Parul Bhandari on Building Scalable Customer Success

You’ve also driven major expansion revenue through CX. How can Customer Success teams unlock upsell and growth opportunities?

Parul Bhandari: CS is perfectly poised for growing revenue, whether we like it or not.  This is actually the base of a course I just created, called “Sell like a CSM”.  It is all about driving revenue from an organic, customer-led lens.  Why is CS so great at this – due to the trust and relationships that we build.  

The conversations we have are warm leads and lead to better sales experiences.  CSMs need to be enabled, though—going back to my first key point—to drive success in this space.  Without it, it is unfair to expect them to learn this art and science.

Having built strong CS functions from the ground up, what elements separate a high-performing team from the rest?

Parul Bhandari: 

“Performance may be the sum of many external enablers for success.” –  Parul Bhandari, Author & CEO, CustomerXSuccess

High-performing teams have a few key elements in place.  

• Communication – they do not leave thoughts on the table and open the space for ideas and growth.  
• Time – they know what they need to do when, and have time for creativity and focus on work.
• Incentives – they are incentivized by what matters and given the credit and pay they are due.  
• Top-down buy-in – the team has responsibility and respect from other teams.  
• A leader who listens – they have managers who are in touch, hear them, and advocate for them.

Outsourcing is often overlooked in CS. What benefits have you observed when companies partner with external providers to support their customers?

Parul Bhandari: 

“Outsourcing can help you drive scale and growth, with fast time to value, and less overhead. ” – Parul Bhandari, Author & CEO, CustomerXSuccess.

• Scale without sacrificing cost- Sometimes you just cannot afford a full-time head, which is a great reason to supplement your team.
• You need short-term help- Some projects and initiatives that require focused work, like workshops, are best enabled with outsourced resources.  Building from within may take time and effort. 
• You need special skills- have you ever thought, ‘I wish I knew this’?  Well, chances are—someone does, and it can be outsourced to achieve a goal. 
• Time to learn and grow- Many times, managers cannot manage, lead, review, coach, or train teams… There are many hats to wear, so even managers can learn and grow from outsourced consultants.  

As an outsourced leader, I have been the leader on the team, an external player or a team player (supporting a leader), and both models have been a way to enable success and growth.

Looking ahead, how can outsourcing and Customer Success together create scalable growth and stronger retention?

Parul Bhandari: Scale and growth come when you consider your margins and costs.  Margins are based on productivity, efficiency, and utilization, among other metrics.  If you expend your manager’s energy, you may lose time or efficiency elsewhere, and that can cost you. Bringing in outsourced resources to Customer Success is a way to level up without adding heavy, full-time resources.  

Especially as teams are asked to do more with AI and fewer resources, outsourcing can be a great way to quickly drive scale and efficiency, and sustain that over a period of growth.

Summary

With more than two decades in the tech and services industry, Parul Bhandari reflects on the experiences that shaped her Customer Success journey. She believes real success begins with training, open communication, and supporting people to bring their full selves to work. 

Her 95% retention rate, she says, came from strong teamwork across departments — from sales to product to marketing. Parul also highlights how trust-based relationships naturally lead to growth and upsell opportunities. 

According to her, high-performing teams thrive when they feel heard, valued, and supported. She adds that outsourcing can be a smart way to scale operations, manage costs, and maintain quality without overloading internal teams.