Geologists from Stanford University recently made an astounding discovery. Drilling core samples in Palo Alto, a thousand feet below Sand Hill Road, they discovered the fossils of an ancient civilization. Their excitement grew as excavation revealed a Neanderthal community with complex tools, written language, and a primitive subscription economy.
A paleo-forensic team pieced together the daily life of one adult Neanderthal that lived there 40,000 years ago. They’ve published his narrative below, and titled their work the Tales of Groc, the Customer Success Caveman. Read Chapter 1 here.
Chapter 2 – Early Adopters
Groc had been an early employee at StoneHenjj. When he joined, they had just a few dozen customers using a very early version of their product, Cart 1.0. Mobile platform technology was just gaining traction and the system architecture still needed a lot of work. Cart 1.0 was built with pumice wheels that crumbled and cedar axles that would snap. Training new users was also a major challenge. Many first-timers lost entire shipments of boulders when Cart rolled too quickly down a hill. Brakes were an enhancement that was still several product releases away.
The early adopters of Cart were a special bunch. They paid their hard-earned rabbits to grapple with a challenging product. But they bought into the vision of what Cart could be. Sure, Cart 1.0 could only carry one caveman at a time, but imagine if it could carry twenty! Cart 1.0 was man-powered, but what if you could set up a Mule integration to boost its speed? These early adopters were rewarded with greater leverage over Cart’s product roadmap and the pride that comes with influencing a wildly successful technology.
Groc managed the relationships with a number of these early customers. Many had stayed up to date as the product developed, upgrading from Cart 1.0 to 2.0, then Cart Cavemaster, Cart F160, Cart Fit, and finally Cart Millenium. Others stayed with Cart 1.0. This wasn’t always easy for the Customer Success team at StoneHenjj. They deeply valued the loyalty of those still using Cart 1.0, but were challenged to support their technical needs as the product continued to mature.
One day, Groc went for an on-site visit at StoneSling, an early adopter still using Cart 1.0. They were a loincloth wholesaler, offering their premier support solution to folks all over the Valley. Since their wares were easily transportable and light, they didn’t have a strong need to upgrade beyond Cart 1.0. Now they were experiencing issues with axle breakage due to heavy usage.
Groc met with Clud, the Director of Logistics at StoneSling. Clud explained his situation:
“The breakage has become more frequent as the Carts get older. We’re doing more business than we used to so we need the technology to perform as well as possible. We’re afraid that upgrading from 1.0 all the way to Millenium would disrupt workflow too much, so we’re hoping to find a fix for 1.0.”
“We’ll get you back on track,” replied Groc. “I’ll escalate this issue with Support and we’ll have replacement axles delivered by Condor tomorrow. As for your upgrade concerns, we’ve invested a lot of rabbits in developing some seamless migration plans. Our night crew can set you up with Millenium while all of StoneSling is asleep! Can we grab some time next week?”
The relief on Clud’s face was clear; “Absolutely. Thank you, Groc!”
“Of course, Clud! Where would we be without customers like you? You’ve provided invaluable feedback and countless references that have gotten StoneHenjj where it is today. Remember when we were trying to close Mammoth Mart? Your chat with their VP sealed the deal! And your ideas on using granite instead of pumice wheels were key to the success of Cart Cavemaster. We’re dedicated to your success.”
