Quick Summary: Working towards revenue integration, AI-led efficiency, cross-functional accountability, and executive-level fluency could be the most worthwhile customer success initiatives you take this year.
SaaS leaders and investors agree that “growth at all costs” is dead. In its place: the more palatable and sustainable approach of profitable, efficient, and cross-functional growth.
It’s a boon for smart customer leaders capable of repositioning their teams from reactive support silos into primary revenue engines, closely partnered with or reporting into the CRO organization.
What do the CROs holding the reins of this shift expect from their customer success teams this year? We recently hosted a panel of revenue executives— David Greiff (PlayOn Sports), Kelley Hippler (Briefly), Matt Kessler (Snappy), and Sarah Kiley (ChurnZero)—to find out.
The good news: your CRO’s expectations are high, and so is their level of support for you as you work to coach your team, align with sales, leverage AI to accelerate value, and build your board-level influence.
Watch the video of this keynote ZERO-IN 2025 panel here, and find our top four customer success iniatives that CROs will appreciate below.
Four customer success initiatives to delight your CRO this year
Let’s walk through our panelists’ top suggestions for CS leaders in 2026, and the action items for each.
1: Embrace the role of CS as a foundational revenue function.
It sounds like a like broken record at this point, but CS as a support function is obsolete. In order to build up our teams as critical pillars of growth, revenue leaders are changing up their structures to close that gap between initial sales and long-term retention.
“We’re never going to be efficient if we’re just bringing in all new logos,” said David. “In our world, 70% of our revenue comes from expansion.”
“Everyone likes ringing the bell as a new client coming in,” agreed Kelley. “But keeping that client is so much more profitable.”
What to do as a customer leader:
Codify the hand-off. Organizations need to ensure there’s a clear process for moving clients from the “vision of value” managed by sales to the “realization of value” managed by CS.
Align compensation with value. To keep sales incentivized to close high-fit deals, some leaders are considering delaying sales commissions or changing the structure, until a customer reaches a specific “value point.”
Embrace expansion targets. For some mature organizations, account expansion can account for up to 70% of total revenue. CS must be structured to capture this opportunity.
Related: What every CRO should know about customer success, and how to set them up to win.
2: Advance your AI usage from “test and learn” to “productivity lever”.
The end of growth-at-all-costs means that boards and investors now scrutinize every dollar spent on revenue, our panelists noted. This compels revenue and CS leaders to start leveraging AI as a total resource-saver.
“The growth at all costs model is, effectively, you get more humans,” said Matt. “The AI model is a different investment currency.”
What to do as a customer leader:
Automate menial tasks. This advice is table-stakes at this point, but it bears repeating just in case your team is still introducing or breaking in tools. Use AI agents to handle the repetitive tasks, such as support emails and report generation, so CSMs are staying strategic.
Implement “digital muscles”. Shift from a purely human-based investment model to one that uses “bits” (AI and tech-touch motions) to handle high-volume account segments.
Pilot and iterate. Consider conducting a pilot program (i.e. three months with tailored ROI questions) to evaluate the AI tool before full deployment.
Related: Why the future of customer success is autonomous, and why that’s great news for your team.
3: Identify the gaps, misalignment, and team silos.
We can all sing “Alignment! Collaboration! Cross-functionality!” from the rooftops, but the gaps are still visible as day. Our panelists referred to some of these as “paper cuts”, often encompassing small usability issues, siloed data sets, or misaligned goal-setting, which compound over time.
What customer leaders should do:
Break down product silos. Another classic, but some gaps will always be a work in progress. Revenue leaders must push product teams to focus on features that balance revenue and efficiency with customer goals.
Centralize data visibility. Implement tools, like a centralized “compass” dashboard, to provide that single source of truth for GRR and customer health across the entire organization.
Focus on your customer buyer, not just the users. Shift away from tactical usage metrics, and ensure your customer health scores are weighted toward your buyer goals or decision-maker values.
“Whatever you’re going to build,” says David, “let’s focus on the thing that’s going to actually drive revenue and drive efficiency.”
Related: The customer success leader’s guide to cross-functional alignment.
4: Align with executive reporting and board-level priorities.
To earn board-level influence, CS leaders need to frame their impact in terms that matter most to the executive team: valuation and growth:
Track valuation metrics. For the board, GRR and contract length are the primary metrics driving company valuation. Align with these.
Use cohort analysis. Present your data like the “same school or store sales” approach, and use cohort analysis rather than just tactical activity logs.
Enact the “red line”. Define clear, non-negotiable expectations for customers. If they don’t engage in these specific, “buyer-line” activities, then automatically flag them as at-risk.
Related: Want to keep revenue ownership? Master these board-level customer success revenue metrics.
And remember that revenue efficiency is the key.
“We are in a world where efficiency is a non-negotiable,” says Sarah. “Boards and investors are scrutinizing every dollar for revenue costs.”
