Get answers from customer success leaders
Christine Vienna Knific
mParticle Senior Director, Customer Success - North America • January 18
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.
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Brett Milstein
Narvar Director, Customer Success • February 8
Rather than just asking a candidate about their background, I prefer to ask about real situational questions. Here are a few of my favorites: * Tell me about a time you had an unhappy customer. What was the issue and how did you resolve it? * Take me through a time when a customer provided a churn notice and you were able to save them. What was your process and how did you turn things around? * Walk me through one of your recent renewals. When did you start the renewal conversation and what did the entire process look like? Also, in my opinion, all candidates need to do some type of live presentation for the hiring manager/team before an offer is sent out. Keep in mind, presenting to customers is a major part of a CSM's job and is not a skill I recommend you judge based on an interview and/or resume. While a candidate can tell you all about their communication style and experience, I believe the only way to truly judge their presentation skills is to see it live.
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Manil Vasantha
Information Technology Consultant • January 18
The best customer success candidates: • Communication skills: The ability to communicate with customers and all stakeholders clearly and effectively. • Customer-centric mindset: The ability to put oneself in the customer's shoes and understand their needs, pain points, and goals. A genuine passion for helping customers succeed and a strong sense of ownership over their success. • Adaptability: The ability to adjust to changing customer needs and priorities and to be flexible in finding solutions. • Empathy and active listening: Managing emotions is crucial for effective conflict resolution, active listening, and building trust. • Project management skills: Managing customer projects and initiatives effectively to ensure timely delivery and customer satisfaction. • Industry knowledge: Understanding industry trends, best practices, and competitive landscape. • Analytical skills: The ability to analyze customer data and metrics to identify trends and opportunities for improvement. • Product knowledge: A deep understanding of the product or service. • Problem-solving skills: The ability to identify and resolve customer issues quickly and effectively. • Team player: The ability to work well with others and a willingness to collaborate with other teams and stakeholders to achieve customer success and effectively communicate and collaborate with other teams and departments within the organization. I put this in order of my personal preference. For a mid-level CSR/CSM, I expect the top five. Industry knowledge will be a great asset and a nice to have. Rest, I expect them to pick up on the job.
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Georgia Glanville Harrison
Braze VP Customer Success, EMEA • January 26
Unlike a lot of Customer Success departments, we’ve chosen to align our team to customer KPIs rather than commercial/upsell targets. As such, we have less overlap in goals between CS and Sales. Of course, we’re both targeting Gross Renewal Rate and ensuring we maintain the customer base, but we don’t extend that to upsell targets in the same way as commission-based CS teams. Currently, we’re focused on exploring how we can share “time spent” efficiency and reach KPIs to help keep us accountable for spending as much face time with our customers, tech, and agency partners as we can over the course of many key city hubs whilst being mindful of the cost of trips.
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Jessica Haas
Appcues Chief of Staff & VP of CX • April 27
You're going to want a well-rounded set of knowledge and tools to set you up for success in Success. These include the practice of Customer Success, business metrics, core components of Customer Success, and supplementary industry knowledge. Below are some of my favorites that I've treasured over the years: Community Seekers - Success Coaching If you want to network and learn alongside others, Success Coaching is an excellent place to start in your CS career or level up as you grow. https://successcoaching.co/ For the DIY’er - The Gainsight Blogs & CSM Certifications This content speaks all the love languages of Customer Success professionals and every post is relevant and insightful. https://www.gainsight.com/blog/ A MUST-have for all CSMs - Value-first Onboarding, the Product Adoption Academy Onboarding is crucial for the success of all customers and there is a refined art to crafting & measuring this experience for CSMs. Don’t skimp on this topic! https://academy.appcues.com/courses/value-first-onboarding CS & Business Metrics - Crash Course in Customer Success and SaaS Metrics Hands down, the main questions I hear from new CSMs are around business metrics. Dave Kellog is the LeBron James of SaaS metrics and will explain everything you need to know. Excellent video, grab a notebook! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8hKPfH1q88 Separate yourself from the pack - Jeanne Bliss Understanding business metrics and a product will get you far but what separates you from others is heart and no one on earth does this better than Jeanne Bliss. She has worked with the best customer-first companies and never lets you forget why we’re here…humanity in business. https://www.customerbliss.com/ Staying on top of industry changes - Dave Kellog & Tomasz Tunguz Being aware of what’s happening in Tech will be a massive advantage for you. There are so many great blogs and resources to help you stay on top of what’s happening in the tech world so find what speaks to you! What speaks to me are the Dave Kellog & Tomasz Tunguz blogs...I swear, they're fortunetellers. Dave Kellog - https://kellblog.com/ Tomasz Tunguz - https://tomtunguz.com/
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Caoimhe Carlos
Udemy Vice President Global Customer Success • February 14
One of my favourite CS interview questions is some variation of "Can you share a time when you received constructive feedback from a peer, manager, or cross-functional partner in your previous role as a Customer Success Manager? How did you deal with it, and how did it impact your actions after the fact?" The reason I like this question is that the way the candidate answers it tells me a lot about their self awareness, intelligence, their ability to handle difficult situations with maturity, humility and professionalism, their communication skills and their growth mindset, all of which are skills that are valuable in your role as a CSM and also make someone a great colleague and team member. The best answers I have heard to this question have been thoughtful, honest, clear and have all resulted in genuine impact for the person in terms of how they have grown and developed.
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Kiran Panigrahi
Gainsight Senior Director - Client Outcomes • April 5
Committing to certain KPIs in customer success without considering their broader impact or relevance to overall business objectives can lead to misguided efforts and low outcomes. The metrics needs to be aligned in every phase of customer lifecycle, reviewed and alter accordingly to the goals of the organisation. Example: 1. Attain 0 Churns - GRR is important but it doesn't mean that you can over emphasize on 100% GRR, instead take it slow and have a projection considering all aspects, be it macro or any as such. 2. The same with exemplary NPS scores, expansions too. Have it fair in the business. Do not be in a rush to achieve the impossible. Always have a structured process and a significant increase quarter by quarter instead. It's essential to prioritize metrics that truly reflect customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty, while also driving sustainable business growth and profitability.
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Michael Maday
Gainsight Senior Director, Customer Success • February 17
Always try teaching them someone that they don't already know about the business, product, or customers. Keep your communications tight, both verbal and written! Never let them walk into a risky/negative situation unprepared Remember that they are people too! Establish yourself as a go-to person that they can count on in key situations. Be hungry and aggressive!
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Jeff Beaumont
Customer Success Consultant • February 9
Two examples, one SMB and one enterprise: SMB: Theme: work backwards from what you want: customer is well-trained —> product adoption —> high retention. A long time ago I worked for a company entirely focused on SMB (think single users up to 20). With that, we worked backwards from what "good" looked like (high retention) and then determined what they would need to do (use cases in the product) and then we saw the results. Put differently, we put together a list of customers who were hardly using the product, performed outreach campaigns of phone calls for 1:1 coaching, emails, and webinar invites, and many of those customers took us up on the offer and we met with them at least once, and then followed-up with email content. It was hit or miss because many of those users who struggled in the beginning also struggled later on because they were either 1) constantly distracted or 2) were intimidated by learning a new piece of technology. However, the ones who engaged truly outperformed their peers. This was measured by 1) logins and 2) each area of the product. Enterprise: At a different company, we put together a 'maturity model' for different use cases. With this, we were able to show the customer how they stacked up against their peers, and also where they stand in terms of adopting the product. Being able to show customers how they stack against their peer group is natural and extremely motivating. Then they developed internal plans to adopt more of the product.
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John Brunkard
Sitecore Vice President of Customer Success APJ | Formerly Red Hat, Symantec, Blue Coat, Intel, Dell, Dialogic • November 3
"My leadership philosophy for Customer Success has evolved over the years as I've gained experience and adapted to various situations. I believe in being situational, which means that I tailor my leadership style to the unique needs and challenges at hand. My philosophy is an amalgamation of several key leadership styles: Servant Leadership: I place a strong emphasis on serving my team first. By providing them with the support, resources, and guidance they need, I empower them to excel in their roles. This, in turn, allows them to deliver outstanding support and value to our customers. Authentic Leadership: Authenticity is at the core of my leadership philosophy. I believe in being genuine, transparent, and honest with my team. By building trust and open lines of communication, I create a supportive and collaborative environment. Purposeful Leadership: I focus on instilling a sense of purpose within the team. We align our efforts with the company's success, ensuring that our actions are always directed toward achieving our shared objectives. This clarity of purpose motivates the team and reinforces our commitment to customer success. Transformational Leadership: I seek to inspire and motivate my team to go above and beyond. I encourage innovation, creativity, and a continuous pursuit of improvement. By setting a high standard and fostering a culture of growth, I aim to drive transformation within the team and, consequently, within the realm of Customer Success. My approach is to prioritize the development and well-being of my team members, understanding that they are the backbone of our success. As they thrive, they can better serve our customers, ensuring their success aligns with the success of our company. This customer-first mentality, combined with a blend of leadership styles, allows us to adapt to various situations and consistently deliver exceptional value to our clients."
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