I believe that every interaction with a business/customer/partner/ is a human to human event, and should be treated with the respect that type of event deserves.
In Customer Success, this means that not only is it our job to figure out what the problem is, and come up with a solution, but to do so in a manner that is respectful, friendly, and human. We are not machines; it is okay to be friendly and personable to customers and clients, and even to make a friend throughout the interaction.
I truly believe that everyone has something interesting about them, and it's my job to find that thing and bring it to the surface. Try this out, and you'll see that you really do have the ability to bring fire and passion into peoples' eyes just from giving a damn. Make the grouchy old grocery store attendant smile when you get him to talk about his train set at home. Have fun with it, it's not magic, but it can be magical.
Every single touch point with a customer is an opportunity to wow them, and make an impact in their life, you have the power to make someone smile and remember the experience with fondness; Take advantage of that! Every contact we have with customers is an opportunity to plant a seed of loyalty that (if taken care of) will grow them into a fierce and loyal customer who will stop at nothing to get you more customers.
I believe that data is one of the most overlooked and underutilized resource that a business has access to. By collecting, maintaining, and analyzing data, any business in this world can leverage themselves into a situation where 1+1=3.
Whether it be page views, customer store visits, revenues, or how many calls per day (and to which customers!) a salesperson called, there is always going to be useful information in there somewhere; you just need to know where to look!
Most small businesses (this is definitely changing as growth hacking and data analytic companies are coming into their prime) don't track anything more than number of sales, and costs. They run their businesses off of gut instinct and their income sheet. Don't get me wrong, this works for some people, but the majority of small businesses could likely grow exponentially faster by utilizing their data in more meaningful ways.
Customer Success is driven by interested, empowered employees who love their job and have an honest-to-god passion for helping people. You can create an environment that engenders this passion by allowing employees to grow, learn, and enjoy what they do.
Customer Success is a company-culture based function, and requires that a company clearly defines who they are, and what their beliefs are. A few fantastic examples are the Automattic Creed and the Zappos 10 Core Values. Both of these documents are perfect demonstrations of how powerfully targeted internal culture can create an environment where employees drive happiness.
Passion is a circular thing. You have passion for something because it's fun, interesting, and makes you feel good, so in order to keep passion burning, a company should empower their employees to grow, learn, and feel good about what they do.