The Front Lines
SubscribeContent Studio
Kristi Faltorusso.
Chief Customer Officer · ClientSuccess
After 13 years in Customer Success and SaaS, I’ve learned a thing or two, mostly by messing up, learning fast, and figuring out what actually works. I’ve led CS teams at startups and scaleups, building operations, boosting retention, and driving growth with a no-fluff, customer-first approach. I’m all about making Customer Success practical, scalable, and (dare I say) fun. From playbooks that don’t collect dust to templates that simplify the complex, I’m here to help CS professionals win. You’ll find me speaking at events, running workshops, and sharing straight-shooting insights here on LinkedIn. What I’m proud of: -Leading CS teams that crush retention and expansion goals. -Sharing real-world CS resources that actually work. -Being a trusted voice in the CS community through talks, podcasts, and honest conversations. -Building spaces where CS leaders connect, learn, and grow. If you’re looking to rethink your CS strategy, spark new ideas, or just want to swap stories about the wild world of SaaS, let’s chat. www.kristifaltorusso.com
Guest
Kristi Faltorusso
Chief Customer Officer
Company:
ClientSuccess
Location:
New York City
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Building a 57,000+ LinkedIn following eliminated Kristi Faltorusso's recruiter dependency. One post now generates hundreds of qualified CS applicants while her network delivers pre-vetted referrals through direct outreach. But the deeper insight is how she completely rewired her hiring methodology after repeatedly failing to replicate playbooks across companies. Customer success roles are never portable. What worked at Series A fails at Series C. Leaders who scaled at Salesforce often can't operate in startups. She now evaluates candidates against 24-36 month company trajectories, filtering for grittiness before considering experience or quota achievement.

Her interview process rejects stage gates and prescribed frameworks. She asks candidates to recall times they were "in over their head" and requests "a failure you're really proud of," separating those who own mistakes from those who point fingers. Before any offer, she dedicates a full session where candidates ask her anything. Their questions expose business acumen, reveal what broke at previous companies, and eliminate the assumption gaps that derail new hires within weeks. Post-hire, she meets daily with direct reports for the first 14 days, not for status updates, but to build trust and surface friction before it calcifies.

Topics discussed:

ABOUT YOUR HOST: 

Andy Mowat has built GTM engines for top companies throughout his career. He led Revenue Operations and Demand Gen at four unicorns, including scaling from $10M to $100M ARR at both Upwork and Culture Amp, and helping guide Box and Carta through IPO scale. With a passion for connecting people, Andy has advised executives on their careers for years and launched Whispered to make searching for executive roles less intimidating. 

Learn more about about Whispered: www.whispered.com

Interact with AI Andy: www.whispered.com/whisper-search

Five takeaways from this conversation.

Actionable for Whispered Hiring marketers

  1. Build Your LinkedIn Presence Into a Direct Hiring Pipeline That Replaces Recruiters
    Kristi grew her LinkedIn following to over 57,000 followers, primarily in the CX space, which has become her primary hiring platform. One LinkedIn post generates hundreds of qualified applicants, and her network delivers pre-vetted referrals on demand. This eliminates recruiter dependency for most roles and dramatically reduces hiring risk through trusted recommendations.
  2. Filter for Grittiness Through Multi-Year Personal Commitments Before Evaluating Professional Track Record
    Kristi actively listens for personal accomplishments requiring sustained commitment: marathons, Ironman competitions, earning a master's degree at 40, or any multi-year journey with setbacks. These signal someone who can stay the course through good days, bad days, and operational chaos. For Series B to Series D scale-ups, this inherent trait trumps quota attainment and pedigree.
  3. Use "What's a Failure You're Really Proud Of" to Expose Ownership Versus Deflection
    This question reveals character and risk-taking ability. Kristi wants career-changing epic fails, not minor setbacks. "Let's be honest, right? So much failure happens because you take risks. And I think when you're in any company, you have to be comfortable with that," Kristi told me. The response shows whether candidates own mistakes without pointing blame, what they learned, and what they'd do differently.
  4. Dedicate a Full Interview Round Exclusively for Candidate Questions to Eliminate Day-One Surprises
    Before any offer, Kristi allocates an entire session where candidates ask her everything they need answered. This reveals business acumen, intellectual curiosity, and surfaces buried concerns from past roles. People ask questions for specific reasons, usually because something was horrible in their previous environment. This ensures candidates know exactly what they're walking into, preventing the misaligned expectations that derail most 30-60-90 plans.
  5. Meet Daily with New Direct Reports for Two Weeks Instead of Relying on Structured Onboarding
    For the first 14 days, Kristi schedules daily check-ins with new hires to hear observations, wins, and struggles. "Leaders forget that one of the most important things that you can do to ensure someone's success is make yourself available," she explained. This builds trust and catches derailments before they compound, rather than processing people through training modules.

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