Trim Size: 6in x 9in  Mehta572763 c01.tex V1-04/03/2020 11:45pm Page 7 Customer Success: What It Is and Why It Affects Everything 7 WhyCustomer Success Is About More Than Happy Customers Notsurprisingly, the Internet is the reason for the change in the relationship between customers and businesses. Everyone knows the basics: whether we are at home as “consumers” or at work as “businesspeople,” we demand a great customer experience. This concept is so commonly said that it’s now trite. But in some ways, talk of customer experience or “making customers happy” is missing the core point. The power of the Internet didn’t just empower customers to be “satisfied.” Customers in the modern world demand that their goals are achieved. The fancy management consulting term for this is desired outcomes. What do we mean by outcomes? Well, whenever anyone, a consumer or a businessperson, looks at doing business with another company, they have a goal in mind. Maybe they are on a trip and trying to get from one part of a city to another. Maybe they are hoping to get in better shape. Or perhaps they are an executive looking to drive more engagement from their  teammates.  Whether you consider B2C (business-to-consumer) or B2B (business- to-business), the trend toward outcomes is unstoppable. If you are on a trip in New York, Uber and Lyft turn a product (car) into an out- come (getting you from point A to point B). If you are on a health kick, Peloton turns a physical device (bike) into a subscription service (spinning training—with great music!). If you are the executive at work, Workday turns a category of “Human Resources Software” into an SaaS solution. In all these cases, customers are no longer stuck with the vendors they bought (sorry, Dad!) because technology has transformed the category for customers. They have choice. They have mobility. They are now at the core of the business model. Just as Copernicus showed us that the Earth isn’t the center of the universe, vendors are now realizing that clients are at the center of theirs. Figures 1.1 and 1.2 illustrate this change. Customer expectations are higher, customer power is greater, and holding onto customers is harder because they have so much choice. That