Monday Guest Angeliki Bekyra-Y3-W19
Get to know Angeliki Bekyra
By: Mohammed Alqaq | May 06, 2024 | Year 3 – Week 19/2024
Hi Middle East Customer Success community!
I’m Angeliki, and I specialize in guiding SaaS companies to thrive through effective customer success strategies. Currently serving as the VP of Support and Customer Success at DreamClass, a cloud-based School Management System tailored for educational organizations, I have a proven track record of driving business growth and success by placing the customer at the center of everything we do.
My commitment to customer satisfaction extends beyond conventional practices, as I passionately address needs, foster loyalty, and transform customers into brand advocates.
With extensive experience in edtech, I am passionate on digitalizing educational institutions, unlocking their full potential for growth and innovation.
I was born in Sparta, Greece and I love everything about nature. In my free time, you will find me hiking mountains or diving in the sea.
We asked Angeliki to take us through a journey telling us about her career path, how she spends her workday, what advice she can share with someone starting as a customer success manager, and many other questions.
Enjoy reading this interview
Table of Contents
Tell us about your career path?
I earned my degree in Business Planning & Information Systems and swiftly immersed myself in entrepreneurial ventures, frequently joining startup teams. Through participation in numerous startup weekends, I gained recognition for my presentations, often receiving awards. My professional journey commenced in customer success, where I initially focused on onboarding and supporting customers in telematics software, despite being unfamiliar with the concept of “customer success” at the time.
Transitioning to customer support, I later secured a customer success position at Epignosis, an edtech scale-up, where I had the privilege of learning, experimenting, and scaling alongside the customer success team. ultimately pioneering the establishment of the first customer success operations role. Since then, I’ve remained deeply involved with startups, leveraging customer success strategies to drive business growth and facilitate operational scalability.
How did you join Customer Success?
Although my initial role was in customer success, I was unfamiliar with the concept at the time. It wasn’t until I joined Epignosis and officially took on a customer success front line position that I began to understand its profound impact. Recognizing the importance of a robust customer success strategy, I immersed myself in learning more about the field.
I spent extensive time reading, engaging with the community, and experimenting with various ideas to create a scalable and valuable customer success operation. This journey ultimately led to the creation of a dedicated customer success role for myself, as I worked to implement innovative approaches that would enhance the customer experience and drive sustainable growth for the company. As a firm advocate of lifelong learning, I am continuously engaged in reading, testing, and experimenting with new strategies.
How would you describe the ideal CSM candidate?
The role of a Customer Success Manager (CSM) is multifaceted, requiring a diverse range of skills and characteristics for success. While technical skills are essential, what sets an exceptional candidate apart are their soft skills, which are often inherent and more challenging to cultivate. Aspiring candidates should embody patience, active listening, empathy, adaptability, and a strong willingness to learn.
Having these soft skills already embedded accelerates the onboarding process and ensures success in the role. Technical skills can be trained, but possessing strong soft skills from the outset sets the foundation for delivering exceptional customer experiences, fostering business growth, and nurturing enduring client relationships. Ultimately, the ideal CSM harmonizes creativity and logic, leveraging their innate soft skills to navigate challenges with finesse and achieve outstanding results.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out as a Customer Success Manager?
Embrace honesty in every interaction: with yourself, your manager, and your customers. View your limitations as pathways to growth, directing your efforts towards areas in need of improvement. When unsure, prioritize transparency with customers—request time to verify information, guaranteeing accurate responses. Avoid sweeping issues under the rug, as they may resurface later to haunt you.
View your limitations as pathways to growth, directing your efforts towards areas in need of improvement.
Can you take us on a journey describing what your workday looks like?
Each morning, I rise early, kickstart my day with a shower, and power up my laptop to tackle the quick and repetitive tasks. After this, I take a brief break for a walk and a cup of coffee.
This pause allows me to clear my mind and recharge, ensuring that I’m ready to tackle the more complex tasks with focus and clarity.
What makes you feel inspired or motivated?
People.
Engaging in meaningful interactions, actively listening to understand their needs, aspirations, ideas, and challenges is always a great source of motivation and inspiration for me.
What’s one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?
People often have “wow” moments when they discover my diverse range of interests and experiences. From holding a boat driving license and being a diver to possessing extensive knowledge of the automotive industry and having been a member of a wrestling team for many years.
Who do you look up to the most?
My mother. Despite facing tough times, challenges, and changes, she always wears a smile and bravely takes the next steps forward inspiring those around her with her unwavering positivity and determination. It is this resilience and smile that’s needed in a customer facing environment.
What are your top 3 priorities now?
These are my top 3 priorities:
Enhance the resources and playbooks for my external projects in Customer Success consulting
Upgrading CS tech infrastructure to better serve customers. This includes enhancing tech stack and integrating AI tools into our daily customer success operations.
Scale the support team in DreamClass – We’re currently hiring so feel free to reach out if you’re looking for a new opportunity.
What advice would you give to Customer Success Managers to grow and develop their careers?
Embrace lifelong learning through diverse mediums like books, podcasts, and more, while staying adaptable to the swiftly evolving landscape of change.
What’s your favorite book, and why?
It’s tough to pick only one. I enjoy reading philosophy and psychology books, as I firmly believe that understanding oneself is fundamental to nurturing meaningful relationships with others. If there’s one book I would recommend for CSMs out there, it would be Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh as it speaks about culture, empathy and how really caring for what you do is communicated to the customers and brings great results.
» Check out the 10 Books a CSM should read to advance and improve their skills.
Have you had your “I’ve made it” moment yet?
I’m driven by the pursuit of continuous growth and pushing beyond boundaries. Thus, the concept of a singular “I’ve made it” moment doesn’t quite align with my mindset.
One of the standout moments in my career was receiving a letter of appreciation from a highly occupied CTO. This acknowledgment remains a powerful validation of my dedication and the impact of my work.
What should I have asked you but didn’t?
What do I like the most in customer success?
Maya Angelou said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Customer success is all about how you make people feel when they interact with an organization. It’s about the sense of connection, trust, and fulfillment they experience. For me, there’s an indescribable satisfaction in guiding individuals through the onboarding journey, witnessing their excitement as they quickly grasp the value our products offer. It’s about more than just features; it’s about making a meaningful difference in their lives and helping them achieve their goals. That’s what truly fuels my passion for customer success.
Where can people go to find out more about you?
I’d be happy to connect on Linkedin, It’s a great place to start meaningful conversations.
Thank you, Angeliki, for sharing your knowledge and for the opportunity to know you more.
Do you have a Customer Success Leader, Expert, or Influencer you would like to know more about?
