The CS Café Spotlight: Zoya Levin - Insights from a Passionate Customer Success Leader

In this insightful interview, I had the privilege of discussing with Zoya Levin, a passionate and driven professional making waves in the field of customer success.

Get ready to dive into her journey, aspirations, and top priorities in both her professional and personal life.

From Tel Aviv to Customer Success

Where are you from?

Zoya: Tel Aviv, Israel.

How did you join Customer Success?

Zoya: I discovered the power of customer success when I realized how much my actions could positively influence both customers and the company.

That's when I made the switch to customer-facing roles, and my journey in this field began.

Overcoming Challenges and Learning Lessons

What are some of the biggest mistakes you've made in your career and what did you learn from them?

Zoya: When I switched to the high-tech industry, I took a lower-level job because I felt pressured to find a job quickly.

Even though I should have stayed focused on what I really wanted.

Can you share a story about a particularly challenging Customer Success situation you faced and how you overcame it?

Zoya: One of my customers at my previous companies had performance issues with their laser system.

That made it hard for them to execute procedures accurately.

After our technical support team tried to solve the issue with no results, I decided to take a closer look at how they were using the system and how it was set up.

Working with our support team, we found that the system wasn't calibrated correctly for what they required, which was causing the issues.

We made a unique plan to fix the calibration, and it worked. We used data to determine what was wrong and set up a creative solution.

This helped us regain their trust.

And for me to show that I'm always trying to do better to help them succeed.

Essential Qualities and the Future of Customer Success

What do you think are the most important qualities for someone in Customer Success to possess?

Zoya: Empathy and willingness to go the extra mile to help not only your customers but your team members as well.

Proactive and results-oriented - take initiative, and look at the final outcome that you want to achieve as a beacon to guide you.

Flexibility, agility, and adaptability - these are important traits of a CSM, especially because of the super-fast-paced environment they operate in, they have to be able to assess the situation quickly and react.

How do you see CS evolving in the upcoming years?

Zoya: I think there's still not enough discussion about the collaboration between CS and Sales and how important it is to sell to the right customer.

I mean, if a Sales Director/VP Sales was responsible for churn then the target market would be different and therefore they would collaborate more with CS.

I also think that there will be more CS tools based on AI.

And the approach will become more digitalized so we can better understand customer behavior and streamline processes.

Challenges, Passions, and Priorities

What's your top challenge at the moment?

Zoya: I believe my biggest challenge right now is finding a new opportunity that aligns with my skills, experience, and career goals.

However, the recent period has been an exciting opportunity for me to grow and explore different areas.

For example, I took an "Intro to Data Science" course, which expanded my knowledge enormously.

If there was one thing you would love to stop doing at work, what would it be?

Zoya: Juggling conflicting internal priorities that delay customer success efforts.

What are you most passionate about?

Zoya: Making the most positive effect on my life and the lives of people around me, family, friends, and coworkers as a result of my actions.

Being physically active and always progressing – personally and professionally. I am also passionate about volunteering - I have volunteered for years with Holocaust survivors and I am an active contributor to an animal shelter in Tel Aviv.

Where do you see yourself in 1 year? 5, 10 years?

Zoya: I would love to become a Head of a CS Department in an exceptional company and make a real positive impact on the company's growth, my personal and professional development, and the growth of my team members.

I would also love to embark on a journey of building a family and traveling more.

What are your top 3 priorities at the moment both from a professional and personal perspective?

Zoya: Career development, that aligns with my skills and long-term goals.

Personal growth and well-being.

Staying physically active and improving performance.

Building and fostering a strong support system – personally and professionally.

Recommended Resources and Advice

Why did you join my newsletter? Was it helpful? If so, how? Can you share an example of its impact on you?

Zoya: I found your newsletter through a CS community.

It was super helpful and I have learned many new things.

For example, thanks to your recommendation, I bought the amazing book "Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini.

It had a profound impact on my life and reaffirmed my chosen path.

Furthermore, in your other podcast, The Success Pod, I have found my constant companion for my workouts in the park – nothing like a motivational speech to encourage you to make an extra effort!

Talents, hobbies?

Zoya: I absolutely love learning new things.

So I am constantly in the middle of some interesting project.

I am a skipper - nothing beats sailing vacations in Greece every summer, a sommelier (wine tastings anyone?), and an amateur photographer (love my Nikon!).

And I have studied culinary arts at the Cordon Bleu.

2 years ago I started playing tennis, in addition to pilates, yoga, and strength training. So, Serena here I come ;-)

Any other books, shows, or podcasts you'd recommend to the CS Café audience?

Zoya: I would also recommend reading "Farm, Don't Hunt" by Guy Nirpaz from Totango.

Super professional and on point.

As for other shows, "CSM Practice" by Irit Eizips.

She has a massive quantity of useful interviews and tutorials with leading professionals in our industry.

Plus, she is a super nice and approachable person.

Not to mention incredibly professional, I would very much recommend subscribing to her channels.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Zoya: Always trust your gut.

Prioritize self-care and well-being, and don't let anyone make you feel like you are not enough.

Where can people find you?

Zoya: Here's my Linkedin profile. Let's connect!

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Thank you, Zoya for this awesome interview!!

-Hakan.

For more customer success insights and resources, check out The CS Café's archive, podcast, and community.