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November 17, 2020
Diversity & Inclusion
Values Made Real: How Gainsight Is Transforming the Future of Customer Success
Well over a year ago—before the pandemic shuttered their offices and sent everyone into a semi-permanent state of work-from-home—Robin Garcia-Amaya was sitting across from her boss, Gainsight CEO Nick Mehta, in his office, when he asked her what role Gainsight should play in the world of social impact.
<p>"He said, 'Given the inflection point that Gainsight is at as a business, how can we contribute to a better social and economic environment?'" remembers Robin.</p><p>As a Vice President and Head of Communications, as well as Nick's Chief of Staff, Robin knew this was her ball to take and run with, and she was excited by the challenge.</p><p>"I knew there was a unique opportunity to bring together something I care about, something the business needs, and quite frankly, something that any industry striving to be innovative in the future needs," she says.</p><p>Shortly thereafter, "Head of Global Corporate Philanthropy" was added to Robin's title, and a few months after that, Gainsight's <a href="https://www.gainsight.com/company/philanthropy/" target="_blank"><strong>CS</strong> YOU</a> program was born. </p><p>A project co-sponsored by educational technology company<a href="https://sv.academy/apply-now-csyou" target="_blank"> SV Academy</a>, the program's mission is to create opportunities for underrepresented minorities in Customer Success, first by training them and then by placing them in CS Associate roles at partner companies.</p><p>We sat down with Robin to learn more about how <strong>CS</strong> YOU works, why now was the right time to launch it, and what responsibility tech companies have to shape the industries they're creating.</p><h2>Recognizing the potential to transform</h2><p>Gainsight considers itself to be <em>the</em> Customer Success company. Their mission is "to be living proof that you can win in business while being human first." But Robin and her team recognized that their industry wasn't designed so that everyone can win. Customer Success is overwhelmingly white, with only 1% of CS manager roles held by Black people and 7% by Latinx people. "So we have a long way to go," says Robin.</p><p>Unequal representation is an issue in many fields, but an especially problematic one in Customer Success, which seeks to serve customers from all backgrounds. The pandemic made that point especially clear to the Gainsight team.</p><p>"We had already begun considering our Philanthropic efforts and how they might parallel with Gainsight's mission when the pandemic hit. As a first step, we offered free Customer Success training via our Pulse+ platform to anyone whose career was impacted by COVID-19. This was a start, but not comprehensive enough to tackle the skills gap many people face when entering a new industry," explains Robin. She, and her team, understood the need to identify, train, place, and mentor entry-level talent. And that this combination would benefit marginalized communities struggling to find entry into a growing field and the companies hiring them. "A more inclusive pool of talent, contributes to a better bottom line - it's the right thing to do, makes for a more innovative industry and is, quite literally, good for business," says Robin. </p><p>So Gainsight set out to do just that.</p><p><strong>CS</strong> YOU is a 15-month program that includes four weeks of training (valued at $10,000), an eight-week paid internship (where interns will make $10,000 and hopefully be offered a full-time placement after successful completion, with an average starting salary of $65,000) with one of Gainsight's 40-plus partner companies, and up to a year of coaching and mentoring after placement.</p><p>"<strong>CS</strong> YOU invests in the entire lifecycle of talent, from identifying, to training and placement, and then offers a full year of mentoring and coaching after full time placement," explains Robin.</p><p>The program's goal is to achieve $100 million in wage expansion for underrepresented minorities in the next three years. (If you'd like to apply, you can do so<a href="https://powertofly.com/jobs/detail/350100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a>.)</p><h2>When the right thing to do is also the smart thing to do</h2><p>Gainsight has invested significant time and money into <strong>CS</strong> YOU, but not because they're expecting any kind of fiscal return. "We serve as the connection point between SV Academy and the Customer Success industry to facilitate the partnership for companies looking to bring on diverse entry-level talent. The dollars raised never touch Gainsight and instead end up in the pockets of the beneficiaries—exactly where they should," explains Robin.</p><p>That doesn't mean that philanthropy isn't a sound business decision, though. Just the opposite. Per Robin, a company that invests in their community might see better employee retention, higher client satisfaction, and even more positive investor sentiment.</p><p>"There's a concept of return on philanthropy. The idea that strategic giving can increase business performance and profits" says Robin. "Investors recognize philanthropic investment as a future performance signal, customers and prospects expect companies to place roughly equal weight on business interest and society, and employees want opportunities to give and a sense of purpose. There's a sense of social reciprocity—where a social norm of responding to a positive action with another positive action is established." </p><p>That's especially true lately, notes Robin, as individuals and companies realize just how important it is to speak their values in the face of mounting racism and xenophobia. "The pandemic and the largest civil rights movement we've seen in recent history has shifted the climate," she says.</p><p>Gainsight has a particularly good opportunity to respond to the current environment and work to improve the diversity in their industry by investing in creating the training and pathing around entry-level CS roles, but Robin highlights that every company could be—and should be—doing something similar for their community. That's especially important for those companies that are forging new ground and determining what the shape of a new industry will look like.</p><p>"The challenge to any company who considers themselves a thought leader or category creator is a responsibility to make sure [your industry is] inclusive, and to ensure that as your community evolves, it does so in a direction that benefits <em>all</em> people," says Robin.</p><p>Building and managing <strong>CS</strong> YOU has allowed Gainsight to combine their DEI mission, company values, and commitment to their community and produce tangible results. They've already raised over one million dollars of sponsorship and launched their first cohort of associates, and are looking forward to continuing to expand their reach.</p><p>Robin and her team know that the program's successes are ultimately not for any one company's benefit, including their own, but rather part of driving towards a more inclusive industry. "The DEI equation is so much bigger than Gainsight," says Robin. "The world is incredibly diverse and we know, with the help of our partners, we can make a meaningful contribution to ensuring our industry better represents a place where <em>everyone </em>can win."</p><p><em>If you're interested in working for Gainsight, check out their open roles </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/gainsight-inc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>. If you'd like to apply to be part of </em><em><strong>CS</strong> </em><em>YOU, you can do so</em><a href="https://powertofly.com/jobs/detail/350100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> <em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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August 04, 2020
Slack Technologies Inc
Watch Our Virtual Conversation with Slack's Sales & Customer Success Leaders
Attention sales and customer success professionals! Watch the recording of our recent event with women leaders and male allies behind Slack, the collaboration platform that's the hub of the digital office, and discover what makes the company so successful.
This invite-only networking event included a keynote address, panel discussion, live audience Q&A, and interactive breakout sessions that provided a chance to speak directly to the Slack team.
Speakers from Slack included:
- Kim Beinborn, Head of Customer Success, AMER Central
- Mike Gong, Engagement Manager- Customer Success Go-to-Market
- Chandana Kaza, Technical Architect
- Kelly Bray, Sr. Director, Customer Success Scaled & Strategic Programs
Slack is hiring! Slack looks forward to connecting with curious, creative, and talented professionals to further expand their team.
July 23, 2020
Okta, Inc.
Watch Our Virtual Discussion with Okta
Did you know that more than 8,400 global brands use Okta, including Slack, Twilio, Teach for America, Major League Baseball, JetBlue, and T-Mobile? As a cloud-native company with a geographically-dispersed team and remote workforce, the company is improving productivity and security for a growing remote client base.
PowerToFly and Okta's women leaders and allies connected with attendees during our recent virtual event which featured a keynote address, panel discussion, and live audience Q&A.
Speakers from Okta included:
- Royze Adolfo, Head of Deal Strategy and Operations
- Lauren Bayly, Enterprise Account Executive
- Ann Marie Isleib, Senior Vice President, US Named Sales
- Allison Lai, Director, Corporate Sales
- Jaime Mehl, Senior Director, Sales Development
- Curtis Moore, Director, Named Accounts
Okta is hiring and gives clients one trusted platform to secure every identity in their organization, from their workforce to their customers. They've been named a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Access Management for the third consecutive year (the first vendor in the report's history to do so).
September 03, 2019
Checkr
A Look Back at Our Event with Checkr's Women Sales Leaders in Denver
On August 14th, PowerToFly was super stoked to present our first ever event in the great city of Denver. This event was also our third event with the groundbreaking company Checkr, the team that's revolutionizing the hiring process by streamlining background checks.
Hosted by PowerToFly Senior Diversity & Inclusion Executive (and Denver resident) Jamie Lipiner, the night included plenty of opportunities for Denver-based sales professionals to network over food and drinks while also enjoying a product demo and in-depth panel discussion.
Our impressive panel of Checkr women leaders, who were more than willing to answer our audience's questions, whether those queries were about our speakers' sales strategies or career journeys, included:
- Kristen Faris - Vice President, Industry Strategy
- Elizabeth Campos - Mid Market Account Executive
- Margie Lee-Johnson - Vice President, People
- Erin Bates - Senior Manager, Mid Market Sales
While this might be our first event in Denver, it certainly won't be our last!
<p>Checkr (<a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/checkr?utm_source=Maropost&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Checkr&utm_content=CheckrAugust2019" target="_blank">who is hiring</a>) is making waves with their innovative hiring process! They're a platform that makes it easy for thousands of customers to hire millions of people every year. Today, only five years after Checkr started, the company is running one million background checks per month for more than 10,000 customers, allowing them to create a more efficient hiring process. Their impressive list of clients include Lyft, Grubhub and Zillow.</p><p>Hello Denver! <a href="https://blog.powertofly.com/after-an-amazing-event-with-checkr-in-denver-were-excited-to-keep-the-conversation-going-with-women-non-binary-people-and-all-gender-inclusion-in-the-workplace-2639845361.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click here </a>to hear a message from PowerToFly's Jamie and Megan. If you haven't yet, please log-on to PowerToFly to create or claim your profile today! </p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTA3ODEzMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDg5NTg5MX0.B-1qR1fJcc4J-7ZEnFjcXFBKDVT15zT39C6ed18csHI/img.jpg?width=980" id="be8e0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dc362074b6b28dc6f4c442d14311b732" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
PowerToFly's Jamie and Megan get ready for the event!
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTA3ODEzNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Njc4MDMxNn0.zaGfGZYZdQ7sMIE7_rzg5dGFk2VrjIqXN2A9bPXVp-U/img.jpg?width=980" id="cd5e4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cde280e38dc076de5989f1a05bef6fe6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
It's a packed room of skilled sales professionals.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTA3ODEzNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDIxMDA1MX0.45hlcRYG-wcc8wMHse1g7AfGa-GjMZBvt3W1bjToamQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="5734f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4967c69775920e835c8c780c40cd4707" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
A look at our panel discussion.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTA3ODEzOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDM3NDEzMH0.-FxKow8dsZVOZQdsJp_q6B_FN82TnD3yelKQeHdg5NY/img.jpg?width=980" id="d2ca7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="910d517d680638c04e7606ae43d83f1d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Our panelists all took questions from the audience.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTA3ODE0MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzExMTM1NX0.5iXilA0skFJ5lKAVcdIFhDpF2KpQ97P3zDWCCnvU8cU/img.jpg?width=980" id="075f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5abb6327f69ee9a0b3a360fe72ee05ee" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p><br></p><div><br></div>The Checkr and PowerToFly teams relax after the event.
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