CCO Metrics: How to convince the C-Suite

Metrics are critical in customer success – especially when reporting to the leadership team. But often SaaS businesses are unsure on how and what to report. For example, when it comes to customer success, what does leadership want to know? And what are the metrics that really matter?

In this episode, our host Anika Zubair chats with Gemma Cipriani-Espineira, Chief Customer Officer (CCO) at Chili Piper about what metrics are important and how to report them correctly.

Gemma Cipriani-Espineira is an award-winning software executive, building and leading global customer teams with a focus on driving retention, product adoption, and customer advocacy. She believes that customer success is a way of doing business and is the fastest path to sustainable growth. Gemma is passionate about getting customer success a seat at the table and supports diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.

Gemma’s career acceleration in customer success has led her all the way to becoming the CCO at Chili Piper. And while, there has definitely been an increase in the understanding of the role and responsibilities of a CCO, the position is still relatively new within the customer success space. Indeed, this is something Gemma wishes to help explain: “what does a CCO do?”

“As a Chief Customer Officer, I'm effectively the owner of the customer journey. So, I have to be the glue that ensures that we're telling prospects ahead of time, the right expectations and setting people up for success.”

And the CCO comes with a lot of responsibilities – including tasks such as analyzing metrics and reporting back to the board. But which metrics really matter to the board?

“The most important number is net revenue retention (NRR). Are you making more money out of the customers that were with you a year ago? What does that percentage look like? Because it is the truest indicator of the product providing value. People are not gonna stay with you and increase their spend if they don't see value in your product.”

Listen now to the full conversation with Gemma and Anika to learn more about what metrics are important as a CCO and how to report on them.