This case describes the evolution of the customer success function through the rise of Gainsight. It discusses the responsibilities of the customer success function, measuring and compensating customer success teams, and the return on investment for adding a customer success organization. It also describes some of the different forms customer success can take across firms.
This case traces the journey of the AXA group, one of the top three insurance providers globally from 2016 to 2019 under the leadership of newly appointed CEO, Thomas Buberl. During this period, the insurance industry faced strong headwinds - persistent low interest rates, weak financial markets, evolving customer expectations, new types of risks associated with cyber, health and natural catastrophes, as well as widespread disruption from the new breed of insurtech players. Buberl's strategy rested on two pillars - focus to drive efficiency in the company's core business and transform to prepare it for the digital age by developing new capabilities and value propositions to allow it to shift from a payer-to-partner business model. Buberl's biggest move, contrary to market expectations, was a pivot in AXA's portfolio from life and savings to commercial property and casualty (P&C), achieved through the US$15.3 billion acquisition of US-based XL Group, making AXA the largest P&C player globally. Other moves included increasing its focus on the health insurance segment, accelerating growth in Asia, and launching a new business unit - AXA Next - to build an innovation ecosystem focused on developing services and business models beyond insurance. However, competition from both traditional insurers and niche players was intense as a wave of M&As swept across the industry. The rules of the game were changing fast. Could AXA maintain its leadership position? And if so, how?
P. N. Gadgil Jewellers Private Limited, based in India, was formed from the most recent separation of the original Gadgil family business, whose origins dated back to the 18th century. The company's gold, silver, and diamond jewellery were all sold under the P. N. Gadgil (PNG) brand. The company expanded from six stores and revenue of ₹13 billion in 2012 to 26 stores and revenue of ₹21 billion in 2016. Although the company focused on professionalizing the business operations by recruiting professionals and adopting new systems and processes, more work was needed to fully achieve a separate identity. Repeated instances of unsatisfactory customer experiences, which had occurred at the other Gadgil family businesses, were having a negative impact on the company's brand image. What strategy could the company follow to differentiate its own PNG brand from the other Gadgil businesses? Should it pursue an expensive brand valuation and hold the other family business to a contractual agreement that disallowed the use of the PNG brand name? Would the other businesses consent to such an agreement?
In May 2016, three scientists from Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology were preparing for a meeting with several managers from the institute's technology transfer department. The three scientists were planning to commercialize a new technology they had created, and hoped to use their invention to launch a new company as a spinoff from their work at the institute. However, because the scientists had created the technology while working at the institute, the technology was legally owned by the institute. The focus of their meeting with the institute's management was (1) to plan for the protection of their invention by registering relevant patents and (2) to discuss the terms for a suitable agreement between both parties. The scientists wanted to clarify how they might be able to use the technology to launch their spinoff company. Specifically, they were eager to determine their rights to the patents that would be registered for their intellectual property. They hoped the meeting would clarify any conflicts between the interests of the scientists and those of the university, and would determine the party responsible for costs related to protecting the intellectual property.
Recruiting women directors can create positive feedback loops that pave the way for future diversity, and strengthen a board's role in supporting long-term innovation and creativity.
By 2020, Ren Zhengfei, CEO of Huawei, had transformed the small telephone switch manufacturer he founded in 1987 into a $120 billion telecommunications company poised to lead the lucrative rollout of fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks. However, an emerging U.S.-China tech war has jeopardized Huawei's prospects. The Trump administration is waging a global campaign to blacklist doing business with Huawei due to concerns in Washington about the company's relationship with the Chinese government and the security of its products. As Huawei attempts to answer the litany of questions being asked about its business, the company's corporate communications and government relations strategies are thrust onto center stage. How can a company so successful technologically-it is a global leader in 5G technology-struggle so mightily in telling its story? What would it take for Huawei to repair its relationship with Washington? Can Huawei protect itself from the crossfire of a growing digital cold war between the U.S. and China?
Villeroy & Boch is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in Europe, still controlled by the founding families, though with a public listing. Its specialty is ceramics, divided into bathroom fittings and tableware. At the time of writing the case study, demand was falling for traditional ceramic dining sets, but the business was continuing to grow as a whole. It was displaying considerable ability to automate and modernize in production, gaining efficiency improvements, and to use innovative designs and digital media to appeal to younger customers. It has committed to reduce its environmental impact through lower energy usage and recycling. It retained many features of responsible ownership, for example staying committed to the community in which it originated, maintaining significant manufacturing presence in Germany, and significant philanthropic activities in the region. There were hundreds of family owners, with the 10th generation starting to become involved in the business.
Based in Mwanza, Tanzania, family-owned and operated Exotic Expeditions Tanzania Ltd. was a leading tour operator in East Africa. The company was purchased in December 2014 and experienced considerable success the following year. The owners felt that there was an opportunity for growth within the company and believed that the best way to realize this growth was to improve their marketing efforts and service offerings. The family wanted to remain profitable and reach the company's goal of offering the best service in the industry while increasing revenue by 25 per cent within the next three years. To do this, the owners had to reach a consensus on the best marketing plan to help them differentiate against numerous competitors and continue to deliver optimal service offerings.
On November 21, 2018, the Italian luxury fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) cancelled a show that was scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China, after controversial video advertisements and private Instagram messages, allegedly sent by Stefano Gabbana himself, went viral. The videos were seen by many to be racist, and they resulted in subsequent boycotts by Chinese celebrities and consumers. As D&G struggled to regain market share in China and suffered huge financial losses, major Chinese e-commerce companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Limited and JD.com Inc. joined the boycott by dropping the brand from their platforms. The Chinese luxury market was large and growing, and experts warned that the brand's profits would suffer from this mistake. What mitigation strategy or actions could D&G undertake to repair the damage done to its reputation, especially in China?
The chief commissioner of the New South Wales branch of the Scout Association of Australia (Scouts NSW) was appointed in mid-2016, and the last couple of years had presented many challenges. The strategic plan inherited from the last chief commissioner had effected some positive changes across the organization, but the membership numbers were still in a declining trend. While the organization was not in dire financial straits, current operations were not only unsustainable but also affecting the organization's ability to deliver the quality values-based programs that Scouts had once been well known for. For the next three years (2019-2021), Scouts NSW would need an innovative strategic plan that addressed marketing, revenue generation, and capital repositioning while respecting the organization's not-for-profit, youth-focused, and values-based structure.
The chief commissioner of the New South Wales branch of the Scout Association of Australia (Scouts NSW) was appointed in mid-2016, and the last couple of years had presented many challenges. The strategic plan inherited from the last chief commissioner had effected some positive changes across the organization, but the membership numbers were still in a declining trend. While the organization was not in dire financial straits, current operations were not only unsustainable but also affecting the organization’s ability to deliver the quality values-based programs that Scouts had once been well known for. For the next three years (2019–2021), Scouts NSW would need an innovative strategic plan that addressed marketing, revenue generation, and capital repositioning while respecting the organization’s not-for-profit, youth-focused, and values-based structure.
Based in Mwanza, Tanzania, family-owned and operated Exotic Expeditions Tanzania Ltd. was a leading tour operator in East Africa. The company was purchased in December 2014 and experienced considerable success the following year. The owners felt that there was an opportunity for growth within the company and believed that the best way to realize this growth was to improve their marketing efforts and service offerings. The family wanted to remain profitable and reach the company’s goal of offering the best service in the industry while increasing revenue by 25 per cent within the next three years. To do this, the owners had to reach a consensus on the best marketing plan to help them differentiate against numerous competitors and continue to deliver optimal service offerings.
On November 21, 2018, the Italian luxury fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) cancelled a show that was scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China, after controversial video advertisements and private Instagram messages, allegedly sent by Stefano Gabbana himself, went viral. The videos were seen by many to be racist, and they resulted in subsequent boycotts by Chinese celebrities and consumers. As D&G struggled to regain market share in China and suffered huge financial losses, major Chinese e-commerce companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Limited and JD.com Inc. joined the boycott by dropping the brand from their platforms. The Chinese luxury market was large and growing, and experts warned that the brand's profits would suffer from this mistake. What mitigation strategy or actions could D&G undertake to repair the damage done to its reputation, especially in China?
In December 2016, two years after the founding of Medicloud, a Singapore-based start-up that offered a medical appointment-booking application, the founder and chief executive officer recognized that the start-up had yet to monetize. A decision regarding a pivot was imminent. He also recognized that there were new opportunities in the areas of employee benefits and insurance for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He needed to answer two pressing questions before the company’s initial funding ran out: Should the start-up pivot to serve SMEs? If so, what kind of products and services should it offer to the SMEs?
In December 2016, two years after the founding of Medicloud, a Singapore-based start-up that offered a medical appointment-booking application, the founder and chief executive officer recognized that the start-up had yet to monetize. A decision regarding a pivot was imminent. He also recognized that there were new opportunities in the areas of employee benefits and insurance for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He needed to answer two pressing questions before the company's initial funding ran out: Should the start-up pivot to serve SMEs? If so, what kind of products and services should it offer to the SMEs?
Evidence based medicine (EBM) requires a level of maturity in the processes, both clinical and non-clinical, which is gained typically over years through consistent deliberate efforts. It is argued that the role of clinical leadership is critical to this. In addition, challenges of implementing EBM are easiest to surmount in single location organizations but complicate considerably when there are multiple distributed locations. While EBM is gaining momentum in health care systems of more developed countries, examples of successful implementation are few in India. Indian institutions face the unique challenge of sorting through multiple bases of foreign evidence (differing guidelines in the UK and U.S.) in addition to domestic evidence covering interventions less frequently used outside of India. The Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) is a pioneer in cancer care and research in India. Over several decades, they have developed an indigenous approach to development and implementation of Evidence based medicine, which has catapulted them into leading cancer hospitals in the world. Set in March 2016, this case study describes TMC's journey thus far with particular emphasis on changes in organizational design as key enablers. TMC's next frontier is to propagate this model of clinical excellence to other cancer hospitals in India through the formation of National Cancer Grid. The key challenge confronting Dr. Rajendra Badwe, Director of TMC, is can these other hospitals accelerate their journey based on the learnings from TMC or whether they will have to customize their approach based on their own operating context. More broadly, which elements of TMC's clinical excellence model are replicable in other hospitals and what organizational changes would be required to implement them.