When Chris Detzel stepped into the role of community leader at ZoomInfo, he wasn’t just building a community—he was creating a program to bring the customer experience together.
In this episode recap of “Power of Connection,” Chris talks about the challenges and wins of building a community strategy from the ground up. From managing executive expectations to working across teams, his story shows how a well-executed community program can grow into a key part of the organization.
Here’s how he got started, what he’s learned along the way, and where he sees ZoomInfo’s community heading next.
Chris’s career in community management has been shaped by years of experience leading online communities across industries. From his start at Forrester Research to his recent role at Reltio, Chris has always focused on driving engagement and strategy. But when Reltio decided to cut back on community investment, Chris found himself at a crossroads.
Determined to make community management his full-time focus, he dove into the job hunt, leaning on his network and reaching out to former colleagues and managers.
After spotting the ZoomInfo role on LinkedIn, Chris messaged Justin, now his boss, to express interest. “I sent him a message, saying, ‘Hey, I’m really interested in this. Are you still hiring?’” When he didn’t hear back right away, he applied anyway, and followed up again. His persistence paid off. “I think because of that, he told the recruiter let’s talk to this guy.” After several rounds of interviews, Chris officially joined ZoomInfo as their new community leader.
While job searching has its share of waiting, progress happens by taking small, intentional actions that keep you top of mind. Don’t shy away from leaning on your network and reaching out directly. A quick follow-up shows you’re serious, and often, that extra nudge can get your name in the right hands.
When Chris joined ZoomInfo, his first task was getting clarity on why they wanted to build a community in the first place. “They hired me for a reason,” Chris explained. “When companies bring you on, it’s important to understand their goals for the community.”
Since ZoomInfo didn’t have a community yet, those initial talks centered on defining the problems they intended to solve, beginning with support deflection. “The other, higher-level piece,” he continued, “is thinking about the unification of community, support, training, and other functions.” Chris is now leading that entire initiative, with community being just one piece of a larger puzzle.
As a newcomer, Chris has found that the key to rallying everyone around the vision is balancing enthusiasm with pragmatism. “This isn’t going to happen overnight,” he said, stressing the importance of setting clear expectations with stakeholders. For him, these early conversations have been about energizing the team while setting realistic expectations for the steady work ahead.
Integrating a community program at ZoomInfo also meant navigating some lingering reservations. A previous attempt to launch a community hadn’t quite taken off, leaving some teams cautious. “There’s a lot of excitement around it, but also a bit of, ‘Remember what happened last time,” Chris shared.
His approach? Active listening paired with execution. You need to bring expertise while also remaining open to each department’s unique needs. Success, he believes, comes from blending your knowledge with empathy—moving forward with purpose while staying grounded in what stakeholders genuinely want and need.
When establishing a new community program, Chris emphasized the importance of getting buy-in from key stakeholders. One of the biggest challenges, he noted, is framing the value of community in a way that resonates with each leader’s priorities. “The chief customer officer cares about existing customers, upsell opportunities, case deflection—everything post-sale,” he said. “The CMO, on the other hand, is focused on net new accounts, while product leaders care about adoption. You’ve got to tailor your message to what matters most to them.” Community, he pointed out, has the flexibility to support all these goals, but it’s essential to connect directly to each executive’s needs.
Chris’s strategy starts with speaking their language. “Understand their goals and show how community ties into those initiatives,” he said. But he’s also careful not to promise too much too soon. “Even though community can impact upsells, cross-sells, product adoption, and new accounts, it’s best to start with one goal, find an advocate, and build from there.”
Data storytelling, Chris added, is the final piece. “We all have thousands of data points, but what’s the story you’re trying to tell? Executives don’t need every detail; they need data that’s relevant to their goals,” he said. A clear, focused story is what makes the case for community resonate at the top.
As ZoomInfo’s new community leader, Chris sits within the marketing team, but he sees community as a function that could plug into almost any part of the organization. “That’s the opportunity with community,” he said. “Its value touches every department. But regardless of where it lives, you’ve got to build relationships with everyone.”
Chris knows that building those connections isn’t always easy. “Every team has its own goals and focus areas. But you have to continually show how community supports them,” he said. By positioning community as a partner to each department, Chris is working to make it a central part of ZoomInfo’s strategy.
“It’s not just support deflection. That’s one use case,” he noted. “It’s about engaging all our users and aligning with the goals of marketing, product, and customer success.” Collaborating with different teams has given Chris a deeper understanding of how each operates, helping him find practical ways to integrate community into their workflows and long-term plans.
Chris believes AI is undeniably influencing the future of communities but remains clear on one point: it’s a supporting act, not the star. “People make a community. You’re not there to talk to a robot—you’re there to build relationships,” he said. He pointed to Google’s focus on human-generated content as proof that authentic conversations will always matter most.
Still, AI offers real opportunities for community leaders. “In support communities, for instance, chatbots are already helping users find answers faster,” Chris explained. At his previous company, they even used an LLM model powered by community discussions and product docs to assist with questions. But he also warned about overreliance, noting risks like AI hallucinations.
His advice for community managers exploring AI: dive in. “Just play around with it. Read up, see what others are doing, and connect with community leaders, or even people outside the community space, who are doing cool things with AI,” he suggested. He pointed to companies using AI for sentiment analysis, linking community insights with LMS and support data to gauge customer sentiment on renewals or upsells.
“Show that you understand the tools and how they might help. Maybe not everything will work out, but if it eases your work or benefits your customers, it’s worth trying,” Chris added. His final tip: balance learning with doing. Many are already using tools like ChatGPT. Now it’s about embedding them more intentionally into your community strategy.
For more of Chris’s take on where community is headed and the trends shaping it, subscribe and catch the full episode. There’s a lot more on the evolving role of community and what it could mean for your business down the line.