Scale value without burnout

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Hey CS Pros,

Scaling customer success is something we all dream about—growing a customer base, adding new logos, and watching revenue climb. But when you actually get there, it’s not all smooth sailing. How do you keep delivering value to thousands of customers when your team and your processes were designed for hundreds?

That’s exactly what I tackled in my latest podcast conversation with Saahil Karkera, Head of Customer Success at Oaky and founder of CS Connect. Saahil’s built and rebuilt CS teams through multiple startup phases, and in this episode, he shared the real story of scaling customer value—what works, what breaks, and how to make sure your team doesn’t burn out in the process.

If you’re leading a CS team (or hoping to soon), this one’s for you.

But first, today’s sponsor

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First, what even is customer value at scale?

Saahil’s definition is simple: “What’s in it for me?” 

That’s what every customer is asking—whether they’re the executive signing the invoice, the champion managing your tool, or the end user logging in every day.

The catch? That definition of value changes as your product, your ICP, and your business evolves. If your CS team is still delivering value the way you did two years ago, you’re already behind.

Scaling value is really just scaling conversations

The number one mistake Saahil sees is companies treating ICP and value definitions as a “one and done” project. You build your ideal customer profile, define success metrics, and move on. Meanwhile, your product, pricing, and strategy all shift—but your value narrative doesn’t.

At Oaky, they fixed this by embedding value conversations into their regular customer interactions. Every two weeks, CSMs review their portfolios and ask:

• What’s the most important business metric for this customer?

• What’s the personal metric that matters to the champion? (Saahil’s favorite question: “What do we need to do to help you get a promotion?”)

This personal value layer is something most teams miss—and it’s the key to keeping customers engaged, even when their business priorities shift.

Personalization at scale starts with product

Another big shift Saahil champions: put value directly into your product. The best B2C apps do this all the time (think Spotify Wrapped or Canva showing you exactly how much money you saved). In B2B, we rely too much on CSMs to manually prove value—which doesn’t scale.

At Oaky, they’re working to embed value directly into the product experience—automated messages when key milestones are hit, in-product reminders of savings or impact, and more. The goal? Customers should see their ROI without needing a QBR.

3 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PODCAST

1. Value changes—don’t assume you know what it is

Customer value isn’t static. Rethink it regularly, especially when your product, ICP, or pricing evolves.

2. Personalization can’t rely on CSMs alone

Product and marketing need to help communicate value, so CSMs aren’t the only ones responsible for proving ROI.

3. Scaling doesn’t mean adding headcount

The smartest CS teams scale by standardizing processes, using tech, and focusing on humans where they matter most.

That’s it for this week! If you want to hear all of Saahil’s insights (including his tips for working with product and his favorite scaling mistakes).

Have a listen to the latest podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Youtube and make sure to let me know what you think!

That's all for now.

I hope you’ve found this newsletter helpful. If you did find it helpful feel free to forward it to a friend or a colleague, sharing is caring! If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Cheers to your CS success,

Anika

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