Stephanie Berner, Chief Customer Officer at Smartsheet shares a few top best practices that can help B2B SaaS teams drive their customer success protocols in this SalesTechStar interview:
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Hi Stephanie – what would you say about the modern state of customer management and customer success in B2B SaaS?
Customer experience in B2B SaaS is being reshaped by three forces: digital-first expectations, the rise of AI, and increasingly complex customer journeys. Customers want the speed and convenience of self-service, but human relationships remain critical for trust and long-term value. AI is enhancing, not replacing, those interactions, enabling teams to be more proactive and personalized. At the same time, buying decisions are more fragmented: sometimes driven bottom-up by users, other times by top-down transformation. With longer sales cycles and new tools like generative AI influencing vendor selection, the imperative for companies is to meet customers where they are, blending digital, human, and AI-driven engagement in a seamless way.
Can you share a few go-to protocols you always follow as a customer-facing executive?
For me, it’s always about being human-first. Yes, we are buyers and vendors, representing our respective organizations. But we are simply people who aim to do great work and create relationships. As a customer success leader, this means that my first priority is treating every customer with respect and positioning myself as a guide – especially as my customers navigate technologies like AI. I begin with understanding a customer’s needs and problems they need to solve, then design experiences -whether in our software or in our programs – that address the outcomes they care about. I coach my teams to focus on our customers’ organizational direction and building relationships across stakeholders. While it’s important to listen closely to customer requests, I also dig into the ‘why’ behind them, filtering out noise to surface solutions that create meaningful impact for their business.
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How have you been using AI powered tools to drive better customer journeys and relations, can you name a few tools that you swear by?
AI has become a powerful enabler in how we support and engage with customers. It allows us to personalize experiences at scale, whether that’s through timely learning prompts, proactive support, or surfacing insights that help customers get more value from the platform. We’re using AI to reduce friction in the customer journey, automate low-value tasks, and free our teams to focus on the high-touch, strategic conversations that build long-term partnerships. At the same time, our goal isn’t for AI to replace human connection because we believe that human-in-the-loop and in some cases, direct human interaction, are a powerful enhancement for AI, so that customers feel supported in the moments that matter most.
What should modern customer success / customer support teams do to drive their customer relationships in today’s competitive marketplace?
Even after 15 years in customer success and an ever-changing landscape, relationship building always comes down to two things: consistency and moments that matter. We aim to build trust in business relationships, and trust is built with consistency over time. When our customers know they are going to get accurate and useful help, we foster trust because we are consistent. Similarly, when our customers know that we are going to show up well during events (large and small) when the stakes are high, we solidify that trust because we provide the right help at the right moment through the right channel, when it matters most.
This brings me to an important point: in today’s competitive marketplace, customer success and support teams need to strike the right balance between digital convenience and human connection; doing this well bolsters that trust equation. Customers should be able to complete their journey entirely through digital channels if they choose, but they also need the assurance that a knowledgeable partner is available when it matters most. AI is a powerful tool to personalize outreach, surface product-qualified accounts, and guide teams toward higher-value conversations, but it must be applied with authenticity and accuracy. Ultimately, success comes from meeting customers where they are, whether that’s user-led exploration or top-down transformation, and ensuring support is seamless across every touchpoint.
Five fundamentals you feel any Chief Customer Officer in B2B SaaS should follow as a daily habit?
Engage authentically: Listen closely to customer feedback and meet them where they are, whether that’s digital-first or through personal conversations.
Use AI to enhance, not replace: Apply AI to make interactions smarter and more personalized, while keeping human connection at the core.
Focus on business impact: Cut through one-off requests and prioritize solutions that deliver measurable outcomes for customers.
Balance innovation with pragmatism: Especially in the enterprise, ensure new solutions integrate into existing systems and workflows to unlock productivity without disruption.
Inspired and empowered teams deliver the best customer service. Do something every day to ensure team members feel aligned to our vision and mission, have the tools and resources to solve customer problems, and feel empowered to innovate.
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Stephanie Berner is the Chief Customer Officer at Smartsheet. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring exceptional customer experiences and driving initiatives that foster enduring value for customers.
With over 15 years of experience across high-growth B2B SaaS companies, Stephanie is passionate about building high-performing teams and delivering great customer experiences. She previously held senior leadership roles at Atlassian, LinkedIn, and Box, and currently serves as an advisor for Gainsight, Databook, and Modern Treasury.
She holds an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and a BS in Biology from the University of California, Davis. Outside of work, she loves outdoor adventure and international travel with her active family of four.