The Voice of the Customer: Why Listening Beats Selling with David Muniz
The paramount focus of this podcast episode is the critical necessity of amplifying the voice of the customer in the contemporary business landscape. I engage in a profound dialogue with David Muniz from Segura, exploring the integral role that understanding customer pain points plays in the provision of effective solutions. We delve into the importance of listening attentively to customers, rather than hastily advancing towards solutions based on assumptions. This conversation elucidates the vital connection between customer feedback and organizational success, emphasizing that a true comprehension of customer needs fosters trust and enhances the overall customer experience. As we navigate this insightful discourse, we uncover best practices and strategies for harnessing customer feedback to drive meaningful engagement and ultimately, success in the marketplace. David Muniz, a seasoned professional from Segura, joins the Security by Default podcast to delve into the significance of the customer's voice in shaping business strategies and solutions. The discourse initiates with an exploration of the fundamental need for businesses to prioritize understanding the customer's unique challenges and pain points before hastily proposing solutions. Muniz articulates that an effective customer success strategy hinges upon the ability to listen actively and empathetically to clients, thereby enabling organizations to tailor their offerings to meet the specific needs of their clientele. Through a series of poignant examples and insights gained from his extensive experience in customer relations, Muniz emphasizes that fostering a genuine connection with customers not only enhances the overall experience but also cultivates loyalty and trust within the marketplace. As the conversation unfolds, Muniz elaborates on the necessity of balancing analytical frameworks with qualitative insights derived from direct customer interactions. He stresses that while market analysts provide valuable data, the true essence of customer satisfaction can only be gleaned through personal engagement and understanding of the client's narrative. The dialogue further emphasizes that the voice of the customer should not merely be an afterthought in product development but rather a cornerstone of the strategic planning process. This perspective is supported by statistical data indicating that customers who feel heard and valued are more likely to renew their contracts and engage more deeply with the brand. In conclusion, the episode encapsulates a compelling argument for integrating the voice of the customer into every facet of business operations, thereby ensuring that organizations remain not only relevant but also deeply connected to the communities they serve. Muniz's insights serve as a clarion call for businesses to adopt a customer-centric approach, which ultimately leads to enhanced satisfaction, long-term relationships, and sustainable success in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Takeaways:
- The voice of the customer is paramount in understanding their unique challenges and needs.
- Effective customer success strategies require active listening to ensure customer voices are heard and valued.
- Building trust with customers is essential for fostering long-term relationships and achieving mutual success.
- Proactive engagement with customers allows organizations to anticipate their needs and provide tailored support effectively.
- Customer feedback should influence product development and service improvements to align better with user expectations.
- Utilizing peer insights can significantly enhance the decision-making process for prospective customers, validating their choices.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Security
- Segura
- Gartner
- Forrester
Transcript
Hello, everyone.
Speaker A:Welcome back to another episode of the Security by Default podcast.
Speaker A:I'm the host of the show, Joe Carson, chief evangelist and advisory CIS at Security.
Speaker A:It's a pleasure to be here with you all and always my favorite time of the day, favorite time of the week is to get the chat to fun, amazing people.
Speaker A:And this one is, I think it's a really important topic, is that a lot of times we focus on technologies and trends and, you know, solutions.
Speaker A:And I think really what it gets down to and I, you know, I think in order for it to help everyone understand about how to solve challenges, it's just really important to get back to the really core things is that is the voice of the customer, the voice of, you know, the person who's feeling the pain and how important it is.
Speaker A:And really getting back to the core principles is about helping, you know, understand and listening and feeling those pains and, you know, before diving straight into, you know, giving, giving them the solutions.
Speaker A:So this session's all about the voice of the customer.
Speaker A:And I thought no other than, you know, who's the best person to help guide us through some of the best practices and some of the recommendations and insights is David Muniz from Segura.
Speaker A:So, David, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker A:Again, if you want to give the audience a little bit of, you know, your origin story, background, you've been a previous guest, so it's always great to have returned guests on the podcast.
Speaker A:But if you can give the audience a little bit of background about yourself, who you are, and some fun things about yourself.
Speaker B:Hello, Joseph.
Speaker B:Well, it's.
Speaker B:First of all, thank you very much for the opportunity to be talking to you, to talking to your audience.
Speaker B:It's always a pleasure to have insights and bring insights into the conversation with you.
Speaker B:You asked who I am and let me tell you this.
Speaker B:Well, I.
Speaker B:My formation is computer science.
Speaker B:As you remember from our last conversation, I started here at Segura about eight years ago, first in product team, then I moved to marketing.
Speaker B:In the marketing team, I helped establishing the analyst relations pillar.
Speaker B:So that talks a little bit with the Gartner and all the consulting companies, the evaluations that they do with the market analysts and most most more recently last year, I got the challenge to help establish the customer success pillar here at Segura.
Speaker B:And at least from my perspective, it gives me a very privileged vision, not only on the analyst side, but also on the customer side.
Speaker B:And since last year, I've been helping out clients to realize the value that they get by getting our solution and understand that all the resources, all the value, the financial value that they put into our product is being returned to them.
Speaker B:And I think that's one of the main duties of customer success.
Speaker B:But besides professional things.
Speaker B:So you want to understand who I am.
Speaker B:I'm a very passionate person.
Speaker A:We want to know the person behind, you know, it's like, who is David?
Speaker B:Yeah, who is David?
Speaker B:Well, David is a very curious person.
Speaker B:Like, I like reading, I like listening to music.
Speaker B:That's one of the greatest things I love doing.
Speaker B:I love cycling.
Speaker B:That's one of my main activities.
Speaker B:And I remember from our last conversation, this is something that we mentioned, how we balance our work life with our personal life.
Speaker B:So I think there are.
Speaker B:Those are two things that I love doing, and I love doing them together.
Speaker B:I love cycling while I listen to good music on my head, on my, on my earphones.
Speaker B:So that's somehow.
Speaker B:David is a passionate guide on, on.
Speaker B:On work and all on.
Speaker B:And also on his life.
Speaker A:Fantastic.
Speaker A:Cycling and music is.
Speaker A:Is a great combination when you're outdoors and you've got the, the open air and really, really relaxing music is, Is a good way to go.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it's isn't really interesting because people see me as an extrovert person, but I'm totally the opposite.
Speaker B:So I like to go cycling by myself, listening to my music alone sometimes and just giving me fresh ideas and recycling the ideas.
Speaker A:Yeah, sometimes it's good.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's, you know, it's what we call as reboot, rebooting the mind.
Speaker A:It's that time, you know, you get.
Speaker A:You get the opportunity to kind of like reset and kind of reflect.
Speaker A:And I love those moments as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, for me, it's even sometimes just.
Speaker A:Just drive, driving alone and just listening to podcasts, listening to music and just allowing me to collect my thoughts and, you know, reset.
Speaker A:And we need that balance.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's really important to, you know, that we're not like, on the go, like, you know, hyper focus all the time.
Speaker A:Do you need that time for the brain to.
Speaker A:To run an idle mode for a little bit?
Speaker A:I would say yeah, that's part of life.
Speaker B:It's not just.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And so I think it's really important.
Speaker A:One of, you know, I like to reflect and I've done a couple of workshops recently with a couple of startups, and they were really interested in understanding about, you know, and I wanted to, you know, listen to them.
Speaker A:They, A lot of companies, what they tend to do is they go quickly, like within seconds, straight to the Solution, Let me show you what I've got.
Speaker A:And they have, during that time, they make lots of assumptions, they assume a lot.
Speaker A:And I think this is really what gets important.
Speaker A:And I think it's so important that majority of meetings, when you're meeting with prospects and customers and different individuals, you know, from different aspect areas of the industry, it's really important to take the time to listen to their voice and listen to their story and how, you know, how you came to getting those meetings.
Speaker A:And I think one of the most important things we have in the industry is the voice of the customer.
Speaker A:And if the balance between listening and talking is not properly balanced, where you should be listening more and asking the right questions, then a lot of times you make lots of assumptions and you don't truly understand the customer's problem and the customer's challenges and their pains.
Speaker A:And you just make assumptions into thinking that your solution is the perfect fit.
Speaker A:You're like, you know, they need it.
Speaker A:And no matter what, how important is it, you know, in your experience and what you've been doing, you know, previously with analysts and research companies and now talking directly with customers and prospects, how important is it for them to get the time to speak and share what's, what's your experience?
Speaker A:And, and how do you, how would you, how do you navigate that, you know, how do you help them make sure that they, they get their voice across to the people who need it to hear it the most?
Speaker B:That's a great, you always do great questions.
Speaker B:Joseph, I love, I love talking to you, but I think, I think your point is really great because it brings first to the analyst perspective, to the analyst relations work.
Speaker B:So whenever we are doing analyst relations, we are dealing with the analysts and we're dealing with their perspective of what they understand on the market.
Speaker B:But at the same time, we need to remember that every company is an, is an individual company.
Speaker B:They have specific problems, they have specific pains.
Speaker B:And sometimes what the analyst discovering there's nothing to do, what your problems, what your greatest problems are, what are the greatest source of risk is for the company.
Speaker B:So I understand the value of the analyst perception, but it's not all.
Speaker B:So when you're talking about Gartner, for example, and of course this reflects to all other analyst firms, when we have Gartner, we have the mq.
Speaker B:When you have Forrester, you have the wave.
Speaker B:But what companies need to understand is that when they look at the quadrant, it doesn't mean that the best solution for them is the, is the solution that is on the leader Quadrant, sometimes the best solution for you is a visionary, or sometimes the best solution for you is a challenger.
Speaker B:Because these companies, these solutions, these products, they address specifically the pain that you have.
Speaker B:So it's just not looking in the, in the analyst perspective, it's not just looking on the leader's quadrant is understanding what are the use cases that this product offers and how it adheres to your, your needs, your necessities.
Speaker B:So to compliment and to complement the vision that we have with the analysts, from the analysts with the mq, with the, with the wave and all of those reports, we have the voice of the customer.
Speaker B:So the voice of the customer, it's exactly what it sounds, is the voice of the customer.
Speaker B:We are and now.
Speaker B:And it is our job as Customer Success to, to give out voice to the customers because, well, the customers, they want to be heard, they need to be addressed.
Speaker B:So whenever we do a work here at Customer Success and we're dealing with customers, of course when we ask them for a review, it's not just like, please review us, it's part of the relationship.
Speaker B:It's like you visit or you have a meeting with the customer and say, listen, what do you think of giving, of reducing a customer case or to leaving our reviews on the appearance side or any other platform?
Speaker B:But we are giving out customers the voice.
Speaker B:That's exactly what we here do at Customer Success.
Speaker B:We're just giving out the voice to the customer.
Speaker B:When, when you say listen, is it possible to evaluate us or to tell your experience?
Speaker B:But we're not, because we're not just talking about capabilities, we're talking about support experience, we're talking about sales experience experience.
Speaker B:We talk about the whole experience that the customer is having.
Speaker B:Not just about capabilities, not just the fact that we are able to solve the problem X, Y or Z, but how the customers perceive us as a company as a whole and how they experience with us.
Speaker A:Love that perspective.
Speaker A:It always reminds me, I always like to think of things as a metaphors.
Speaker A:I like to, you know, take metaphors and assumptions.
Speaker A:So one I've always used in this scenario is, and I've used this kind of in a lot of the trainings I've given over the years and helping organizations understand how important it is to listen and ask the right questions.
Speaker A:So a lot of times you think just in that perspective that you're talking about is you think of, you know, somebody who's looking to buy a jacket.
Speaker A:You know, somebody wants to go to the shop, they want to buy a jacket, and they go into the Shop.
Speaker A:And they say, our suitcase.
Speaker A:Suitcases.
Speaker A:One, you know, I've had very, very, very recent experiences with.
Speaker A:But even just.
Speaker A:Just going in, they say, I need a jacket.
Speaker A:And the salesperson gets so excited.
Speaker A:And that's all they've heard.
Speaker A:All they've heard is a jacket.
Speaker A:And they go to the one that they want to sell and they say, here's our jacket, and here's all the pockets, here's all the features, and here's all the things you might need for it.
Speaker A:And here, try it on.
Speaker A:They haven't really understood the customer's problem.
Speaker A:They haven't given the customer enough time to explain why they want to check it.
Speaker A:And I think that's the difference.
Speaker A:And that's why it's important to get the voice of the customer.
Speaker A:That's why it's important not to just look at the big shiny jacket that's sitting on the front, that's on all the images, that's everywhere.
Speaker A:And then all the analysts are talking about, it's really understanding about why do you need the jacket?
Speaker A:What, which weather are you going to be wearing the jacket in?
Speaker A:Does it need to be weatherproof?
Speaker A:Does it need to be light?
Speaker A:Does it need to be designer and go with other outfits that you have?
Speaker A:Is it going to be worn over something?
Speaker A:Is this something that is.
Speaker A:Needs to be certain features and certain, you know, so it's really important when we talk about the voice of the customer, what it really gets down to is that when the customer says, I'm looking for a jacket, the best organizations, the ones that really, truly understand the customer, the.
Speaker A:And give them the opportunity to talk, is the ones that ask intelligent, smart questions back.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:Now that we know that you're in the market for a jacket, how are you going to be using that?
Speaker A:Is it every day?
Speaker A:Are you going to be using it, you know, certain times, is it certain events, is it certain weather conditions?
Speaker A:And asking the right, intelligent questions that allow the customer to share and to give insights and give you knowledge about, you know, how to make sure what is the right fit.
Speaker A:And it's really not jumping to the point where you just want to make a sale.
Speaker A:Getting to the point to what you're saying is that how do we make them successful?
Speaker A:How do we make sure that they get value out of their purchase?
Speaker A:And that's what's truly the voice of the customer is this.
Speaker A:Do they want to enjoy wearing that jacket?
Speaker A:And I think that's one of the things that comes down to as well, is that not necessarily do the companies that's always in the top right, a lot of the quadrants are the ones that they enjoy using.
Speaker A:They may have be feature rich.
Speaker A:They might be the jacket with all the, you know, the pockets and features that they need or that they assume they need, but it may be, you know, uncomfortable to wear.
Speaker A:And this is what it gets down to is when I use that metaphor about the jacket, it's about really understanding that, you know, we need to be asking smart questions back that reflect our expertise in the industry and giving the customer and the prospects and all of them the opportunity to talk more, to share more for us to better understand.
Speaker A:That is the jackets that we have going to meet the needs of how they're going to be using it.
Speaker A:And I think that's the important part that's all about, you know, is giving the opportunity and then also, you know, think that the next part is that here's, here's other customers that actually had the same need that you had that you're asking for and here's their feedbacks.
Speaker A:Don't, don't listen to us.
Speaker A:Go listen to all these other customers that's been down that same path, came into that same, same, you know, same decision making.
Speaker A:Let them tell you about why they chose this jacket and how it's the greatest jacket in the world and this is really what it comes down to.
Speaker A:That's the difference.
Speaker A:That's what becomes important.
Speaker A:And that's why I truly believe, you know, that we need to do more of the voice of the customer.
Speaker A:We need to give the opportunity to share more and speak out.
Speaker A:Because if, you know, otherwise, we just make assumptions and we just give them things that we assume they need.
Speaker A:It ends up, always end up either becoming shelfer.
Speaker A:It's something that doesn't work as expected.
Speaker A:And that's what, you know, that's why I believe these initiatives and the programs that you're doing is so crucial in the industry.
Speaker B:Totally agree, Joseph.
Speaker B:As I remember from our last conversation, something that I talked about was that sometimes the customers just want, they just need to be heard.
Speaker B:So they just need their voice to be, to be, to be heard by us.
Speaker B:And you mentioned that about the challenges and what they need to solve.
Speaker B:Sometimes they don't know the problems they need to solve or sometimes they only know part of the problem that they need to solve.
Speaker B:So it is our part, not only as salesperson but also as customer success to dive into other needs that a customer might have and that, and that our product can address.
Speaker B:And this is also this is all built into the trust aspect that we're talking about.
Speaker B:I mean, we create a relationship with the customer and then we are able to dig into this stuff and really understand what they.
Speaker B:What exactly.
Speaker B:Exactly they need.
Speaker B:And also, of course, understand how our product is able to address.
Speaker B:To address those needs.
Speaker B:You mentioned about the voice.
Speaker A:Yeah, Also understanding about how much effort and how much help they might need as well.
Speaker A:Because you're, you know, there's different maturities of organizations.
Speaker A:Excuse me, that some of them might have expertise in house and they know immediately what they want.
Speaker A:They've done all the research, they've got all of the help, and they're basically, you know, straight to solving their needs and getting quickly the solutions.
Speaker A:There's others that, you know, they may not have the expertise in house and they rely on external expertise like ourselves.
Speaker B:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker B:Not only that, but also the perspective that buyers, they trust the peer voices.
Speaker B:So for instance, I have data here from gartner saying that 30%, 32% of buyers, they consider that when they are creating an initial informal list and when you are diving deeper into the sales funnel, when they are now able to create a shortlist of vendor from that initial list, customer review comes with 41% that as a source of information that buyers take into account when they are making their decisions.
Speaker B:Because I think that creates a kind of connection.
Speaker B:Because I mean, they say, listen, I have these customers and they have the same pain that I have and they're saying this about this product.
Speaker B:So that really helps validating message.
Speaker B:Just, just the, just instead of looking on the vendor website, this is just more credible source of truth than just looking at the vendor, at the vendor website or even on a market reports.
Speaker B:Because in the end that there's a perspective of the market analyst, not on other customers that effectively uses the product and understand exactly the kind of pain that this product is able to solve.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I think a lot of times for me, I've done a lot of research into the buying journey of many organizations over the years and absolutely the analysts help them narrow down to the companies that are potentially there to solve their problems.
Speaker A:And I think some of the major, I think the major influences that organizations tend to get into is one is that is the relationship that they, the trust and the relationship they build with the vendor, you know, and making sure they're connecting with people, making sure that they're listening and asking the right questions and understanding and, and that raises a level of, okay, this organization, they've got expertise, they've done this before, they've got knowledge and they're willing to take the time, listen, ask questions and engage and not try to filter through any type of bots and other types of things.
Speaker A:It's like, it's really, you know, making that relationship and taking the time and, and listening and giving that customer the voice.
Speaker A:The next thing is getting into where it's connecting them with the peers and helping them understand about, from others who have made those decisions and, and the journey they went on and how they made the decisions and how they came to their conclusions.
Speaker A:So giving other customers the voice to connecting them together so the peer reviews, that's so crucial.
Speaker A:And you always find that the, you know, two more major criteria is getting hands on, testing it.
Speaker A:You don't, you don't buy a car without taking for a test drive.
Speaker A:You don't, you know, buy jackets without trying them on.
Speaker A:You know, it's like, you know, you want to feel the comfortable, you want to feel the material, you want to know what it's like.
Speaker A:Testing it and trying it out is one of the biggest, biggest aspects.
Speaker A:And then finally is testing, you know, I will say test, test the problems, you know, you know, raise support calls, talk to the company, understand about the relationship that comes after, you know, what's, what's the after purchase experience potentially like, are they going to leave me and I'm, you know, and I'm going to be, you know, no voice anymore once, once the transaction is done.
Speaker A:Those are for me, I think, some of the most important buying criteria that really influence and give customers.
Speaker A:And it means that it becomes a partnership, it becomes, you know, a win win and it comes a joint success and it's taking them on.
Speaker A:That was, I think, one of my favorite ones.
Speaker A:I always look back, it was the north face you ever see, remember the north Face one?
Speaker A:There was the woman who was basically on the mountain with a jacket, north face.
Speaker A:And she did a, a video showing that, you know, this is meant to be waterproof.
Speaker A:And I'm gutting soaked and I'm up in the mountain and I'm not happy and I'm left here and I'm getting cold.
Speaker A:And what North Face did was they went and got another jacket, they got a helicopter and they, and they flew to her on the mountain.
Speaker A:And for me, that's showing that one is, is that, yes, that they're committed to making sure that, you know, when people are feeling that, okay, I'm struggling here, that they'll do what it takes to make sure that, you know, they're successful and they're comfortable and happy.
Speaker A:And that's what.
Speaker A:True.
Speaker A:That's giving the voice, that's listening, that's, you know, making the commitment.
Speaker A:That's going beyond the typical expectations.
Speaker A:And I do think that's what I.
Speaker B:That's empathy.
Speaker A:It's empathy, Absolutely.
Speaker A:Empathy.
Speaker A:And it's, it's.
Speaker A:It really means that you're committed to, you know, and you're behind what you do as well.
Speaker A:You want, you know, your product to be successful, and you want a solution.
Speaker A:You want people to enjoy using it.
Speaker A:And that's what I always say is, you know, when I think of Segura and I think of what you're doing, that's the image that comes to mind.
Speaker A:You know, that person that's struggling and.
Speaker A:And they want a response.
Speaker A:And they might be, you know, on the mountain, shutting into a void, and no one's listening, but at Segura, you're listening and you're there and you've got.
Speaker A:You've got their backs.
Speaker A:I think, you know, that's one.
Speaker A:One of all the things I look back on that's.
Speaker A:Ultimately, if companies go down that buying journey and they make those decisions based on that, that it's always going to be successful in the end, because during the journey, you're listening, you're understanding, you're guiding them, you're.
Speaker A:You're giving them access to others who have been on that same journey.
Speaker A:And ultimately.
Speaker A:And also, you know, when they make the decision, it's all about making them successful afterwards.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:And by the way, Joseph, I think it's important to mention that the Cosmos Choice recognition is just not one picture.
Speaker B:It comes.
Speaker B:It has a background behind it.
Speaker B:It has a story behind it.
Speaker B:It's just not just one achievement that we receive.
Speaker B:We were Cosmos Choice.
Speaker B: ant to remember Cosmos Choice: Speaker B: ust something that came up in: Speaker B:This is something that we have been building since the company has started a Cosmos centric vision.
Speaker B:And that's.
Speaker B:The Cosmos Choice is just a validation of this strategy, of this way of acting with Cosmos.
Speaker B:So five times.
Speaker B: e, the only one recognized in: Speaker B:We were recognized three years in a row.
Speaker B:We have the highest overall score.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's just.
Speaker B:Just one picture.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:It is a whole background behind it, and it needs consistency.
Speaker B:It's just not one time.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think it's.
Speaker A:It's, it's.
Speaker A:It shows that, you know, is that the customers are happy and they enjoy working with Segura.
Speaker A:And they enjoy the solutions and they enjoy the relationship.
Speaker A:And I do see that also when I go to events and I, I see them coming to the booth and I see them, you know, working with the employees, that there's this area of excitement.
Speaker A:And it does remind me of many years in the past.
Speaker B:And they like, and they like the.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker B:Sorry to interrupt you, but they like the people behind it.
Speaker B:That's also important to mention because when I join the conversations with clients and I see the laughing and I see that even though we have problems, but we are having a good relationship, we are fostering a good relationship, this is also part of the work.
Speaker B:So this is how it's also.
Speaker B:It has to be fun somehow.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Of course, there's problems to solve, there's things to be solved.
Speaker B:But as we were talking in the beginning of this conversation, there's someone behind this computer, there's someone behind this company, there's.
Speaker B:There's someone in this, in this, in this, in the, in this call or whatever.
Speaker B:So something that I really like to enjoy sometimes is bringing the background that I'm having in the, in the call.
Speaker B:Sometimes I'm having a tough time, sometimes it's not good.
Speaker B:And whenever I bring this context, this context and saying, hey, how are you?
Speaker B:I'm struggling with this, or I'm having this, or it's a sunny day and I'm enjoying or is a Friday.
Speaker B:So that, that somehow creates a connection between you and the other person and that person sees that in the end, you're not just one vendor, you're someone, you have a, you have a professional background, you have an educational background, but you also have a personal background.
Speaker B:And I like, I like having this connection because this is part of building trust and building the relationship with the customer.
Speaker B:That's also takes into account.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I think over the years I've been fortunate, you know, to be in companies that has really, you know, had, you know, the ears and listening and the time and commitment to customers for many years.
Speaker A:I remember a long time ago, one of the early companies tiers that I worked at was a very similar company.
Speaker A:And even the customers there he became, you know, because of that relationship and because of how you treated the customers and how you listened and give them the opportunity, you know, to share their feedback and give them the platforms not just to, to make sure that they're solving their problems, but also giving the people, also helping them with their career and their journey as well, to, to evolve and to, to learn new skills and develop and, and becoming you know, experts in that field and also, you know, getting promotions and stuff.
Speaker A:When you really not just focus on solving the problem, but you also focus on the person's journey as well, that also makes a massive difference.
Speaker A:And I remember that a lot of the, you know, over the years of that.
Speaker A:There was a lot of my customers back then that became lifelong friends because of that commitment, because of the time that we spent and because of giving the platform and making them successful, that the journey just didn't stop at the company.
Speaker A:It actually turned into a really fun and entertaining and lifelong relationship.
Speaker A:Even after changing and, you know, many of us have moved on to different fields and different organizations, that connection's still there.
Speaker A:And that shows you that this isn't about just, you know, getting a product over the line.
Speaker A:It's about building lifelong connections and partnerships because it's about making them successful as well in the companies they work for.
Speaker A:Not just making the, you know, the company have a successful journey, but also having the people.
Speaker A:And I think when I look back then all the things like the peer reviews and the wave, when you look back, you know, it's.
Speaker A:It's the feedback that you get and you see from all of those comments is really shows that they are happy and that they really enjoy.
Speaker A:They enjoy it.
Speaker A:And how many.
Speaker A:How many companies can you go to and say.
Speaker A:They say that they really enjoy using security solutions?
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker B:They love.
Speaker B:I have reviews saying that they love.
Speaker B:They love Segura.
Speaker B:It's not just they like.
Speaker B:They enjoy.
Speaker B:I have.
Speaker B:I have.
Speaker B:I have reviews from customers saying they love using us.
Speaker B:That's a strong word, Joseph.
Speaker A:It is a very strong word to use in a security software world.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it.
Speaker A:And it really shows you because that's.
Speaker A:That's how it's helping them do their job and be successful and taking away the pains that, you know, they had prior to not having a solution.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And remember.
Speaker B:And remember, whenever you're able to increase the level of trust from a customer, they are much more willing to renew, to adopt your product, to upsell, to use it heavily.
Speaker B:And trust is an important aspect of that because that enables all of this stuff that I told you before.
Speaker A:And I think it's also important, David, as we talked about this, is that not to be just reactive and it's important to be proactive as well, is when I look at, you know, over the years, is that there's the, you know, the customers and prospects who are.
Speaker A:Communicate a lot, and they're all.
Speaker A:You're always having a You know, you've got consistent communication going and then there's the others who are very quiet.
Speaker A:And it's the quiet ones where I like, okay, I like to be proactive.
Speaker A:I always like to go and say, hey, how is everything going?
Speaker A:You know, And I think that's also important as well, is to not wait for when something's needed, whether it being they have a problem or it's a renewal, but also being proactive in going out and reaching out and just, you know, saying, hey, we're here, we're here when you need us.
Speaker A:Reach out when you have any questions, if there's things you need to know, always feel free that it's an open channel.
Speaker A:I think that's also important as well.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:And I think you made a really good point because in the end, I think that's what customer success is about.
Speaker B:Many people confuse customer success as a escalation for support.
Speaker B:It doesn't work out, I'll escalate to customer success.
Speaker B:And this is really tricky because it can put you in a position where you are going also always to have a reactive role, which is not the role of customer success.
Speaker B:Because I think when you get to a point when your customer perceives you as an escalation to support, they don't understand what customer success is about.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:It is your part as a customer success manager to preview and understand those pain points.
Speaker B:And that comes through constant points of contact and constant communication with the customer.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And what's, what's, some of the resources and things that you do, you know, is there, is there things that you do technique wise or productively wise?
Speaker A:What's, how do you go about, you know, being proactive and reaching out and connecting.
Speaker A:What's, what's some of your, your personal methods, techniques?
Speaker B:Well, what I do, I, I think we have to pay attention to the signals in the account.
Speaker B:So I think we need to understand first, I think I need to understand what is success to the client.
Speaker B:So I think every customer has a different concept of success.
Speaker B:So I think first of all you need to understand what is the success of the client.
Speaker B:Think you have to actively look for signals that they are reaching to this success or not.
Speaker B:So you need to understand what kind of, kind of KPIs or indicators.
Speaker B:I need to take a closer look to understand if this customer is having success.
Speaker B:So let's say that a customer wants to reduce the number of, I don't know, identity incidents in their, in the infrastructure.
Speaker B:So I think you, as a customer success, you need to understand okay, this customer needs to reduce the number of identity incidents to I don't know, 5%.
Speaker B:So what capabilities they need to do to achieve this?
Speaker B:So they need to do, I don't know, remote session.
Speaker B:They need to record the remote sessions that they are using because this will help mitigate risk and this will help them achieve their business objective.
Speaker B:So what do you, as a customer success needs to do is, is to constantly, not only talk to the customer, of course, to have this feeling and have this relationship of trust, but you have to look for the signals in the account, whether the customer is achieving these numbers.
Speaker B:So you're gonna evaluate month by month the number of remote sessions that they are performing.
Speaker B:So understanding if there's a drop or if there's an increase or if any valuation, you need to understand why this is happening and what can I do and if it's dropping, I mean, if there's no adoption, what can I do to improve that?
Speaker B:So I think you need to understand the signals that the, the, the, the account is giving to you.
Speaker B:You have to be able to read the signals and understand what these signals mean because sometimes the customer, they won't tell you this sometimes or they don't have the vision or anything, but you have to be able to see those signals and act on them.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And sometimes I always find as well, you know, that's, that's a great way is attention to detail and being very proactive and helping them with their, once you've identified the success criteria metrics is helping to make sure they're actually moving towards them and able to achieve them.
Speaker A:And sometimes even better is finding other companies who are doing it really well and getting them to share, you know, share experiences, giving other customers the voice and, you know, and the platform to go and share, hey, here's how we've done it and giving them guidance as well.
Speaker A:So sometimes matchmakers in the security world, making sure that people are able to find those that have the experience and knowledge in those areas.
Speaker A:David, it's been fantastic having you on.
Speaker A:As always.
Speaker A:I really enjoy talking with you and everything you're doing in this world to, to really make sure that companies are being successful and they are getting listened to and they are loving the journey that they're on.
Speaker A:So many things for the audience, how, how, what's the best way for, if they do have follow up questions, if they're interested in learning, if they, they themselves are thinking about, you know, a customer success, you know, program or strategy, what's the best way for them to contact you?
Speaker A:And have questions if they want to reach out afterwards.
Speaker B:Well, currently I'm a heavy user of LinkedIn, so whenever you, you can visit my LinkedIn profile, just type in David Muniz for Segura and then you're gonna see my name.
Speaker B:I'm always open to exchange messages to also see what all of the peers are doing.
Speaker B:Because me as a customer success, I also want to do that.
Speaker B:I also want to understand what other customer success managers are doing to being success with customers.
Speaker B:And not only me as a, as a technology buyer or anything, but also as a professional.
Speaker B:So you're welcome, of course, welcome to send me a message over there and to connect with me.
Speaker B:One of the things that I like doing also talking to people and see different point of views.
Speaker B:That's, that's, that's always good.
Speaker B:So I'm always open for conversations and just see all the points of view.
Speaker A:Absolutely fantastic.
Speaker A:I'll make sure in the show notes will add your LinkedIn connection there so that, that people that you have questions, they just want to make a connection with you and share experiences and best practices and lessons and so forth.
Speaker A:Let's, let's, let's make a community out of the voice of the customer.
Speaker A:Let's get people to share how to do it the right way and lessons learned.
Speaker A:Because also where failures have happened as well, that sometimes is good to reflect back and learn from failures so we don't repeat the mistakes in the future.
Speaker A:So again, many thanks for everything you do for the audience.
Speaker A:I think it's really important for you if you have comments or feedback on how to really, truly make the voice of customer successful and how to make sure that it's about a relationship and it's about a journey together.
Speaker A:I'd love to hear your feedback in your comments as well.
Speaker A:David, many thanks for being a guest on the show again.
Speaker A:It's always enlightening talking to you and always refreshing because I always.
Speaker A:This is the positive side of the security, is when you get to help people be successful not just in the company, but also in their career as well.
Speaker A:So for everyone, this is security by default.
Speaker A:Podcast tune in every two weeks.
Speaker A:New episodes, new guests, new topics, and they're really helping you see through, you know, the chaos world that we live in.
Speaker A:This podcast is all about bringing clarity to that chaos, giving you visibility, giving knowledge and insights in order for you to advance your career and also make your world a safer place as well.
Speaker A:So thank you.
Speaker A:Stay safe and take care until the next time.
Speaker A:Goodbye.
Speaker B:Yeah, thank you.
