Walt Disney once said, “The greatest reward comes in seeing others succeed with what you’ve built together.” This joy in shared success drives ZAGENO’s Customer Success Managers (CSMs) as they support pharma giants, biotech start-ups, and lab operations worldwide in streamlining their lab supply ordering experience. Today, we’re excited to spotlight Sarah Yusupov, one of ZAGENO’s CSMs. Her commitment to fostering strong relationships and supporting clients’ needs helps bring ZAGENO’s mission to life.
Kicking Off the Day: Staying Ahead for Clients
Like her colleague, Sally Wiebe, Sarah’s day starts with a check-in on messages and emails to catch up on overnight updates and coordinate with ZAGENO’s operations and back-end teams. This helps her to stay proactive and keep clients in the loop across time zones.
Embracing the flexibility of her remote role, Sarah often takes a quick walk before settling in. No matter how her day begins, her priority remains the same: ensuring “the customer feels important.”
Bridging Biotech and Pharma
Sarah’s client roster spans 25 biotech and pharmaceutical companies around the globe. Working with biotechs is often a “more intimate” experience, allowing her to support clients at the start of their journey, while pharma clients thrive with a more structured approach. Sarah’s diverse experience combines the adaptability and agility of biotech with the operational expertise of pharma—giving her clients the best of both worlds.
Emails in French: Embracing Global Connections
While Sarah’s based in New York, managing an international portfolio brings a unique energy to her work. “It’s fascinating to see the difference in the way people communicate,” she says. Sometimes, that means switching languages. “I’ve even had to write emails in French, which not everybody gets to do—that’s pretty cool.” Sarah’s enthusiasm for adapting to each client’s needs shows her commitment to making each customer feel understood and valued, no matter their location.
From Hunting to Farming: Sales to Customer Success
Sarah’s journey to becoming a CSM began with a shift from “hunting” for new sales to “farming” long-term client relationships. After starting in antibody sales, she realized her true potential came after the sale was made—"keeping up that relationship and turning it into something special.”
To build and maintain strong partnerships Sarah holds weekly, monthly, or quarterly meetings, adjusting the frequency according to the client’s needs and their familiarity with ZAGENO’s platform. Newer clients enter a “hypercare period” to ensure smooth onboarding and quickly address any challenges, while more established clients often transition to less frequent check-ins. This personalized approach empowers clients to navigate ZAGENO’s platform with confidence.
A Coach, In and Out of the Office
Sarah’s passion for coaching shines through in her personal and professional life. As a certified fitness trainer, she has developed strong skills in motivation and communication, bringing her “bubbly and energetic attitude” to every client interaction. Initially drawn to dentistry, Sarah’s curiosity led her to pursue a master’s in pharmacology, where she discovered a perfect blend of science and business.
Customer Success turned out to be the perfect career fit, allowing Sarah to leverage her coaching mindset as she builds deep connections, shares expertise, and supports clients. “I haven’t looked back on my decision since,” she says.
Speaking the Language of Science and Numbers
Sarah’s background in pharmacology provides her with technical knowledge that not only builds trust but also strengthens the client relationship. She also leverages data to keep performance on track, using tools like Tableau to monitor metrics like order response times and on-time delivery, helping clients stay informed and confident in their experience.
Sarah’s goal is to help scientists get back to what they do best: science. She notes, “We don’t want just two people, for example, at a company to be doing all the lab supply ordering. We want everybody to be able to seamlessly go on the platform, order what they need, and go back to science.”
Charting a Data-Driven Future
As ZAGENO continues to grow, Sarah sees a future where data insights and AI will make the client experience even more seamless. She’s excited about tools that could analyze client activity to anticipate needs, uncovering intuitive ordering patterns. For Sarah, enhancing the platform to match the ease of top e-commerce sites is the ultimate goal.
Her role as a CSM is a constant balance of client needs, company goals, and a commitment to genuine connection. “We’re real people. No bots here,” she emphasizes, knowing that this human touch—combined with her expertise and enthusiasm—is what truly leads to customer success.
If you’d like to talk to Sarah about how she and ZAGENO can streamline lab supply ordering and help you get back to science, reach out today!
About Sarah
Sarah Yusupov, based in New York, joined ZAGENO in May 2022. Her goal is to understand the client’s needs by getting on a personal level. Sarah believes that when there is trust enabled in the relationship early on, the client/CSM relationship flourishes beyond belief! She focuses on data analytics trends that allow her to gauge customer health, along with communication with internal departments that can help solve the problem. Sarah appreciates the familial feeling here at ZAGENO and is grateful to have an amazing team!
