In the business world, the customer is the focus, and companies therefore rely on intensive customer care to build long-term partnerships. Our Customer Success Managers (CSM) play a crucial role in this. In this interview with our colleague from the Customer Success Management team, Jannis Bluhm, we gain insights into his exciting and varied work.
Jannis is one of our lynchpins when it comes to supporting our customers in the retail industry who use oraya's advanced market and price monitoring software. But his responsibilities go beyond customer support. In this interview with Jannis, we talk about different aspects of his role - how he contributes to customer satisfaction and oraya's success with dedication, expertise and strategic thinking.
The interview with Jannis offers fascinating insights into the world of Customer Success Management and how a customer-centric approach not only leads to customer satisfaction, but also contributes to sustainable business development. Find out what his typical day looks like, how he solves problems and how customer feedback is incorporated into product development. The entire interview offers exciting insights into the world of Customer Success Management.
What does an average working day look like for you as a Customer Success Manager at oraya? What are the main tasks and challenges of your role?
Jannis Bluhm: As Customer Success Manager at oraya, my workday is filled with various tasks and challenges that involve fulfilling customers' requests to ensure a successful collaboration.
I start my day by opening emails and the necessary programs to resolve any technical, contractual or administrative issues that may have arisen overnight. This helps me prioritize and plan my day effectively. One of the unique aspects of my role is that I often don't know what tasks are waiting for me until the day begins. Our customers come to us with a wide variety of concerns, from helping them use our tools to sharing feature requests. This keeps me on my toes and requires quick thinking and problem solving skills.
As a Customer Success Manager, my primary role is to engage with our customers and ensure they are satisfied with our products and services. This can be done through regular meetings, answering their questions, or discussing their specific needs and wants. In this way, I can identify the most important aspects or services that customers value most and use this information to improve our offerings and also expand them in the long term.
My role requires working closely with both the technical team and the sales team. I often work with the technical team to solve any technical challenges our customers may have. This collaboration allows us to provide timely solutions and improve the overall customer experience . Equally important are the meetings with the sales team to give us mutual updates on customer inquiries and to look at the status of new customers.
Throughout the day, it is important for me to maintain transparency and openness in all meetings and interactions. This fosters a positive and productive atmosphere that allows for effective problem solving and collaboration. My goal as a Customer Success Manager is to ensure that our customers improve their experience with our product. By actively engaging with them, responding to their needs, and collaborating with various teams, I aim to contribute to the success and satisfaction of our customers.
How did your training and studies prepare you for your role as Customer Success Manager at oraya? Are there any specific skills or knowledge that you bring to your daily work from your academic career?
Jannis Bluhm: As Customer Success Manager at oraya, my training in particular, but also my studies, have given me specific skills and knowledge that support me in my work.
My training as a merchant in wholesale and retail prepared me for my role in many respects. It gave me a solid foundation in various areas such as customer communication, quality management and project management. The experience I gained during this training helped me to develop resilience and discipline, optimize my communication skills and bring structure to my daily work. Having worked in B2B wholesale has also enabled me to better understand the needs and concerns of our existing customers.
In addition, my studies in business administration have given me a conceptual understanding of various business processes. With this background knowledge, I am able to analyze customer cases and develop strategic solutions that meet customers' needs. Through my chosen majors in Controlling and Information Technology during my studies, I also have a good understanding of data analysis and the ability to use it for customer success.
At oraya, I have the opportunity to see how the theories and concepts I learned during my studies are applied in practice. This involvement in processing and mentoring beyond my role has allowed me to further develop my skills and knowledge.
Can you tell us more about the typical customer care process at oraya? From the first contact to long-term cooperation - what is the process like?
Jannis Bluhm: At oraya, the customer care process is designed so that every customer receives constant support and assistance from the first contact through to long-term cooperation. Let's take a closer look at how this process is structured.
The customer support process begins after a contract is signed with the sales team. This may be a new customer and already in close communication with the sales team, or an existing customer who is already familiar with the Customer Success Team. At this stage, the customer's needs and requirements are assessed and process planning begins.
It is important to us that the customer's needs are considered and that they can use technology to their advantage. To make this possible , my colleagues on the Customer Success Management team and I conduct quarterly business reviews. These reviews provide an opportunity for both the customer and oraya to assess progress, identify improvements, assist with necessary adjustments to the customer's strategy, or simply take feature requests and understand why the customer needs a feature.... It is a collaborative process aimed at ensuring the customer's long-term success.
Which feedback do you receive from customers about our products and about us as a company? And which main aspects or services do our customers value most?
Jannis Bluhm: Feedback from our customers can be received on any area of our collaboration. We get very good feedback on our products, on the one hand often appreciation of the product quality or the data received, on the other hand also extremely valuable suggestions for improvement or requests for additional functions. Customer feedback is always extremely exciting to hear and very important to me, feedback from users is essential for product development.
I think what our customers value most is the personal level and the constructive interaction between the Customer Success Team and the customer. And, of course, the functionalities of our products. It's always nice to get feedback that oraya helps save time, get data, make decisions better and so on. Our responsiveness or adaptability to individual wishes and ideas is also valued.
oraya will continue to innovate and shape the future of the IT industry. This interview is a reflection of our shared experiences and the remarkable journey of the team members. We hope this personal insight into the oraya team has given you a better understanding of our company's values, ambitions and commitment.