The Daily Standup CS Xs and Os | Adil Dittmer
May 21, 2025
Adil Dittmer, Head of Customer Success at Manta who champions democratizing data science and community work like Success in Black. He uses a sports defense vs offense analogy to argue retention matters as much as expansion. The conversation centers on why CS struggles to quantify value, how analytics and AI can measure plays, and simple experiments to prove impact.
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Adil Introduces Manta And Success In Black Work
- Adil introduces himself as head of customer success at Manta, a startup democratizing data science for non-statisticians.
- He also mentions involvement with Success in Black, a community advancing Black professionals in CS.
Defense Matters As Much As Offense In CS
- Customer success often defaults to offense (driving revenue) while neglecting defense (preventing churn), which is equally vital to winning overall revenue outcomes.
- Adil compares CS to the New York Jets deciding whether to invest in offense or a cornerback, urging measurement of the negative impact when defensive work is ignored.
Quantify The Cost Of Not Playing Defense
- Frame CS value as avoided negative outcomes (defense) as well as revenue gains; quantify what happens if you stop defensive activities.
- Adil recommends using analytics to show the cost of not investing in retention or risk mitigation.