Hey Reader,
Welcome to The Middle, your midweek rundown of the most exciting things we've read this week.
Did you get an extra email from ChiefCustomerOfficer.io over the weekend??
Welp, that was me. I jumped the gun on our new rebrand.
Just too damn excited about it.
But, why should you care
- Acknowledge the senior-most customer leader in the organization.
- Align with a C-suite business leadership role
- Help clarify the career path of people who dedicate their careers to serving customers and making them successful
We're excited about this direction and the narrowed focus on customer success.
Let’s jump into The Middle.
Jeff
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Scattered tools = scattered experience
Fragmented systems are quietly draining profits and driving customers nuts.
Neelu Shaikh highlights how scattered tools create endless support touchpoints, longer wait times, and frustrated customers.
Just take a look at these:
Multiple Touchpoints: According to a study by Accenture, B2B customers use an average of six different interaction channels throughout their decision journey
Time Wasted: Research from Forrester reveals that B2B customers spend an average of 15-20 minutes explaining their issues each time they contact support
Diagnosis Delays: It takes an average of 30 minutes to diagnose a B2B SaaS issue, according to a report by ServiceNow
Department Roulette: Customers spend an average of 8-10 minutes trying to determine which department they need to contact for their specific issue
Unresolved Issues: Despite all this effort, 22% of B2B support tickets remain unresolved after the first contact, as reported by Zendesk
One stat says it all: customers waste 8-10 minutes just finding the right department.
Customers are frustrated. Stop the “department roulette” and start focusing on what Matt Dixon calls an “Effortless Experience.” Reduce the customer's effort in every facet of their experience.
Less hassle means happier customers—and a healthier bottom line.
Leading with... features?!
Robert's post shakes things up: it suggests ditching the trend of outcome-focused messaging and putting features front and center instead.
Most SaaS pros call that risky in today's SaaS environment. Everyone’s talking about outcomes these days.
But I can see Robert's point: When someone lands on your homepage, don't they already know the problem they’re solving?
They’re there to see if your tool has the capabilities they need.
Leading with features might be the clarity they’re looking for.
Are you buying what Robert's saying?
Executive Presence
Gagan Biyani emphasizes the importance of leaders actively seeking out bad news. He argues that confronting challenges head-on is crucial for effective leadership.
Executive presence is about telling the truth, fast. Don’t bullshit, don’t beat around the bush, don’t hide from bad news.
Many young professionals will always ask how they can become executives—one of the fastest ways is to follow Gagan's advice.
There are three things I've noticed about people who get promoted:
- They work diligently, with a focus on the 20% that matters
- They don't shy away from hard problems they dig in to learn so that they can assess their options
- They communicate early and often so that their peers aren't surprised