Hi there,
Many machine builders who have invested in their own digital / IIoT capabilities are struggling to sell the value from these services to their customers.
Some are struggling to define the problem they're solving and the value they're providing to their customers. Of course, you can’t build or sell a product without this.
For others, the problem lies elsewhere: selling digital services is not the same as selling machines. Doing so requires a certain level of organizational change.
This edition is part 1 of a 3-part series where we’re going to delve into the key organizational challenges machine builders face when launching a digital product. Each edition will cover one challenge.
By drawing inspiration from SaaS companies (my background is in SaaS), we’ll look into how you can adopt best practices that are proven in the digital services space versus trying to reinvent the wheel.
Part 1: Customer Success Versus Customer Service
What’s The Difference?
The traditional Customer Service team at a machine builder primarily operates in a reactive manner. Their focus is on addressing problems after they have been identified by the customer, providing spare parts and support for repairs or maintenance. This approach is typically event-driven, relying on customers to report issues.
Customer Success is centered on understanding and proactively meeting the needs of customers throughout their entire lifecycle. This goes beyond reactive after-sales support to proactive efforts aimed at ensuring customers achieve their goals and derive maximum value from the product or service. Customer Success is widely adopted in SaaS.