Wearing Both Hats: My Journey from Customer Success to Partner Success and Everything In Between.

Navigating the Shift, Building Bridges, and Redefining Success Along the Way.

When people ask me what I do, I pause. Not because I don’t know, but because there’s no simple way to explain this glorious chaos. Who am I, you might ask? So, before we dive into my experience handling both worlds as the title suggests, here’s a tiny trailer about me:

I’m Adreeja! I’ve been at Fyle for the last 2 years, and oh my gosh, what an incredible, wild, fulfilling ride it’s been. Major things you should know about me: I'm obsessed with Football, spend half my time in the gym, and convince myself that leg day is character-building. This sushi freak also swears by a solid plate of biriyani and spends half her money on plane tickets to travel to different places. So yes, I contain multitudes.

At Fyle, I’m a Customer Success Manager and a Partner Success Manager. I wear two hats, balancing both roles seamlessly while ensuring every interaction is delivered with clarity, confidence, and a smile.

The “Before” Era: Classic CSM Grind.

Let’s rewind a bit.

I was fully immersed in the Customer Success trenches. Honestly, that phase shaped everything I know about navigating people, problems, and priorities, and it continues to shape the way I envision building impactful, human-centered experiences for the future.

Customer Success taught me empathy. It taught me how to listen, even when answers weren’t obvious. It taught me to step up, take initiative, and be the face customers could rely on, the one they looked forward to seeing on a call. And for that, I’m genuinely glad I chose to become a Customer Success Manager.

But being a Customer Success Manager also meant:

• Back-to-back calls where a “minor issue” somehow spiraled into three escalation threads.

• Balancing multiple clients, internal syncs, churn risk alerts, sometimes all in the first half of the day.

• Designing onboarding journeys smoother than ‘my go-to playlist’ and the occasional check-ins to ensure the customers, we are in this together.

• More so, staying composed even when a high-priority email popped in on a Friday night.

But what I have learnt in all of this is that building genuine rapport with customers not only leads to stronger relationships, it often opens the door to organic upsell opportunities and glowing testimonials, both of which directly fuel revenue growth and amplify the brand trust.

So it is a lot. It is intense. But it is also real, meaningful, and weirdly exhilarating if you ask me.

This chapter taught me how to stay calm under pressure, how to think fast, and how to truly be an advocate for the people I am accountable for.
And truthfully? I love every bit of it.

Enter: The Wonderful World of Partner Success

While I found my rhythm in the world of customer goals, renewal conversations, and the occasional guessing game of “why haven’t they replied yet?”, life at Fyle took an exciting turn when I was entrusted with the opportunity to step into the Partner Success space.

And let me tell you, it felt like unlocking a whole new level of growth. Suddenly, I wasn’t just focused on ensuring customer success; I was contributing in a new direction and managing different strategic conversations with partners who bring their network, expertise, and energy to the table.

The shift was meaningful.

Customers and partners are both crucial, yet play distinctly different roles. With customers, the focus is on guiding, supporting, and ensuring they succeed with your product. With partners, it's about collaboration, equipping them, aligning on shared goals, and building the kind of trust that turns them into powerful advocates shouting about your product in rooms you’re not even in.

It is always focusing on the combined goal of “How can we win this together?”

Being a Partner Success Manager has taught me how to think bigger, collaborate deeper, and appreciate the power of scale. Being a CSM taught me the foundational skills needed to navigate strategic conversations with clarity and purpose. And I’m deeply grateful for everything I’ve learned (and continue to learn) in this role. This journey into partnerships has added a new dimension to what success looks like for me.

Wrapping It Up: One Journey, Two Hats, Endless Growth

Looking back, I feel incredibly grateful to have experienced the best of both worlds: the heart and hustle of Customer Success, and the strategy and scale of Partner Success.

Wearing both hats hasn’t always been easy (my calendar can confirm), but it’s been incredibly rewarding. One role taught me empathy, ownership, and how to be the voice of the customer. The other taught me to think more strategically, build long-term ecosystems, and amplify impact through others.

Together, these roles have helped me grow not just as a professional, but as a person more thoughtful, more collaborative, and more resilient.

So whether I’m solving an issue or enabling a partner, I know I’m playing a part in something meaningful. And honestly? Some days, I’m knee-deep in customer journeys, ensuring they’re happy, heard, and on track. Other days, I’m in enablement mode, building relations, training partners, and helping them get onboarded swiftly. So here's to the juggling act, the learning curves, and the beautiful mess that is Customer and Partner Success. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love both.

Customer and Partner Success fuel my passion for creating value. Together, they empower me to make a meaningful impact.

What I’ve Learned: I never stopped being a CSM. I Just Multiplied.

You don’t need to choose between being customer-obsessed and partner-driven. You can ‘absolutely’ be both. Success looks different depending on who’s across the (virtual) table, and it’s all about showing up, adding value, and building trust.

So if you’re ever in this in-between space, part-Customer Success, part-Partner Success, know that it’s not confusion. It’s growth. It’s you leveling up. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that growth doesn’t always come with a clear playbook. Sometimes, it looks like trying, stumbling, adapting, and still showing up with the same passion (and a slightly better version of yourself).

Because the truth is, whether I’m solving a problem or building a partnership, I’m doing what I love most: helping people succeed and having a little fun while I’m at it. So here’s to learning on the job, leading with heart.

Because at the end of the day, success isn’t just about outcomes. It’s about people, trust, and the journey in between.

And I’m just getting started.

Now, excuse me while I hop into my next call, not sure yet if it’s a partner or a customer, but I’ve got it all figured out, trust me! 😛