Report:

The Forrester Wave™: Customer Success Platforms, Q4 2023

Top Vendor Products for Customer Success Platforms in 2023

• Gainsight

Customer Success Platforms Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

• Gainsight - Leaders
  

  Pros:

  • Depth and breadth of integrated toolset including native AI capabilities, customer community, and customer education
  • Top score for success planning with 'Success Snapshot' feature for creating branded executive business review presentations
  • Strong thought leadership and high marks for community efforts
  • Refreshed more than 80% of platform with additional improvements planned
  • Roadmap includes partner success enablement and collaborative workspaces

  Cons:

  • Significant complexity that impacts user experience
  • UI described as clunky and outdated by reference customers
  • Initial customer journey execution and updates are complex and laborious
  • Vision hindered by legacy of complexity and high costs
  • Requires full-time administrator and supporting resources for ongoing platform management


• ChurnZero - Strong Performers
  

  Pros:

  • Wide range of strong in-app capabilities from surveys and announcements to guided tours and in-app collaboration centers ('success centers')
  • In-app experience described as 'game changer' by reference customers
  • Vision to position chief customer officer for increased responsibility and impact
  • Strategy extends into enterprise with focus on predictive forecasting
  • Roadmap includes continued investments in generative AI and prescriptive analytics

  Cons:

  • Reporting and playbooks need more customization abilities and configuration simplicity
  • Setting up plays is time-consuming and complicated according to reference customers
  • Limited details on execution of vision to make CS teams most sophisticated in enterprise


• Gainsight - Strong Performers
  

  Pros:

  • Wide range of strong in-app capabilities from surveys and announcements to guided tours and in-app collaboration 'success centers'
  • Visualization of customer path worth the configuration effort
  • Focus on predictive forecasting enhancements
  • Continued investments in generative AI and prescriptive analytics on roadmap

  Cons:

  • Reporting needs more customization abilities
  • Playbook configuration lacks simplicity
  • Setting up plays is time-consuming and complicated


• Totango - Strong Performers
  

  Pros:

  • Modular SuccessBLOC programs provide pre-built customer journey programs for faster time to value
  • Integrated, schema-less data model provides flexibility for journey orchestration, reporting, and portfolio management
  • Ability to create custom foundations specific to business needs
  • Modules allow for changes without reconfiguration of other components
  • Acquired Lou for no-code in-product experience and digital adoption (Totango in-app)

  Cons:

  • Flexibility contributes to lack of simplicity
  • Reference customers desire more plug-and-play options to limit configuration needs
  • Need for more guidance on scalability and enforced governance across teams
  • Totango in-app was in closed beta and not reviewed at time of evaluation


• Catalyst Software - Contenders
  

  Pros:

  • Strong journey-builder tool with ability to progress customers through customized journeys by segment, line of business, or industry
  • Customer progression defined by goal or milestone achievement
  • Can be fully automated for digital-led motions or manual for high-touch engagements
  • Vision centers on customer-led growth strategy

  Cons:

  • Survey capabilities lag significantly - data must be brought in through custom Salesforce object requiring additional mapping
  • NPS surveys can only be sent through playbook emails requiring more configuration
  • Falls short on integrations compared to competitors
  • Reference customers noted need for conversational intelligence tool integrations
  • Innovation and roadmap investments require catch-up on AI and automation capabilities


• ClientSuccess - Contenders
  

  Pros:

  • Easy to implement with fast time to value
  • Robust onboarding process with outlined milestones
  • Pricing strategy makes it less costly to add users, encouraging cross-functional collaboration
  • AI functionality SmartCS shows promise in analyzing and summarizing data for success and risk indicators
  • Built to support simplicity and ease-of-use
  • Solid solution accessible to smaller and midsize customers

  Cons:

  • Lacks enterprise functionality
  • Reference customers want additional mapping capabilities to Salesforce objects
  • Need for more granularity in alert features
  • Desire for more out-of-the-box integrations that are self-serve instead of requiring API and developer support
  • Innovation lags compared to vision and detailed roadmap


• Planhat - Contenders
  

  Pros:

  • Flexibility to bring in data from any tool in tech stack with central filter library across all data models
  • Library of over 150 out-of-the-box automation options
  • Data can be leveraged to develop and automate sophisticated workflows and playbooks
  • Pricing based on number of accounts managed with unlimited user licenses
  • High marks for support and thought leadership from reference customers

  Cons:

  • Outsized and overly ambitious vision to be next generation CRM may be too broad
  • Reference customers noted disconnect between modules causing lack of consistency and flow across platform
  • Automation options require customization
  • Notably lacking investments in broader AI functionality
  • Vision focuses on solving broader challenges beyond just customer success


• Vitally - Contenders
  

  Pros:

  • Simplified implementation experience with hands-on support for fast time to value
  • Solid workflow and automation capabilities
  • Newly launched HUBS provide dedicated workspaces for different motions, segments, or processes
  • Playbooks leverage visual automation builder with branching logic
  • Raised $30M Series B funding in February 2023 for growth expansion

  Cons:

  • Lacks feature parity with competitors
  • Customer journey building described as 'rudimentary' by reference customers
  • UI needs improvement - too much 'clicking around' to find information
  • Vision and approach to innovation lag and are undifferentiated
  • Roadmap lacks specific details and includes capabilities already on market


• SmartKarrot - Challengers
  

  Pros:

  • Wide array of out-of-the-box integrations including major CRM, financial solutions, and collaboration tools
  • Modular pricing options allow customers to choose best option and add components as needed
  • Simple to use with simplified data management
  • Reference customers gave accolades for support levels

  Cons:

  • Weaker in strategy, vision, and innovation compared to others in evaluation
  • Survey module features are basic and lack out-of-the-box templates
  • Reference customers desire more advanced data calculation capabilities for health scoring
  • Need for more granular filters across the tool
  • Roadmap light on details, mainly focuses on SmartOps and SmartKonversation
  • Youngest vendor in evaluation (founded 2018)

Reference

• Forrester, The Forrester Wave™: Customer Success Platforms, Q4 2023, 06-Nov-2023, ID RES178446

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