Let’s face it: Digital Customer Success (Digital CS) has become table stakes for any organization looking to scale their CS function, while ensuring all customers receive the same white glove service as their highest ARR accounts.
If you haven’t heard the news: Digital CS is no longer a segment-specific tactic, like what was once called Tech Touch for low-ARR accounts. According to our annual report, the Customer Success Index 2024, 73% of companies reported using digital tools to deliver customer success, including customer communities, in-app guides, and learning management systems—up from just 42% the previous year. And that rate of adoption continues to grow. The next frontier is clear: agentic AI that automates routine touchpoints across the customer journey and delivers customer intelligence to the CS team that was not previously possible—so Customer Success Managers can prevent churn before it occurs.
Scaling CS Through AI-Powered Automation
Today, automation and agentic AI empower Customer Success Managers (CSMs) to deliver seamless, consistent engagement across the customer journey by handling routine, low-value tasks, like meeting summaries and follow-ups, adoption nudges, and NPS survey emails. This allows CSMs to reserve more of their time to focus on high-value activities that contribute directly to strengthening customer relationships and generating more revenue.
As Brent Krempges, Chief Customer Officer at Gainsight, points out, Digital CS is about embedding automation and digital touchpoints across all segments and all phases of the customer journey to provide fast, personalized, and value-driven experiences at scale. “The advice that I give a lot of leaders is the first low-hanging fruit when it comes to a digital strategy is understanding what are check-the-box activities that can be replaced with automation?” says Krempges.
Once you have that scale engine in place, the real opportunity in AI-driven customer success lies in leveraging customer intelligence data to proactively ensure the best possible customer outcomes. Krempges continues, “You need to have the right level of data to understand what directly correlates to successful customers—what’s driving your GRR, what’s driving your NRR—then your team is able to proactively identify where do they need to focus to truly become that proactive team that is looking around the corner at what the next best opportunity is or where there could be potential risks down the road that we have not yet accounted for.”
Harnessing Staircase AI for Proactive Customer Success
Staircase AI takes customer intelligence to the next level by proactively addressing customer needs through deep analysis of communication and engagement data. This tool continuously scans customer interactions, surfacing insights that might otherwise go unnoticed. Whether it’s detecting early signs of churn or uncovering upsell opportunities, Staircase AI equips CSMs with the information they need to act decisively—and quickly.
For example, if Staircase AI identifies recurring negative language in customer emails or a drop in engagement metrics, it can flag the account as high-risk and suggest follow-up actions. These actions might include scheduling a personalized check-in, launching a targeted training session, or automating a re-engagement campaign. The result is a more proactive approach to Customer Success, where small issues are addressed before they escalate into major problems.
Staircase AI also supports both high-touch and low-touch strategies, enabling teams to scale their efforts without compromising the customer experience. High-touch accounts can benefit from enhanced visibility into stakeholder relationships and sentiment trends, while low-touch accounts receive personalized attention through automated workflows and insights. That way, every customer gets the same treatment as your best customer. Who doesn’t want that?
The Future of CS? Agentic AI Across the Customer Journey
So what have we learned? Today, CS leaders are fully embracing the power of Digital CS, fueled by AI agents across the customer journey. Agentic AI allows CS organizations to take automation a step further by delivering predictive insights and personalized actions based on customer behavior. AI can analyze product usage patterns in order to identify customers at risk of churn or pinpoint expansion opportunities. This not only enhances CS team efficiency, but also ensures that each customer receives personalized, relevant communication exactly when they need it.
CSMs, in turn, can focus their efforts on fostering relationships, driving strategic conversations, and ensuring customers realize value—all of which are critical for sustainable growth. By creating a seamless partnership between AI-driven automation and human engagement, companies can deliver consistent value to their customers while scaling their CS efforts efficiently.
Scaling effectively, delivering personalized experiences, and driving sustainable growth across your entire customer base? That’s the power of AI to create a more sophisticated digital customer success operation.
Get Started With Gainsight’s New Generation of AI Agents
The opportunities to power customer success with agentic AI are endless—and at Gainsight, we’re just getting started. We know AI-powered automation and intelligence are the future of customer success, and that’s why Gainsight is developing Atlas, a suite of agents designed to power customer outcomes from onboarding to renewal. Learn more about Atlas today.
