Case Study — CS Transformation

Onapsis

Transformed customer success from reactive support into a strategic, executive-level function — building the data infrastructure, health scoring, and cross-functional alignment that directly fueled net retention and expansion revenue.

NRR ↑
Net Retention Growth
VoC
Cross-Functional Alignment
Exec
Executive Sponsorship

The Company

Onapsis — Enterprise Cybersecurity

Onapsis is a cybersecurity company focused on protecting business-critical applications — SAP, Oracle, and Salesforce environments — from cyber threats, compliance gaps, and vulnerabilities. Their customers are large enterprises with complex security requirements and high-stakes compliance mandates.

Stage

Growth-stage cybersecurity company with enterprise customers and expanding market presence

Market

Enterprise application security, SAP/Oracle vulnerability management, compliance automation


The Challenge

Reactive support masquerading as customer success

Onapsis had a customer success function — on paper. In reality, the team was operating in reactive mode: responding to escalations, fielding support requests, and managing renewals at the last minute. There was no health scoring, no data-driven insights, and no mechanism to ensure the voice of the customer informed Product, Sales, or Marketing decisions.

No proactive customer intelligence

The team lacked health scoring, usage data, and early warning systems. At-risk accounts were discovered during renewal conversations — far too late to intervene.

CS disconnected from the business

Customer insights weren't flowing to Product, Sales, or Marketing. Expansion opportunities were being missed. Churn patterns went undiagnosed.

Transactional relationships, not strategic partnerships

Customer engagement was reactive and support-driven. Enterprise buyers expected executive-level strategic partnership — and weren't getting it.


The Strategic Playbook

From reactive support to strategic revenue driver

PHASE 1

Build the Data Foundation

Implemented the instrumentation and scoring infrastructure the team had been missing:

  • Health scoring system capturing critical data points across engagement, adoption, and outcomes
  • Success planning framework tied to measurable customer objectives
  • Internal initiatives for capturing and acting on customer intelligence
PHASE 2

Elevate Customer Engagement

Transformed how the team engaged with enterprise accounts — from ticket-takers to executive sponsors:

  • Executive sponsorship program for top strategic accounts
  • Customer advocacy initiatives that turned satisfied customers into references and case studies
  • Proactive outreach cadences replacing reactive firefighting
PHASE 3

Drive Cross-Functional Alignment

Made the voice of the customer a strategic input across the entire organization:

  • Customer insights surfaced to Product for roadmap prioritization
  • Expansion signals shared with Sales for upsell and cross-sell targeting
  • Customer feedback loops integrated into Marketing for positioning and advocacy

The Results

Customer success as a core business multiplier

NRR ↑
Net Retention
Repeatable expansion through data-driven engagement
360°
VoC Integration
Customer insights driving Product, Sales & Marketing
Customer Advocacy
Strategic accounts converted to active advocates

The Transformation

The customer success function at Onapsis went from a reactive support layer to a strategic business driver. The team was no longer waiting for problems — they were anticipating them, acting on data, and creating repeatable, high-value customer experiences that directly fueled net retention and expansion revenue.

More importantly, customer success stopped being a department and became a cross-functional discipline — with Product, Sales, and Marketing all operating on shared customer intelligence.

"I had the distinct privilege of hiring Shane into my team at Onapsis. He joined us at a time when we needed to build out our Customer Success function grounded in best practices, data, consistent execution, and high customer engagement. He rose to the challenge. Shane is a strategic, results-driven executive who fundamentally understands that Customer Success is not just a department but a core business multiplier. His leadership was defined by a relentless focus on creating repeatable, high-value customer experiences that directly fueled our net retention and expansion efforts. Any organization looking for an executive who can strategically leverage Customer Success to fuel aggressive growth, long-term value creation, and a world-class customer experience would be wise to bring Shane aboard."
KS
Kellie Snyder
Chief Customer & Operations Officer, Onapsis

What Made This Work

Key success factors

01

Data Before Opinions

Built the health scoring and customer intelligence infrastructure first — then let the data drive every decision about where to focus.

02

Executive Sponsorship

Enterprise cybersecurity buyers expect C-level engagement. Personally sponsored top accounts to set the standard for the team.

03

Break Down the Silos

CS can't drive retention alone. Made customer insights a shared asset across Product, Sales, and Marketing — not a CS-only metric.

04

Hire for Gravitas

CISOs and VP-level security buyers won't engage with junior CSMs. Elevated the team's credibility to match the customer's seniority.


The Framework

This transformation is repeatable

The same playbook I used to transform Onapsis's CS function is what I bring to every engagement through CCO2Go.ai. Whether your CS team is stuck in reactive mode or you're building the function from scratch, the framework is the same.

Customer success isn't a department. It's how the entire company retains and grows revenue.
Cybersecurity & Enterprise SaaS CS Transformation NRR & Expansion Cross-Functional Alignment

Ready to transform your CS function?

Whether your team is firefighting or you need to build the strategic foundation from scratch — the conversation starts with an honest assessment.

Book a 20-Min Strategy Call → Email Me
(813) 666-8427 · shane.james@cco2go.ai · Apollo Beach, FL