Interview
The Gist
- Institutionalizing customer success. Melissa Henley shares how she embedded a formal customer success culture at KeyShot, ensuring company-wide participation in customer engagement.
- Comprehensive post-sale strategy. Henley discusses her leadership role covering customer success, education, engagement, support, and service delivery.
- Diverse team backgrounds. Henley emphasizes the importance of varied professional experiences in strengthening the company’s customer success approach.
In this episode of CMSWire TV's Beyond the Call, Dom Nicastro, editor-in-chief of CMSWire, speaks with Melissa Henley, chief customer officer at KeyShot and the reigning CMSWire Contributor of the Year. Melissa provides valuable insights into what it means to build and maintain a customer success culture, sharing her experiences of creating an integrated customer-first strategy that involves every department within the company.
Melissa was one of our CMSWire Contributors of the Year for 2023.
Table of Contents
- KeyShot's Evolution and Henley’s Role
- Introducing KeyShot
- Defining Customer Success Culture
- Building a Customer Success Team
- Diverse Backgrounds in the Team
- Entering Customer Success from Diverse Backgrounds
- Metrics Beyond Churn Rates and NRR
- Presenting Metrics That Matter to the Board
- Finding ROI Beyond Traditional Revenue Metrics
- Engaging Directly with Customers: A Key Priority
- The Power of Face-to-Face Interaction
- Managing Customer Feedback: A Valuable Learning Experience
- Turning Customer Complaints into Opportunities
- The Importance of Quick and Personalized Responses
- Celebrating Customer Success Across the Organization
- Recognizing the Small Wins That Matter
- Tailored Recognition and Building Morale
- Customer Engagement Is About Responsiveness
- Looking Ahead to 2025: Elevating Engagement
- Wrapping Up: Celebrating Insights and Expertise
- Final Thoughts and Appreciation
KeyShot's Evolution and Henley’s Role
Dom Nicastro: Hey everybody. Dom Nicastro here, welcome to another edition of CMSWire TV. Beyond the Call. I am the editor-in-chief of CMSWire, and I’m joined by—let’s get this out of the way—Melissa, you are the reigning CMSWire Contributor of the Year.
Melissa Henley: Boom. It’s true, one of my greatest accomplishments.
Dom Nicastro: That’s right. For those who don’t know, CMSWire contributors are the ones out there in the trenches, doing the real work of customer experience while I sit back and read what they write. Melissa is the real deal. She’s the Chief Customer Officer at KeyShot. Welcome to the show, Melissa.
Melissa Henley: Thanks for having me.
Introducing KeyShot
Dom Nicastro: It’s great to have you here. Let’s start by talking about KeyShot. Can you tell us about your role with them and what the company does for those who might not know?
Melissa Henley: Absolutely. KeyShot is a software platform that revolutionizes how products are designed and brought to life. It covers everything from product design to getting it to market and uploading images to ecommerce sites. This past summer, we went through a significant rebrand. Previously, we were known as Luxion, but after acquiring the digital asset management vendor Digizuite, we unified both companies under the name KeyShot, which was initially our 3D rendering product.
Defining Customer Success Culture
Dom Nicastro: Thanks for that overview. Today, we’re diving into building a customer success culture. You mentioned a great starting question: What is a customer success culture? It’s a term we use a lot in tech without fully defining it. So, what does it mean?
Melissa Henley: When I joined KeyShot three years ago, we already had a focus on customer success. People in all departments—development, finance, you name it—cared about our customer relationships. But we didn’t have an institutionalized customer success culture. It wasn’t integrated as a core focus across the company. My first task was figuring out how to embed customer success into everything we do.
This meant ensuring everyone, from product teams to support, was aligned. Of course, we had to build a customer success team, but my role expanded beyond that to include customer education, engagement, support, and service delivery. A real customer success culture isn’t just one department; it’s a mindset shared across the organization. I’m just the face of that effort.
Building a Customer Success Team
Dom Nicastro: That’s interesting. So, you had to actually build out the customer success team when you joined?
Melissa Henley: Yes, absolutely. When I started, we had some internal resources interested in transitioning to customer success, which was a great starting point.
Dom Nicastro: How is the current team structured? What roles do they handle, and what’s their scope?
Melissa Henley: Our team is diverse, covering different aspects of customer success. I brought in a professional from my previous work experience to lead the customer success team. We have specialized teams focused on individual products. Their responsibilities include driving expansion, managing renewals, and partnering with sales to reduce churn. We also have a robust support team available through social media, online channels, and phone calls. Additionally, we emphasize customer education and engagement, supporting students in industrial design and hosting customer advocacy events. It’s a comprehensive setup that touches all parts of the customer journey.
Related Article: Building the Best Customer Success Team
Diverse Backgrounds in the Team
Dom Nicastro: Your team sounds diverse, with people from various backgrounds. It’s not just a group of CX specialists, right?
Melissa Henley: Right. I didn’t come from a traditional customer success background either—I was in marketing. I led a marketing team and transitioned to customer success when the company I worked for shifted to a subscription model. They needed someone to lead customer experience and thought of me because I had a strong customer focus. Like many others, I thought, ‘Sure, how hard could it be?’
Dom Nicastro: No masters in customer success out there?
Melissa Henley: Actually, there is one in Michigan! We had a professor named Tom who attended a conference I was at—pioneering work in customer success education. (It's Tom DeWitt!)
Entering Customer Success from Diverse Backgrounds
Melissa Henley: I feel like people come into customer success from many different backgrounds. Coming in from marketing, for example, was really beneficial for me because it allowed me to focus on communication: how we communicate our message, how often we interact with customers, and which channels we use. Many others transition into customer success from sales, which is also a good path. Our team includes people with very diverse backgrounds, and every bit of their experience helps us better understand our customers. Ultimately, that’s what our job is all about.
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, exactly. At CMSWire, we’re a smaller company, so our sales team essentially doubles as our customer success team. They don’t just make the sale and move on—they stay engaged, check in, and ensure things are going well. But building a true customer success culture goes beyond just having a team that cares about customers; you have to measure it. How do you show that you’re actually living by this customer success culture?
Metrics Beyond Churn Rates and NRR
Melissa Henley: Many people focus on churn rates or net revenue retention (NRR) as primary metrics, but those are just one dimension of customer success. Given the range of teams I lead, I take a more holistic approach. For example, I look at customer health scores and our support CSAT (customer satisfaction) because no one will renew their software if they’re not getting responses from support. It’s important to consider a variety of metrics. You need to go beyond NRR, which is a lagging indicator, and look at leading indicators. Metrics like first contact resolution in support, event attendance, and customer engagement are all important. There isn’t one metric that rules them all; you need to look at the full picture.
Presenting Metrics That Matter to the Board
Dom Nicastro: Right. So what makes the board happy? That’s a loaded question, I know, but what metrics do you present that resonate with them?
Melissa Henley: If you ask the board, they’d probably say NRR and churn are the most important metrics. But many boards have heard countless presentations showing high CSAT and Net Promoter Scores, only to ask, “How does this tie back to revenue?” You have to be prepared for that in every meeting. You can’t just say, “Our NPS is great.” It’s about showing how all these metrics lead to revenue. An educated customer is a happy customer, and happy customers renew. While you may not always be able to draw a straight line from a specific metric to revenue, every metric we track ultimately ties back to it. For example, an increase in event attendance can lead to customers learning about new products, which results in renewals or even expansions and upsells.
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Finding ROI Beyond Traditional Revenue Metrics
Dom Nicastro: Sales teams do have it easier in that respect; they can point to straightforward numbers. I was at a conference last week, and one speaker had an interesting take on ROI. He works a lot on branding and community engagement and said he gets asked about ROI all the time. He responds that ROI isn’t always about immediate revenue but building long-term visibility and engagement. It’s not just vanity metrics like likes; it’s about showing the company’s personality and building connections. So as a chief customer officer, how important is it for you to engage directly with customers, whether one-on-one or in larger advisory settings? And how does that feed into building a customer success culture?
Engaging Directly with Customers: A Key Priority
Melissa Henley: I think for me, talking to customers is probably the most important thing I do—and not just when they're happy. We had to announce a change that customers weren't too thrilled about, and I got 257 angry emails from customers. And I answered every single one of them, no kidding. Often, their reaction was, “I didn’t think anyone read this.” Well, yes, I did read it, and I made sure to explain the reasons behind our decisions and answer their specific questions. I don’t know if I changed anyone’s mind, but now customers reach out to me directly with questions because they know someone is listening.
As we move up in our roles, we often talk to customers only when things go wrong, but it’s crucial to engage with them regularly. I make it a point to attend events and have those one-on-one conversations. Otherwise, how else do you know what’s truly going on?
The Power of Face-to-Face Interaction
Dom Nicastro: That kind of personal interaction is magical. It’s better than any CX tool, sentiment analysis, or recorded contact center data. There’s just nothing like talking to people at a lunch table or over breakfast at a conference and hearing them open up.
Melissa Henley: Absolutely. I’m fortunate to have a very engaged customer base that isn’t shy about sharing what they like and don’t like. It’s a good thing, even if the feedback isn’t always positive. The worst-case scenario is silence because that means disengagement. It’s much harder to win back someone who is disengaged compared to someone who is still passionate—even if they’re unhappy.
Managing Customer Feedback: A Valuable Learning Experience
Dom Nicastro: That number—257 emails—is something I’d show to the board. They’d probably ask, “Why were they upset?” But seriously, that effort must have been immense. You can’t just handle all that during a workday. I can picture you, Melissa, responding to emails while cooking dinner or during off-hours.
Melissa Henley: Well, to be fair, I don’t cook dinner—my husband does. But yes, I did answer a lot of those emails while watching TV in the evenings. Sometimes, that’s the only time you have, without the interruptions of a busy workday. And responding to those emails was crucial. Keeping a customer success culture alive isn’t just about celebrating wins; it’s about responding to complaints and showing you care.
Turning Customer Complaints into Opportunities
Melissa Henley: We only have so many resources, and they’re usually focused on the 20% of customers who generate the 80% of revenue. But in this case, many of the people I responded to were smaller customers. Just knowing someone cared enough to listen and respond made a difference. It may not have changed their minds, but it left them with a different perception. They knew we made decisions thoughtfully and considered them in the process. I’d often say, “Here’s a possible solution, and I’m here if you have more questions.”
Dom Nicastro: Exactly. Those direct responses are what we call “first-hand data.” You could throw all those emails into an AI tool and respond with automation, but what would you learn from that?
Melissa Henley: Right. I do something similar with customer comments on NPS surveys, whether they’re positive or negative. I can’t reach out to everyone, but I make a point of responding to about 15 or 20 each month. I want customers to know their feedback is read and valued. Sometimes people feel like they’re shouting into the void, wondering if anyone is listening. Knowing someone actually reads and responds makes a difference and encourages continued engagement.
The Importance of Quick and Personalized Responses
Dom Nicastro: Not responding is a huge issue in customer success. I recently helped my wife with a customer service issue where the company only offered email support—no phone, no text, no social media. The response time was painfully slow, like two or three days. In 2024, that’s inexcusable. Just responding, even if the problem isn’t solved right away, can be a success in itself.
Melissa Henley: Exactly. Even as a consumer, I make it a point to fill out surveys after staying at hotels. I appreciate when someone on the other end values that feedback.
Dom Nicastro: I can picture you reading the fine print, figuring out who the vendor is, and analyzing the feedback process. That’s what I imagine you do on vacation!
Melissa Henley: I’m definitely fun on vacation! But seriously, I once filled out a survey calling out an exceptional employee, and a couple of days later, I received an email saying, “We read your feedback, and we’re going to recognize this employee at our next staff meeting.” That’s when I knew my feedback was making an impact.
Dom Nicastro: You’re not just improving customer success at KeyShot; you’re raising the bar for customer service at hotels worldwide!
Celebrating Customer Success Across the Organization
Dom Nicastro: In your team, how do you celebrate customer success? I think showcasing strong examples of customer success stories is crucial. Can you share any recent anecdotal examples where someone on your team nailed it?
Melissa Henley: Absolutely. We make a significant effort to celebrate customer success throughout the entire company. At our monthly all-hands meetings, we always share a story about customer connections, whether it’s through support, a sales win, or a notable customer success achievement. We also use internal team chats to give shout-outs. It’s like the saying, “If you don’t talk about it, people don’t know it’s important.” We want everyone to see that these wins matter and that they’re a shared achievement.
Recognizing the Small Wins That Matter
Dom Nicastro: It’s the little wins that really make a difference and need recognition. I try to keep up with that on my own team—simple things like responding to someone when their press release is posted and acknowledging their effort. Those small steps go a long way and help build a culture of appreciation.
Melissa Henley: Exactly. Earlier this year, our HR team did something I really appreciate. They sent out a survey to all employees asking how they like to be recognized. It turns out some people prefer personal notes from leadership, while others enjoy public recognition in company meetings. It’s important to tailor how we acknowledge contributions because recognition means different things to different people. And while I celebrate wins within my team, I also make a point to recognize efforts across other departments. After all, customer success is everyone’s responsibility, even if my team is the one held accountable for the metrics at the end of the day.
Tailored Recognition and Building Morale
Dom Nicastro: That’s a great approach, asking how people prefer to be recognized. Not everyone likes public praise—it can make some people uncomfortable.
Melissa Henley: True. For some, public shout-outs are awkward, and they’d rather not have their birthday or work anniversary mentioned. But how would you know that unless you ask?
Dom Nicastro: I’m the opposite. I’ve been seeking recognition since childhood. My mom used to pat me on the back, and I still love it. I even joke that I call her every night for encouragement!
Melissa Henley: We all want feedback in different ways, and it’s the same with customers. You can’t know every customer individually at scale, but you can make them feel acknowledged. When responding to customer feedback, I use a few templates that can be personalized to show customers there’s someone who genuinely cares behind the screen.
Customer Engagement Is About Responsiveness
Dom Nicastro: Customers just want to feel heard. Quick, personalized responses make a huge difference. I shared on LinkedIn about a poor customer service experience my wife had—email-only support with slow response times is not good customer success. Forcing customers into one channel isn’t effective.
Melissa Henley: Agreed. Customers have different preferences, just like how we all learn differently. Some want phone calls, some prefer emails, others might want a video chat. If we’re truly committed to a customer success culture, we need to meet them where they are.
Looking Ahead to 2025: Elevating Engagement
Dom Nicastro: Let’s wrap up with a forward-looking question. What’s next for your customer success strategy in 2025? How do you plan to keep building on your foundation?
Melissa Henley: In 2025, we’re focused on sparking deeper engagement across our entire customer base. We’ve laid the groundwork over the past few years, and now we want to ensure that all of our customers—from single-user hobbyists to Fortune 500 companies—are as excited about our products and future as we are. Keeping everyone engaged and part of our journey is what matters most.
Wrapping Up: Celebrating Insights and Expertise
Dom Nicastro: Stunning goals, Melissa. I love it. Well, Melissa Henley, CMSWire Contributor of the Year—that’s how I’m introducing you from now on.
Melissa Henley: That’s how I introduce myself, too!
Dom Nicastro: That’s right, even in those 257 customer emails, you say, “Hey, what’s up? It’s CMSWire Contributor of the Year here. By the way, I’m also the Chief Customer Officer at KeyShot.”
Melissa Henley: Absolutely. And here’s a link to my latest column!
Final Thoughts and Appreciation
Dom Nicastro: We really can’t thank you enough for your insights here on CMSWire TV and on our website. It’s been a true pleasure to catch up with you. I think our viewers will gain a lot from the tips you shared—especially around what it truly means to build a customer success culture. Your answers were spot on, and I appreciate you joining us on the Beyond the Call show.
Melissa Henley: Thanks for having me, Dom. It’s always a pleasure. Safe travels, and we’ll talk soon!
