Customer Success vs Customer Support: The Secret to Retention and Advocacy

Dmitry Koldysheu, Head of Customer Success at Blask, joined 15M Mastery to explain how this discipline is reshaping SaaS and B2B relationships in iGaming.

With more than 15 years of experience in support and client communication, he brings a rare blend of operational insight and strategic clarity to the conversation.

From rethinking feedback loops to building roadmap-aligned relationships, Dmitry shares how great customer success goes far beyond solving tickets.

Success Starts Where Support Ends

The distinction, Dmitry says, is fundamental.

“Customer support is reactive,” he explains. “It’s kind of an ambulance that shows up when something breaks. Customer success is proactive. It’s more like a personal trainer who ensures you never need an ambulance in the first place.”

He stresses that the two don’t compete – they complement. “Customer success doesn’t eliminate customer support. It takes the best from it and evolves. I call it symbiosis.”

For Dmitry, the mindset shift is about moving from issue resolution to opportunity anticipation. Success teams should be analysing usage, spotting friction, and solving problems before the client flags them.

The Subscription Economy Changed Everything

Customer success isn’t just about satisfaction – it’s a revenue strategy.

“In the early days of SaaS, competition was about features,” Dmitry says. “Then it shifted to pricing. Today, it’s all about adoption.”

That shift is driven by one thing: retention.

“You can’t set up a client and forget about them. Your revenue depends on renewals,” he explains. “If they don’t see value fast, they’ll ghost you. So the goal is not just to have users, it’s to turn them into advocates.”

At Blask, that means making sure the product is embedded into client workflows, not just used occasionally, but relied upon.

“When your clients grow with your platform, they pull you forward with them.”

Feedback Isn’t Noise – It’s Direction

True customer success teams don’t just listen, they co-create.

“Please don’t treat your client’s feedback as white noise,” Dmitry says. “Turn it into your product roadmap.”

Before launching any new feature at Blask, the team runs structured interviews with clients.

“We make sure the market wants it. That it’s something our clients need.”

This approach turns the CS team into an extension of the client’s team. “If we help a client achieve something meaningful, we become part of their success story.”

Reading Between the Lines, Not Just the Tickets

Support and success use different toolkits and different mindsets.

“In support, you react. Something’s broken, you fix it,” Dmitry says. “In customer success, you ask: why does this matter to the client? What are they trying to achieve?”

This deeper layer of engagement creates value in both directions. “If your client is trying to enter a new market, you don’t just fix bugs – you build a plan with them. Then that becomes a success case to help other clients too.”

The difference, he says, is stark: “Support answers what is broken. Customer success discovers what is possible.”

A Client Success Story That Started With a Workshop

Dmitry shares one example from Blask that illustrates the real-world value of this mindset.

“We were training a media agency client on our new licenses feature – it lets you track which brands have acquired local licences in specific markets. In this case, Brazil.”

The agency knew the market well. But during the session, one operator’s performance data stood out.

“It was a surprise to them,” he says. “They weren’t planning to approach this brand. But within months, it became a major new partner.”

What began as a standard feature walkthrough ended as a commercial breakthrough. “That’s what customer success does. It opens new doors.”

“Turn Users Into Followers”

For Dmitry, the impact of customer success is measurable, but also cultural.

“Users are not always your followers,” he says. “But customer success can turn them into ones.”

The difference is in the relationship. “It’s not just about features or fixes. It’s about understanding what the client is trying to achieve, and walking the path with them.”

When that works?

“Happy clients stay. And when they grow, they take you with them.”