Before we get to the blog, let’s do some housekeeping. We’re excited to introduce three new blog writers in 2019, but we’ll keep that under wraps until we actually hit 2019. They’re all talented people and we can’t wait to bring you more perspectives. Ok… Now the intro to December’s topic and our first post.
–
Chicago Customer Success Podcast team
Thanksgiving ending marks the beginning of a lot of busy or downtime seasons in the Success world. With Cyber Monday, a lot of SaaS organizations ramp up while others get ready for a quiet month before hitting their busy seasons around the New Year.
Part of your job as a Customer Success representative is knowing those high and low times for the people that use your platform. I’m going to talk about three quick tips for thinking about the seasonality of your customers.
What are their busy times?
So probably the most obvious point in seasonality is when are your clients busy? If you know when they’re too busy to pick up your calls or respond to your emails, you’ll stay out of their way and be able to give them a heads up that you’re aware. You’ll look great and you’re sure to make an impact on your impression.
What are their lulls?
When someone has a chance to catch their breath, they’re going to look at how they can get ahead of the busy period that’s just around the corner. If you’re working in CS and you’re thinking about how to best set up your customers, reach out during these time periods.
When is their renewal?
The elephant in the room… Revenue…
You should have an alert on your calendar for each customer on when they’re renewing 90 days out. There’s no excuse for not asking about the renewal a quarter out. Most organizations think about their software several months before renewal. Don’t give someone else a chance to sneak in. They know you. They like you. Remind them.
Spend some time over the next week to put your book into quarter categories, allowing you to make better decisions around when to contact them, while you have a chance to also send a heads up that you’re going to hold off on contacting them. If you spend time thinking through these crucial times, you’ll find you’re closing more deals and spending more quality time with your customers.
Joe Huber is one of the co-founders of the Chicago Customer Success Podcast. He is currently a Customer Community Strategist with Sprout Social.
Chicago Customer Success 