Mortar Group just appointed Paul Sigaloff as its first Global Chief Customer Officer (CCO). It’s a clear signal: Mortar’s next phase of growth will be customer‑led, not just product‑led.
Why it matters: Mortar’s privacy‑safe measurement platform blends marketing mix modelling (MMM), incrementality testing, and digital tracking into one modular suite (Mortar DS, Helix, and a new MMM module).
Mortar says customers are reporting 20–40% higher ROI, ~30% lower acquisition costs, and in some cases up to 2× YoY revenue—gains that only happen when customer outcomes are tied to how the business spends, learns, and scales.
Sigaloff’s remit is simple but tough: build an international customer strategy, embed a culture of customer excellence, and make the tech translate into business outcomes. That’s exactly the kind of mandate modern CCOs need.
What this means for Customer Success
1) CS gets a bigger seat at the growth table.
A CCO at a measurement company says the quiet part out loud: measuring customer impact is now core to go‑to‑market. If your team can map value moments to pipeline, expansion, and renewals, you win influence—and budget. For a deep dive on doing more with less, read my playbook on team efficiency and how leaders unlock 40% gains in 90 days here.
2) Privacy‑first telemetry is the new standard.
As cookies fade and signal loss grows, CS must lean on MMM and incrementality to prove lift. If this sounds abstract, I unpack quality over quantity engagement tactics that tie back to revenue in this piece on customer engagement in 2024 here.
3) Onboarding must show impact fast.
When Success can connect the first 30 days to measurable lift, the budget conversation changes. If your activation still feels like a feature tour, fix it with my onboarding system that drives retention here.
4) Finance friction is CS friction.
The easiest way to prove value is to remove billing pain and reduce disputes. I break down a practical CS‑Finance playbook (metrics, cadences, and ownership) in my analysis of Rillet’s $70M raise here.
5) Loyalty isn’t points—it’s behaviors.
Mortar’s focus on what actually moves the needle lines up with how loyalty is evolving. See the TRIFFT loyalty playbook I shared for lifting NRR via referrals, reviews, and repeat use here.
6) Hiring signals and product signals should meet.
When data from tools like Ashby flows into product usage and value milestones, Success can predict and prevent risk earlier. I explain how to connect those dots in Ashby’s Series D breakdown here.
A 30‑60‑90 plan you can steal
Days 0–30 – Wire up the signals
Pick 3 value moments (e.g., first insight, first automation, first executive report).
For each, define the leading indicator you can measure without cookies (e.g., feature completion, data freshness, number of automated insights).
Pair each indicator with a business KPI (pipeline velocity, CAC payback, renewal likelihood).
Days 31–60 – Prove lift in small experiments
Run two incrementality tests: one on activation tactics, one on adoption nudges.
Share a weekly “What we learned” memo—what to stop, start, scale.
Days 61–90 – Turn learning into process
Fold winning plays into Success Plans and QBRs.
Publish a one‑page “Customer Impact Dashboard” for execs.
If you want a model for what “CCO energy” looks like in practice, I covered another appointment, Momentus Technologies naming Jenn Keirnan as Chief Customer Officer, and what leaders can copy from that move here.
How you can use this now
Translate platform features into outcomes. Don’t sell MMM; sell faster payback and safer bets.
Make onboarding measurable. Ship one quick win in 15 minutes. The rest follows.
Operationalize privacy‑first measurement. Build a shared view with Marketing and Finance and report on it in your QBRs.
Tell a board‑ready story. Use simple charts and before/after deltas; keep the narrative tight.
For more weekly breakdowns like this—tools, news, and step‑by‑step playbooks—browse our Customer Success news hub here.
My Key Takeaway
Mortar putting a seasoned operator in the CCO seat is another proof point: the next wave of growth will be won by teams who measure customer impact—and act on it.