Getting your product to market is exciting. But what really moves the needle is whether your customers find value fast and stick around. That’s where Customer Success (CS) comes in. Yet, many companies overlook CS during go-to-market (GTM) planning. In this article, we break down 30 key stats and explore what they tell us about including CS early in your GTM strategy. Each stat leads to lessons you can act on today. Let’s dive in.
1. 42% of B2B SaaS companies involve Customer Success teams from Day 1 of a GTM launch.
Why it matters
Less than half of B2B SaaS companies bring Customer Success into GTM from the beginning. That’s a missed opportunity. CS is not just a support function. It’s a strategy lever. When involved early, CS helps shape the onboarding, customer journey, and even messaging that aligns with long-term success.
The impact of including CS early
When CS is part of GTM planning from the start, everyone aligns around customer outcomes. CS teams know the pain points of real users. They bring insights that marketing and product might not see. This shapes better positioning, more accurate targeting, and onboarding flows that drive retention.
If you’re only looping in CS after launch, you’re putting out fires instead of preventing them. Customers feel it too. The result? Slower activation and higher churn.
What you can do right now
- Add CS leaders to your GTM war room.
- Involve CS in ICP development and messaging reviews.
- Share early versions of your product with CS and get their take on usability.
- Let CS shape the first-touch onboarding journey, not just post-sale handoffs.
GTM works best when every function is rowing in the same direction. Make CS one of the rowers from day one.
2. 65% of companies that include CS early report faster time-to-value for new customers.
What this tells us
When CS is there from the start, customers win faster. Time-to-value (TTV) is the clock that starts ticking the moment a customer signs up. The longer it takes for them to see value, the more likely they are to leave.
CS shortens that time. They know what real success looks like and how to get there fast. They shape onboarding flows that don’t just show features, but outcomes.
The power of outcome-driven onboarding
Companies that let CS drive early-stage planning create better journeys. They reduce setup friction. They highlight features based on business goals, not just product architecture. Customers feel guided, not overwhelmed.
Faster TTV means quicker ROI, more referrals, and more upsell potential. This can’t happen if CS is introduced after launch. By then, the damage may be done.
Tactical changes to implement
- Map onboarding paths based on jobs-to-be-done, not just tutorials.
- Set one clear milestone for value realization within the first 7–10 days.
- Have CS write or co-author onboarding scripts or videos.
- Create playbooks that your onboarding team can test before launch.
Get your customer to their “aha” moment faster—and your revenue will thank you.
3. Only 27% of product-led growth companies have Customer Success in initial GTM planning.
Why this is surprising
Product-led growth (PLG) often means free trials, self-serve signups, and viral loops. But just because it’s product-led doesn’t mean it should be CS-blind. Yet, most PLG companies leave CS out of early planning. That’s risky.
In PLG, you rely on the product to drive conversions. But you still need humans to drive value. CS can identify where users drop off, where friction exists, and what leads to long-term use.
The myth of “no-touch” models
Many PLG companies assume customers will onboard themselves. But even in low-touch setups, CS should shape how the product educates users. They influence tooltips, workflows, and in-app help. These are silent success agents. Without CS, they often miss the mark.
What happens next? Users leave before paying. Or they become active users who never expand or upgrade.
What to start doing
- Bring CS into product planning, especially around onboarding and upgrade paths.
- Let CS review product analytics to identify success bottlenecks.
- Even if you’re self-serve, offer a “concierge onboarding” option with CS input.
- Let CS run customer interviews and report trends to product and GTM teams.
PLG doesn’t mean CS-free. It means CS needs to work smarter, earlier, and more quietly—but still be there.
4. Companies with CS from Day 1 see 33% higher retention in the first 90 days post-launch.
Why this timeframe matters
The first 90 days are everything. If customers don’t find value fast, they’ll churn. It’s hard to win back someone who left disappointed. When CS is involved from the beginning, retention gets a serious boost.
That’s because CS helps close the loop between product, marketing, and sales. They ensure that what’s promised is what’s delivered. They help customers feel seen and supported.
The magic of expectations vs. experience
One big cause of churn is the mismatch between expectations and experience. CS manages that gap. When they’re part of GTM, they shape messaging, onboarding, and customer engagement in ways that feel authentic and grounded.
Customers are more likely to stay when they feel progress. Even small wins matter. CS creates those moments and communicates them clearly.
How to raise early retention
- Set up a Day 1 to Day 90 playbook with CS ownership.
- Use in-app nudges and emails to show customers what progress looks like.
- Have CS review activation metrics weekly and suggest tweaks.
- Introduce regular check-ins or automation that reassures new users.
The launch isn’t over when you hit “go.” It’s over when your customers stay. And CS helps make that happen.
5. 48% of GTM launches in enterprise SaaS involve CS during the beta phase.
Why the beta phase is key
Enterprise SaaS launches carry high stakes. The sales cycles are long. The contracts are big. A poor first impression can cost you millions. That’s why the best teams bring in CS during the beta—not after.
Almost half of successful enterprise launches include CS at this early stage. That means CS helps guide onboarding, test support flows, and collect feedback that actually gets acted on.
What CS does in beta that others can’t
During beta, things break. Users get confused. Feedback pours in. CS handles this with empathy and insight. They spot friction points and translate them into clear, actionable product improvements. They also build relationships that turn testers into champions.
Leaving CS out means your beta testers get a disjointed experience. It also means your product team is flying blind without real user context.
How to use CS in your beta
- Assign CS reps to your biggest or most strategic beta users.
- Set up weekly syncs between CS and product to align on feedback.
- Let CS co-own beta surveys and interviews to get deeper insights.
- Use CS to simulate what full-scale onboarding will feel like.
A good beta sets the tone for your full launch. And CS makes that tone feel thoughtful, helpful, and outcome-focused.
6. 39% of companies embed CS in GTM onboarding documentation at launch.
Why onboarding docs matter more than you think
Onboarding documentation isn’t just a technical checklist—it’s a customer’s first roadmap. It tells them what’s important, what success looks like, and how to avoid common mistakes. Yet, only 39% of companies bring in CS when crafting this documentation.
That’s surprising because no team understands customer struggles better than CS. They’ve seen users trip over complex workflows. They know where new customers need clarity and support. When CS contributes to onboarding docs, those docs turn from generic instructions into practical guides.
What makes CS-informed docs better
When CS is involved, onboarding content becomes human-centered. It uses real customer language. It addresses fears and questions before they arise. It’s not just “click here,” but “why this matters” and “what happens next.”
Without CS, onboarding docs often get written by product or marketing teams in isolation. They focus on features, not outcomes. The result? Users don’t feel guided. They feel lost.
Tactics to improve your onboarding content
- Invite CS to co-write or at least review all onboarding materials.
- Use real phrases from customer conversations to shape tone and flow.
- Add “troubleshooting” or “common mistakes” sections based on CS input.
- Create short video walkthroughs narrated or storyboarded by CS.
Documentation shouldn’t just explain buttons. It should build confidence. CS can help you do that from day one.
7. Firms that integrate CS early report 29% higher customer satisfaction in the first 6 months.
Why satisfaction early on is everything
The first six months of a customer’s journey are the most sensitive. Expectations are fresh. Trust is forming. A single poor experience can lead to doubt—or worse, churn.
Companies that bring in CS from the start enjoy a 29% boost in satisfaction during this window. That’s because CS builds bridges. They help set realistic expectations, manage emotions, and make sure value is delivered early and often.
Satisfaction is built through clarity and connection
Customers don’t just want support. They want progress. They want to know someone’s looking out for their success. CS provides that layer. From welcome calls to milestone tracking, CS creates a feeling of movement and partnership.
Without that, even a good product can feel like a lonely maze. That emotional gap—between effort and reward—leads to low satisfaction, even if your tech works perfectly.
What to put in place now
- Have CS set up an early engagement calendar: welcome message, check-ins, and milestone reviews.
- Track first-use success metrics and act on them within the first week.
- Train CS teams to listen for emotional language—frustration, doubt, hesitation—and respond proactively.
- Include a simple CS feedback form in the first 30 days to spot at-risk accounts.
Customer satisfaction isn’t a support score—it’s an experience. And CS helps craft that experience from the beginning.
8. 21% of startups include Customer Success in GTM meetings during product roadmap alignment.
Why startups overlook CS—and why they shouldn’t
Startups are fast-paced. Decisions happen quickly. In early GTM meetings, the focus is often on sales, marketing, and product. Only 21% bring CS into those conversations, and that’s a problem.
Product roadmap alignment is a key stage. It’s where priorities are set and timelines agreed upon. If CS isn’t in the room, customer outcomes don’t get a voice. That leads to shiny features but broken experiences.
CS offers a real-world lens
Product teams think about features. Sales thinks about selling. CS thinks about what actually works once the customer is onboarded. That’s a unique lens. It’s based on conversations, friction points, and feedback from the front lines.
When CS joins roadmap meetings, they highlight what matters to users—not just what’s technically possible or flashy.
Here’s how to fix this
- Make CS a standing member of GTM planning and roadmap sessions.
- Use CS input to tag features by impact on onboarding, retention, and support load.
- Have CS run a quarterly “friction audit” and present findings before roadmap locks.
- Treat CS as a proxy for the customer when tough trade-offs need to be made.
Startups that bake in CS perspectives early ship smarter and scale smoother.
9. Including CS from launch correlates with a 19% reduction in churn within the first year.
What churn really means
Churn isn’t just a metric—it’s a signal. It says the promise of your product didn’t match the reality. And it hurts more in Year 1, when lifetime value has barely started accumulating.
When CS is involved from the launch phase, churn drops by 19% in that critical first year. That’s not coincidence. It’s the result of clearer onboarding, better relationship management, and earlier course correction when things go wrong.
CS anticipates problems before they grow
Customers often don’t cancel immediately when confused. They just stop engaging. CS can catch this early—if they’re part of the GTM framework. Without them, silence turns into cancellation, unnoticed.
CS also guides account expansion. They turn early users into power users. That creates emotional and functional lock-in, making churn far less likely.
To lower your churn rate, do this
- Build a churn prevention checklist owned by CS from Day 1 to Day 365.
- Use CS insights to identify key drop-off points and automate re-engagement.
- Have CS own quarterly business reviews (QBRs) to keep customers aligned and invested.
- Track product usage changes and set alerts for declining activity.
Your first-year churn tells you how well you launched. CS helps you get it right—and keep it right.
10. 36% of GTM teams give CS a formal seat at the strategy table from Day 1.
The difference between a seat and an afterthought
Being looped in is not the same as being invited. Only 36% of GTM teams give Customer Success a real, formal seat at the strategy table. That means in most companies, CS is informed after decisions are made—not during.
This often leads to friction. CS is expected to clean up or explain decisions they didn’t help make. It affects how they support users, shape onboarding, and even measure success.
Why a formal seat matters
When CS is present during planning, they influence everything—messaging, packaging, metrics. They help define what success looks like not just for the company, but for the customer.
This leads to tighter alignment. Sales doesn’t overpromise. Product doesn’t overbuild. Marketing doesn’t miss the mark. Everyone is working from the same definition of value.
How to give CS a real voice
- Add CS leads to your core GTM planning team and decision-making sessions.
- Assign them ownership of onboarding KPIs and customer value milestones.
- Ask CS to deliver monthly “Voice of the Customer” reports during GTM reviews.
- Include CS in post-launch retrospectives to refine GTM plays based on actual user outcomes.
A seat at the table isn’t just a courtesy. It’s a strategy multiplier. CS makes your GTM more grounded, more complete, and more sustainable.
11. Customer Success teams are involved in 53% of GTM launches that hit ARR goals in Year 1.
Why ARR success is tightly tied to CS involvement
Annual recurring revenue (ARR) is a key marker of success in SaaS. It reflects how well your product sells, delivers, and retains. It turns out, in more than half of the GTM launches that meet Year 1 ARR goals, CS was part of the strategy right from the start.
That’s a strong signal. When CS is embedded from the beginning, customers stay longer, expand faster, and churn less. This drives steady, healthy revenue growth—the kind that’s sustainable.
What CS actually contributes to revenue
You might think revenue is the domain of sales and marketing. But CS plays a big role in how that revenue sticks. They ensure customers experience value early. They drive product adoption. And they help spot and close expansion opportunities.
A customer who sees value and feels supported is far more likely to renew and upgrade. Without CS, even closed deals can quietly shrink or disappear by renewal time.
How to connect CS to your ARR goals
- Define shared GTM KPIs that include CS impact—like time-to-value, onboarding completion, and retention.
- Loop CS into sales handoffs so the customer doesn’t feel the baton has been dropped.
- Train CS teams on how to spot upsell opportunities and route them appropriately.
- Track expansion and renewal revenue owned or influenced by CS.
If ARR is your North Star, CS should be on the ship’s bridge—not waiting back on shore.
12. 67% of companies with low churn include CS from GTM planning onward.
What this stat really means
Low churn doesn’t happen by accident. It’s planned, shaped, and driven. Two-thirds of companies that retain customers well start by including CS in the earliest GTM stages.
These teams aren’t scrambling post-launch. They’re not treating CS as an afterthought. They’re building customer success into the DNA of their go-to-market motion. It shows up in their onboarding, their messaging, and their customer experience.
Why early involvement matters so much
When CS is part of the GTM plan, they influence the foundations. That includes things like product expectations, success metrics, and handoff quality from sales. These shape the entire customer journey.
Without CS in GTM, you risk setting customers up for a journey that feels uncoordinated or confusing. That frustration quietly builds—and leads to churn.
Actions to start taking today
- Pull CS leaders into GTM kickoff meetings, not just post-launch support reviews.
- Assign CS ownership of key GTM elements like onboarding paths and value milestones.
- Create a customer journey map that’s reviewed and approved by CS before launch.
- Use customer interviews gathered by CS to test your GTM message before it goes live.
Low churn starts with high alignment. CS makes that alignment real.
13. Just 18% of firms measure CS impact during the GTM execution phase.
Why this is a missed opportunity
Most companies wait until post-launch to measure Customer Success. But the real magic happens during execution—when you’re live, learning, and adjusting in real time.
Only 18% of firms track what CS is doing while the GTM plan is rolling out. That’s a mistake. CS isn’t just support—they’re feedback loops, engagement drivers, and retention builders. If you’re not measuring their impact early, you’re missing signals that could shape your launch success.
What should be measured, and when
During execution, CS is doing a lot: guiding onboarding, handling early questions, spotting friction points. These efforts directly impact conversion, retention, and satisfaction. But if you’re not tracking metrics like activation time, onboarding completion, or early support volumes, you’re flying blind.
Easy ways to start tracking CS impact
- Set weekly GTM-CS syncs to share observations from the front lines.
- Track onboarding completion rates, time-to-first-value, and first 30-day engagement scores.
- Use CS conversations to inform rapid tweaks to your onboarding or GTM messaging.
- Add a short survey to measure customer sentiment at the 14- and 30-day mark.
What gets measured gets managed. If you want CS to drive results during launch, you need to watch how they’re doing it.
14. 45% of companies with high NPS integrate CS in launch training and enablement.
Why launch training isn’t just for sales
Many companies pour time into training their sales teams for launch. But fewer include CS in that same effort. Among those who do, 45% report much higher Net Promoter Scores (NPS). That’s no coincidence.
NPS reflects how customers feel about your product and experience. CS shapes that directly. When they’re trained from Day 1, they support better, guide faster, and build trust. And that trust shows up in how customers talk about your brand.
What CS needs to be trained on
It’s not just about features. CS needs to understand launch goals, customer promises, positioning, and onboarding journeys. They need to know what sales is saying—so they can make sure it’s delivered.
When CS is left out, they play catch-up. That leads to slower responses, missed expectations, and confused customers.
How to upgrade your enablement process
- Include CS in the same launch training tracks as sales and support.
- Share launch playbooks that cover not just product info but customer goals and GTM context.
- Run mock onboarding sessions where CS teams test journeys as if they were new users.
- Set shared training goals and quiz all GTM roles equally—CS included.
Great NPS starts with great alignment. Train CS like the GTM partner they are—not just a post-launch team.
15. 22% of GTM failures are attributed to not involving Customer Success early enough.
Why this should scare every GTM leader
GTM failures are costly. Missed goals. Lost deals. Burned market opportunities. And in over one-fifth of these failures, the reason traces back to a simple mistake: not involving CS early enough.
That stat should stop any team in their tracks. It means CS isn’t optional—it’s foundational. Without their voice in the room, GTM launches risk being out of sync with customer reality.
What “failure” looks like in real terms
It can look like poor activation rates, long time-to-value, high early churn, or weak referrals. These are the symptoms. The cause? A customer journey that wasn’t designed with CS input.
It’s like building a house without consulting the people who will live in it. You may finish the build, but it won’t feel like home.
Ways to make CS involvement standard, not optional
- Create a pre-launch checklist where CS sign-off is required.
- Define “GTM complete” as including CS-owned assets and workflows.
- Make CS co-leads in launch retrospectives and root-cause analysis.
- Use failure stories as learning tools for future GTM planning.
You can’t afford to learn the hard way. CS involvement isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a success requirement.
16. CS-involved GTMs show 2.4x higher cross-sell and upsell engagement at 6 months.
Why expansion revenue needs CS from the start
Expansion revenue—through cross-sells and upsells—is where most SaaS growth lives. New customer acquisition is expensive. So getting more value from existing customers is not just smart, it’s essential.
The stat here is striking. When CS is involved in GTM from day one, companies see 2.4 times more expansion engagement by the 6-month mark. That’s not just more revenue—it’s more trust, deeper relationships, and stronger lifetime value.
How CS drives expansion without being pushy
Customers don’t expand because someone sold them on it. They expand because they feel confident. They trust the platform. They’ve seen results. CS makes that happen. They walk the customer to wins, and then shine a light on the next step forward.
Without CS, expansion talk feels rushed—or worse, unwanted. With CS, it’s a natural part of the journey.
How to build expansion into your GTM
- Create early success milestones and link them to relevant product upgrades.
- Let CS track feature adoption and usage patterns, then suggest upsells based on behavior.
- Equip CS with value calculators or ROI snapshots they can share mid-journey.
- Build upsell prompts into onboarding or training content with CS support.
You don’t earn expansion by asking for it. You earn it by delivering value—something CS is uniquely positioned to lead.
17. Only 31% of GTM launch playbooks have CS touchpoints mapped from Day 1.
Why touchpoints matter more than tactics
A GTM launch playbook guides your team through one of the most critical phases in your company’s life. It includes roles, goals, timelines, and deliverables. But if only 31% include CS touchpoints right from the start, that’s a huge gap.
Customer Success isn’t just a function—it’s a series of critical interactions that shape the customer’s journey. If those aren’t planned early, they often get added too late—or missed completely.
What touchpoints should be in every GTM playbook
These are the simple but important CS-led moments that should be baked into launch:
- Welcome message or kickoff call within 24 hours
- Guided onboarding or onboarding checklist
- First-value milestone reached and celebrated
- 30-day and 60-day health check
- Feedback loop to inform product and marketing
When these are in your playbook, they don’t get forgotten. They get executed—and they work.
How to build them in
- Include CS in the GTM planning doc, not just the execution phase.
- Assign ownership to specific CS team members with clear timeframes.
- Coordinate CS touchpoints with marketing and product triggers.
- Make these interactions visible in your CRM or onboarding tools.
A GTM playbook without CS touchpoints is like a map with missing roads. You might get there—but not easily, and not with happy customers.
18. 59% of successful GTMs use CS-led onboarding workflows from launch week.
What makes onboarding workflows actually work
A lot of companies build onboarding flows from a product or marketing perspective. They think about what they want to show. But the best onboarding is built around what the customer wants to achieve.
That’s why nearly 60% of successful launches use workflows led by CS teams from the very first week. These workflows are simpler. More intuitive. More focused on outcomes than on features.
The CS difference in onboarding
CS teams aren’t guessing what customers need. They’ve seen the tickets. They’ve heard the questions. They know the blockers. So their workflows start where the customer starts, and end where value becomes clear.
It’s not about walkthroughs. It’s about direction. Customers want to know: “What should I do next to succeed?” CS gives that answer with context and care.
How to switch to CS-led onboarding
- Assign CS as co-owners of your onboarding journey design.
- Map the first 7 days of the customer experience from their point of view.
- Use real customer scenarios to guide content and step creation.
- Monitor where drop-off happens, and let CS revise the flow based on real usage.
Your onboarding should feel like a guided tour, not a maze. Let CS lead that tour from the start.
19. 34% of GTM leaders say CS provides key insights that shaped messaging pre-launch.
Messaging that lands always starts with real conversations
Marketing and product often sit down to write messaging based on what they believe the customer wants. But when CS is involved early, the messaging shifts. It gets clearer. It gets more accurate. It connects.
Why? Because CS talks to customers every single day. They know the phrases that resonate. They know the objections, the hesitations, and the aspirations. That’s gold when crafting GTM messaging.
What happens when you skip CS in messaging
You end up with taglines that sound slick but don’t speak to pain. You promote features that aren’t differentiators. You miss the emotional triggers that drive decisions.
And worse—you set customer expectations that your product or experience can’t actually deliver. That creates churn, mistrust, and low NPS.
How to tap into CS insights for messaging
- Interview top CS reps about what customers say when they’re happiest—or frustrated.
- Pull phrases from CS call transcripts and drop them into your copy draft.
- A/B test messaging with feedback from CS before launch, not after.
- Create “voice of the customer” documents owned by CS and used by marketing.
Your messaging doesn’t need to sound clever. It needs to sound right. CS can help make that happen.
20. In 43% of GTM launches, CS helps define the ideal customer profile (ICP).
Why defining your ICP is a team sport
The ideal customer profile (ICP) shapes your entire GTM effort. It guides targeting, product decisions, sales strategies, and onboarding paths. Yet, many companies define it in silos—usually by sales and marketing.
But 43% of smart GTM teams bring CS into the ICP discussion. Why? Because they see which customers succeed. Which ones stick. Which ones become evangelists. And which ones churn even after buying.
The power of a CS-informed ICP
A CS-informed ICP isn’t just about who buys—it’s about who stays. CS knows the warning signs of misfit customers. They know which buyer personas lead to easy onboarding and which ones drain support time.
That’s not just helpful—it’s essential. It can save you months of wasted GTM energy.
How to bring CS into the ICP process
- Review churned accounts with CS to identify patterns and red flags.
- Interview CS about the smoothest onboarding experiences—what made them easy?
- Have CS review draft ICP personas and flag risk areas.
- Create a shared “Success Profile” with traits CS believes drive long-term value.
Your GTM doesn’t succeed when someone buys. It succeeds when someone thrives. And CS knows exactly who those customers are.
21. Companies that involve CS from Day 1 report 3x faster payback period on CAC.
Why payback period is the real ROI metric
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is only half the story. The full story is told through the payback period—how long it takes to recover what you spent to land a customer. The shorter it is, the faster you grow.
Companies that bring CS in from the very start of GTM see that period shrink by three times. That’s because customers don’t just buy—they use the product, succeed faster, and renew. CS is the engine behind that acceleration.
How CS shortens payback
When CS helps onboard users quickly and effectively, customers start getting value right away. This leads to faster engagement, quicker upgrades, and fewer drop-offs. All of that leads to revenue that comes sooner.
Think of CS as the bridge between signing a deal and realizing the benefit. The stronger that bridge, the faster the return.
Tactics to cut your CAC payback period
- Map the average time-to-first-value and assign CS to reduce it systematically.
- Build onboarding sequences designed by CS and optimized for velocity.
- Let CS flag underperforming accounts early to course-correct before it’s too late.
- Add CS success stories to sales enablement to close higher-fit deals from the start.
Faster payback is the result of faster customer success—and that starts with CS on day one.
22. CS input is factored into pricing or packaging decisions in 38% of launches.
Why pricing needs a reality check from CS
Pricing is often treated like a spreadsheet exercise. But the real world isn’t that clean. The way pricing feels to customers affects how they adopt, expand, and renew.
That’s why 38% of GTM teams include CS when setting pricing and packaging—and those teams tend to see fewer objections and better upsell traction.
What CS sees that others miss
CS knows when a customer struggles with a price tier that doesn’t match their use case. They hear feedback like “I only need this one feature, but I have to buy the whole plan.” They see where value doesn’t align with price.
This input can guide smarter bundling, more intuitive pricing tiers, and clearer upgrade paths.
Practical ways to involve CS in pricing
- Before finalizing new packages, run them by CS for field insight.
- Ask CS to list the most common pricing complaints or confusion points.
- Involve CS in pilot testing of new pricing to see how it impacts behavior.
- Use CS feedback to identify what customers are willing to pay more for—and what they aren’t.
Pricing without CS input risks leaving money on the table—or losing trust. Make it a shared decision.
23. 26% of product teams cite lack of CS involvement as a reason for GTM iteration.
Why iteration often signals misalignment
A GTM iteration means something didn’t land. The message missed. The onboarding broke. The expectations clashed. And in over a quarter of product teams, they admit the cause was not bringing CS in early enough.
This happens when product assumptions aren’t tested against customer reality. And CS lives in that reality every day.
The price of late-stage iteration
When you iterate after launch, it costs more. You’ve already spent on marketing, built features, trained teams. Fixing direction post-launch burns time and trust.
If CS had been there earlier, they could have caught gaps, smoothed rough edges, and raised red flags before you went live.
Ways to prevent reactive GTM changes
- Hold CS–Product joint planning sessions for every GTM phase.
- Use a pre-launch “customer lens” review where CS critiques onboarding and messaging.
- Create a GTM checklist that includes CS sign-off before launch.
- Assign a CS leader as a co-owner of product launch readiness.
You can’t eliminate iteration—but you can reduce how often and how late it happens. CS helps you launch stronger, not just faster.
24. 60% of high-growth SaaS firms loop CS into launch retrospectives.
What makes post-launch reviews powerful
A GTM retrospective isn’t just a review—it’s where future strategy is shaped. In 60% of high-growth SaaS companies, CS is a key voice in that review. That’s not a coincidence. It’s strategy.
These companies know CS offers context. They bring real user data, emotional cues, and success blockers that no dashboard can show.
The danger of CS silence
When CS isn’t in the room, retrospectives miss key insight. You might think onboarding was smooth because no one complained loudly. But CS might know that users were quietly frustrated and disengaged.
Without that feedback, future GTMs repeat mistakes instead of evolving.
Build better retros with CS
- Make CS reports part of every launch debrief—covering user sentiment, engagement, and friction.
- Include frontline CS reps in retros, not just managers.
- Treat CS feedback as a data point equal to sales or marketing metrics.
- Ask CS what they heard that no one else did—and act on it.
A retrospective without CS is only half the story. If you want your next GTM to outperform your last, listen to the people closest to the customer.
25. Only 24% of early-stage companies include CS feedback in GTM content creation.
Why early content often misses the mark
Founders and marketers at early-stage startups move fast. They write emails, build landing pages, and script demos—often without much input. Only 24% of them stop to ask Customer Success for feedback before shipping content.
That’s a mistake. Early-stage content matters more than ever. It shapes brand perception. It guides user behavior. And it sets expectations that CS will later have to meet—or reset.
CS feedback improves tone, clarity, and resonance
When you run your GTM content by CS, you get better language. Simpler. Sharper. More useful. They know what phrases excite users and which ones confuse them. They’ve seen where content leaves gaps.
Most importantly, they spot when content promises more than the product delivers—a common early-stage mistake that leads to churn.
Fix your content flow with CS
- Before sending launch content to customers, review it with CS.
- Ask CS to flag unclear phrasing, false expectations, or missing guidance.
- Use CS insights to create FAQs, email sequences, and product walkthroughs that match real user needs.
- Treat CS not just as editors, but as idea generators—they know what customers ask for.
Your GTM content should speak to customers like a trusted guide. CS knows that voice better than anyone.
26. Firms with CS in GTM see a 41% increase in onboarding completion rates.
Why onboarding completion is a high-leverage metric
A completed onboarding isn’t just a task—it’s a turning point. It’s the moment when a customer stops exploring and starts using. Yet, in many companies, onboarding is where users fall off. Confused. Overwhelmed. Disconnected.
But when CS is baked into GTM from the beginning, onboarding completion jumps by 41%. That’s a massive lift. It means more customers are set up properly, engaged earlier, and primed for long-term success.
Why CS makes the difference
Onboarding isn’t just about clicking buttons—it’s about helping customers reach first value. CS knows how to build toward that. They know where users hesitate. They’ve guided enough journeys to know how to simplify steps, reduce friction, and reinforce value.
When GTM includes CS insight, the onboarding becomes not just usable—but useful.
How to get more customers to finish onboarding
- Let CS audit the onboarding experience before launch—step by step.
- Embed CS-led content in onboarding emails, product tours, and tooltips.
- Track where users drop off and assign CS to follow up quickly.
- Make onboarding a shared KPI between CS and GTM teams.
Every completed onboarding increases retention, upsell chances, and product stickiness. CS helps get more users across that line.
27. 49% of GTM plans reviewed quarterly include CS performance metrics.
Why reviewing GTM without CS data is a blind spot
GTM plans don’t end at launch—they evolve. And if you’re doing quarterly reviews (you should be), you need more than sales and marketing metrics. You need Customer Success performance in the mix.
Right now, just under half of GTM reviews include these CS metrics. The rest are missing out. Because when you see how CS is driving activation, engagement, and retention, you get a full picture of what’s working—and what isn’t.
What CS metrics actually matter for GTM
Here’s what’s worth watching closely:
- Time to first value
- Onboarding completion rate
- First 30-day NPS or satisfaction
- Support ticket trends by account segment
- Product adoption score by feature
These don’t just show CS effectiveness—they show how well your GTM strategy set customers up to win.
Make CS reviews part of the rhythm
- Schedule quarterly GTM reviews with CS leading part of the session.
- Align CS metrics with launch goals so they tell a cohesive story.
- Use CS data to support future product, marketing, and messaging iterations.
- Treat CS performance as a GTM outcome—not just an operational detail.
When CS metrics are part of your GTM review, your strategy gets sharper—and your customers get better results.
28. Companies involving CS from launch stage experience 37% more expansion deals in Year 1.
Why expansion starts at the very first interaction
You don’t earn expansion deals a year in. You earn them starting from week one. And companies that involve CS from the launch stage see 37% more expansion deals in the first year.
That’s because early value creates confidence. And confidence leads to growth. CS teams guide that early value. They help customers unlock key use cases, and they build the relationships that support asking for more later.
Expansion is about timing and trust
When CS is active from the beginning, they can see when a customer is ready for more. They’re not guessing. They’ve watched the journey. They’ve been part of the wins. So when they say, “Let’s look at a new module,” it feels right—not like a sales pitch.
Without CS, expansion deals often come too late—or not at all.
Tactics to drive early expansion momentum
- Map CS touchpoints that build toward expansion conversations.
- Train CS on identifying readiness signals—like usage thresholds or success milestones.
- Have GTM messaging align with “future state” opportunities from day one.
- Reward CS teams not just for retention, but for initiating expansion-ready accounts.
Growth from existing customers is your most efficient revenue. CS helps open that door—and keep it open.
29. 32% of GTM teams assign shared KPIs with Customer Success at launch.
Why shared KPIs create stronger collaboration
When CS has different goals than sales or marketing, tension builds. Sales wants the deal. Marketing wants the sign-up. CS wants the renewal. But when those goals aren’t aligned, handoffs break and customers feel it.
That’s why 32% of GTM teams now assign shared KPIs with CS right from launch. These teams work better together. They measure success the same way—and deliver more consistent customer outcomes.
Examples of good shared KPIs
Instead of measuring only isolated goals, these teams align around:
- Onboarding completion in X days
- Time-to-value within first 14 days
- % of customers reaching product-qualified status
- First 30-day retention rate
- Customer sentiment at day 60
These shared metrics build accountability, coordination, and a stronger experience.
How to align your KPIs across GTM and CS
- Set launch goals that both sales, marketing, and CS are responsible for.
- Include CS input when deciding what success looks like for new users.
- Track KPIs in a shared dashboard with regular reviews.
- Use shared wins as part of team celebrations and post-launch learnings.
When you measure together, you win together. GTM is a team sport, and CS needs to wear the same jersey.
30. Only 14% of launch strategies in hardware-focused firms feature CS involvement from the start.
Why hardware firms can’t ignore CS any longer
Hardware GTMs often rely heavily on engineering, sales, and operations. Customer Success? It’s often forgotten until the first support ticket rolls in. As a result, just 14% of hardware-focused launches include CS early.
That’s a serious oversight. Hardware customers still need onboarding. They still need clarity. And they still measure value over time. CS helps manage those expectations, reduce confusion, and keep satisfaction high.
The unique CS needs of hardware
With hardware, setup complexity can cause frustration fast. Timelines can slip. Delays can create anxiety. CS helps bridge the communication between product teams and the customer. They translate the tech into trust.
And they’re vital for coordinating training, setup support, and troubleshooting—especially in enterprise deployments.
How to pull CS into hardware GTMs
- Assign a CS lead to every hardware GTM team as early as the planning phase.
- Let CS own the customer-facing documentation and deployment journey.
- Set pre- and post-install check-ins as part of the GTM plan.
- Include CS in training programs to ensure customer confidence post-launch.
Hardware doesn’t mean hands-off. In fact, it demands even more hands-on care. CS can’t be a patch after the fact—they need to be part of the GTM foundation.
Conclusion
What this deep dive shows—over and over again—is that Customer Success isn’t a phase that follows GTM. It’s a partner in making GTM work from the beginning.
Every stat, every insight, and every tactical move we explored leads to one truth: when CS is in the room from Day 1, customers succeed faster, expansion happens earlier, and retention gets stronger.
