The ROI of Customer Success & Data-Driven Growth | DisrupTV Ep. 23

In DisrupTV Episode 23, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar welcome three leaders:

  • Michael Fauscette, Chief Research Officer at G2 Crowd
  • Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight
  • Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, VP / Principal Analyst at Constellation Research 

They discuss how customer success is evolving from cost center to growth engine, how data and platforms are reshaping SaaS monetization, and how organizations can align metrics, culture, and execution to unlock sustainable ROI.

Key Takeaways

Customer Success as Revenue Driver
Nick Mehta emphasizes that customer success teams can and must contribute to growth—by increasing upsell, reducing churn, and driving advocacy. It’s not just support, but a core growth engine.

Monetizing Platforms & Usage
Fauscette discusses how platforms and usage-based models are reshaping how software is priced and consumed. The shift to “pay for outcomes, not seats” demands new metrics, instrumentation, and accountability.

Data & Insight Must Plug to Action
Dr. Petouhoff calls out that data is only as good as the decisions it drives. You need closed-loop systems where insights lead to actions, adjustments, and continuous learning.

Aligning Metrics, Culture & Incentives
The episode highlights the frequent misalignment between what teams are measured on vs. what’s strategic. To scale, companies must align incentives, OKRs, and culture with long-term value, not just short-term acquisition.

The Role of Trust & Transparency
The guest conversation surfaces that customers expect transparency in usage, pricing, and value delivery. Trust becomes a differentiator—especially as consumption models get more complex.

Final Thoughts

This episode drives home a vital point: to succeed in today’s subscription and consumption-based economy, organizations must reinvent how they define, measure, and deliver value. Customer success cannot stay in the shadows—it must be a central pillar of growth. Metrics must map to outcomes. Culture must support experimentation and accountability. And data must feed action, not just dashboards.

The convergence of platform pricing, customer success, and data-driven execution presents both complexity and opportunity. Organizations that master it will differentiate not just on features, but on sustained value, clarity, and trust.

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Business Research Themes

Future of Work, Marketing Transformation, Tech Optimization

Roles

Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Technology Officer