Dec 11, 2025
And what 25 years in tech taught me about building CS that actually works
I created Elevate Customer Success after more than 25 years working in technology and over a decade leading Customer Success teams.
I’ve worked across early-stage startups, fast-scaling SaaS businesses, and more established organisations. I’ve built CS teams from scratch, stepped into teams that were already under pressure, and helped scale Customer Success through periods of rapid growth - often while navigating the very real tension that can exist between Sales, Product, Delivery, and CS.
And almost everywhere I’ve worked, the pattern was familiar.
Teams were working hard, customers were engaged, and everyone had good intentions but Customer Success had grown reactively rather than deliberately. Processes had evolved in response to problems, not with a clear view of what the business needed next.
That gap is what Elevate Customer Success exists to address.
Why Elevate exists
Elevate Customer Success exists to help companies build CS properly the first time or fix it before it becomes a source of churn, burnout, and missed growth opportunities.
Too often, Customer Success
Hired reactively
Under-resourced
Measured on the wrong things
Brought into to resolve internal tension across departments.
I’ve seen brilliant CSMs set up to fail.
I’ve seen first-time CS leaders overwhelmed, firefighting instead of leading.
I’ve seen founders assume CS will “just fix everything” until churn becomes a board-level issue.
Elevate CS is my response to that.
It’s the playbooks, frameworks, and perspective I wish more companies had access to earlier before bad habits became embedded and expensive to undo.
My experience
Over the years, I’ve been accountable for:
Multi-million ARR portfolios
Retention and NRR targets at board level
Building and scaling CS teams
Designing health scoring, operating processes, and customer journey frameworks
Managing high-stakes renewals, escalations, and executive relationships
What that taught me is simple:
Customer Success doesn’t fail because people aren’t capable.
It fails when clarity, structure, and intent are missing.
That insight sits at the heart of Elevate.
5 Key Takeaways for Anyone Building a CS Function (or Stepping Into Their First CS Leadership Role)
1. Design CS before you hire for it
Hiring CSMs without a clear CS model is one of the most common mistakes I see.
Before headcount, be clear on:
What CS owns (and what it doesn’t)
How success is measured
Where CS sits in the revenue lifecycle
People can’t succeed in a role that hasn’t been properly designed.
2. Retention is a system, not a personality trait
Great relationships matter but they’re not enough.
High-performing CS teams are built on:
Clear operating processes
Consistent customer engagement models
Repeatable renewal and risk processes
Clear roles and responsibilities with other departments
If retention depends on heroic individuals, it won’t scale.
3. Health scores should drive action
A good health score:
Predicts risk early
Triggers clear actions
Is trusted across the business
Simplicity beats complexity every time.
4. Your first job as a CS leader is clarity
Especially in your first leadership role, it’s tempting to “do everything.”
Your real job is to:
Create focus
Set priorities
Protect your team from unnecessary noise
Leadership in CS should be less about firefighting and more about building calm, predictable systems and removing any chaos.
I have done this so many times now I wrote a 90 day onboarding playbook for new CS leaders to help others!
5. CS becomes powerful when it’s aligned, not isolated
Customer Success can’t operate in a silo.
The strongest CS functions are deeply aligned with:
Sales on expectations and handover
Delivery on outcomes and accountability
Product on feedback and prioritisation
When CS is positioned as the connective tissue across the business, everything improves including growth.
Why this matters
Elevate Customer Success is about helping companies move from reactive Customer Success to intentional Customer Success.
Whether you’re:
A founder building CS for the first time
A new CS leader finding your feet
Or a scaling business trying to reduce churn and increase NRR
You don’t need more noise.
You need clarity, structure, and experience-led guidance.
That’s what Elevate Customer Success is here to provide.
Get in touch to see how we can help you elevate your customer success strategies. Based in Manchester, I work with SaaS companies globally. My experience spans industries - cybersecurity, financial tech, marketing tech, and eCommerce and I bring deep experience, energy, and a genuine passion for helping teams thrive. See how it works here.
