Imagine trying to build a house with tools scattered everywhere, each designed for a single task but never meant to work together. That’s similar to how many customer success (CS) teams have operated for years, relying on disconnected systems to manage onboarding, monitor customer health, forecast renewals, and drive growth.
But the charter for CS has changed. It’s no longer about “customer happiness,” and it goes further than just retention; it’s about driving measurable customer value, commercial impact, and operational scale. To meet this new mandate, CS leaders need tools that unify their data and workflows into a single, purpose-built system.
As I heard briefings from executive teams and interviewed customers of the top customer success platform (CSP) vendors, three themes emerged that reflect how the market is evolving to support this shift:
Theme #1: Value is the metric that matters. Revenue may be the language of the boardroom, but customer value is the foundation that makes it possible. CS teams must show how their work helps customers achieve outcomes and how those outcomes translate into retention, expansion, and advocacy. The most advanced CSPs help teams define customer goals, track progress, and make that connection between value and revenue impact. Outcome tracking and executive-level reporting are now essential tools for communicating value across the business.
Theme #2: Collaboration is core to execution. Success doesn’t happen in isolation. Leading platforms unify workflows across CS, sales, support, and even product teams. Shared tasks, embedded CRM widgets, and integrated forecasting tools help teams align around customer outcomes. This cross-functional collaboration is key to driving proactive growth.
Theme #3: AI is the enabler of intelligent scale. AI has moved from being a buzzword to becoming a reality; it is embedded throughout most platforms. Vendors are investing in AI agents, predictive analytics, and copilots that automate tasks, surface insights, and guide strategic decision-making. These capabilities help CS teams scale intelligently so that they can focus on high-impact and high-value work.
There is more to learn from this year’s evaluation, so I recommend reading the full report, The Forrester Wave™: Customer Success Platforms, Q4 2025, available to all Forrester clients now. Use the “Compare vendors” button at the top of the report to find your best-fit vendor based on the criteria that matter most for your firm. Still have questions? I’m happy to discuss further on a guidance session or inquiry about the results of the evaluation.
