This year more than ever, SaaS organizations are tasked with doing more with less, especially when it comes to parts of the business responsible for driving customer outcomes. From Customer Success Managers (CSMs) to Community Managers (CMs) and Customer Education teams, everyone is feeling the pressure to protect Net Revenue Retention (NRR) and drive business growth through expansion. That means it’s critical to empower our customers to be wildly successful with our products and services.
Welcome to the stage, Gainsight Customer Communities.
As the SaaS market becomes increasingly competitive, customer communities have emerged as invaluable assets for businesses striving to enhance the customer experience and foster meaningful product engagement—efficiently and at scale. Online customer communities are the perfect self-service destination for everyone who uses your product to come together, solve problems, and share innovative solutions that your engineers may not have even thought of yet!
Let’s delve into how customer communities can streamline customer success, enhance engagement, and facilitate product development.
1. Start and Scale Customer Success Efficiently
Customer Success (CS) teams are constantly seeking innovative ways to scale operations while delivering exceptional service. Leveraging online communities as a scalable engine for self-service and more has been transformative for organizations aiming to maximize their CS impact. Here’s how:
Proactive Problem Solving
Empowering customers to solve problems on their own terms through self-service options not only frees up valuable time for CSMs—it also enhances customer satisfaction. According to Zendesk, 67% of customers prefer self-service over human interaction, emphasizing the importance of offering robust on-demand resources. Companies like Docebo and Personio have witnessed remarkable results, with a 96% peer-to-peer response rate to community questions and a 10% decrease in support costs, respectively.
Access to Best Practices
Customer communities serve as hubs for sharing best practices, enabling all users to access valuable insights for better product adoption and utilization. With minimal development effort required, organizations can quickly establish compelling destinations for their customers. LeanIX, for example, experienced a 5% increase in page views month-over-month from registered users after implementing community-driven initiatives.
Centralized Resource Hub
By connecting Gainsight Customer Communities with Gainsight PX and Customer Education, organizations can create a centralized destination for all customer resources, enhancing accessibility and engagement. Make your community the predictable one-stop-shop that your users can turn to for answers and support by integrating other tools, like your support solution. Federate the search experience to guide customers to knowledge base articles, peer-to-peer support, learning paths, product communications, etc. from one powerhouse search engine. These seamless connections streamline the delivery of relevant content, fostering a cohesive user experience.
2. Better Engage Customers
Engagement lies at the heart of customer relationships, and online customer communities offer a dynamic platform to cultivate meaningful interactions. Here’s how organizations can leverage communities to drive engagement and foster advocacy:
Enhanced Support Experience
With a majority of users preferring self-service options, community-driven support channels can significantly improve the customer experience. High peer-to-peer response rates, as seen in Docebo’s case, demonstrate the effectiveness of community forums in resolving queries efficiently.
Upsell and Advocacy Programs
Customer communities serve as fertile ground for nurturing upsell opportunities and fostering customer advocacy. Organizations like Personio and Gong have successfully generated leads for upsell through community engagement, leveraging the platform to drive pipeline growth and customer advocacy.
Improved Sentiment and Retention
By nurturing deeper engagement and fostering a sense of community, organizations can enhance customer sentiment and drive long-term retention. Community-driven initiatives not only boost adoption and stickiness but also position businesses as industry leaders in customer experience.
3. Capture Customer Feedback
Customer feedback is a cornerstone of product development, and customer communities offer a structured platform for gathering valuable insights. Here’s how organizations can leverage communities to capture feedback effectively:
Effective Idea Capture
Community forums enable organizations to capture ideas in context, allowing them to prioritize initiatives based on popularity, need, and potential impact on ARR. This structured approach to idea generation facilitates more informed decision-making and accelerates innovation.
Enhanced Beta Testing
By leveraging online communities, organizations can assemble dedicated beta and advisory groups, facilitating faster time-to-market for new features and products. This collaborative approach ensures that product development aligns closely with customer needs and preferences.
Ready to Get Started?
As we navigate the shifting SaaS market, Gainsight Customer Communities is a powerful tool for organizations seeking to drive meaningful engagement, streamline Customer Success, and accelerate product innovation. Explore our product today and unlock the full potential of community-driven engagement with Gainsight Customer Communities.
