifecycle. We're very lucky to feature him today! 🙂 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜? The biggest impact AI has had so far is in customer support. AI-powered chatbots have done a great job handling quick, straightforward support requests, but the real evolution is how AI can help with analyzing customer conversations. Support teams can take all the data from customer conversations and use it to make products better, track how well their team is doing, and get a better understanding of what customers need. Imagine this: you type in a customer’s name before a call and instantly see everything about their history—what issues they’ve had, what’s unresolved, and how they feel about your service. AI can also give detailed insights about your team’s performance—like whether cases were resolved, what types of problems they handled, how tough the cases were, and how customers felt during the process. The best part? It can do this across all cases instantly, without needing a big quality control team or a bunch of data analysts. This is how AI is going to make support teams smarter, faster, and more focused on what matters: helping customers. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁? Customer support gives you the chance to really understand your products and your customers. It feels good to know that your team plays a key role in keeping customers happy and loyal. Plus, every issue you deal with is a chance to improve how things work, which makes the job interesting and keeps you on your toes. And let’s be honest—starting your day knowing you won’t get stuck in boring, repetitive work is a big bonus. As a leader, what I find most rewarding is helping my team grow, getting rid of roadblocks that slow them down, and making things run more smoothly with the right tools. Seeing my team succeed and knowing I’ve made their jobs easier is what makes this work truly fulfilling. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁? A lot of people think customer support is dull or just a stepping stone to other jobs in tech. That’s so far from the truth. Support is exciting, challenging, and incredibly satisfying. Sure, some folks use support as a way to get into tech, but it’s also a field where you can build a meaningful and successful career. There’s always something new to learn and problems to solve, which makes it anything but boring. [Continues in the comments]