If you were starting from scratch, what is your ideal team structure for customer success, sales, and marketing? Who reports to whom, and which functions are unified or separate?
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I have been thinking about this since the time we met. I think more important that reporting and organizational structure is alignment on business KPIs. At the end, I personally dont care who I report to, as long as everyone in the organization is aligned on the critical business KPIs and understand how every team is contributing to this. Whether it is CRO, COO, CCO...is secondary to me
The ideal structure depends on the company and product. For enterprise solutions requiring heavy engagement, shared responsibility and alignment with sales might be necessary. In contrast, for self-serve or PLG products, alignment with operations could be more suitable. The focus should be on increasing customer lifetime value and providing the necessary support. The structure should be tailored to the organization's needs and selling motion.
Tony's point about consumption-based pricing is intriguing. In such models, the role of salespeople becomes questionable, as they might sell products without immediate revenue. This raises questions about accountability and the overall sales strategy. It's a topic worth exploring further.
In our organization, account executives work closely with pre-sales to close deals and expand opportunities. We're also building partnerships with sales to enhance collaboration. This integrated approach helps streamline processes and improve customer outcomes.
Coming from an enterprise background, I find this idea fascinating. While it might be challenging to find individuals who can handle complex contracts and deployments, the concept of erasing silos is appealing. In larger organizations, a pod structure centered around the customer might work well. Having a role focused on the entire customer journey, such as a Chief Customer Officer, can be valuable. I've noticed a trend where companies merge pre-sales with customer success, emphasizing skill continuity and solution delivery.
I agree with the point about the business needing to be aligned on goals and outcomes. If there are silos and each team is working towards their own goals and metrics, it will inevitably hurt the customer experience. There must be agreement across the company on what is best for the customer and each team needs to be working towards that goal.