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Importance of Customer Success for Self-Serve Platforms

In the world of self-serve, getting to know a platform and mastering its nuances can become a daunting task. Even for the most well-versed ad-tech professionals, using a complex buying platform can take some getting used to and usually requires some form of training. Learning how to use the platform can be straightforward, but for comprehensive training and strategizing, personalized help from the experts in required. This is why Customer Success Managers (CSMs) for self-serve demand-side platforms (DSPs) are as important as the functionalities in the DSP itself.

Customer Success has emerged as a key service offering of any technology organization, as it allows for a bridge between the internal product, tech teams, and the user. CSMs form relationships to provide client-focused insight, while offering a new point of view through strategic guidance and recommendations. A CSM is an internal advocate for their customers, and also acts as an extension of their team.

We’ve identified 5 reasons why having a CSM is so important for self-serve platforms. Let’s explore:

1. Allow you to gain a competitive advantage

Customer Success Managers have industry insight to help navigate the complexities of digital media. Based on where your organization is today, and where you need to be tomorrow, CSMs consider the entire ecosystem to ensure you move quickly and keep up with trends while reducing risk along the way. They can educate your team on industry buzzwords and topics that could be causing roadblocks in campaign strategy planning. If your team is stuck in the CPL debate – and whether it’s an important metric – CSMs will help you answer that question and settle the bet. Their main goal? To ensure your use of the platform is aligned with your goals and objectives.

2. Help maximize the use of your platform

Beyond giving you insight into what is going on in the industry as a whole, the key role of a CSM is to help you think outside the box with the self-serve platform your team is using. Whether it’s providing a second set of eyes on your campaigns to ensure everything is set up correctly or highlighting valuable features you may be overlooking, the CSM’s goal is to ensure you are using the tool as efficiently as possible. Ensuring maximum use includes in-depth, one-on-one training — beyond help centre articles.

3. Provide insight into unique campaign strategies

Specifically in the programmatic space, using the features in a DSP is an art. In many cases, some features are designed to be used in combination with others. CSMs will suggest specific campaign tips to aid the success of your marketing initiatives, but will also offer insight into how features or tactics can be leveraged in tandem – for example video retargeting or sequential messaging. CSMs also suggest new ways to explore tactics you are leveraging, such as using custom segments with your audience targeting. They are also a great resource for providing A/B testing strategies against campaigns you may be running elsewhere, to ensure you’re not wasting any dollars while you test.

4. Make integrating with vendors a breeze

CSMs are devoted to better understanding your unique environment and technology journey, working collaboratively with your team to provide the best strategic support. This includes working with the platform’s features, as well as its integrations. In the world of programmatic buying, this may include integrations with analytics platforms, 3rd party segments, and direct deals with publishers, or private marketplace deals (PMPs).

5. Take the hassle out of transitioning platforms

Signing up for a self-serve platform is the easiest part of the process. In many cases, marketers are transitioning between products, which can sometimes be more difficult than simply starting from scratch. CSMs know this, and do whatever they can to ensure the transition is seamless. They offer the right resources to support the effective adoption of the new platform in your organization, helping you ramp up faster and with greater ease. Based on how you were using other platforms, CSMs will highlight the similarities and differences to ensure you understand how to switch your strategies and daily tasks to align with a new system.

Can you tell we love CSMs?

Customer Success teams are immensely valuable in the technology space, especially with self-serve platforms. The team’s main goal is to provide personalized, proactive support designed to address business-critical environments, minimize risk, and accelerate adoption. If your technology partner has a Customer Success team, it’s a great idea to reach out and catch up with them to ensure you are not missing out on potential campaign optimizations or integrations.

If your organization is using a platform that does not offer customer success to back your team, it might be time to consider one that does.

StackAdapt has a dedicated Customer Success team for all of its clients. Not a StackAdapt customer? You’ll definitely want to be now – get started today.

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