Reflections: Be comfortable with change

Throughout December and January we will be sharing Reflection stories from some of our Qualtricians. These stories reflect on the last year and beyond — recognizing the good and the bad, the struggles and the successes. Today we are featuring a story by Hugh in Customer Success.

My name is Hugh, and I’ve worked at Qualtrics for four years. When I first joined Qualtrics, our team (CS) in Sydney was 4 people. Since then, it has grown to ~40 people across the entire APAC region! In these early-stage office build-outs, I’ve been consistently amazed by the impact Customer Success can have on the net revenue retention metric. For example, when I started our Sydney office managed Singapore, Japanese, and even Korean clients that were high-risk due to a lack of post-sales teams. As we have hired people into the region, I’ve been able to witness first hand the impact our team has had on these clients - fueling revenue growth and creating new flagship clients for the company.

In January 2022 I relocated to our NYC office. Apart from the personal elements of a global relocation, I’ve really enjoyed learning about a different part of the business, with a unique set of challenges, but also opportunities as we embed XM™ into corporate America. 

What are you most proud of in 2022?

It is not to be understated that when economic conditions change, the job of CS becomes significantly more difficult. We are faced with cost-driven executives, an agenda of doing more with less, and militant-style procurement officers. My proudest moment was our Q3 market update when we announced that, not only did we save that anticipated customer churn, we actually increased our net revenue retention. For me, this was validation that our team’s often ‘unseen’ or silent efforts were having a very real impact on Qualtrics valuation & share-price, and I was happy to see that effort reflected in our financials. 

2022 has been quite the year, if there's one thing you'll remember it for what will it be?

2022 was a huge year of change for me; I went from 12 months of COVID lock-down in Sydney in 2021, into a global transfer in January, into a promotion in March 2022. I remember specifically the relief of learning of the Level 6 promotion in April; all of my negotiations, personal and financial risk, and ‘over-and-above’ efforts culminated in that outcome. I distinctly remember looking out over downtown Manhattan from our office as I learnt of my promotion, and that feeling of accomplishment was something I’ll remember for some time to come!

Moving into 2023, what lessons will you be taking with you from this year?

The past few years have taught me to expect the unexpected, and to be comfortable in change. As we move into 2023, I anticipate unexpected challenges and opportunities, as well as a great deal of change both professionally and personally. In this environment, I’ll be focusing on what is in my control; showing up with a good attitude, constantly seeking to challenge myself and learn new things, and developing short, mid, and long term execution plans. I firmly believe that if we are clear on our goals and have a good execution plan, all the bumps, challenges, and curveballs are a lot easier to navigate. So in 2023, I’ll be focusing on what is in my control, as we navigate a constantly changing and unpredictable professional environment.