Mastering CS: Candid Leader Insights

Custify | Customer Success

Welcome to Mastering CS – Candid Leader Insights, where I, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, take you on a journey into the depths of Customer Success. Each episode, I sit down with some of the most influential minds in the CS world, from seasoned managers and renowned influencers to dynamic team leaders, to uncover the challenges and opportunities that shape our profession. Our conversations are rich with insights, drawing on personal experiences and innovative ideas to offer practical solutions. Join me as we make every interaction count in the dynamic world of Customer Success!

  1. 6d ago

    Ep 81 | Lee-El Lewinsohn Primo

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Lee-El Lewinsohn Primo, Head of Customer Success at LayerX (Akamai). Lee-El shares how she leads both Customer Success and Technical Support, why every company should adopt a customer-first mindset, how LayerX measures time to value, and how AI is reshaping the way Customer Success teams operate. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What the Head of CS role looks like when it spans Customer Success and Technical Support ☑️ Why cross-functional alignment with Product, R&D, and Marketing is essential ☑️ Why keeping CS and Technical Support under one team creates greater customer impact ☑️ What effective onboarding looks like at a browser security platform ☑️ How LayerX measures time to value and drives customer adoption ☑️ How to build a CS function: customers first, then knowledge, then processes ☑️ Why a growth mindset is the most important habit for CS leaders ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

  2. Aug 4

    Ep 80 | Evgeniya Ioffe

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Evgeniya Ioffe, Head of Customer Success at Bites, a training and communication platform for frontline teams. As one of Bites' earliest employees, Evgeniya has worked across Customer Success, Product, Support, and Sales before stepping into her current leadership role. She shares how those experiences shaped her approach to customer relationships, why Bites built its own Customer Success platform, and why focusing on customer outcomes—not product features—is the key to long-term success. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What Bites does and what Customer Success looks like at a fast-growing L&D startup ☑️ How Evgeniya balances leading the CS team while managing enterprise accounts ☑️ What effective onboarding looks like when value starts from day one ☑️ What working across Product, Support, Sales, and CS taught her about customer relationships ☑️ Why speaking in customer outcomes—not features—is a defining CS habit ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

  3. Aug 3

    Ep 79 | Juliette Marland

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Juliette Marland, former Senior Customer Success Manager at Redis, a real-time data platform powering AI applications and agents, and a founding member of the Redis Customer Success team. Juliette shares what it was like to build a CS function from scratch, how Customer Success operates when your product sits on the critical path of enterprise businesses, how she manages multiple stakeholder groups simultaneously, and why focusing on customer value—not just activity—has been the guiding principle throughout her career. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What Redis does and what Customer Success looks like for mission-critical infrastructure ☑️ What effective enterprise onboarding looks like—from alignment to value realization ☑️ How to uncover business value when customers struggle to articulate it ☑️ How to manage multiple stakeholder groups without leaving anyone behind ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

  4. Jul 29

    Ep 78 | Erik Törnblom

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Erik Törnblom, Customer Success Manager at PLAYipp, a digital signage platform that helps organizations manage content across screens in multiple locations. Drawing on years of experience as both a football player and coach, Erik shares how that background shaped his approach to teamwork, problem-solving, and customer relationships. He also discusses what effective onboarding looks like across customers of all sizes, how PLAYipp uses AI to track customer sentiment, and why learning to say no is one of the most valuable skills in Customer Success. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What PLAYipp does and what the CSM role looks like across diverse customer segments ☑️ What effective onboarding looks like for customers of varying complexity ☑️ How PLAYipp measures customer health and tailors follow-ups by account size ☑️ How the CS team manages renewals and works with reseller partners ☑️ What skills matter most when supporting both enterprise and SMB customers ☑️ Why saying no is one of the most valuable habits in Customer Success ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

  5. Jul 14

    Ep 77 | Victor Romjin

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Victor Romijn, Customer Success Manager at Runner.ai, an AI chatbot that helps hotels and holiday parks communicate with their guests. Victor brings a unique background in marketing, community management, and improv coaching to Customer Success. He shares what it's like being the sole CSM at a fast-growing startup, how he balances enterprise and SMB accounts, how he uses AI tools like Claude in his daily work, and what improv theatre taught him about building stronger customer relationships. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What Runner.ai does and what the CSM role looks like in a hospitality AI startup ☑️ What effective onboarding looks like for customers ranging from boutique hotels to large hotel chains ☑️ How Victor manages a full portfolio as the only CSM on the team ☑️ What a healthy customer looks like in the hospitality SaaS space ☑️ What operational systems keep a one-person CS team running ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

  6. Jul 10

    Ep 76 | Sarah Young

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Sarah Young, Customer Success Manager at Hoptroff, a precision timing platform for financial services and other regulated industries. Drawing on experience across Sales, go-to-market, Customer Success, and performance coaching, Sarah shares what CS looks like when your product operates invisibly behind critical infrastructure, why energy management often matters more than better processes or tools, and how to recognize when a customer is quietly drifting toward risk. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What Hoptroff does and why precision timing is critical for compliance ☑️ What Customer Success looks like when your product works behind the scenes ☑️ How a coaching background shapes leadership and team development ☑️ Why many performance issues are rooted in habits, behavior, and communication—not process ☑️ What Sarah would prioritize when assessing a newly inherited CS team ☑️ Which three roles she would hire first when building a CS organization ☑️ How to spot the difference between a healthy customer and one quietly heading toward churn ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

  7. Jul 8

    Ep 75 | Anastasia Veriga

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Anastasia Veriga, Chief Customer Officer at VideoWise, a video commerce platform for e-commerce brands. With nearly a decade in Customer Success, Anastasia shares her journey from call center agent to CSM, Head of CS, and now Chief Customer Officer. She discusses what the transition into executive leadership really looks like, how she approached her first month as CCO, and why curiosity has been the defining habit throughout her career. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What VideoWise does and what the Chief Customer Officer role involves ☑️ How Anastasia’s responsibilities evolved from Senior CSM to Head of CS to CCO ☑️ What first-time CS managers should know when moving into leadership ☑️ What she prioritized during her first month as CCO—and what comes next ☑️ Which KPIs she tracks to measure team and business health ☑️ What effective onboarding looks like in a video commerce environment ☑️ How she uses AI and automation, including a Claude-powered churn dashboard ☑️ Why curiosity has been the most valuable habit throughout her career ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

  8. Jul 2

    Ep 74 | Kate Panasenko

    In this episode of the podcast, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, sits down with Kate Panasenko, Customer Success Manager at Raccoon Gang, a company that builds and customizes e-learning platforms. Kate's path into Customer Success is anything but conventional—from selling apples at a market at age eight to working in industrial sales before managing customer relationships across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. She shares what CS looks like when every client receives a fully customized product, why onboarding is fundamentally different in software development, and how early career experiences shaped her approach to forecasting, accountability, and customer relationships. What You’ll Learn: ☑️ What Customer Success looks like when every client receives a customized solution ☑️ How Raccoon Gang supports customers across regions, time zones, and market segments ☑️ Why onboarding in software development is about aligning stakeholders—not just teaching the product ☑️ How Kate defines customer health and what drives renewals in a custom development environment ☑️ What the operational and AI infrastructure behind the CS function looks like ☑️ Why clean, reliable data is the foundation for successful AI initiatives ☑️ What industrial sales taught Kate about patience, forecasting, and accountability ---- With Custify, you can: ☑️ automate daily tasks through Playbooks ☑️ build individual customer #HealthScores ☑️ create customer segments ☑️ improve your customer communication strategy ☑️ streamline your onboarding process ☑️ track customers’ journeys every step of the way ☑️ get a 360 view of their progress Want to do great things with your customer success initiative? Keep in touch with us below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Custify Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us⁠

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Welcome to Mastering CS – Candid Leader Insights, where I, Irina Cismas, Head of Marketing at Custify, take you on a journey into the depths of Customer Success. Each episode, I sit down with some of the most influential minds in the CS world, from seasoned managers and renowned influencers to dynamic team leaders, to uncover the challenges and opportunities that shape our profession. Our conversations are rich with insights, drawing on personal experiences and innovative ideas to offer practical solutions. Join me as we make every interaction count in the dynamic world of Customer Success!

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