This is Growth December ‘24

‘25
is

CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
TRENDS
 01 Letter from Daphne
02 Methodology
03 ’25 CS Trends Overview
04 Small Business Insights
05 Medium Business Insights
06 Corporate & Enterprise
Insights
07 Conclusion
08 Thank you

Table of Contents
This is Growth
 01
Letter from Daphne
Daphne
Costa Lopes
Founder of This is Growth!

As we stabilise after a period of deep cost cuts and team reductions,

Customer Success leaders are investing again. Over the last five years,
we've witnessed the rise of Net Revenue Retention (NRR) as a key
metric of success, and Customer Success teams were finally able to
secure a place at the executive table. Boards and investors have been
paying close attention to retention numbers, driving a significant shift in
organisational priorities.

However, this focus triggered an overcorrection. In reaction to NRR

pressures, many teams transformed Customer Success into what we
might call "Sales 2.0" – prioritising commercial outcomes at the expense
of genuine customer value. The year 2024 became a critical moment of
reckoning, with numerous organizations realizing that their aggressive
approach had negatively impacted Gross Retention and Churn rates.

The pendulum is now swinging back towards a more balanced

approach. Teams are recognising that sustainable success cannot be
achieved through basic commercial optimisation. Instead, the focus is
returning to delivering measurable results, driving meaningful
engagement, and ensuring robust product adoption.

Simultaneously, emerging technologies like AI and innovative pricing

models such as consumption-based pricing are reshaping the Customer
Success landscape. These developments promise to provide more
nuanced, data-driven approaches to understanding and delivering
customer value.

This report hopes to capture these strategic shifts, challenges, and

opportunities facing Customer Success leaders as they navigate this
complex and evolving terrain, helping you validate and benchmark your
strategies for 2025.

Thanks to the Customer Success pioneers supporting this research!

This is Growth
 02
Methodology
Data Collection Method Participants & Limitations
This annual report presents insights and findings Participants were drawn from a diverse pool, of
derived from a comprehensive data collection Customer Success leaders worldwide. A range
effort undertaken through anonymous surveys of managerial levels in companies of varying
conducted via Google Forms. The survey ran for sizes are included in the research. Any individual
a full month (November 2024) and received a contributor responses have been removed.
total of 464 unique responses.
While the survey provided invaluable insights, it's
This methodology was used with the aim of important to acknowledge its limitations. The
gathering candid and uninhibited feedback from findings are based on self-reported data and
a diverse range of stakeholders. may be subject to inherent biases or limitations
associated with survey-based research.

# Questions

1. What’s your title?

2. What’s your Company Size?

3. What’s your company’s Business Model?

4. What’s your North Star Metric of Success?

5. What challenges are you trying to solve in 2025?

6. What system improvements are you hoping to focus on for 2025?

7. What tools do you plan on using for driving customer adoption and engagement digitally in 2025?

8. Are you planning on investing in AI for your Team next year?

9. What process improvements are you hoping to invest on in 2025?

10. What programs are you investing on in 2025?

This is Growth
 03
’24 CS Trends
Overview
Participants Company Size
56% of the respondents are senior leaders The companies surveyed operate primarily
who have direct control over their using a SaaS business model (81.8%). With a
department’s strategy and budgets. smaller % of companies in Services (13.1%).

C-Level
8.3%
SMB (1-50) 27.10%

VP Director
14.6% 33.1%
MM (51-500) 47.80%

Corp (501-2000) 15.00%

Enterprise (2000+) 10.20%

Manager
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%
43.9%

91.8% 1/3 21.3%

Have Commercial Are Responsible for Measure Customer
Responsibilities Driving Adoption Outcomes

Metrics of Success 70.0

60.0 62.9

91.8% of Customer Success teams are 50.0

directly responsible for retention metrics 40.0

(ie. NRR, GRR). While this survey has 30.0

28.9
30.8
24.4
recorded a 1.7pt. drop since last year, the 20.0 21.3

smaller sample size could have impacted 10.0

4.0

these results. 0.0

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What challenges are CS leaders trying to solve in 2024?
Delivering customer value remains the paramount challenge for CS teams, consistently cited
by 66.7% of organisations surveyed. Over the last year, companies appear to be strategically
pivoting towards investments that will improve usage & adoption and time-to-value. This is a
strong sign that Customer Success organisations are maturing from lagging indicators to
leading indicators such as churn and expansion, into the work that will inevitably create better
retention and more growth opportunities.
2024 2025
Delivering Value to Customers (Customer Outcomes) 67
67

Scaling Customer Success 52

51

Usage and Adoption 48

51

Upgrade Rate (Expansion and Cross Sells) 46

54

Churn Rate 46
53

Time to Value (ie. Onboarding) 39

42

Improving the Customer Experience* 36

Profitability* 29

Customer Satisfaction 21
21

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Emerging focus areas include enhancing customer experience (36%) and driving profitability
(29%), signaling an evolution of the approach to customer success that expands beyond the
siloed department approach, intersecting with the entire go-to-market engine and finance.

Strategic priorities are shifting in 2025. While Customer

What process Journey Mapping and Customer Outcome Definition remain
improvements are CS critical (51% and 57% respectively), organisations are
leaders hoping to tackle introducing nuanced capabilities to drive scalability like
in 2025? tailoring communication at scale (37%) and improving Sales-
to-CS handovers (35%) and customer prioritisation (31%).

2024 2025
Defining Customer Outcomes
Customer Journey Mapping
Understanding the Impact of Current CS Initiatives*
New and Improved High-Touch CS Playbooks
GTM Alignment (Marketing:Sales:CS)
Tailoring Communication at Scale*
Sales:CS Handovers*
Customer Prioritisation*
Segmentation
Mapping Personas inside Customer Accounts
CSQLs and other Growth Plays
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

A welcome addition to this survey was the insight that Customer Success Teams are also starting
to focus on building a deeper understanding of the impact of their initiatives and playbooks (41%) to
create more sophisticated customer engagement strategies that drive value for the business.
What system improvements are CS leaders prioritising in 2025?
Customer Success leaders are pivoting towards more intelligent, insights-driven systems. The
significant jump in Customer Intelligence technology investments suggests organisations are
prioritising deeper customer understanding over new systems to help with specific tasks. While
automation remains important, the emphasis has shifted towards more nuanced, data-driven
customer engagement strategies that can provide meaningful, predictive insights.

2024 205
Customer Intelligence* 61
66
Automation 58

Customer Success Plans* 56

Automating Assets* 35
29
Machine Learning and AI 33
39
Reporting 33
36
Data Integrity 29
38
CS Platform 29
39
Forecasting 27
27
Integrating Go To Market Systems (ie. CRM 22
8
Call Intelligence 15

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

The rise of Customer Intelligence from 8% of participant’s investments in 2024 to 15% indicates
a renewed focus on qualitative customer interaction data.

How about AI?

48.7% 41.6% 21.1%

are not planning on are investing on AI are investing on AI
investing in new AI Co-Pilots for their Agents to work with
tools for CS. CSMs. their customers.

“This data shows the growing adoption of AI tools among Customer Success teams, which validates what
we've seen in our customer base. These tools aren’t just about automation—they’re about deepening
engagement and delivering value for customers. This report underscores how innovation is shaping
Customer Success into a more data-driven and customer-centric practice.”

Rachel Valiente Bush

Regional Director CS, Gainsight

This is Growth
Driving customer
adoption and
2025
Online Community 17.9%

engagement Automation

Customer Service Platform

27.2%

28.2%

digitally in 2025 Marketing Automation Tools

Digital Events
28.9%

34.9%
CRM 36.0%
Adding to the CSP, in 2025, CS
Self-Service Customer Portals 37.9%
teams are betting on better self- In-App Guide 42.5%
service in the product with In- CSP 49.8%

App Guides and Self-Service 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

Customer Portals.

“In 2025, Customer Success is no longer about selling or expanding more—it's about creating more:
more value, more understanding, and more meaningful customer partnerships. With AI doing the
menial work for CSMs, we’re going back to basics and create meaningful moments and partnerships.”

Marija Skobe-Pilley
Director & Co-Founder at Fractional SaaS & Women in Customer Success

What programs are CS Leaders investing on in 2025?

In line with the investment in more usage and adoption, companies are doubling down on
customer engagement in 2025. Success Plans emerge as the top program investment for CS
teams (64%), while more than half of participants cite investments in onboarding (an increase
of 5pts from 2024).

2024 2025
70
65 64
60

50 52
47 49 47
46 46
40

34 36
30
29 29
20 24 24
22

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Another trend that emerged is that companies are starting to craft more sophisticated,
technology-enabled strategies that prioritise guided learning. Webinars are surging (from 24%
in 2024 to 36% in 2025), while in-app guides expand from 22% in 2024 to 29% in 2025.
 04
Small Business
Insights
Top Challenges for SMBs
For small businesses, the focus is decisively driving meaningful product engagement and value,
with usage and adoption as the leading challenge for 52% of the businesses surveyed, closely
followed closely by value delivery (48%) and time to value (44%).

Usage and Adoption 52.00%

Churn Rate 48.00%
Upgrade Rate (Expansion and… 48.00%
Delivering Value to Customers… 48.00%
Time to Value (ie. Onboarding) 44.00%
Scaling Customer Success 44.00%
Profitability 32.00%
Customer Satisfaction 20.00%
Improving the Customer Experi… 12.00%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%

Net retention continues to be critical for SMBs with churn rate and upgrade rate being a
challenge for 48% of respondents and upgrade rate. However, not all financial metrics appeared
as a critical challenge to solve, profitability ranked significantly lower, only impacting 32% of the
respondents. Customer Satisfaction and Customer Experience ranked last, highlighting a pivot
from a world of NPS and C-Sat to a world of value delivery and results.

Process Improvements for SMBs

Aligned with the top priorities for SMBs, ‘Defining Customer Outcomes’ is the top process
improvement CS Teams are hoping to make in 2025. Despite Scaling Customer Success being a
challenge for only 44% of SMBs, tailoring communication at scale appeared as a key process
improvement for CS Teams.
Customer Prioritisation* 8.00%
CSQLs and other Growth Plays 20.00%
Sales:CS Handovers* 28.00%
Segmentation 36.00%
Mapping Personas inside Customer Accounts 40.00%
GTM Alignment (Marketing:Sales:CS) 44.00%
New and Improved High-Touch CS Playbooks 44.00%
Customer Journey Mapping 44.00%
Understanding the Impact of Current CS Initiatives* 44.00%
Defining Customer Outcomes 56.00%
Tailoring Communication at Scale* 56.00%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%

This is Growth
 04
Small Business
Insights
System Investments for SMBs

SMBs are prioritising system improvements that AI Investments

drive operational efficiency and deeper customer
understanding. The overwhelming focus on
automation (76%) and customer intelligence (64%)
suggest a strategic shift towards more intelligent,
Not
Investing 68%
data-driven customer success approaches.
Unfortunately, investment in AI looks to be slow in
2025 with only 32% of teams implementing agents
or CO-Pilots for their teams.
Investing 32%
Conversation Intelligence 16.00%
Forecasting 16.00%
Machine Learning and AI 20.00%
Data Integrity 20.00%
Integrating Go To Market Systems (ie. CRM 24.00%
Reporting 28.00%
CS Platform 28.00%
Automating Assets* 28.00%
Customer Success Plans* 60.00%
Customer Intelligence* 64.00%
Automation 76.00%
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00%

Program Improvements
2025.00%
60.00%
56.00%
50.00% 52.00% 52.00%
In 2025, SMBs are strategically investing in 44.00%
48.00%
40.00%

direct customer engagement and 30.00%

36.00%

enablement. The high priority on onboarding 20.00% 24.00% 24.00%

(56%) and webinars (52%) suggests a focus 10.00%

0.00%
on comprehensive customer education and
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This is Growth
 05
Mid-Market
Insights
Top Challenges for Mid-Market Companies
Mid-market businesses are laser-focused on accelerating initial customer value realization, with
an unprecedented 88% emphasizing time to value. This suggests a critical shift towards rapid
onboarding, immediate product engagement, and demonstrating tangible business impact. The
high priority on usage and adoption (68%) further underscores a strategic approach that
connects customer success directly to business performance.

Time to Value (ie. Onboarding) 88.00%

Usage and Adoption 68.00%
Profitability 56.00%
Churn Rate 52.00%
Delivering Value to Customers… 52.00%
Upgrade Rate (Expansion and… 40.00%
Customer Satisfaction 36.00%
Improving the Customer Experi… 36.00%
Scaling Customer Success 12.00%
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00%

Process Improvements for Mid-Market Companies

Mid-market businesses are prioritising strategic refinement of customer success processes. The
equal emphasis on defining customer outcomes and tailoring communication demonstrates a
sophisticated approach to personalized, value-driven customer engagement. The consistent
35.48% focus on GTM alignment, high-touch playbooks, journey mapping, and initiative impact
suggests a holistic, data-driven approach to customer success.

Defining Customer Outcomes 45.16%

Tailoring Communication at Scale* 45.16%
GTM Alignment (Marketing:Sales:CS) 35.48%
New and Improved High-Touch CS Playbooks 35.48%
Customer Journey Mapping 35.48%
Understanding the Impact of Current CS Initiatives* 35.48%
Mapping Personas inside Customer Accounts 32.26%
Segmentation 29.03%
Sales:CS Handovers* 22.58%
CSQLs and other Growth Plays 16.13%
Customer Prioritisation* 6.45%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%

This is Growth
 05
Mid-Market
Insights
System Investments for Mid-Market Companies
Mid-market businesses are investing in systems and
AI Investments
infrastructure that support value delivery. The focus on
tools that capture Customer Success Plans (an
investment for 64.52% of participants) and Customer
Intelligence technology (54.84% of those surveyed)
indicates a shift towards more personalised, data-
Not
Investing 45%
driven customer engagement. The significant
investment in automation (41.94%) and AI (55% of
participants investing) suggests a desire to enhance
Investing 55%
operational efficiency.

Conversation Intelligence 9.68%

Integrating Go To Market Systems (ie. CRM 9.68%
CS Platform 16.13%
Data Integrity 19.35%
Machine Learning and AI 22.58%
Forecasting 25.81%
Reporting 25.81%
Automation 41.94%
Automating Assets* 41.94%
Customer Intelligence* 54.84%
Customer Success Plans* 64.52%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00%

Program Improvements
2025
70.00%

60.00% 64.52%
58.06%
50.00% 54.84%

CS teams in Mid-Market companies are 40.00% 41.94%

30.00%
prioritising high-touch, strategic customer 20.00%
25.81% 25.81%
22.58%

engagement programs. Investments in 10.00%

16.13%

0.00%
onboarding (64.52%), Success Plans (58.06%)
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commitment to ongoing, structured customer

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communication and value validation.

This is Growth
 06
Corporate &
Enterprise Insights
Top Challenges for Corporations and Enterprises
In the landscape of Corporate and Enterprise Customer Success for 2025, delivering tangible
value to customers emerges as the paramount challenge, with 72.15% of businesses struggling to
demonstrate clear product ROI. Scaling customer success (62.03%) represents a critical
secondary concern, highlighting the complex dynamics of maintaining customer engagement and
growth while also breaking the linear growth of the CS Team.

Delivering Value to Customers… 72.15%

Scaling Customer Success 62.03%
Usage and Adoption 48.10%
Improving the Customer Experi… 48.10%
Upgrade Rate (Expansion and… 44.30%
Churn Rate 41.77%
Time to Value (ie. Onboarding) 39.24%
Profitability 26.58%
Customer Satisfaction 21.52%
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00%

Process Improvements for Corporations and Enterprises

In 2025, Corporate and Enterprise Customer Success leaders are investing on holistic and
integrated approaches to customer engagement. With equal emphasis on GTM alignment, high-
touch playbooks, journey mapping, and outcome definition, organisations are moving towards
more interconnected customer success models. Reflecting an understanding that success is no
longer about isolated departmental efforts, but about creating seamless, well-defined customer
experiences that align organizational objectives with customer outcomes.

GTM Alignment (Marketing:Sales:CS) 50.63%

New and Improved High-Touch CS Playbooks 50.63%
Customer Journey Mapping 50.63%
Defining Customer Outcomes 50.63%
Sales:CS Handovers* 41.77%
Understanding the Impact of Current CS Initiatives* 40.51%
CSQLs and other Growth Plays 39.24%
Tailoring Communication at Scale* 37.97%
Mapping Personas inside Customer Accounts 29.11%
Segmentation 26.58%
Customer Prioritisation* 26.58%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%

This is Growth
 06
Corporate &
Enterprise Insights
System Investments for Corporations and Enterprises

In 2025, Corporate and Enterprise Customer AI Investments

Success leaders will be the biggest investors in AI,
with 71% of respondents hoping to invest further in
Co-Pilots and Agents. This group is also prioritising
system improvements that enhance strategic insight.
Not
Investing 29%
Customer intelligence, Reporting and Data Integrity
emerging together as critical investments reflect a
strategic shift towards data-driven, technologically
empowered customer success approaches.
Investing 71%
Conversation Intelligence 6.33%
Forecasting 11.39%
Integrating Go To Market Systems (ie. CRM 12.66%
Automating Assets* 13.92%
Machine Learning and AI 16.46%
Customer Success Plans* 16.46%
CS Platform 17.72%
Data Integrity 18.99%
Reporting 18.99%
Customer Intelligence* 25.32%
Automation 26.58%
0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00%

Program Improvements
2025
70.00%
67.09%
The focus on Success Plans and Business 60.00%
56.96%
50.00% 51.90%
Reviews indicates a continued investment in 40.00% 41.77%
44.30%

high-touch outcome-driven customer 30.00%

29.11%
32.91% 34.18%

20.00%
relationships. This is complemented by a strong 10.00%

emphasis on self-service resources and digital 0.00%

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learning and support mechanisms.

This is Growth
 07
Conclusion

Defining, measuring, and communicating value to customers remains Customer

Success' most critical challenge and opportunity in 2025.

Over the last two years, Customer Success teams started seeing a move towards a more
intentional, outcomes-driven approach. This represents a shift from the previous focus on
satisfaction, adoption and commercial interactions that ruled Customer Success.

But next year, the landscape is characterised by three pivotal trends:

Strategic Value Alignment: Customer Success teams are focusing on mutually

establishing value drivers at the outset of the customer journey. By tailoring Success
Programs to start with Success Plans and prioritising early value through onboarding,
teams are hoping to deliver and demonstrate value and create more sustainable customer
relationships.
Intelligence-Driven Customer Success: Despite technological advancements, most CS
teams continue to struggle with Customer Intelligence. The investment landscape reflects
a strong desire to develop more sophisticated tools and methodologies that provide
deeper insights into customer behaviours, needs, and success metrics.
AI as a Transformative Force: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of
Customer Success strategy. With 51.3% of CS teams already investing or planning
investments in AI for 2025, there's a clear recognition of AI’s potential to revolutionise
customer engagement. Enterprise and Corporate sectors are leading this charge, while
Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) risk falling behind.

This is Growth
 07
Conclusion
The potential consequences for SMBs lagging
in AI adoption are significant. They may find
themselves at a competitive disadvantage,
unable to:

1. Provide the same level of personalized,

predictive customer support
2. Efficiently scale their customer success
operations
3. Derive actionable insights from customer
data
4. Anticipate and proactively address
customer needs

As we move further into 2025, the most

successful Customer Success teams will be
those who can effectively blend strategic
planning, technological innovation, and a
genuine commitment to delivering measurable
customer value.

The future of Customer Success is not about selling more, but about creating more—more value, more
understanding, and more meaningful partnerships.

“Customer Success isn’t dead—our outdated approach is. It’s not about managing processes; it’s
about delivering outcomes and the data in this survey shows that 67% of CS leaders are starting to
prioritise that. But it's not just about investing in technology and programs. Leaders have to put the
customer at the center of what they do.”

Elias Torres
Founder CEO of Agency

This is Growth
 08
Thank
you!
This research was only
possible because 464
participants gave their time
and shared openly and
honestly about challenges
and opportunities for next
year. The collective brain of
this community is our
superpower.
I hope this report is helpful in
setting, validating and
communicating your
priorities and strategies for
2025 and beyond!

Thanks to the Customer Success pioneers supporting this research!

This is Growth