Founders of SaaS startups should build their first Customer Success (CS) team early to drive retention, upsells, and customer satisfaction from the start.
Hiring a passionate generalist for CS early on can be more effective than waiting for senior leaders. Focus initially on customer onboarding, reducing churn, and ensuring customer success.
Avoid relying on sales teams to handle ongoing customer relationships. Set clear, measurable goals for the CS team such as Net Revenue Retention, churn rate, and Customer Satisfaction scores.
It's crucial to align the CS team with product and marketing, overinvest in the success of early customers, and hire individuals with the appropriate experience level for managing customer accounts.