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Welcome to the customer success playbook podcast.
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I'm your host, Roman Trebon, and with me always is my co host, Kevin Metzger.
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Kevin, we're doing something a little different here.
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You want to tell our audience what we have going on?
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So been playing with the new AI.
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Well, it's not really a new AI tool.
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It's been out for a while, but it's got a new feature.
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Notebook LM.
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we're able to load all of our content into it.
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And Get it to generate a podcast.
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And so we did that for historically for 5, 000 episode or 5, 000 thousand download, that's hard to say.
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And I realized we could do it as a post game show.
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We used to do post games and wanted to see if we could get our post game started again.
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So we've got a post game episode for Meredith.
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Roman, you heard the episode.
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It's about six and a half minutes.
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What do you think?
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Yeah, I think this is really cool.
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if you've been listening to us for a while, or if you're just new to checking this out, we used to have an episode with a guest and then Kevin and I would do a separate episode where we'd break it down.
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We, as you know, we talk about AI a lot in the impacts AI have on customer success.
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So I love this, Kevin, that we're actually using AI, A lot of people are like, what is AI still?
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how do you use it?
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What does it do?
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this is great because we have our episode with Meredith.
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Totally check it out.
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She rocks we had an awesome interview with her.
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she is amazing.
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This is an episode.
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it's going to be two AI.
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Talents, right?
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I guess the kind of breaking it down in short summary.
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So think of it as like a little teaser.
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So you'll get the summary of our conversation with Meredith produced with AI host right now.
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I will say Kev, there's a tinge of jealousy.
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I think there may be a little better than me when I listen to them.
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So I got to up, maybe we got to up our game to kind of match them.
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They are really, really sharp.
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But what I think this is great is if you listen to, Meredith's episode, You can send someone this as a, as a, Hey, check this out.
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Here's some key topics, right?
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And then that may, that may get you to say, Hey, I want to hear more about Meredith.
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I'll check out the show.
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So I love that we're doing this.
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It's actually AI in action.
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I'm excited for this to be our first AI generated post game show.
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Yeah.
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And Roman, I'm doing a separate thing specific on notebook LM about how to use it.
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I'll have that video out probably by the time this gets published.
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Awesome.
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our audience, I hope you enjoy our AI replacements and the post game show.
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If you, any feedback, reach out at Roman Trebon at Kevin Metzger on LinkedIn, check us out on the LinkedIn customer success playbook.
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We'd love to hear your thoughts And as always,
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keep on playing.
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/Welcome to today's deep dive where we're tackling AI and its role in customer success.
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We're dissecting an interview with Meredith Mann from LinkedIn featured on the customer success playbook podcast.
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She had some really interesting takes on leveraging AI, not as a job snatcher, but as a powerful tool.
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It's a hot topic, right?
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It's AI coming for our jobs.
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What's refreshing about Meredith's approach is her focus on AI as a way to empower customer success teams, not replace them.
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Absolutely.
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She actually compares integrating AI into customer success with upgrading your bike tires.
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You're not changing the bike itself, or in this case the human element, you're just making it work better.
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That's a great analogy and it really underscores her point that AI should be viewed as an enhancement, not a threat.
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She even delves into a customer success equation.
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Customer success equals customer experience plus customer outcomes divided by effort.
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It's fascinating how AI can actually streamline those efforts leading to better experiences and outcomes without increasing the workload on customer success managers.
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It's like AI is taking over the tedious tasks so humans can focus on what they do best, building relationships and providing that human touch that's irreplaceable.
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Precisely.
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And speaking of making things smoother, Meredith gets into some practical advice.
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She talks about this idea of prompting like a pro, which boils down to how even small changes in the way you interact with AI can make a huge difference in its output.
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For instance, simply structuring a meeting invite with clear bullet points can lead to much more accurate AI generated summaries.
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That's a great tip.
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I'm always looking for ways to improve my use of AI tools.
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She also mentioned how LinkedIn teams are already using AI for things like note taking, summarizing meetings, and even drafting emails.
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And get this, it's already saving them hundreds of hours of work.
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It's incredible to see how quickly AI is changing the game in terms of productivity, but it's not just about these everyday tasks.
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Meredith highlights how AI can be used to personalize learning paths for customers, which is something that can be incredibly valuable in today's fast paced business environment.
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Imagine being able to provide customers with tailored content and recommendations based on their specific needs and goals.
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All powered by AI.
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It really speaks to the power of AI to personalize experiences at scale.
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Instead of a one size fits all approach, AI can analyze a customer's learning history, their goals, even their industry, and then suggest content or courses that are truly relevant to them.
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It's like having a personalized tutor who always knows what you need to learn next.
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Exactly.
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And what's fascinating is that this personalization extends beyond learning paths.
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Meredith also talked about how AI can help create more effective customer success plans.
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These are basically roadmaps that guide customers toward their desired outcomes.
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Okay, I can see where AI could be really helpful there.
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How did that actually work?
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Well, imagine being able to use AI to analyze all sorts of data Past customer interactions, product usage patterns, even industry trends to identify potential roadblocks before they even happen.
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Or using predictive analytics to anticipate a customer's needs and proactively suggest solutions.
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That's the kind of power AI brings to the table.
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So it's like having a crystal ball, but instead of vague predictions, it gives you actionable advice.
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Precisely.
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And speaking of actionable, Meredith also discussed how AI can revolutionize those often dreaded value reviews.
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Instead of manually sifting through data and trying to connect the dots, AI can analyze everything from customer interactions to product usage and market trends to provide data driven insights that are actually meaningful.
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That makes a lot of sense.
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It's not just about presenting data for the sake of data.
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It's about using AI to extract valuable insights that can help drive better outcomes for customers.
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Exactly.
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And that's where those Human Customer Success Managers, or CSMs, come in.
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They can leverage these AI powered insights to have more engaging and productive conversations with their customers.
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So even with all these AI advancements, it's still the human connection that makes all the difference.
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Absolutely.
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AI can provide the tools and insights, but it can't replicate the empathy, the emotional intelligence, the ability to build trust and rapport that are so essential for successful people.
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Customer relationships.
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It reminds me of something else.
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Meredith emphasized the importance of heart in the future of work.
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What exactly did she mean by that?
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It's a great question, and it speaks to a bigger point about A.
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I.
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Yes, it can automate tasks and analyze data like nobody's business, but it can't replace those uniquely human qualities like empathy, compassion and the ability to connect on an emotional level.
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Those are the things that truly make a difference in customer success or any relationship for that matter.
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That makes a lot of sense.
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So how does this all tie back to customer success managers or CSMs?
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What does their role look like in this future where AI is becoming more prevalent?
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Meredith's view is that CSMs are more vital than ever.
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Think of it this way.
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AI is like having a high powered engine in a race car.
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It's incredibly powerful, but it needs a skilled driver to navigate the course, make strategic decisions, and ultimately win the race.
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The CSMs are the drivers.
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They take the insights and capabilities AI provides and translate them into meaningful actions and interactions with customers.
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So AI augments their abilities, but doesn't replace the need for human intuition and connection.
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Exactly.
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AI can help CSMs be more efficient, data driven, and proactive, but it's still the CSM who builds trust, understands unspoken needs, and guides customers to success in a way that feels personalized and authentic.
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This has been a fascinating deep dive into the evolving world of AI and customer success.
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It's clear that AI has the potential to be a game changer, but it's also clear that the human element will always be critical.
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I completely agree.
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As we move further into this exciting new era, it's up to all of us to embrace the possibilities of AI while also staying true to those core human values that are at the heart of successful relationships.
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Meredith's insights really highlight that balance we need to strike, leveraging the power of AI while retaining that human touch.
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It's not about humans versus machines.
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It's about finding ways to use technology to empower ourselves, to enhance our work, and ultimately to build deeper, more meaningful connections with the people we serve.
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Great point to end on.
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Thanks for joining me on this deep dive.
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And for you, our listeners, we'd love to hear your thoughts.
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How do you see AI shaping the future of your work and your interactions?
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Let us know.