B2B firms on average attain 60% of revenue from existing customers, and a growing share of it flows through partners. Yet many organizations lack visibility into indirect interactions after a deal closes. Although customer experience is a proven growth and retention lever, many direct sales organizations have failed to invest in customer success models, postsale lifecycle orchestration, and value-based engagement for the partner ecosystem and the customers it serves.
Partners Not Just Products Are Critical To Indirect Customer Experience
Ignoring the role of partners in indirect customer engagement (partner-to-customer engagement) is a dangerous misstep. Partner ecosystems are a pivotal driver of B2B revenue and growth: more than half of partner ecosystem marketing decision-makers report that 41% or more of their organization’s revenues can be attributed to indirect routes-to-market (RTMs) and partners, according to Forrester’s Partner Ecosystem Marketing Survey, 2026.
Postsale engagement for indirect customers must become a business priority. The risk of leaving indirect customer value attainment to chance is clear:
Uneven experiences, which may cost more to serve and are likely to put a chill on positive feedback and reviews.
Churn and missed account expansion potential
Missed opportunities to identify successful customers for case studies, testimonials, and references
Don’t Wait For Customer Engagement To Happen Organically
Suppliers expect partners to deliver excellent postsale experiences, yet too often fail to equip them with the frameworks, programs, and resources required to do so. Customer engagement excellence doesn’t happen organically. It must be intentionally designed.
At Forrester’s upcoming B2B Summit North America in Phoenix, taking place April 26–29, we’ll help you improve customer experience in a workshop called “Elevate Buyer and Customer Experiences with Partners” that introduces a template for postsale engagement, made relevant and actionable for partners. Here’s a teaser for where to begin?
Establish your definition of a good customer experience. What does a successful customer look like for your offerings? Not just a happy customer who enjoys working with a partner, but real success. Is it measured by hitting key milestones? Positive CSAT and NPS scores? Engaging with community, events, and user groups? The supplier and partner must be aligned on what “good” looks like.
Determine which moments matter? The ideal postsale experience differs by account, region, portfolio owned, customer persona, and a host of other firmographic and behavioral data. AI-enabled predictive analytics and personalization can help calibrate the experience.
Identify who owns the interactions? Gaps, conflict, and lack of accountability are the warning signs of reactive postsale engagement. Determine the supplier and partner functions who should drive key portions of the experience. Will your marketing team invite indirect customers to your user groups and customer events, or will you enable partners to do so? Who determines the key milestones, and how do partners validate them?
Join us at Forrester B2B Summit and connect with us to discuss how B2B partner ecosystem marketing leaders can improve indirect customer engagement excellence and establish it as a competitive advantage across your partner ecosystem.
