I think the single worst KPI is 'customer touchpoints.' Customers don't want to be bothered unless you have information that is valuable to them that commands them to stop what they're doing and spend time with you. It's not enough to go about talking to every customer every month in a 'check-in.' It's much better to hold off for 3 months until you can have a value-driven conversation. Additionally, I find certain CS SLAs to be sub-optimal KPIs. If CSMs are supposed to be proactive, that means they can't live in their inbox responding to customers. So if they have a KPI that dictates how quickly they should respond to customer outreaches, you're giving the team conflicting information on where they should be spending their time.

I'd recommend starting with these key areas when creating a CS function: * Defining customer success - what does successful use of your product or platform look like? When a customer in successful in your platform, what are the outcomes? What is considered optimal use of your product, gathered from a variety of perspectives (product, leadership, marketing, beta customers)? * Defining the customer journey - considering how customer success is defined and what outcomes successful customers should strive for, what are the key touchpoints in the customer journey to promote that success? Examples include the onboarding experience, product adoption at certain time intervals, objective setting, progress check-ins, value-based discussions, renewal/commercial milestones. How does each customer-facing role engage in this journey? * Consider the overall team structure and the roles and responsibilities of CS - Based on the customer journey, what role will CS play in promoting customer success? Will CS train/enable customers on the platform or will this be done digitally/self-service? How will CS onboard/implement customers? What customer engagements/moments will CS own? * Establish team onboarding/training/upskilling - How will you ramp your CS team members? How will you ensure they maintain skills necessary for the job? * Consider necessary tools - What tools/internal platforms will be needed for the success of the CS function? How will customer outcomes be tracked? How will CS manage day to day responsibilities? How will CS stay connected to internal functions such as engineering and support? * Define measurements, reporting, and accountability metrics - Which customer metrics (adoption, health, sentiment) will best predict outcomes (churn, retention, renewal growth)? Which inputs (activities, customer engagements) promote those customer outcomes? How will your report on customer wins and risks? How will you hold the CS team accountable to these inputs/outputs?

While I have been at HubSpot for a long time (13+ years), many opportunities have come up over time that I have had to assess new opportunities. Here are the things I tend to look at when considering a role; * Market Evolution * Size and growth potential of the market the company plays in * Stage of evolution : is this a horizon that is in its late stages or on the cutting edge? * Potential : is this a single product/one trick pony or do * Product * Do customers love their product/service? * Who are their competitors and how does their solution stack up? * Are they a leader or laggard? Have they shown product/service innovation? * Leadership and Culture * Are they proud of their vision, values and culture, even if they are against the grain? * How visual/vocal is their executive leadership? * Do people love the company? Are they staying there or leaving after short periods of time? * How do they treat failure? * Skills and Growth * Does my past experience lend well to the role? * Are there opportunities for me to build new skills? * What is my potential for impact on the business priorities? * Does this role help me build skills for the next position I hope to achieve?

Early in my career, I didn't. I was at a larger company with many functional and department heads. Not everyone will/should work directly with the C suite, but if the work you're doing has a high impact on the entire company, you will. My first real work with the C suite was when I was building a new Customer Success function at a mid-stage company. We had built our first churn/retention forecast and our CFO needed to understand our projections and have confidence in them before taking it to the board. We walked through my model, which varied from our tops-down Finance projections. Every month, we would review recent churns, top risks and our quarterly and annual churn forecast with the CRO and CFO. This became a rhythm they depended on. As time went on, I was tasked with more strategic initiatives because of the confidence I built with them.

My focus is on learning, optimising, and driving impact. Here’s my structured 30-60-90 day approach: 30 Days – Learn & Align Deep dive into company goals, customers, and key metrics (ARR, GRR, NRR). Meet stakeholders (CS, Sales, Product, Support) & assess CS playbooks. Know your team - Listen & Learn Identify quick wins—engage with top accounts & address renewal risks. 60 Days – Optimise & Engage Strengthen customer health monitoring & playbooks for onboarding, adoption, outcomes and renewals. Build alignment with Sales & Product for expansion and feedback loops. Empower the CS team with training & automation to improve efficiency. Carve out initiatives and boost morale in the team. 90 Days – Execute & Scale Implement data-driven engagement strategies to boost retention & expansion. Establish a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) & enhance VoC programs - leverage Community Present a long-term CS roadmap with measurable business impact. Evaluate and Recognise. Success in CS isn’t a one-time plan/change...it’s an ongoing cycle of learning, improving, and evolving with customers!

Yes, it is absolutely possible for someone from a different field to transition into Customer Success. I have typically seen success from former Sales and Solution Consultants moving into Customer Success as well as former Support Reps being great in the role as well. The key when interviewing is to highlight experiences and abilities that align with the core responsibilities of Customer Success, such as communication, problem-solving, relationship management, and a customer-focused mindset. If you are interested in transitioning into Customer Success, I would start identifying overlaps between your current role and Customer Success. For instance, if you’ve worked in Sales, Support, or Solution Consulting, emphasize your experience managing client relationships, resolving issues, or delivering results. Next, invest time in learning about the field. Familiarize yourself with Customer Success methodologies, tools like CRM software, and strategies for customer retention and satisfaction. Consider earning certifications or taking courses on platforms like LinkedIn Learning. As I mentioned in a previous answer, networking is also crucial. Connect with Customer Success professionals to gain insights, ask questions, and seek mentorship. Tailor your resume and LinkedIn profile to showcase how your past experiences align with the goals of Customer Success, focusing on outcomes like collaboration, problem resolution, and customer advocacy. Finally, when interviewing, demonstrate your adaptability and eagerness to learn, which I love to see when I interview candidates. Show that you understand the value Customer Success brings to a business and that you’re committed to helping customers achieve their goals. With the right preparation, your unique background can be a tremendous asset in this field!

The ability to do this well totally depends on the size of your organisation but there's a couple of easy things that stand out: 1) Ask your product team to join specific calls and get feedback live from the customer 2) Set up a CAB (Customer Advisory Board) that invites your top and most forward-thinking customers to meet in a formal setting with your product team 3) Collect feedback in a repository that can easily tell the story of the feedback from your Enterprise customers

There are so many career paths for a Customer Success Manager! I don't view the CSM's path as necessarily linear, but a "typical" one might be: 1. Customer Success Associate 2. Customer Success Manager 3. Senior or Enterprise Customer Success Manager 4. Strategic Customer Success Manager 5. Manager of Customer Success 6. Director of Customer Success 7. Head of Customer Success That said, there are a lot of different specializations, such as Customer Success Operations, Renewal Management, or large-scale Customer Success (sometimes called 1:many or "digital"). These specializations are great goals for someone who has been in Customer Success for several years and would like to advance in paths that are not necessarily management. 

The two areas I would recommend are 1) Sharpening your Sales skills and 2) Adopting some Product Manager mindsets. When working with customers and the further upmarket you go, the more enriched these conversations need to be and the immediate areas for many customers are to understand their contracts, how they can scale with your product, value alignment, and ROI. Supplementing this, customers want to know how your product will be evolving and how their feedback can influence the roadmap. Being able to cut right to the value of a product, requirements, outcomes, and how those align with the customer's values will set your customer and Product teams up for mutual success!

Technical Support response targets! We’ve all been there, and being the first Success Hire is super exciting. You get to wear many hats, get involved all the way through the customer lifecycle and be scrappy to get customers what they need. For us at the beginning, that meant taking on a lot of Technical Support tickets for our EMEA customers, especially in the morning before our then US-based tech support team was online. On the one hand, this gives you a lot of valuable product knowledge that can help you be an impactful CSM, but on the other hand, it can mask the business need to expand technical support teams and can hurt your focus in the long term. If you can, explain early the difference between CS and Tech support KPIs and ensure that anything you take on is temporary!