Scaling Customer Success with AI and Automation

In this episode of The Emblazers: B2B Leaders Igniting Revenue, Tim Riesterer talks with Michael Hubbard, Chief Customer Officer at Ping Identity. They discuss the evolving role of customer success and its integration into the growth engine of businesses.  With years of experience in revenue and customer operations, Michael shares valuable insights on how customer success has shifted from a reactive support function to a strategic driver of retention, expansion, and advocacy. Michael highlights how customer success is no longer just about support but has become a key partner across sales, marketing, and product teams. He explains how modern customer success leaders are now accountable for key metrics like renewal rates, customer retention, and margin improvement; often leveraging AI and data to optimize processes, reduce costs, and enhance the overall customer experience. Tim and Michael also discuss how customer success is essential for driving long-term value, ensuring customers realize the full potential of their products and services. Check out this episode for insights on how businesses are making data-driven decisions and embracing emerging technologies to meet customer needs in a fast-evolving digital landscape. Tune in to learn: How customer success has shifted from a support role to a growth engine for businesses Why the importance of leveraging data and AI in customer success can improve renewals, retention, and margin growth Why businesses should integrate customer success across sales, marketing, and product teams for maximum impact Episode highlights: (00:00) Introduction (00:35) Meet Michael Hubbard (02:04) Ping Identity explained (03:50) Support's evolution into growth engine (08:34) How the CCO role evolved (15:04) Measuring success and NDR (20:07) Renewals workflow pod model (24:53) AI in customer experience (29:59) Scaling with AI metrics (31:31) The return of human connection Links and Resources: Connect with Abby Kerr: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbycathkerr/ Connect with Tim Riesterer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-riesterer/ Connect with Michael Hubbard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhubbardinfo/ Subscribe to The Emblazers for more conversations with leading B2B thinkers. Explore the Emblaze revenue community and start a membership today.   Learn about Michael Hubbard As the Chief Customer Officer at Ping Identity, Michael Hubbard leads customer experience and value realization efforts, driving sustainable revenue growth by ensuring customers achieve long-term value. With experience at ServiceNow, VMware, and Smartsheet, he integrates customer success across sales, marketing, and product teams, using data, AI, and workflow automation to enhance customer experiences and improve retention and expansion. Michael's systems-level approach helps organizations transition from reactive service models to proactive growth strategies, optimizing customer relationships, reducing churn, and achieving measurable revenue outcomes.   Learn about Tim Riesterer As Chief Strategy Officer at Corporate Visions and Chief Research Officer at Emblaze revenue leaders’ community, Tim Riesterer is a pioneering force in developing customer conversations that break through the status quo and drive measurable business results. His innovative approach helps companies craft differentiated messages and deploy them through powerful self-service and sales-directed tools that consistently outperform traditional content strategies. A recognized expert in value creation and capture, Tim enables organizations to transform their customer conversations through proven methodologies that elevate their market position and drive sustainable growth.   Learn about Abby Kerr  As Director of Content & Community at Emblaze, Abby Kerr designs content experiences that spark conversations and strengthen the connective tissue between B2B revenue leaders. With a background spanning brand voice strategy, enterprise B2B content, and education, she brings a sharp eye for nuance and a deep understanding of how people learn and grow. A champion of insight-driven storytelling and peer-to-peer learning, Abby helps make Emblaze a place where leaders don’t just consume content—they contribute to it. She’s also a warm, un-shy introvert who reads fiction, asks big questions, and drinks her coffee black.