Tennessee

How a Customer Success Manager is Using AI to Level Up As a Leader

An interview with Christian Wagar, a customer success manager based in Nashville, Tennessee.

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2 min read

People say, ‘Dress for the job you want.’ I believe it’s more like think for the job you want. Google’s AI tools have truly expedited my day, allowing me to shift my focus from tedious daily tasks to long-term strategic thinking for my organization.

One of the reasons I joined my company three years ago was the opportunity to help build workflows that could save people time. I view AI through the same lens: If we can use AI to automate or streamline specific tasks—drafting emails, generating reports, or quickly finding answers—it'll allow us to advance in so many fields.

Until recently, I only knew a little bit about AI. Last April, I went to a conference where everyone was talking about it. I learned that a lot of people don’t know how to ask large language models (LLMs) the kind of questions that will give them the results they want.

On my way home, I grabbed a book on AI at the airport, read it on my flight, and then enrolled in Google AI Essentials, a 10-hour course.

The course provided invaluable insights into how LLMs work, including the nuances of vector searching and how specific word choices can impact the output. I learned how to craft effective prompts by providing clear context and setting the desired tone or medium. I felt so confident about the materials that I wrote a report to my VP and suggested that everyone at our company start taking something like this.

Since completing the course, I have a tab open every single day with Gemini. A lot of my admin tasks have been cut down by using Gemini—at least ten hours a week—allowing me to think at a higher level.

Christian Wagar, Customer Success Manager

I use Gemini to help me craft specific messages. For instance, I’ll ask Gemini, ‘based on this content, how can I most effectively structure a team meeting?’ It has significantly improved my ability to condense and structure information.

It’s also great for more creative tasks, like brainstorming fun meeting warm-ups and generating images for email banners. I even use it as a sounding board. I’ll say, ‘I have a difficult conversation coming up. How can I address this person sensitively while still conveying my message clearly?’ Right away, my manager told me my communications improved quite a bit.

AI is an incredibly powerful tool that can be integrated in a multitude of ways to help people have a more productive day. I try to encourage my team to start using it for tasks like summarizing meeting transcripts and responding to customer inquiries.

Overall there's a lot of work to be done in terms of getting people trained. The hands-on experience I got in the course really boosted my confidence and ability to integrate these AI tools into my day-to-day workflow right away.

Learn more about Google AI Essentials