Kevin Dickard
Benton
Summary
Dynamic customer success leader with over 10 years of experience guiding enterprise SaaS teams and managing the complete customer lifecycle from onboarding to renewal, expansion, and upselling. Expertise in driving customer retention and achieving impressive net revenue retention (NRR) across portfolios exceeding $40M ARR. Skilled in developing scalable processes, crafting success playbooks, and fostering cross-functional alignment to deliver measurable growth. Committed to enhancing customer experiences and maximizing value through strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Manager, Customer Success
SOCI, Inc.
05.2025 - Current
- Lead 9 Customer Success Managers managing $40M ARR across enterprise and commercial accounts with full ownership of post-sale lifecycle including renewals, upsell, and expansion.
- Founded and lead the Customer Success AI Council, responsible for identifying, implementing, and driving adoption of AI tools across the CSM organization to improve productivity, automation, and customer insights.
- Delivered 119% Net Revenue Retention (NRR) and 96% gross dollar retention (GRR) through success planning and proactive renewal management since in role, along with 94% logo retention.
- Generated $3.2M expansion ARR through structured playbooks and ROI-based conversations - 802% to target.
- Partnered with Product, RevOps, and AI Enablement to embed automation and data-driven workflows across CS.
Team Lead, Customer Success
SOCI, Inc.
01.2025 - 05.2025
- Own and manage key accounts, including the company's largest enterprise customers ($4M+ ARR), with 98% renewal rate while also acting as a coach for the team.
- First SOCi team member promoted into this new player/coach role.
- Leverage Salesforce, Gainsight, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Office, along with other company tools to drive productivity.
Enterprise Customer Success Manager
SOCI, Inc.
05.2024 - 12.2024
- Own and manage key accounts, including the company's largest enterprise customers ($4M+ ARR), with 100% renewal rate. Leverage Salesforce, Gainsight, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Office, along with other company tools to drive productivity.
- First SOCi team member promoted into this new IC role.
- Implement Success Plans, present Quarterly Business Reviews, and drive engagement through regular check-ins.
- First Financial Services dedicated team member brought in to help stand up and grow the post-sales side of the vertical.
Strategic Customer Success Manager
SOCI, Inc.
07.2022 - 04.2024
- Own and manage key accounts, including the company's largest enterprise customers ($3M ARR), with 100% retention. Leverage Salesforce, Gainsight, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Office, along with other company tools to drive productivity.
- Implement Success Plans, present Quarterly Business Reviews, and drive engagement through regular check-ins for regulated industry customers.
Director, Relationship Management
Linchpin Insurtech
03.2022 - 07.2022
- Directed a 12-person CS and Account Management team with full ownership of renewals, cross-sell, and upsell expansion.
- Doubled partnership opportunities within 4 months and achieved 120% upsell ARR growth with 96% gross dollar retention (GRR).
- Implemented SLA metrics and lifecycle segmentation that improved visibility and expansion forecasting.
Senior Manager, Client Success & Systems
GuideStone Financial Resources
10.2018 - 07.2021
- Owned full post-sale cycle including renewals and expansion for $18M enterprise client portfolio.
- Achieved 15% uplift in retention and 30% expansion growth through digital process transformation.
- Managed 8-person client success team; increased CSAT by 35% and operational efficiency by 30% YoY.
Senior Account Executive
GuideStone Financial Resources
09.2016 - 10.2018
- Managed new business sales (+$1.2M annual) and relationships for accounts across three states, while building key external relationships to increase new business opportunities for the department.
- Worked alongside the Director to enhance systems and technologies for the line of business.
Senior Client Success Manager
GuideStone Financial Resources
10.2012 - 09.2018
- Support new and existing clients within a high-touch, fast-paced customer centric environment utilizing agency standards and tools.
- Collaborate alongside the Manager to aide in refining processes, creating new methods to operate and process time-sensitive information.
Executive Team Leader
Target Corporation
05.2011 - 10.2012
- Managed $60M+ retail operation; led cross-functional staff in sales and operational performance optimization.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Management
Dallas Baptist University
Associate of Science - Culinary Arts
The Art Institutes
DallasSkills
- Customer Lifecycle Management
- Customer Retention
- Renewal & Expansion Strategy
- Post-Sale Ownership
- Leadership Development
- Customer Journey Mapping
- Strategic planning
- Executive Business Reviews (QBR/EBR)
- Voice of Customer
- Gainsight
- Salesforce
- Clari
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- SaaS Operations
- Data Analytics
- ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini
Timeline
Senior Manager, Customer Success
SOCI, Inc.
05.2025 - Current
Team Lead, Customer Success
SOCI, Inc.
01.2025 - 05.2025
Enterprise Customer Success Manager
SOCI, Inc.
05.2024 - 12.2024
Strategic Customer Success Manager
SOCI, Inc.
07.2022 - 04.2024
Director, Relationship Management
Linchpin Insurtech
03.2022 - 07.2022
Senior Manager, Client Success & Systems
GuideStone Financial Resources
10.2018 - 07.2021
Senior Account Executive
GuideStone Financial Resources
09.2016 - 10.2018
Senior Client Success Manager
GuideStone Financial Resources
10.2012 - 09.2018
Executive Team Leader
Target Corporation
05.2011 - 10.2012
Bachelor of Science - Management
Dallas Baptist University
Associate of Science - Culinary Arts
The Art Institutes
Community Leadership
Glowing Heart Ministries, Chairman of the Board, 2020, Present, Lead strategic planning, partnerships, and growth for faith-based nonprofit serving youth across the globe.