When Customer Success Shapes the Roadmap (and When It Shouldn’t)
When Customer Success Shapes the Roadmap (and When It Shouldn’t)
When Customer Success Shapes the Roadmap (and When It Shouldn’t)
When Customer Success Shapes the Roadmap (and When It Shouldn’t)
The real discipline isn’t in saying yes, it’s in knowing when no builds a stronger product.
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The real discipline isn’t in saying yes, it’s in knowing when no builds a stronger product.
Share
The real discipline isn’t in saying yes, it’s in knowing when no builds a stronger product.
Not every customer voice belongs on the roadmap. Some requests are gold, surfacing friction that holds back entire segments. Others are noise—one-off workflows that burn resources without creating real leverage. The discipline isn’t in collecting feedback. It’s in knowing which voices to amplify, which to reframe, and which to decline.
Not every customer voice belongs on the roadmap. Some requests are gold, surfacing friction that holds back entire segments. Others are noise—one-off workflows that burn resources without creating real leverage. The discipline isn’t in collecting feedback. It’s in knowing which voices to amplify, which to reframe, and which to decline.
Not every customer voice belongs on the roadmap. Some requests are gold, surfacing friction that holds back entire segments. Others are noise—one-off workflows that burn resources without creating real leverage. The discipline isn’t in collecting feedback. It’s in knowing which voices to amplify, which to reframe, and which to decline.
The Signal vs. the Noise
Signals share three traits:
They repeat across accounts.
They connect to measurable outcomes.
They scale across segments.
Noise, by contrast, is highly specific, low-impact, or disconnected from outcomes. Saying yes to noise may appease one customer, but risks slowing progress for many.
The Signal vs. the Noise
Signals share three traits:
They repeat across accounts.
They connect to measurable outcomes.
They scale across segments.
Noise, by contrast, is highly specific, low-impact, or disconnected from outcomes. Saying yes to noise may appease one customer, but risks slowing progress for many.
The Signal vs. the Noise
Signals share three traits:
They repeat across accounts.
They connect to measurable outcomes.
They scale across segments.
Noise, by contrast, is highly specific, low-impact, or disconnected from outcomes. Saying yes to noise may appease one customer, but risks slowing progress for many.
Asking the Why
Strong CS teams don’t just pass along requests. They ask why. A customer might say, “We need more custom reporting.” On the surface, it might look like an export problem. But dig deeper, and it’s actually about tracking compliance faster.
For example, a customer might struggle to show which employees have completed required training before an audit. Manual reports force them to spend hours reconciling spreadsheets and chasing managers for updates. What they truly need isn’t just another reporting feature; it’s the ability to instantly see completion gaps, trigger reminders, and walk into an audit with confidence that they can prove compliance in minutes instead of weeks.
That’s the difference between solving for a feature and solving for an outcome. The customer asked for reporting, but the real need is risk reduction, time savings, and peace of mind during audits. By framing it that way, Product and CS teams can prioritize solutions that actually drive measurable business outcomes.
“Strong CS teams don’t just pass along requests. They ask why.”
Asking the Why
Strong CS teams don’t just pass along requests. They ask why. A customer might say, “We need more custom reporting.” On the surface, it might look like an export problem. But dig deeper, and it’s actually about tracking compliance faster.
For example, a customer might struggle to show which employees have completed required training before an audit. Manual reports force them to spend hours reconciling spreadsheets and chasing managers for updates. What they truly need isn’t just another reporting feature; it’s the ability to instantly see completion gaps, trigger reminders, and walk into an audit with confidence that they can prove compliance in minutes instead of weeks.
That’s the difference between solving for a feature and solving for an outcome. The customer asked for reporting, but the real need is risk reduction, time savings, and peace of mind during audits. By framing it that way, Product and CS teams can prioritize solutions that actually drive measurable business outcomes.
“Strong CS teams don’t just pass along requests. They ask why.”
Asking the Why
Strong CS teams don’t just pass along requests. They ask why. A customer might say, “We need more custom reporting.” On the surface, it might look like an export problem. But dig deeper, and it’s actually about tracking compliance faster.
For example, a customer might struggle to show which employees have completed required training before an audit. Manual reports force them to spend hours reconciling spreadsheets and chasing managers for updates. What they truly need isn’t just another reporting feature; it’s the ability to instantly see completion gaps, trigger reminders, and walk into an audit with confidence that they can prove compliance in minutes instead of weeks.
That’s the difference between solving for a feature and solving for an outcome. The customer asked for reporting, but the real need is risk reduction, time savings, and peace of mind during audits. By framing it that way, Product and CS teams can prioritize solutions that actually drive measurable business outcomes.
“Strong CS teams don’t just pass along requests. They ask why.”
The Role of CS in Translation
Good translation looks like this:
Customer ask → Underlying need → Product opportunity.
For example, “Bulk assignment flexibility” is really about reducing admin overhead. Framed that way, the opportunity isn’t another button; it’s automation that scales.
The Role of CS in Translation
Good translation looks like this:
Customer ask → Underlying need → Product opportunity.
For example, “Bulk assignment flexibility” is really about reducing admin overhead. Framed that way, the opportunity isn’t another button; it’s automation that scales.
The Role of CS in Translation
Good translation looks like this:
Customer ask → Underlying need → Product opportunity.
For example, “Bulk assignment flexibility” is really about reducing admin overhead. Framed that way, the opportunity isn’t another button; it’s automation that scales.
When to Hold the Line
Sometimes the right answer is no. Every “yes” pulls resources from something else. Too many yeses, and you end up with a bloated product that serves no one well. Holding the line doesn’t mean ignoring feedback. It means being transparent about priorities and showing customers how today’s product already solves their needs.
When to Hold the Line
Sometimes the right answer is no. Every “yes” pulls resources from something else. Too many yeses, and you end up with a bloated product that serves no one well. Holding the line doesn’t mean ignoring feedback. It means being transparent about priorities and showing customers how today’s product already solves their needs.
When to Hold the Line
Sometimes the right answer is no. Every “yes” pulls resources from something else. Too many yeses, and you end up with a bloated product that serves no one well. Holding the line doesn’t mean ignoring feedback. It means being transparent about priorities and showing customers how today’s product already solves their needs.
Takeaway
CS earns credibility by filtering signal from noise. Before escalating a request, ask:
Is this pain shared across accounts?
Does it tie to measurable outcomes?
Does it scale beyond one workflow?
If the answer isn’t yes to all three, it probably doesn’t belong on the roadmap.
Takeaway
CS earns credibility by filtering signal from noise. Before escalating a request, ask:
Is this pain shared across accounts?
Does it tie to measurable outcomes?
Does it scale beyond one workflow?
If the answer isn’t yes to all three, it probably doesn’t belong on the roadmap.
Takeaway
CS earns credibility by filtering signal from noise. Before escalating a request, ask:
Is this pain shared across accounts?
Does it tie to measurable outcomes?
Does it scale beyond one workflow?
If the answer isn’t yes to all three, it probably doesn’t belong on the roadmap.
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© 2025 Planhat AB
Customers
© 2025 Planhat AB
Customers
© 2025 Planhat AB
Customers
© 2025 Planhat AB