

The Customer Success Pro Podcast
Anika Zubair
This is The Customer Success Pro Podcast, hosted by Anika Zubair. Customer Success is not a destination, but a a journey. Join me on this crazy CS journey as I chat to leaders, strategists and experts in customer success about their experiences and definitions of customer success and share with your their best practices on how to build and scale world class CS organization. Each interview will unlock tips, tricks and best practices to help scale your customer success career and company. I will dive into important and relevant topics to help spread knowledge about customer success in order to help companies put the customer at the center of their business. Because at the end of the day when customer are successful, so is the company.Learn more at: thecustomersuccesspro.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 13, 2025 • 24min
Creating a Customer-Centric Culture at Your company
Explore the art of building a customer-centric culture within companies. Discover common pitfalls that hinder success and learn how to foster cross-departmental collaboration. Gain actionable insights to empower teams and operationalize customer feedback effectively. Anika Zubair shares a relatable metaphor comparing the customer journey to a relay race, illustrating the power of teamwork in achieving customer success. Get ready to transform your organization by prioritizing customer outcomes!

Aug 6, 2025 • 56min
Moving from Customer Service to Customer Success with Lena Theres Zimmermann
Lena Theres Zimmermann, Head of Customer Experience at DoInstruct, shares her journey of transforming customer service into a strategic success function. She emphasizes the importance of curiosity and team collaboration in driving customer success. Lena discusses aligning internal goals with success metrics and the shift from prioritizing customer happiness to focusing on growth. She offers insights on onboarding challenges, educating traditional customers about CSM roles, and managing expectations, highlighting the powerful impact of a proactive approach.

Jul 30, 2025 • 24min
How to Get Promoted in Customer Success: Build a Personal Development Plan That Works
The CS Promotion Tracker: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/offers/wh6BFvEc?coupon_code=PODCAST50In this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, Anika Zubair emphasizes the importance of taking charge of one's career development in customer success. She discusses the necessity of creating a personal development plan, identifying skills gaps, and proactively tracking accomplishments to secure promotions. Anika outlines common mistakes professionals make in their career growth and provides actionable steps to build a successful career trajectory. The episode encourages listeners to prioritize their personal development and take ownership of their career paths.Chapters00:00 Taking Charge of Your Career Development07:52 Building Your Personal Development Plan14:51 Tracking Your Wins for Career Growth19:36 Recap and Action Steps for SuccessConnect with Anika Zubair:Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/CSM RevUP Academy: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revupGrab our FREE resources here: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources Want to be our next podcast guest? Apply here: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event

10 snips
Jul 23, 2025 • 24min
Active Listening in Customer Success: The Skill That Changes Everything
Active listening is a game-changer in customer success. Mistakes like listening to reply instead of understand can ruin relationships. The speaker offers practical strategies to enhance listening skills. Personal experiences illustrate how better listening leads to stronger connections and more revenue opportunities. This engaging discussion emphasizes that mastering active listening not only improves interactions but also drives success.

12 snips
Jul 16, 2025 • 34min
Mastering Time Management in Customer Success
Explore the challenges customer success professionals face with time management and prioritization. Discover how to avoid common pitfalls like reactive planning and treating all clients equally. Learn actionable strategies, such as blocking time like a CEO and applying the 80-20 rule for account management. Find out how protecting focus blocks can elevate productivity. This insightful discussion provides the tools to master time management and enhance your efficiency in the customer success arena.

Jul 9, 2025 • 22min
TTV Explained: How To Deliver Customer Value Faster in Customer Success
Signup for the RevUP Academy: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/revupIn this episode of the Customer Success Pro Podcast, Anika Zubair discusses the critical metric of Time to Value (TTV) in customer success. She emphasizes the importance of quickly demonstrating value to customers to enhance retention and drive revenue growth. The episode covers common mistakes that customer success managers (CSMs) make that hinder TTV, such as generic onboarding processes and failing to define value with customers. Anika provides actionable strategies to reduce TTV, including defining measurable outcomes, collaborating with internal teams, and using success plans to track progress. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to implement these strategies and join the RevUp Academy for further development.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Time to Value in Customer Success02:04 Understanding Time to Value (TTV) and Its Importance05:53 Common Mistakes Sabotaging Time to Value09:43 Strategies to Reduce Time to Value13:56 Practical Examples and Final Tips20:07 Conclusion and Call to ActionConnect with Anika Zubair:Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/CSM RevUP Academy: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revup#customersuccesspro #podcast #customersuccessmanagerGrab our FREE resources here: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources Want to be our next podcast guest? Apply here: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event

7 snips
Jul 2, 2025 • 53min
How to Use Segmentation to Drive Value, Retention and Efficiency with Kelley Turner
Kelley Turner, SVP of Global Customer Success at Vitally, is a powerhouse in building teams that drive authentic customer partnerships. In their conversation, she emphasizes the need for effective customer segmentation in enhancing value and retention. Kelley balances the roles of automation and personalization for optimum engagement while sharing her unique shift from finance to customer success. Curiosity, creative strategies, and the potential of AI in segmentation take center stage, underscoring their importance in measuring success and nurturing lasting client relationships.

14 snips
Jun 25, 2025 • 30min
Mastering the Art of Strategic Negotiation in Customer Success
Negotiation skills are critical for customer success managers, yet often overlooked. The discussion highlights common pitfalls like inadequate preparation and over-explaining. A four-step framework is introduced to empower CSMs, emphasizing preparation, clarity on value, and the strategic use of silence. By mastering these techniques, CSMs can significantly boost renewals and upsells, transforming their role into that of a confident negotiator and strategic partner.

7 snips
Jun 18, 2025 • 31min
The Expansion Mindset: How Great CSMs Drive Growth Without Selling
Discover the evolving role of customer success in driving growth without the pressure of traditional sales. Embrace the expansion mindset by building trust and engaging meaningfully with customers. Learn to recognize key signals for upselling and navigate common pitfalls. Collaboration between customer success and sales teams is essential for unlocking new opportunities. Practical steps for fostering relationships and facilitating growth are shared, ensuring customer success professionals can add value while enhancing revenue.

5 snips
Jun 11, 2025 • 29min
The AI-Powered CSM: What It Really Looks Like in 2025
Explore the transformative power of AI in customer success. Discover how it alleviates administrative burdens and enhances efficiency in daily tasks. Learn to avoid common mistakes when adopting AI, and see how it can revolutionize discovery calls and quarterly business reviews. Anika Zubair introduces practical applications for forecasting renewals and managing customer relationships. Plus, get insights into training AI as a revenue-generating co-pilot to elevate your success strategies.


