Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM

Project Manager

I help Heads of CS become VPs and get a seat at the Executive Table | Customer-Led Growth Advisor | 2X Top 25 CS Influencer | Top 50 CS Influencer | Top 50 Women Leaders in CS | Top 100 CS Strategist | Investor

Why do some CS leaders command executive respect, while others, despite strong results, keep fighting to be heard?

I've been in Tech for 20+ years and been through two exits as VP Client Services. Here's what I've learned:

✨ EVERYTHING has changed.

The speed. The AI transformation. The business models. The way we need to lead.

I see CS leaders working until midnight, delivering great results... and still getting told "we need to cut CS headcount."

Sound familiar?

The old playbooks stopped working.

AI is reshaping how we work, how we go to market, how we serve customers. Your 2023 playbook is irrelevant.

Today, you need SYSTEMS.

Here's what I know from coaching hundreds of CS leaders:

Those who break through have mastered The Modern CS Growth System, 4 pillars of executive impact:

💡 Modern Management & Change Leadership - Lead in the AI era  
💡 AI Fluency, Automation & Autonomy - Transform operations, pricing, GTM
💡 Business & Customer Economics - Speak profitability, not just retention  
💡 Repeatable Customer Revenue & Team Systems - Build scalable frameworks, not heroic firefighting  

This is a systematic approach to demonstrating executive-level impact in the language your fellow executives understand.

👉👉 This is what CS Business Leaders master. Not pieces. The whole system.

-----
WHO I WORK WITH

CS leaders who've built a department but aren't getting traction:

✔  You deliver strong results, but executives still see CS as a cost center
✔  You're excluded from strategic decisions where your insights would be valuable
✔  You’re told "do more with less" instead of getting resources
✔  You know modern CS should look different, but you're stuck in outdated frameworks

-----
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER

⚡️ CS BUSINESS LEADERSHIP ACCELERATOR - Master the 4 pillars and build the Modern CS Growth System specific to your goals/challenges through executive peer community + project-based frameworks + personalized coaching.  

🔗 https://go.stepupxchange.com/csbl-accelerator

📬 NEWSLETTER:  I publish a weekly newsletter on modern CS strategies

📧 DM me and I'll share which resources fit you

-----
RESULTS

✅ Become an award-winning executive
✅ Reposition your team as a strategic revenue driver
✅ Transition from firefighting to repeatable, scalable systems
✅ Innovate with AI to drive profitable customer revenue growth

The modern CS leaders who succeed aren't keeping up with change: They're leading it. 

-----
📬 Newsletter: janyoungcx.com/#newsletter  
📧 DM me: discuss your challenges  
🎯 Follow for daily insights

Founding Member

RevRoom is a trusted space where curious revenue leaders are collaborating on the future of B2B Go to Market alignment and GTM-Led-Growth.

I've been this CS leader. Sitting on the side of the road, looking at a map, trying to figure out where I went wrong.

Not because I didn't have data. Because I was watching for the wrong things.

I had NRR. Churn rate. Ticket deflection and resolution. "Health score."

But all of those metrics told me where I'd been. None of them told me where my customers were going.

And by the time I saw it, it was too late to change anything.

I was working with a CS leader recently who had the same problem. 
She knew every account's story. 
And that was the issue.

Everything felt like an anecdote. No pattern emerged. Just a series of one-offs.

The problem isn't the data. 
It's that we measure what's available instead of what actually matters.

Without knowing which stops matter and when you should get there, you won't know you're off track until you've arrived somewhere you didn't intend to go.

What most dashboards show:
→ NRR, churn rate, ticket volume, "health score"

What actually tells you if a customer is on track:
→ Are they doing what your best customers do at this stage?
→ Are they hitting the moments that move them toward their goal?
→ Are they progressing on time, or quietly falling behind?
→ Have they actually achieved what they came for?

Once you've defined those milestones, AI does the watching for you. It surfaces who's falling behind early, so you can act while there's still time.

Without that foundation, you're just watching the gas gauge on a car with no map.

Do you know what "on track" looks like for your customers at each stage?

📝 This week's newsletter walks through how to build the map.
🔗 [https://lnkd.in/gBrhN3As

 Want faster results and a room full of CS leaders building alongside you? 
🚀  Doors are open for the StepUpXchange CS Business Leadership Accelerator through the end of this week. 

→ It's a guided, project-based community where we build these systems together. 

→ DM me if that's your kind of room.

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

Customer Success Leadership Coach | Transforming CS Leaders into AI-First Business Leaders | Modern CS Strategy + AI + Systems | 3X Top 25 CS Influencer | Get weekly CS strategies: Subscribe to my newsletter

What if Preventing Churn is the Wrong Goal?

The idea that the primary job of Customer Success is to prevent churn is the single biggest reason why most CS teams are treated like a cost center.
 
It's a fundamentally reactive and flawed way to view your customers.

Look, I completely understand why this belief is so common. Churn is a terrifying, revenue-killing metric. 

Every executive and board member is watching it, so it makes perfect sense to build your entire strategy around stopping the bleeding.

But "preventing churn" is just playing defense. 

It defines success by the absence of a negative. 

True Customer Success isn't about preventing failure; it's about actively engineering your customer's victory. 

When you become essential to their business outcomes, churn becomes an afterthought because successful partners don't leave.

Instead of playing defense, you go on offense by architecting customer growth with a proven system. 

It's about defining what “success” means for your customer and then using leading indicators to guide them there, turning their progress into your revenue.

So let me ask you... do you want to continue playing defense, constantly fighting to justify your team's existence by pointing to the disasters you prevented? 

Or are you ready to go on offense, becoming a proven revenue driver by architecting the growth you actively create?

If you’re ready to transform your CS team from a defensive cost center into a proactive growth engine, come learn the systems that make it possible.

👉  Comment “Modern CS Growth System” or DM me and I’ll share the info.

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

We're at a crossroads in CS and most leaders don't see it yet.

AI has changed what's possible. We can analyze data we couldn't touch before. Automate work that used to take hours. See patterns we used to miss.

But when it's time to scale? Most CS leaders still go back to the same place: "I need to hire another person."

That instinct made sense in the old era. It's a trap in this one.

Because the leaders pulling ahead aren't asking for more headcount. 
👉  They're redesigning how their teams create value.

I've seen it firsthand. Accelerator members have had their teams cut by 60 to 75% and still scaled their programs with better results. 
Not by working harder. 
By building differently.

Here's the thing: 
Depending on your business stage, your CS team is contributing 70 to 95% of your company's bottom line.

But most CS leaders are still acting like they're in the engine room. 
 - Burnt out. 
 - Stretched thin. 
Working overtime on a function that drives the business without claiming the influence to match.

The ones in strategic conversations? 
--> They've moved to the captain's deck. 
-->  Not because they asked for a seat. 
Because they own the metric that matters most: Customer Revenue.

The gap isn't experience. It's a model.

In the StepUpXchange CS Business Leadership Accelerator, we build that model: the Modern CS Growth System.

It has three parts:

👉  Customer Revenue Expertise. 
Stop hoping customers renew. Build a system that earns it.

👉  Business Expertise. 
Walk into executive conversations without needing a translator.

👉  AI Fluency. 
Not another tool to figure out alone. A strategic layer that multiplies what your team already does.

When these three come together, you stop being a cost center and start doing what CS was always built to do: 
🚀  Drive the revenue that grows the business.

You've heard "stop being a cost center" before. What you haven't had is a system to make it real.

Will you keep negotiating for budget to execute your vision?
Or build a model that earns you the influence you've already worked for?

Join us for the next StepUpXchange NexGen CS Leadership Masterclass:
📌  How You Can Drive Growth & Exec Impact 
       Even if You're Not in the Boardroom
📆  Tuesday, Feb 24
🕘  9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm UK

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

If you've ever had a great idea for a CS tool and watched it die in a backlog, you know the feeling.

😣 That slow frustration of seeing exactly what your customers need, and having zero path to build it.

A renewal risk dashboard that updates in real time. An onboarding flow that adapts to each customer's tech stack. A health score calculator built around the metrics you actually care about.

All sitting in a ticket queue. Waiting on engineering. Going nowhere.

👉 Here's what most CS leaders don't realize yet:

💡 You already have everything you need to build those tools yourself.

Not because you've learned to code. Because you're closer to the customer than anyone else in your organization. You know which problems are worth solving and which ones are noise.

You know what customers actually struggle with. Which interventions move the needle. The gap between what executives say they want and what actually drives retention.

🧠 That knowledge is the strategy. AI is just the builder.

If you're a CS leader watching AI evolve and wondering how it actually applies to your work and your role, this is where it clicks.

I built an interactive CS assessment app in 4 hours with no coding background. Here's exactly how I did it, why building with AI is simpler than you think, and why your domain expertise is the unfair advantage that makes all of it work.

🗞️ Read it below 👇

If you want strategies like this hot off the press, join thousands of CS leaders at JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter - If you've ever had a great idea for a

Open article: That CS Tool You Wanted to Buy? How CS Leaders Are Building Them With AI Instead by Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM • 7 min read

That CS Tool You Wanted to Buy? How CS Leaders Are Building Them With AI Instead

The best conferences don't just inform you. They change what you do on Monday morning.

I'm speaking at CS Summit NYC on March 10, and in my session we're going to reflect and take action. 
👉 CS Confessions: Vent, Share, Solve

Here's how it works...

By the time you get to me, you'll have spent the morning absorbing some seriously good content:
🔸  Customer data as strategy, 
🔸  Scaling CS without losing trust, 
🔸  Cross-functional alignment...

My session is where we stop, surface what hit home, and turn insight into ACTION.

We'll bring the real challenges to the table.  
Share with each other. 
And together we build an Action plan. 

Not "notes to revisit someday," but focused priorities you can act on now.

Then the afternoon shifts to AI in CS, and we'll go in primed. 

Because knowing WHAT to solve makes it a lot easier to figure out HOW AI can help you act faster and smarter.

Day Two continues that momentum. 
Every session, every conversation, every hallway connection becomes material for what you'll act on when you get back to your desk.

That's the point. 
Not just learning. 
Taking ACTION.

If you're in the NYC area, there's still time to register.
👉 https://lnkd.in/gpM7p6jA

What's one insight from your last conference that you actually turned into ACTION, and what made it stick?

Drop it in the comments. 
Let's build a resource thread right here.

So excited to partner with Customer Success Collective and Liza Shtilbans! 🚀

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

Core BTS

Core BTS is a solution provider focused on customer-centric software, technology, and related IT infrastructure and technology services to corporate and government clients. Core BTS solves complex business needs across networking, collaboration, security, and data center infrastructure. Core BTS’s capabilities include technical support and managed services of existing infrastructure, security and networking advisory and assessments, and remote monitoring support for hardware and software.

Certified Client Success Management Professional (CCSMP)

Gain Grow Retain

Member

The Customer Success Association

 Member

Practical CSM

Western Governors University

WGU’s online business information technology management degree program includes coursework in key areas like management and leadership, business, networks and security, and information systems management.  

These information and technology skills are vital to mesh important business and IT strategies to help organizations thoughtfully utilize technology.

Key Subject Areas:
    Economics
    Project management
    Organizational behavior
    Change management
    Network and security
    Information systems management
    Data management
    Human resources
    Quantitative analysis for business


Learn about the degree here:  https://gowenplaces.com/degree-information

University Student: Business Administration IT Management

Microsoft

Short summary: Responsible for driving digital transformation outcomes for 13+ Microsoft Enterprise and SMB customers delivering over 1M in yearly revenue.

I manage the delivery of proactive/reactive programs to augment brand loyalty, improve organizational trust, and deliver exceptional value, while strategically positioned as the customer's advocate and voice within Microsoft. 
Key Achievements:
●	Accountable for managing Portfolio Delivery planning and execution within customer agreements. Prioritized and executed programs that drove supportability, consumption, and operational health, to generate 10% increase in renewal growth during a global recession. 
●	Team leader for using marketing resources to gain customer insight – orchestrated exposure to 13 Customer Success Account Managers, generating leads and insights to fill service pipeline gaps.
●	Reduced average monthly support incident rate by 35% for 2 high volume customers by leading collaborative ITIL problem and incident management workshops with Support Engineers and Incident Managers.

Customer Success Account Manager

Technical Account Manager

SmallNetworks

Short Summary: Responsible for providing communications and infrastructure services to small office customers in the Seattle area.

I provided proactive support to embedded IT infrastructure and systems, delivered remediation services, managed disaster recovery, and oversaw service delivery planning for 30+ clients, 10+ Windows servers, 100+ workstations, and 100+ users to achieve set performance goals and ensure seamless technical operations.
Key Achievements:
●	Consulted with small business partners regarding their IT needs and acted as a sales and training liaison.
●	Collected customer feedback to maximize effectiveness, improve service response times, and inform overall business strategy.

Senior Support Engineer

Directly

Short Summary: Delivered answers to common and complex technical problems within the following fields:
• Microsoft Community 
• Microsoft Excel 
• Microsoft OneDrive 
• Microsoft Outlook.com 
• Microsoft Office

Key Achievements:
● Answered 300+ questions with a 100% satisfaction rate

Description:
Experts (Independy Advisors) working through Directly can apply previously gained experience and knowledge to help End-Users solve issues in a real-time chat and message channel whilst being rewarded for their efforts. 

This is a come-and-go-based program where Experts can answer questions based on their own experience and availability. A Directly Expert can assist the End-User till resolution, another Expert can chime in to resolve, or the question can be forwarded to the supported organization's internal resources.

Independent Advisor

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Short Summary: Responsible for collaborative feature-level planning and execution for mobile technology projects.

Key Achievements:
●	Exerted director-level influence within a matrixed organization to mitigate a key organizational risk by developing new requirements to address a potential loss of $1M worth of hardware assets.
●	Collaborated with 4 different teams including engineering and UX to develop and release mobile service features.
Vendor: ATOS

Description:
The IT Support Specialist - Mobile is responsible for providing high-quality customer service and technical support to all IT users for their mobile technology. This position requires the delivery of support up to a Tier 2 level to users both in person as well as on the phone, and through other appropriate technologies as needed. This role is responsible for providing both client support and vendor oversight for the Foundation's mobile device program including but not limited to billing, inventory, procurement, and documentation.

Responsibilities:  

• Provide excellent customer service, via phone and in person, concerning all aspects of technology provided by the IT department, escalating as needed. 
• Record all customer contacts, questions, and problems in the ticketing system including impact and priority. 
• Record problem symptoms and status information in a timely fashion, and communicate internally within the IT department and externally with the customer and vendor partners through resolution 
• Initiate escalation as appropriate to ensure management awareness of problems that are severe in nature or that are exceeding documented targets 
• Provide oversight to external service providers to ensure the needs of foundation staff are being met within targeted SLA’s. 
• Resolve trouble tickets as escalated by Tier 1 support 
• Provide status to customers of assigned tickets 
• Manage the lifecycle of mobile phone hardware and accessories including ordering, deployment, recovery, RMA and disposal.

IT/Mobile Support Technician II

SkyKick

Short Summary: Accountable for migration project support and delivering positive outcomes for Microsoft Partners and customers on the SkyKick platform.

I ensured project completion within given time and budget by delivering strategic reforms. I improved alignment and product understanding by creating new features, escalating support issues, delivering status updates to internal teams/client contacts, while leveraging chat, email, and phone support queries, as well as coordinating with engineering department. 

Key Achievements:
●	Responsible for researching, clarifying, and communicating end-user product requirements to the engineering and support teams, as well as the stewardship and escalation of identified product issues.
●	Strengthened ability to overcome objections and motivate clients towards increased product adoption & consumption, while adhering to project SOPs & best practices.

Responsibilities:

The SkyKick Support Team uses Microsoft Dynamics CRM, in addition to other technologies, to help Microsoft MSPs, CSPs, Resellers, and other Business Partners use and standardize on the SkyKick platform to migrate customers to Office 365 and back up their data in the Office 365 cloud.

• Manage & pro-actively support SMB & Enterprise migration projects (controlled via Microsoft Dynamics CRM).
• Demo/Sell Office 365 and email migration products to clients (Microsoft Partner Network). 
• Onboard partners into the SkyKick migration platform, perform end-to-end training and engagement activities. 
• Troubleshoot SaaS applications, Office 365 DNS entries, email connectivity, and data & email migration fidelity. 
• Assist with drafting and updating platform documentation and knowledgebase articles via Zendesk. 
• Educate clients (MS Partners) on best practices for the use of active directory, SSO, and MFA in migration projects. 
• Collaborate with the engineering department to develop new features and functionality as well as the escalation of support issues.

Office 365 Migration Product Specialist

*** Favorite Quote ***
“What you think, you say - what you say, you do - and what you do, you become. When the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, the dream of who you want to be, will become your reality.”

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