48. Owning the Outcome: The Real Role of Customer Success

I sat down with my good friend and former Oracle teammate Jane Scott for a deep dive into customer success. Jane and I worked together for years on the key account team supporting Xerox, and she was the glue that held it all together — truly the most important person in the room.

We covered a lot in this conversation: from the foundational elements of long-term account management, to the evolving role of customer success in today’s SaaS world. Jane brings a wealth of experience and a refreshingly candid perspective on what it takes to really support customers.

Here are a few key points we dug into:

• Why consistency and historical knowledge matter — and how Jane’s 12 years on a single account gave her unmatched influence and insight.

• How customer success is about enabling outcomes, not just solving problems.

• The importance of aligning to the customer’s business rhythm and strategic objectives.

• Why some SaaS companies may not need a dedicated CS team — but the function must still be owned somewhere.

• How internal alignment between sales, operations, and product impacts the customer experience.

Takeaways:
✅ Understand the rhythm of your customer’s business — timing is everything.
✅ Great customer success starts with empathy and ends with results.
✅ Whether or not you have a CSM team, someone needs to own the customer journey.
✅ The best relationships go beyond QBRs — think industry events, shared learning, and meaningful connection.
✅ Ask early: “What will keep us from being successful together?”

🌟 Jane reminds us: “It doesn’t have to be a huge, elaborate plan. Sometimes it’s just asking, ‘How can I help?’”

🔗 Connect with Jane: LinkedIn

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