Spotlight: Carlos Hernandez @ Eppo

How has the role of CS changed since you started your career?

As I interview folks and talk to various leaders, I see that their definition of what CS should do is broad —everything from a back-office support function to a revenue-driving account manager role. When I first started, it was all about product usage and adoption. Now, I have a deeper focus on business impact and value. As your industry becomes more competitive and customers are more aware of options, your product or service must directly impact revenue or costs. It requires a unique blend of business acumen, industry knowledge, and a consultative approach to package a winning business case. So, in my opinion, it’s not a support or account manager role; it’s more of a top-tier consultant with strong execution skills.

Are there any Customer Success trends in 2025 you are keeping an eye on?

I’m unsure if this is a trend, but I’m always intrigued to hear how CS folks create, capture, and communicate value to their customers. Various tools, techniques, and schools of thought guarantee their way is the best. I’ve come to learn that there are no silver bullets. Every customer, industry, product, service, etc., is different, and a tool or technique that works well for one may not work for the other. Instead, I focus on building frameworks to guide me and the team and like to adjust them based on the value-add trends I see.

What do most people get wrong about CS?

I have a hot take that vendor-led QBRs waste everyone's time. At best, they highlight a few "interesting" insights and new features, but most of the time, they serve the vendor by saying, "Look at all the cool things we are doing for you." Instead, I've noticed a rise in joint customer-solution programs. These programs align tightly with the customer's quarterly OKRs, KPIs, milestones, and roadmap. The renewals are less about the number of seats, products, services, etc., and more about what needs to be accomplished over the next year and the resources needed to hit those targets. It seems so obvious, but people get it wrong all the time.

How do you foster a strong culture within your CS teams?

Since we are an early-stage company, the folks on my team are builders. They like to go into new territory and build brick-by-brick things from the ground up. It doesn't matter if they want to understand a new customer profile, find the value proposition for a new product, or develop a new playbook; they enjoy the challenge and opportunity of figuring things out. We've built a culture that understands and accepts failure as part of the building process. It's nothing more than a signal or feedback loop telling us to adjust the strategy or execution. It's my job to support, guide, and provide resources, then get out of the way. If things go as planned, great! If they don't, that's no problem. We reassess and develop a new plan —learn and keep it moving.