Want To Build A Stellar Customer Success Team? Salesloft’s VP Natasha Evans Has Some Tips

by Maija Ehlinger

When teams are asked to do more with less, they often turn to SaaS startups and companies to help them automate and streamline their business processes.

That means big opportunities for B2B customer success teams to shine, says Natasha Evans, Salesloft’s VP of Global Enterprise Customer Success.

“Our customers are sales teams, and they are feeling the pressure right now more than a lot of other functions within technology companies,” Evan told Hypepotamus. “They are coming to us and asking: How do I touch more accounts? How do I touch more contacts using the technology that I’ve got at my disposal? How do I get more efficient? And, most importantly, how do I deliver an exceptional buyer experience at the same time.” 

Atlanta-based Salesloft is now a giant in the sales automation space over the last decade, having reached a $2.3 billion valuation during its most recent funding round. 

Evans, a “self-confessed success plan superfan,” leads a team of more than 50 Saleslofters across Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. She’s seen the world of B2B customer experience and customer success change over the years, particularly as businesses tightened their belts and look for ways to do more with less. 

She talked with Hypepotamus about how Salesloft built out its customer success playbook and offered some tangible advice to B2B teams looking to better engage their clients.  

Her big takeaway: customer success teams have to focus on building relationships and driving home the value of their product to customers.  Here are her tips: 

1. Open Up Doors And Talk To Customers Directly

“[My team] is really focused on helping our customers navigate through this current turbulent market,” she added. 

During times of economic uncertainty, Evans said her team has ensured their phones and webcams are on. it is all about being as accessible as they can be to their customers. 

Tangibly, that means putting on multiple “office hours” each day should customers have specific questions they need answered immediately and directly. Evans said this is a tangible way to drive home the value of the sales automation and CRM products they offer. 

2. Create High Value, High Impact Touch Points

“I think there is nothing better than building out a success plan with your customer and then showing them how you’re going to get to the value that they care about,” Evans told Hypepotamus. 

Evans said that on top of talking directly to customers about their potential problems and specific software needs, Salesloft has added additional layers of value, such as writing quarterly executive business reviews to keep their customers informed of the changing market landscape. 

3. Expand Your Definition of Memorable Experiences 

In-person events have roared back over the course of 2022, as businesses and individuals emerged from lockdown ready to connect. 

But the pandemic’s lasting legacy is certainly in the rise of hybrid event experiences. Salesloft’s customer success team now relies on both in-person and remote options to connect with their clients. 

For Salesloft, that recently looked like putting on a “Women In Revenue Leadership” Event in person to create more meaningful networking opportunities. 

What This Means For You
So what if you aren’t running a customer success team as large as the one Salesloft has in place? These are still valuable and tangible practices, says Evans.

“Most companies that are super small think about scale later,” she added. “They think really early on that [they’ve] got a small base of customers, so how can I show them tons of love and lots of high-touch activities? But I think that if you can build to scale from Day One, you are going to make your life an awful lot easier. If you don’t yet have a full customer success team, I would be investing in some of the most scalable things like putting on webinars, running workshops, or delivering office hours. Those add a lot of value to multiple customers all at the same time.” 

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