While a glowing review may be the goal of any customer relationship, critical feedback is inevitable.
Contrary to popular belief, though, it isn't the enemy. It’s often the most candid form of feedback you'll receive as a customer success manager, and can be a valuable opening to identify potential areas for improvement and strengthen a business partnership.
Janelle Coons, senior customer success manager at Red Canary, acknowledges that criticism can be hard to hear, but she’s developed an empathetic and solutions-oriented approach to her response that casts it in a new light.
For starters, she values the trust her customers demonstrate by sharing their issues with her.
“If they were apathetic and didn't mention that something was wrong, it would mean they had already checked out,” she told Built In Colorado. “It would also mean I wouldn’t have the opportunity to make it right.”
In the process of making it right, she’s building and nurturing relationships with her customers and with other members of her team. Solving problems is an opportunity for cross-functional collaboration and learning from others — one that might not exist if everything went smoothly 100 percent of the time.
Below, Coons shares her step-by-step strategy for addressing critical feedback, providing a tailored and effective response and using the insights to serve customers better.
Red Canary is a cybersecurity technology company that provides managed detection and response services to businesses.
If a customer shares critical feedback about your product or service, what are the strategic steps you take to preserve the long-term health of the relationship?
I connect with the main point of contact and confirm their pain points. I want to be able to explain the issue, in my own words, so I can then pass accurate information on to my broader team. I try to determine how critical the pain points are, the ease of solution and the relevance to my broader customer base. I also check within my team to determine if any others have received similar feedback.
No CSM is an island. I’m fortunate to work with account teams that are always willing to collaborate. My next step is to connect with the customer’s core team, including their initial solutions engineer, technical account manager and account executive. These key players provide relevant background information, help discuss the situation and collaborate on the best way to move forward.
I set up a meeting with my leadership team and provide specific details, background information and my recommendations for resolution or next steps. During this call, we settle on a plan and assign action items.
Finally, to show customers that we value their feedback and are taking their comments seriously, I have someone in a leadership role speak with the customer and schedule regular checkpoints.
Critical feedback can be difficult to hear. How do you bounce back from receiving a piece of critical feedback?
I try to focus on two things: First, we are in this together. I view my customers as partners, and in any partnership, there will be ups and downs. It doesn’t mean the relationship has to end; it means we need to work together to find a way out.
Second, it’s not me; it’s them. This isn’t personal. It's really important to have a thick skin and not let my feelings get hurt. The customer is trying to get a job done, just as we all are. Things can be stressful, they may have deadlines they need to meet, and I am here to help them succeed in their jobs.
I view my customers as partners, and in any partnership, there will be ups and downs. It doesn’t mean the relationship has to end; it means we need to work together to find a way out.”
How does critical feedback allow you to learn and develop your craft as a CSM professional?
Critical feedback can be painful at times, but it allows me to become better at my craft of customer success and gain skills that could be useful at any job. If a customer was upset because they were expecting our onboarding process to go faster, this is an opportunity for me to become better at communicating proper expectations. I might change my onboarding material to convey timeline information from the start so both sides are on the same page.
Additionally, feedback requiring me to loop in other teams for assistance allows me to hone my communication and collaboration skills. For instance, when I’ve had to work with an engineering-focused team, I’ve learned to communicate effectively for a more technical audience, as opposed to a customer-focused team. Having that collaboration with teams outside of my department also gives me the chance to strengthen my relationships within the company. I like being able to go to other teams without any awkwardness and having them feel they can approach me in the same way.
