SalesTechStar Interview with Jen Jackson, Vice President of Customer Experience at Dialpad

As a businesses’ customer interactions evolve, so do the kind of tools they deploy; Jen Jackson, Vice President of Customer Experience at Dialpad chats about some optimization tricks that can help:

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Hi Jen, welcome to this SalesTechStar chat! Take us through your years as a customer success professional and what that’s been like as the role and need from the industry has evolved over time?

I started my career in customer service in my teens, working in a call center. Eventually, I was able to work my way up the management chain and join the global leadership team. Over the years, I managed all post sales teams, and supported customers diligently (even before customer success was catching on). When customer success was created, I was fully on board creating roles and teams to facilitate the needs of the customer. My career growth mirrored the industry growth, and naturally evolved as the customer success space did. Each year, I challenge myself and my team to be better, listen, and serve with the consumer’s best interests at heart. This approach has been a key reason for my success in the industry, and eventually led to my current role as Vice President of Customer Experience at Dialpad.

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When it comes to customer success in B2B, what are some of the key elements that you feel customer facing teams need to focus on more?

Customer facing teams must remember that we are providing a service that allows our customers to provide a service, or connect in some way, with their customers or employees. In most cases, we are really B2B2C, where the C can be an internal customer or external. Our customer’s definitions of success are dependent on their business goals and needs; understanding these are incredibly important to truly be a partner and help them be successful. Listening, and enabling and providing outcomes are key.

What are some of the top sales technologies or associated tools that you’ve often relied on to drive better customer output and value for your team / brand?

Salesforce has been a staple tool that drives better customer output and value for our team. A good CRM to be the source of truth for customer data is paramount. Utilizing customer success software like Gainsight ensures business efficiencies that allow our customer success organizations to truly focus on the customers and not get lost in administrative tasks. Of course, Dialpad communication technology is a key driver of both our internal and external comms, keeping both our sales teams and customers engaged and in the loop. Having a strong tech stack is a critical piece of the framework to build a great experience for customers. 

What are some of the top predictions that come to mind when it comes to customer success in B2B through 2022 and beyond?

AI that can help us be better prepared to support, engage and serve our customers will be key. AI isn’t a replacement for what we do today, but is a tool to enhance productivity and improve customer experiences. I believe that truly creating a smart, easy, and highly efficient digital experience is going to make a huge difference in our ever-changing world.

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While hiring for customer success teams, what do you feel sales and business leaders need to be looking at more closely to make better team and hiring decisions?

Actively looking for compassion, humanity, curiosity and ownership are key. At our core we are people working with people, and we have to be human first. We have to listen and ask questions to discover what is at hand and we have to be accountable for our role in serving the customer. Whether it’s sales, success, services, or support at the core its people engaging and helping each other solve for an outcome.

A few thoughts on the kind of salestech and customer success tools that you feel will become more prominent in B2B over time?

As we evolve and innovate our interactions, our tools have to grow with us. It’s hard to continuously adapt to new technologies when we are all moving so fast, but it’s going to be critical to our success. Look for AI and voice intelligence to become deeply embedded into future technologies. Down the road, omnipresent digital assistants (think Alexa/Cortana) will be available at the click of a button (or the sound of your voice) to automatically take meeting notes, find documents stored on your computer, and so much more. We are already doing this at Dialpad, but the technology will continue to accelerate and improve the way people work. This innovative technology will transform the way customer teams work, and have a remarkably positive impact on customers’ experiences.

Some last thoughts and takeaways before we wrap up?

Remember to be kind, operate with compassion, ask for the why and solve the issue at hand. Band Aids are not meant for long-term usage. Invest in creating customer organizations that are truly focused on building and growing relationships, and providing end-to-end consistent experiences.

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