“What actually matters in the customer success space is whether or not you have customer value top of mind. Figure out how to create value not only for your customers but value for their customers, because your customers only use your tool to drive value for themselves.”

Value doesn’t always look how we’d first expect it to. 

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That’s why Edward Chiu, cofounder of Catalyst, was so excited to merge forces with Totango: Helping CS teams better understand what ‘value’ means to their customers means they can better protect and grow revenue. 

In March 2024, Catalyst and Totango — two leading customer success platforms — merged in the name of delivering more value to their collective customer bases. Leaders from both sides were vulnerable and honest about the strengths and weaknesses of their respective software, and it quickly became clear that the greater good of CS needed one thing: a merger.

“This merger is the first of its kind in the category of customer success,” Edward shared. “There have been acquisitions and unifications from different industries, but this is the first time ever where two competing players have merged together to disrupt this category.” 

Two direct competitors coming together is a complicated process. There’s no logistically “easy” way to make two organizations one, but Catalyst and Totango stakeholders alike are willing to do the work it’ll take to unify the teams because Edward and Alistair have presented a clear, shared vision. This merger will help CS teams thrive in a way they’ve never been able to before.

Edward recently joined Pavilion’s Topline podcast to discuss the behind-the-scenes thinking of the decision to merge Catalyst with Totango. Below are the main takeaways he shares in the episode, but we invite you to watch or listen to the full podcast for the full scoop.
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3 (of the many) reasons why Catalyst and Totango merged

1. A complimentary convergence of vision

Both Catalyst and Totango make it easier for businesses to put their customers first and drive sustainable growth alongside them through retention and expansion. But almost any customer success platform could say the same thing.

What aligns Catalyst and Totango so well is how different the two companies’ strengths are. 

That may seem counterintuitive, but let’s dig in a bit. Edward explained on the podcast that Totango is a respected, well-established brand. Their software has been around for nearly 15 years, and it’s used by some of the largest CS teams in the world. Catalyst is a newer brand known for its innovative approach to revenue and lifecycle management.

“[Catalyst] came into this market with one goal: Be the most intuitive, beautifully designed, admin-less, data-driven platform that this market has ever seen,” Edward said. “Totango, on the other hand, is one of the largest players in the space. They co-pioneered the CS category, authored some of the earliest books on how to do customer success, and they had the one thing we didn’t have: massive, enterprise logos.”

Totango’s customers are craving more innovation, and Catalyst’s customers are hoping to scale with a team that understands the entire growth journey. With that in mind, the merger was a natural fit for both companies given their goals and, most importantly, their customers’ needs. This decision wasn’t made rashly either. Edward and Alistair (the two CEOs) literally spent part of their Christmas holiday week together to make sure this was truly the perfect match it seemed like it was. 

2. A massive win for customers 

The merger of Totango and Catalyst is for the benefit and success of the customers who use each platform—otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened. 

By bringing the two tools into one platform, customers will have a comprehensive suite of solutions at their disposal, including powerful relationship management capabilities, beautiful dashboards, real-time analytics, AI-powered automation, and more. 

But features are just features unless they actually help customers and meet a need. 

Here’s that need: “What I’m hearing from every CCO and CRO right now is a desire for a unified view of how their customers are doing so they can quickly identify which ones are healthy, which ones are unhealthy, and of the healthy ones, which ones can they go expand,” Edward shared. “A majority of companies cannot figure this out.”

The combined offering of Totango and Catalyst will empower users to have that kind of visibility in a modern format (thanks to Catalyst) with actionable, scalable recommendations (thanks to Totoango). This exceptional experience will drive long-term loyalty and growth in a way that no other tool on the market currently provides. Edward said it best: “We really feel like this is an incredible opportunity now and going into the future — especially in this market.”

3. Customer success is here to stay grow 

With the way the market’s evolved over the past few years, there’s been an increased focus on customer value delivery, even if it’s in the form of solutions architects or non-traditional CSM roles. It’s up to everyone who’s customer-facing to retain and grow revenue from happy customers. This “trend” has been around for years now, and Edward is convinced it’s not actually a trend, but more a momentous shift in the CS space. 

“Now more than ever, there’s an expectation on CS to generate revenue for the business. How each company does that, well, that’s up to the individual leader and the existing DNA and culture of the company. But it's going to happen more frequently.” 

The technology to support this level of customer involvement, value delivery, and scale needs to be both user-friendly and backed by decades of experience. Totango and Catalyst, together, accomplish both of these goals and more.

Catalyst + Totango: The new way to sustain revenue

So, what’s next for the merged Catalyst <> Totango organization?

Small steps at first, of course, to make sure the merger doesn’t rattle customers or disrupt the value they’re receiving today. But soon, big steps that’ll fundamentally shift (and improve) how all of Catalyst and Totango’s joint customers sustain predictable revenue for years to come.

“We aren't afraid to be vocal [about this merger] in the market,” Edward confirmed. “We want to change up the industry. We want to tell people how to do revenue. That's the only way people are going to learn.”

As Totango and Catalyst lock arms and combine everything from their knowledge and data to technology and headcount in the coming months, they’re undeniably poised to redefine the future of customer success. Together, they already support 600 of the largest global companies and hundreds of the fastest-growing businesses in the world—and they have no plans to stop anytime soon.

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Want to learn more about Edward, his journey with Catalyst, and the merger? Listen to his full episode on the Topline podcast, and check out our latest product innovation webinar for more exciting updates from Totango and Catalyst.  

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