Partner Success vs Customer Success: Why Separation Matters

At first, it feels efficient to run Partner Success inside Customer Success.

Then the partner channel grows and everything gets blurry: who owns onboarding, enablement, renewals, expansions, and escalations?

Partners ramp slower.
CS gets pulled into channel firefighting.
Customers feel the gaps.

On Friday, March 13, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET, Ella Eng will discuss with Ivan Stefanovski (CCSS) on when Partner Success and Customer Success should split, and what actually changes when you do it right.

What we’ll cover:

– The inflection point that forces separation
– Org design and ownership (renewals, expansions, escalations)
– Partner motions vs customer motions
– Metrics that expose the need and prove it’s working (partner health, PSAT, partner-influenced GRR/NRR)

Incentives and economics: why partner-led deals convert higher, and when they stop being worth it