“When I think about how to take the promise and the potential of all of these services and translate them to the customer, I start with, ‘What does my customer want?’”
Key Insights
What Questions Set the Best Framework for Serving Customers: (02:50)
Amazon Web Services, one of the leading innovators in cloud computing, is all about connecting the customer to their full potential. And with Harini Gokul at the helm of Customer Success, the sky is the limit for what a business can accomplish
“I channel the voice of the customer. When I think about how to take the promise and potential of these services and translate them to the customer, I start with ‘What does my customer want?’ There is no preset formula. I would start with you and say… what do you want to deliver? What are your priorities?”
How Do you Engender Trust in Cloud Computing? (20:32)
Gokul and the Customer Success team address the challenges that security poses to cloud computing by constantly innovating new solutions. She points to a clear moment in history that cemented the importance of this in her mind.
“I worked in the E.U. when the Snowden affair happened and [at that time] trust in the cloud was a big topic. So I’m deeply sensitive to… we want to respect our customers’ choices on how they want to build their capabilities..”
What is the Best Mindset for Hiring the Right CSMs: (12:20)
When you’re operating a Customer Success team, as Gokul is across a vast, global, organization, you’re always hiring, but are you hiring the people your customers want to work with? Are you hiring the people who can solve their problems? This is the thinking behind Gokul’s team-building strategy.
About the Guest:
As a technology executive, investor, and civic leader, Harini Gokul, Head of Customer Success at AWS, is a recognized thought leader in leveraging cloud solutions to accelerate customer transformation. With a 20-year history of progressive leadership roles at Microsoft, Amazon and IBM, she has built, grown, and scaled cloud businesses, and served as a key force in helping drive cloud strategy, adoption, and enablement on a worldwide basis for customers, ranging from Fortune 500 enterprises to startups. In addition to her primary focus on customer success and go-to-market strategy, she has led numerous policies, programs, and outreach efforts aimed at building trust in the cloud and addressing data privacy, ethics, and security challenges associated with these ll emerging technologies. She is also extensively involved in community leadership and the field of social impact, serving as an elected member of the Medina City Council and donating extensive time to accelerate the success of technology firms founded by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. She is a keynote speaker on accelerating women in the workplace.
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