Three simple words to follow as a Customer Success leader during a crisis

This post was originally posted on The Captivate Collective website.

March 11, 2020, was a warm and sunny day with a beautiful blue sky. I had just enjoyed a relaxed lunch at a sushi restaurant just north of San Francisco with my client. As we devoured our sushi tacos, sashimi, and teriyaki we discussed our fears over the canceled events and conferences like Austin’s annual South by Southwest festival and Coachella. While we were concerned, we didn’t even consider that in just a few days we would be forbidden to dine at any restaurant like this one and we would be confined to our homes for an indefinite period of time.

As I drove back to my hotel in San Francisco that day, I heard over the radio that the NBA put their season on hold due to a few Utah Jazz players testing positive for Covid-19. I was shocked. The other professional sports leagues quickly followed suit. My company had already mandated a work from home policy two days ago so I knew that things were getting serious but the extent of the crisis didn’t hit me as I was on the road visiting clients. I noticed the traffic back to San Francisco was much lighter then it’s ever been and there was an eerie emptiness on the streets. I cut my trip short, flew back to New Jersey the next day and have been camped inside my home ever since.

From that point on we saw a number of changes including the limiting of travel, banning large gatherings and only permitting essential services from…