Smart Industry organisations are increasingly scaling their Customer Success (CS) teams to address and manage customer relations and value.

The evolving nature of Smart Industry technology requires suppliers to boost their service offerings which includes training, integration and after-sales support for customers to gain a better return on their investment in digital transformation.

Whether businesses are seeking to strengthen recurring revenue streams or access new business opportunities, defining and refining the CS journey to increase “superior brand experience” now sits at the heart of all Smart Industry businesses.

Here are the top CS trends to consider for 2020!

Taking customer success seriously

In 2020, CS will be treated as a strategic priority at board-level as leaders recognise the growing need to improve customer health.

Until now, CS has been treated as an experiment rather than being fully embraced to collaborate with critical business functions.

It’s infusion across entire business functions will intensify in 2020, from product development to new logo business, to ensure a “consistent view of customers” is adopted to maximise the value for a customer’s journey.

This is also applicable for channel partners. CS functions are generally spread thin, managing a high quantity of customers at any one time. Vendors will begin offering training and roll-out channel wide strategies to cope with the evolution of CS.

Role definition

CS will undoubtedly strengthen its identity throughout Smart Industry businesses in 2020. A big part of this will be the influence from account managers.

Account Managers often make the best CS professionals. CS is essentially an evolution of account management and the sales training/experience gained through account management is vital for CS to thrive.

2020 skills trends, as reported by Forbes, include empathy, authenticity and trust. Soft skills are crucial to a successful CS professional, particularly when it comes down to software and data. Customers want to feel secure and assured their data is being handled appropriately, by someone who is sensitive and transparent.

Scaling customer success

For early adopters, scaling their CS function is high on the agenda for 2020 to cope with the strategic ambitions from Smart Industry businesses. The challenges around sourcing industry specific, software trained CS professionals will be felt throughout the entire Smart Industry market, though.

This is because emerging technology is niche, and broadly speaking CS is still within its infancy. The amount of businesses fishing in the same pool of CS talent is increasing and securing the best talent will require a perfect balance between remuneration, the product and ambition.

Having an established strategy and vision in place with clear goals, objectives and metrics prior to any prospective onboarding is arguably the most critical step towards scaling CS. Creating the perfect working conditions for CS to thrive will not only result in realizing success for customers, but also drive new revenue streams.

FMC Smart Industry

FMC Smart Industry is a team of individuals who are delivering the key sales, technical and leadership talent for digital transformation companies around the world.

We have an excellent track record of introducing the most forward-thinking industry 4.0 professionals with companies like the above, who are looking to drive changes and revolutionise the traditional industrial sectors.

If you’re interested in learning more about the opportunities we’re currently working on or would like to find out how FMC can support your recruitment needs in 2020, contact me at freya.kew@fmctalent.com or call us on +44 (0) 7834 792 354 .