Creating a Customer Experience Playbook for New Products

I've developed 3 prompts that will help CS leaders: - Create a comprehensive customer maturity model tailored to your product - Generate executive-level business reviews from your customer's perspective - Design personalized success plans based on actual customer outcomes —- Prompt 1: Custom Maturity Model Builder "I need to create a customer maturity model for [your product type], which helps [brief description of what your product does]. Our most successful customers typically achieve these outcomes: [Outcome one], [Outcome two], [Outcome three] Please follow these steps: 1) Create a 5-stage maturity model (Baseline, Developing, Established, Advanced, Leading) 2) For each stage, define: - Key capabilities customers should have developed - Typical usage patterns you would expect to see - Business outcomes they should be achieving - Common challenges they face at this stage - Recommended next steps to advance to the next level 3) Include specific metrics that indicate which stage a customer belongs in 4) Provide 2-3 key questions CSMs should ask to assess a customer's current stage" —- Prompt 2: Executive Business Review Generator "You are the CIO/CFO/CRO of [customer company]. You've been using our solution [your product] for [time period]. Create an executive summary of what you would expect to see in a business review, including: 1) The business challenges that led you to purchase our solution 2) The metrics you personally care about seeing in this review 3) How you would want success to be measured and presented 4) Strategic initiatives for the coming quarter that our solution should support 5) Concerns or obstacles you anticipate that might prevent full value realization" —- Prompt 3: Outcome-Based Success Plan Creator "I'm developing a success plan for [customer name] who uses our [product] to achieve [primary goal]. Their key stakeholders include: [Role one]: Focused on [objective] [Role two]: Focused on [objective] [Role three]: Focused on [objective] Based on their industry ([industry]) and company size ([size]), please: 1) Identify 3-5 specific business outcomes they should prioritize in the next 90 days 2) For each outcome, outline: - The measurable definition of success - Required capabilities they need to develop - Key milestones on the path to achieving this outcome - Resources and support they'll need from our team 3) Suggest a timeline that aligns with typical business cycles in their industry 4) Include how to measure and demonstrate the business impact of each outcome" —- These prompts are designed to create standardized, scalable approaches that still feel personalized to each customer's unique situation. They help your CS team elevate conversations from product features to business outcomes. What CS processes are you currently using AI to enhance?

If you deploy it, they will come. Nope. They won’t. Too many companies release new features and assume customers will just find them, use them, and love them. Reality? Half the time customers don’t even know the feature exists. New product ≠ instant adoption. If you want customers to actually use what you’ve built, you need a rollout strategy. If you are getting ready to release and roll out new product into your software, here’s how to do it right: 1️⃣ Announce with intention Don’t bury it in release notes. Create a clear, customer-facing announcement that explains what it is and why it matters. 2️⃣ Educate customers Offer videos, walkthroughs, and guides tailored to different learning styles. 3️⃣ Enable through practice Run webinars, workshops, or sandbox sessions where customers can actually try it. 4️⃣ Empower champions Identify and activate customer advocates who can showcase real use cases. 5️⃣ Measure adoption Track who’s using it, how, and what value they’re seeing. Use that feedback to refine. 6️⃣ Keep reinforcing Fold it into business reviews, customer stories, and ongoing comms so it becomes part of the core product experience. If you don’t guide customers to it, your ‘big release’ is just another hidden button. How does your company roll out new features today? What have you seen work really well?

If I was launching your next product, here's the plan I would follow: It would take 16 weeks acceleratedl and I'd ignore anyone pushing for shortcuts. Most launches sputter and fail to meet expectations because teams get distracted by things like launch parties while skipping the boring-but-critical groundwork. Pulling off a successful launch means paying attention to EVERY detail. Over the years, I've built and refined this framework across dozens of launches. This is a high level version of my playbook. 1. MARKET ANALYSIS Analyze your target landscape thoroughly before designing a single asset. I've watched too many brands jump into creative work without understanding who they're competing against or why their product matters. 2. SALES ENABLEMENT Give your sales team the tools they actually need - not just pretty slides, but things like pre-sales materials, product knowledge training and objection guides for buyers and a compliant buyer sampling cadence. 3. RETAIL PARTNERSHIPS Sort out your shelf displays, merchandising units, and pricing strategy early. The physical pieces have long lead times - a reality that hits many brands in a panic three weeks before launch. 4. DIGITAL PRESENCE Make sure your product detaills; photography, naming conventions are consistent and compelling across Weedmaps Jane Technologies, Inc. , Leafly and your own platforms. There are a few SEO tricks too. I'm amazed how many brands mess this up. 5. EDUCATION PROGRAM Your budtenders make or break your launch. Create training modules on Seed Talent and SparkPlug they'll remember and incentive programs that actually motivate them to recommend your product. 6. CONSUMER JOURNEY Map out every single touchpoint from first impression to post-purchase. Each one needs to reinforce your key message and move consumers along a clear path. 7. AMPLIFICATION Get your social and PR engines running in a way that creates momentum your sales team can leverage when talking to buyers. I have a painfully detailed 16-week launch spreadsheet that maps every deliverable, deadline, and responsibility. I’ve been building on this and refining it for years. Those "boring details" everyone rolls their eyes at - UPC codes, compliance updates, inventory forecasting - usually determine whether you succeed or fail. What pieces are you pulling together for your next launch, and how far ahead have you started?