Part Two: Predictions for Why 2023 Will Be the Year of Customer Success

2022 was a bumpy year for growth, and 2023 will likely continue to challenge businesses in
every sector. In my first article (link below), I discussed how companies will begin evolving organizational
structure, processes, and customer success (CS) practices to succeed in this volatile climate.

This second article will dive further into the importance of making CS the priority of every person
in an organization, highlighting key points that will empower businesses to thrive, not just
survive, in 2023.

Marketing Technology News: Part One: Predictions for Why 2023 Will Be the Year of Customer Success

• 1. Traditional high-touch models will be upended due to budget-related travel freezes and
  distributed workforces. 2022 saw the reemergence of business travel and working in physical
  offices. As companies of all sizes witnessed, a single approach to travel and in-office work didn’t
  take hold. This translated to powerful but infrequent in-person interactions, such as on-site
  customer visits or tradeshows. However, as this year closes with layoffs and hiring and travel
  freezes, coupled with large numbers of remote workers, we won’t see the old-world, high-touch
  model returning again.
• 2. Continued remote and hybrid work will reinforce the importance of customer success
  as a company-wide operating model. The new hybrid and fully-remote models will accentuate
  the importance of a company-wide, digital-first operating model that will unify the entire
  organization around their most important asset – the customer. The pandemic revealed
  businesses could deliver quality as a company from home. Next year, pacesetters in every
  industry will show that this is the best way to continue operating in the new digital economy.
• 3. High-volume, high-touch businesses will rapidly scale growth by applying customer
  success principles. Businesses that have no alternative means of generating revenue other
  than high volume and high touch will look to CS solutions and principles. They will embrace a
  comprehensive, modern perspective on how to scale their growth with a strategy that enables
  predictable revenue through systematic yet flexible implementation of integrated customer
  journey product management.
• 4. Tech layoffs and the growth of customer success lead business professionals to
  increasingly transition into CS. With tens of thousands of employees laid off within the last
  couple of months, many were in roles once viewed as “safe” corporate positions. As businesses
  place greater emphasis on retention and expansion of their customer base, data from recent
  years suggests interest in CS as a profession will continue to grow.
• 5. Customer success will no longer be confused with customer service or customer
  support. Don’t get me wrong: there is a time and place for customer service or support, but it is
  by nature reactive. Customer success is well-positioned to leverage data and technology to
  proactively manage and address points of risk. Customer service or customer support should be
  a part of fully integrated, enterprise-wide customer success programs, but companies that
  embrace a proactive – or even predictive – approach will stay a step ahead of churn.

By the end of 2023, businesses will have a clearer understanding of customer success and how
the value it delivers extends beyond just one team – it’s an operating model that can unite every
business function around driving customer outcomes. When businesses turn talking about
customer focus into acting on this customer value-driven model, then I’m confident the outcome
will be 2023 as the year of customer success.