To charge for Customer Success or not is the question many SaaS companies are currently asking themselves. It can be tricky to know whether or not it should be a part of the cost of goods sold or if it should be charged for as a premium service. So, how can companies start to charge for success? And what are some metrics CS leaders should track if they do?
In this episode, our host Anika Zubair chats with Pat Phelan, Chief Customer Officer at GoCardless about charging for customer success.
Pat's been involved in SaaS before SaaS was a 'thing'. Over the past 20+ years, he's worked his way from being a CSM to CCO and has held multiple leadership roles, operating in industries as diverse as Ecomm, HR Tech, Social Media Management, and most recently FinTech in his role as Chief Customer Officer at GoCardless where he oversees the global CS group.
In his experience he has not only built and scaled CS teams globally, he has turned CS into a revenue-driving function by charging for the services Customer Success offer. Charging for customer success is a controversial topic for many people, but Pat has a different view on it.
Whether or not you decide to charge for the customer success service, it’s all about the value generated for the customer.
Listen now to the full conversation with Pat and Anika to learn more about charging for customer success.
Chief Customer Officer
GoCardless
Pat is the Chief Commercial Officer at GoCardless, where he leads global GTM after previously heading UK&I and serving as Chief Customer Officer. With over 25 years in customer success, GTM, and commercial leadership, he’s built and scaled global teams across SaaS and fintech. Before GoCardless, he led CS at Brandwatch and Bazaarvoice and co-founded a customer success function at Intellesys. Pat is also a Forbes Council member and former board advisor to German proptech firm casavi.
Founder & CEO
The Customer Success Pro
Anika is a customer success executive and founder with over 10 years of experience helping SaaS teams drive retention, revenue, and confidence at scale. She is the Founder & CEO of The Customer Success Pro, a coaching consultancy for CS professionals, and most recently served as Head of Customer Success at Griffin. Anika has held CS leadership roles at Karbon, inSided, and ZAP, and is known for her practical approach to commercial impact, strategic storytelling, and community-driven growth.
