Angeline Gavino, Vice President of Customer Success at Katalon, began her career in customer success in 2010. Back then, her role wasn't even called customer success. She became an individual contributor, eventually managing teams and leading entire CS departments. Over 17 years in the B2B SaaS industry, with 11 of those years in leadership roles, Angeline has worked primarily in startups, guiding them through various stages of growth.
What advice do you have for someone's first 100 days as head of CS?
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.
What does your CS strategy focus on currently and in the future?
Currently, Angeline's CS strategy at Katalon focuses on retention. As the company scales, the need to specialize becomes critical. Her team, which was once revenue-generating, now concentrates on value delivery and retention to ensure sustainable growth. Improving processes, playbooks, and digital CS strategies are key focus areas.
How Do You Measure Success With CS?
Success in Angeline's CS team is measured by retention and revenue. While ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) remains a North Star metric, other indicators like usage, engagement, and customer satisfaction help guide their progress. Aligning CS goals with overall business objectives ensures that the team's impact is clearly understood and appreciated.
What pain points do you have leading a CS team?
One significant challenge Angeline faces is access to and utilization of data. Ensuring that the correct data is available to the right people at the right time is crucial for prioritizing work and making informed decisions. As the customer base grows, the need for efficient data management becomes even more pressing to maintain high service standards without constantly expanding the team.
How do you establish partnerships and gain buy-in with the C-suite?
Angeline believes in speaking the language of the C-suite, which is numbers. Aligning her CS team's goals with company revenue goals and presenting data-driven insights helps secure buy-in from top executives. This approach demonstrates the direct impact of CS efforts on the company's bottom line.
Do you have an example of utilizing customer feedback to improve your company?
Customer feedback is integral to Angeline's strategy. By measuring customer satisfaction (CSAT) and conducting onboarding surveys, her team collaborates with the product team to make informed improvements. Understanding customer needs and experiences helps refine processes and products, ensuring a better customer journey.
What is the future of CS?
Angeline sees AI as a game-changer in customer success. The potential of AI to personalize customer engagement, empower teams with better information, and enhance predictive analytics is immense. She believes AI will augment the capabilities of CS teams, enabling them to deliver superior customer experiences and drive business growth.
About Angeline Gavino
Angeline Gavino is a leader in customer success and an active member of professional networks like the Women’s Success Network. She is passionate about creating spaces for women in CS to network and learn from each other.
Connect with Angeline on LinkedIn to learn more about her and follow her career. She regularly shares her insights on customer success and is always open to connecting with fellow professionals.
About CX Chats
CX chats is an interview series with Ben Holland, where we talk to industry leaders in the field of customer experience and customer success. Each interview dives deep into the insights from each leader and highlights how they became successful, tips for aspiring CX professionals, and their thoughts on the future of CX.