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In my conversation with the CEO of SmartKarrot, Prithwi Dasgupta, we discussed a variety of topics related to the company's global presence and customer base, as well as the role of Customer Success in a business.
SmartKarrot is a virtual organization with a development center based in India, and has a presence in 8 countries, with a strong presence in the US, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.
The company’s ideal customers are those who crossed the $10 million mark, have multiple product lines or business lines, and are focused on revenue expansion.
Prithwi explained that CS is both a philosophy and a function that should be aligned with the overall goal of shareholder value.
He believes that CS should be structured based on the specific needs of the organization and that different roles within the organization (such as sales, marketing, and product) should participate in CS operations.
A lack of clarity and structure is a common issue that leads to confusion about what customer success is and does. He also suggests that some common errors in implementing the right customer success strategy are jumping into the CS bandwagon without understanding it and hiring a few people as leaders to solve the problem.
He also believes that CS should be focused on revenue growth and that CS teams should be aligned with revenue goals. He also mentioned that some customer success managers may be perceived as “lazy”, but this is likely due to a lack of clear objectives and incentives for their role.
Prithwi also discussed the future plans of his company.
SmartKarrot's main differentiator is the use of augmented intelligence to drive more proactive operations in customer success.
They are currently working on launching new features such as "Smart Assist," which is like an Alexa for customer success.
He also talks about the evolution of customer success roles, where more collaboration among different roles such as delivery, marketing, sales, account, and finance will be necessary.
He also advises anyone in the field, including customer success managers and executives, to go for what they are passionate about and to focus on developing their skills.
In conclusion, I am beyond thrilled to have had the opportunity to interview the mastermind behind SmartKarrot, Prithwi Dasgupta!
He truly knows his stuff when it comes to customer success and blew me away with his insights on how to grow a business and achieve shareholder value.
The discussion on the use of augmented intelligence to drive more proactive operations in customer success and the evolution of customer success roles was particularly interesting.
So, folks, if you want to be in the know when it comes to customer success, you cannot miss this episode.
It's packed with gold nuggets of knowledge that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Tune in to the Customer Success Cafe Podcast for a great conversation with Prithwi!
CS Café Podcast #2: Prithwi Dasgupta - CEO of SmartKarrot, the Customer Success Platform