In 2020, B2B companies felt the drastic changes from the pandemic. Digital channels became buyers' focus, forcing sellers to adapt to a new approach. In this new era, customer success leaders encounter a significant dilemma: Which technological tools should they select to maintain and expand customer accounts?

As use cases become more complex, communication channels and customer demands can overwhelm support pipelines. Customer Success (CS) leaders should promptly break down isolated data using suitable tools. With the right tools, CS leaders can construct the ideal CS stack, empower customers, and foster growth.

According to PwC, nearly 9 out of 10 buyers will pay more for a great customer experience. As your business expands, keeping your customers satisfied is harder. That's where the ultimate customer success tech stack comes into play.

When your brand helps customers succeed, it nurtures positive experiences and drives retention. Keep reading to discover how building the customer success tech stack revolutionises your B2B sales strategies and supports your customers.

The importance of a cohesive tech stack

A cohesive tech stack is fundamental in today's digital-first environment. Sellers often inadvertently create "frankensystems" by adding tools without considering how their needs and marketing demands evolve. Frankensystems result in a disjointed tech stack.

It's imperative to have a well-integrated tech stack, as this prevents overlapping benefits and enables process efficiency. Here's how a well-integrated tech stack propels a business forward:

• Operational efficiency and scalability: A cohesive tech stack streamlines development processes, enhancing operational simplicity and scalability. This setup also shapes the trajectory of growth, saving time and money by avoiding data silos.
• Enhanced customer experience: A cohesive tech stack provides a unified and personalised user experience. Integrated systems improve customer satisfaction and loyalty by meeting expectations and preventing annoyance due to poorly configured technology.
• Competitive edge and innovation: An engagement platform that combines business, usage, engagement, and sentiment offers a competitive edge. A comprehensive approach to tech stack transformation generates more value and reflects a company's priorities and culture.

Key components of a tech stack

Understanding the components that form the backbone of effective customer engagement and support is crucial to building the ultimate CS tech stack. The modern CS stack comprises four pillars: Analyse, Act, Engage, and Educate.

1. Analyse: This pillar involves gathering and analysing customer data to gain insights into behaviour, preferences, and needs. Key components include customer analytics tools, data visualisation platforms, and predictive analytics.
2. Act: The Act pillar uses insights from proactive and personalised actions, like targeted messaging, product recommendations, and automated workflows. It includes CRM systems, marketing automations, and customer journey mapping software.
3. Engage: This pillar fosters customer interactions through channels like communication platforms, social media tools, and omnichannel solutions for personalised communication.
4. Educate: This pillar provides customers with valuable resources and knowledge to maximise their offering’s value. It encompasses customer training platforms, knowledge bases, and self-service portals for continuous learning and buyer enablement.

These pillars form a technology stack for customer success, helping businesses to support and engage with customers throughout their lifecycle.

Analyse components

• Business intelligence (BI) tools: BI tools analyse large sets of customer and business data to identify trends and insights. They provide visualisations in centralised hubs to help CS teams make data-driven decisions that improve customer experiences.
• Predictive analytics: These tools use AI and machine learning to forecast future customer behaviour. Engagement analytics collect metrics on product usage, while customer intelligence tools offer insights into behaviour patterns.
• “Voice of the Customer” (VoC) platforms: VoC platforms analyse feedback to provide insights into buyer sentiment and perception of the brand for improving satisfaction.

Act components

• CRM software: Manages post-sales relationships and all customer interactions, providing a comprehensive view of customer activities.
• A complete buyer view: If the platform can't cover every stage of the customer journey, it will be challenging to forecast renewals or expansion.
• Customer success platforms: Tools like Gainsight and ChurnZero monitor customer lifecycles, adoption trends, and growth opportunities.
• Support and ticketing tools: Essential for managing customer inquiries and ensuring timely responses.

Engage components

• Customer feedback solutions: In-app or email questionnaires gauge customer sentiment, helping in continuous improvement.
• Customer engagement: Improving customer engagement requires proactive features. Engagement tools should locate friction points to create in-app guides and optimise the user journey.
• Advocacy tools: Foster learning and sharing among customers, enhancing the sense of community.

Educate components

• Customer enablement tools: Seek resources and platforms, like digital sales rooms, to equip customers with the necessary knowledge and skills. Provide support to ensure customer success, adoption, and satisfaction.
• Learning management systems: Tools like Rocketlane standardise onboarding processes, whereas customer education tools ensure adequate training.

When integrated, these components create a robust framework that supports a personalised customer journey, driving satisfaction and loyalty.

Integration and compatibility

Integration and compatibility are critical in a CS tech stack as they simplify customer success efforts. Customer success software integration allows a unified view of interactions, leading to better insights and personalised buyer experiences. Compatibility between CRM systems, communication platforms, and analytics ensures smooth data flow and operations for a cohesive customer journey.

Compatibility can be challenging in technology and business. In technology, compatibility issues arise when different systems, software, or devices can't work together. Disjointed systems like this lead to inefficiencies, errors, and additional costs.

In business, compatibility issues can arise when departments, processes, or software solutions don't align, resulting in communication breakdowns and reduced productivity. Overcoming these challenges requires open communication, flexibility, and a willingness to find common solutions. Teams can use digital sales rooms to employ customer success best practices in the tech stack to centralise data and enable cross-functional collaboration.

To guarantee smooth integration and compatibility in your customer success technology stack, certain best practices are crucial:

• Prioritise open platforms and integration: Opt for tools that offer open APIs and integration capabilities with platforms like Zapier for effortless synchronisation across your tech stack. This approach enhances operational efficiency and ensures a comprehensive view of customer interactions.
• Embrace automation and modern solutions: Automation tools optimise processes and reduce potential errors. Replacing legacy systems with modern solutions like LeanIX Enterprise Architecture supports business strategies and fosters innovation, contributing to better customer experiences.
• Invest in training and support: CS teams should invest in comprehensive training and support for their teams. With this investment, everyone can maximise their tech stack's capabilities using digital sales rooms for customer journey mapping.

These strategies enhance the integration and compatibility of your tech stack and lay a foundation for scalable, secure, and flexible customer success operations.

Impact on the customer experience

Trumpet's digital sales rooms centralise, streamline, and personalise the sales cycle. 61% of customers feel treated as numbers rather than individuals, but with DSRs, you can offer each buyer a tailored experience. Imagine having all the relevant info, documents, and communication in one place, easily accessible to you and all stakeholders. 

Forget sending back-and-forth emails and searching for files in a messy folder—just smooth sailing through the sales process. It's like having a secret weapon that helps you hit the bullseye with every customer interaction. However, there are other roadblocks in the customer journey. 

Over half of buyers value trustworthiness and transparency in brands. Fortunately, digital sales rooms allow effortless information transfer through the customer experience. When businesses prioritise transparency, it improves credibility from the buyer's perspective. 

Buyers feel more confident in purchasing decisions when they can access transparent and honest information. And when customers feel understood and catered to, it transforms the whole customer experience. The tech stack should address customer expectations and adapt to future demands for a frictionless customer journey.

Future-proofing your tech stack

Future-proofing the technology stack in B2B sales is crucial for staying ahead in a rapidly evolving market. Resilient technology ensures businesses can keep up with advancements, scale operations efficiently, and meet changing customer needs. Creating a technology stack focused on your customers is a process, yet it can be shorter if you prioritise the customer experience.

Several pivotal considerations emerge in building a future-proof CS tech stack. These include:

• Continuous training and adaptation: Provide ongoing training for sales teams and buyers through async video recordings to reveal how to utilise the features and analytics provided by digital sales rooms. 
• Customer journey support: Verify that your tech stack supports the customer success journey, facilitating reactive, proactive, and self-service. Use Trumpet DSRs to suggest relevant content based on buyer signals, ensuring an engaging sales experience.
• Security, compliance, and innovation: CS teams should prioritise technologies that adhere to data security standards and safeguard buyer information. Stay updated on trends and technology to create new value.

The customer's needs should guide your choice of software rather than the software dictating their needs. This is why correctly managing your tech stack matters. Identify your buyer needs and build your tech stack using a solid customer success strategy.

Keep an eye on buyer behaviour, and you’ll be ready as the customer success journey continues to change rapidly.