What To Do The First 100 Days? Vol. 2
During our second season of CX Chats, we conducted in-depth interviews with 19 leading industry experts to discuss their recommendations for someone’s first 100 days as a customer experience leader. Here are their enlightening perspectives.
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Samantha Conyers – CXO – First Retail Group
Samantha emphasizes the importance of having a strategic plan for anyone stepping into a CX leadership role. She advocates for a current state assessment to understand the business, its challenges, and opportunities. Building relationships with key stakeholders and understanding the team dynamics are crucial steps in establishing a strong foundation. As a CX leader, being seen as a change agent is essential, and having a structured approach ensures that initiatives are perceived as strategic rather than superficial.
Watch Samantha Conyers’ entire interview
Julie Fox – Global Director of Customer Success – Cin7
For anyone stepping into a customer success (CS) leadership role, Julie offers critical advice based on her recent experience at Cin7. While spreadsheets and plans can be helpful, much of the learning happens in real-time. In her first 100 days, Julie focused on understanding existing processes, customer pain points, team dynamics, and the organization’s overall metrics. She prioritized meeting with key customers and cross-functional teams to gather feedback and understand how various departments aligned toward shared goals.
One of her key strategies was dedicating time to her own team members. Julie ensured she met with each individual in her organization, learning their strengths, goals, and areas for growth. This personal approach helped her quickly identify talent and leverage team members in specialized roles. “It’s about asking the right questions—where do you think we should focus?” she says, underscoring the importance of involving her team in decision-making.
Watch Julie Fox’s entire interview
Sumitra Narayanan – Manager, Customer Success, Scale – Braze
For anyone stepping into a CS leadership role, Sumitra suggests breaking the first 100 days into three phases:
First 30 Days: Be a Sponge
Focus on listening, processing information, and building relationships. Engage with stakeholders, team members, and customers to understand what’s working and where improvements can be made.
30 to 60 Days: Planning
Start formulating your strategy by identifying key themes and areas that need attention. Evaluate customer segmentation, onboarding processes, and interdepartmental collaboration.
60 to 90 Days: Execution
Begin implementing your strategy, prioritizing based on impact and feasibility. This phase is about driving tangible outcomes and executing the plans laid in the first two phases.
Watch Sumitra Narayanan’s entire interview
Jim Iyoob – Chief Customer Officer – Etech Global Services
Jim emphasizes listening to anyone stepping into a CX leadership role. He advises that understanding the current situation is critical before implementing changes. Developing a compelling vision that aligns with the organization’s mission and focusing on smart, attainable goals are also key. Jim believes in celebrating small wins, especially in the early stages of leadership.
Watch Jim Iyoob’s entire interview
Angeline Gavino – Vice President of Customer Success – Katalon
Angeline’s experience at multiple startups has taught her that the first 100 days in a new CS leadership role are crucial. She emphasizes understanding the existing processes, people, and technology in place. Whether building a CS team from scratch or inheriting an existing one, she advises focusing on understanding company goals, meeting cross-functional teams, and engaging with customers. The goal is to create an immediate impact with quick wins and to develop a comprehensive plan for long-term success.
Watch Angeline Gavino’s entire interview
Anika Zubair – Head of Customer Success
For anyone stepping into a leadership role in customer success, Anika emphasizes three key areas to focus on during the first 100 days.
First, prioritize spending time with customers. According to Anika, customers provide essential insights into the product, the team, and the industry—far more than any internal analysis can. Engaging directly with customers will help new leaders identify the “good, bad, and ugly” of the business from the user’s perspective.
Second, understand your internal stakeholders. Leadership means guiding a team and navigating relationships within the organization. From the board to marketing, product, and sales teams, customer success intersects with many different functions, and it’s essential to understand their expectations and priorities.
Finally, Anika stresses the importance of knowing your team. Whether you inherit a team or build it from scratch, a leader’s job is to enable team members to be successful. Knowing their strengths, challenges, and goals sets the foundation for a collaborative and effective working environment.
Watch Anika Zubair’s entire interview
Alex Farmer – Chief Revenue Officer – Nezasa
At Nezasa, Alex’s CX strategy focuses on personalization and scalability. With around 80 customers and 60 employees, the company is at a scale-up stage, where building a foundation for growth is critical. Nezasa’s software helps travel agencies sell customizable, flexible package tours—a significant shift from traditional fixed packages.
The current strategy involves segmenting customers and aligning product plans with these segments. Automation plays a key role, particularly in personalizing customer interactions. For example, Nezasa has launched inbuilt analytics that allow customers to access quarterly business reviews (QBRs) directly through the product, tailored to their needs.
Watch Alex Farmer’s entire interview
Samma Hafeez – Senior Vice President – Insight Partners
When it comes to recommendations for new heads of CX or CS, Hafeez emphasizes the importance of immersing themselves in the company’s core operations and aligning with the board’s preferences. She also suggests that new leaders adopt a consultative approach, including running a discovery process and assessment to either challenge or validate existing approaches. A formal readout with objective recommendations can then be shared with the leadership and Customer Success teams, thereby building trust and establishing credibility. Hafeez also strongly suggests that CS leaders meet with as many customers and partners in the first 100 days and review support cases to gain a deeper understanding of the company through the customer lens. Finally, she advises the new leaders become a user of the product from day one.
Watch Samma Hafeez’s entire interview
Kevin McCahill – Founder – MasteryCX
In the initial days of leading a CS team, Kevin emphasizes the importance of understanding the customer base, their needs, and the company’s growth plans. This understanding aids in identifying the direction for improvements and adjustments. Journey mapping is a vital tool in this process, helping to grasp the customer’s experience from purchasing to product usage.
Watch Kevin McCahill’s entire interview
Debra Squyres – Chief Customer Officer
Debra emphasizes the importance of being proactive from the start. “Get your hands dirty, get into the details, develop points of view, and test them out,” she advises. Rather than just collecting insights, new CS leaders should actively engage with their teams so they can get to know you and how you think. She says it’s best to hit the ground running by investigating what customer and business data is available so you can make informed decisions that drive progress.
Watch Debra Squyres’ entire interview
Alex Mead – Chief Customer Service Experience Officer – Total CX
Alex emphasizes the importance of grounding your strategies in real-life employee and customer experiences for those stepping into a CX leadership role. He suggests spending the first 100 days understanding the frontline challenges and walking in the customer’s shoes, often revealing obvious yet overlooked issues that could transform the customer experience.
Watch Alex Mead’s entire interview
Sally Roberts – Head of Customer – Legatics
Reflecting on her early days at Legatics, Sally emphasizes the importance of being selective with one’s time. The initial days can be overwhelming, with a barrage of information and demands. She advises new CX heads to focus on absorbing information, identifying quick wins, and understanding customer bases. Establishing a solid foundation in the first hundred days is crucial for long-term success.
Watch Sally Roberts’ entire interview.
Jeremy Watkin – Director of Customer Experience and Support – NumberBarn
For new CX leaders, Jeremy advocates for a listening-first approach. He suggests immersing oneself in frontline training, understanding team pain points, and deeply analyzing customer interactions. Building bridges across different departments and working towards a common mission is crucial. According to Jeremy, aligning with a company’s mission and fostering interdepartmental collaboration sets a solid foundation for effective CX leadership.
Watch Jeremy Watkin’s entire interview
Caroline Quinlan – CX Design Manager
Caroline emphasizes the importance of the first 100 days in a new CX role. She advises new CX leaders to thoroughly understand the business, including its vision, strategy, and core values. Aligning with these elements is crucial for designing effective CX strategies and gaining buy-in for initiatives. Understanding the organization’s business processes, products, and people is equally important. Networking and leveraging the skills of colleagues can significantly enhance the ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Additionally, gathering data and insights about customer interactions is paramount to identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Watch Caroline Quinlan’s entire interview
Arjun Menon – Sr. Manager, Customer Success Management – Salesforce
For those embarking on the journey of CS leadership, Arjun offers invaluable advice grounded in three fundamental principles: knowing your product, understanding your team, and building robust customer relationships. By prioritizing these core elements, new CS leaders can lay a solid foundation for success and navigate the initial challenges confidently and clearly.
Watch Arjun Menon’s entire interview
Lynn Hunsaker – Chief Customer Officer – ClearAction Continuum
In the crucial initial period of taking on a CX leadership role, Lynn advises a strategic and measured approach:
Avoid Immediate Technology Purchases
Lynn cautions against rushing into technology investments. She emphasizes the importance of understanding existing processes and systems before introducing new technologies. This approach ensures that any technological solutions adopted are well-aligned with the organization’s needs and can truly enhance customer experience.
Make Allies Across the Organization
Creating allies within the company is pivotal. Lynn stresses the need to recognize and collaborate with teams already involved in managing customer experiences. Building these alliances fosters a cohesive approach to CX and ensures that initiatives have broad support across the organization.
Focus on Cost and Revenue
Understanding the financial aspects, including cost inefficiencies and revenue streams, is vital. Lynn highlights the need for CX leaders to be well-versed in the economic dynamics of their companies. This knowledge allows them to identify opportunities for improvement and articulate the financial benefits of CX initiatives.
Find Cultural Hooks
Lynn advises finding ‘cultural hooks’ – aspects of the company’s existing culture that can be leveraged to promote CX initiatives. Whether it’s the organization’s approach to innovation, customer service, or employee engagement, these hooks can be instrumental in aligning CX strategies with the company’s ethos and values.
Watch Lynn Hunsaker’s entire interview
Eddie Christian – VP, Customer Success & Customer Experience
Eddie emphasizes the importance of connecting with your team and leveraging their expertise for those stepping into leadership roles in CX. Building strong relationships with internal teams, particularly the product and engineering departments, is crucial for shaping an effective CX strategy. Eddie likens this collaborative effort to a relay race, where customer insights are seamlessly passed on to product teams for execution and improvement.
Watch Eddie Christian’s entire interview
Jill Crimm
For those stepping into CX leadership, Jill emphasizes the importance of assessment overreaction. Her team at Roche employed maturity models from to evaluate their starting points and desired outcomes. They examined strategy, customer understanding, design and innovation, measurement, technology, and culture. This structured approach allowed them to align resources effectively and chart a clear path forward.
Watch Jill Crimm’s entire interview
Donna Drehmann – Director Customer Experience – Eargo
For those stepping into a CX leadership role, Donna’s advice is clear: leverage the knowledge you have gained from previous experiences to guide your strategy. In her own experience at Eargo, she started by deep-diving into the company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) and the feedback behind those scores. This initial focus on understanding customer sentiment set the stage for broader strategic initiatives.
Donna also highlights the importance of embracing the voice of the customer and sharing it throughout the organization. As a CX leader, she ensures that customer feedback is not siloed but is instead disseminated across various departments to drive continuous improvement.
Watch Donna Drehmann’s entire interview
