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From the Q-mmunity
Reflections: The importance of two-way partnership with customers
Throughout December and January we will be sharing Reflection stories from some of our Qualtricians. These stories reflect on the last year and beyond — recognizing the good and the bad, the struggles and the successes. Today we are featuring a story by Chris in Customer Success.
I’m a Customer Success Manager on the Covered team based out of New York. My team and I work with some of Qualtrics’ largest, most strategic accounts to help them get the most from the platform. We work every day to mature our customer relationships and position ourselves as a partner rather than as a vendor.
What are you most proud of in 2022?
I’m most proud of the amazing growth and progress we’ve made in the New York office this year. Jessica Sharma and Charlie Callahan have done an incredible job building a palpable office culture and Q-ifying our space; it seems like every couple weeks we’re welcoming new, talented teammates to the mix.
2022 has been quite the year, if there's one thing you'll remember it for what will it be?
2022 was a year of new beginnings for me. While my wedding this summer was the start of an exciting new chapter in my personal life, transitioning out of management consulting and into Qualtrics did the same in my work life (though maybe not quite as dramatically).
I had the opportunity to attend a team offsite in Provo in just my second week at Q, and I’m so grateful to have been able to first meet the team in person and start building relationships in 3D. It became immediately clear to me how smart, genuine, and welcoming everybody was, and I was immediately impressed by the focus that our managers put on holistic well-being.
What's something that you did in 2022 that you didn't expect to have so much autonomy over?
Everything! In CS we really operate like the CEO of our accounts and have the autonomy to manage each customer relationship as we see fit. At the end of the day, customers’ associate our name and personal brand alongside Qualtrics, and it’s nice to have decision-making authority.
More specifically, I’ve loved the process of working on pricing. Each customer and relationship is different, and there isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach to designing the right investment level and configuration. I’ve really appreciated working closely with my internal partners to put together proposals that allow my customers to best see value from their Qualtrics investment.
Moving into 2023, what lessons will you be taking from this year?
The rising economic uncertainty has been especially poignant to those in customer-facing roles, and to me it has really highlighted the importance of two-way partnership with our customers. In 2023, I plan to focus more on connecting our incredible teammates from across the org to bring their expertise and help our customers mature their experience management programs.