Account Management Role Enablement: Retaining Logos and Reducing Churn
In the current competitive market, customer retention is more important than ever. As with many tech companies in the SaaS space, one of our clients recently experienced the one-two punch of increasingly stiff competition for market share, combined with unprecedented customer churn, which quickly garnered the attention of their senior leadership team.
Swift Action
Faced with mounting pressure that was affecting their bottom line as well as their reputation in the market, GTM leadership knew they needed to act swiftly. Merely pressing Sales to acquire new customers was not enough; they needed to find a way to retain existing customers and grow these relationships to stabilize and increase revenue. The decision was therefore made to establish an enterprise Account Management team dedicated to customer retention and growth.
Once the decision was made, there was a lot of work to be done to execute on it. Level213 partnered with their Account Management team director and leaders from Enablement, Sales, and Customer Success to build the supporting infrastructure required to successfully launch the Account Manager role. With a short runway and intense pressure to fill the team roster, stakeholders worked diligently to define and build a robust Enablement program that included:
Recruiting and Hiring: Identifying and bringing in the right talent to fill the Account Management positions.
Onboarding: Developing a customized onboarding program specific to the Account Management role.
Ongoing Training: Providing continuous learning opportunities to keep the team growing their skillset.
Rules of Engagement: Establishing clear guidelines and expectations for how Account Managers would operate and interact with customers, as well as the internal Sales, Support, Success, and Technical teams.
Performance Management: Defining key metrics to measure and manage the performance of the Account Management team.
Implementation and Impact
Once the Account Management team was hired, each rep embarked on a role-based onboarding learning path designed to immerse them in a blend of learning modalities and focus on the skills required to ramp quickly into customer-facing engagements. Their onboarding was followed by a series of skill development workshops, peer collaboration, mentoring, and manager-led coaching to support selling motion execution required to meet revenue goals.
The impact of these efforts has produced:
Enhanced Post-Sale Customer Experience: By spending dedicated time focusing on each customer’s needs and goals, the team significantly strengthened relationships with them.
Reduced Churn: With a dedicated focus on value and partnership with customers, the team was able to significantly reduce churn rates.
Increased Customer Engagement: Through targeted engagement and positioning based on the needs of each customer, the team re-established the company’s competitive standing.
Identified Growth Opportunities: By focusing on value selling, Account Managers were able to identify and pursue opportunities for upselling and cross-selling within the existing customer base.
Closing Thoughts
Establishing the Account Management team and a comprehensive Enablement program were critical to aligning this client’s GTM strategy. By focusing on retention and growth, they were able to stabilize revenue, enhance customer satisfaction, and regain their competitive edge.
This case study underscores the importance of investing in Enablement programs and post-sale customer engagement as part of GTM strategy. In the current environment where customer expectations are ever increasing, such strategies are essential for long-term success.
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