AMA: Adobe Director Customer Strategy & Success, Aishwarya Dwivedi on Customer Success / Sales Alignment

A complete Sales to CS handoff in CRM is defined by clear customer context, what problem are we solving, what was sold, what success looks like, and what happens next supported by strong data. In practice, I’ve seen the most effective tracking anchored across three areas: 1. System Enforcement Mandatory fields at deal close (no close without completion) Validation rules to prevent incomplete or inconsistent data 2. Process Discipline Structured handoff form embedded within CRM Required Sales to ...Read More

While ownership of upsell and cross-sell opportunities has historically been with Sales, I view post-sales as a pre-sales. CSMs are close to the customers, have deep understanding of their objectives, challenges, and evolving needs which puts them in a strong position to identify expansion opportunities early. In practice, CSMs surface and qualify these opportunities, then partner closely with Sales, who lead the commercial motion and drive the opportunity through to closure. Ultimately, this is ...Read More

We align territory and segment coverage by anchoring Sales and Customer Success to a single, consistent segmentation model, reinforced through clear governance and systems. 1. Single source of truth Sales and CS operate from the same account definitions—parent/child hierarchy, segments, ARR thresholds, and solution scope ensuring 1:1 alignment on ownership. Coverage changes are managed through formal governance, not ad hoc updates.   2. Ownership by lifecycle stage We define clear accountability ...Read More

In most cases, CSMs are already engaged in the account and have the full context and insights. For new accounts or unassigned CSMs, a structured handoff is critical to ensure continuity and avoid context loss. A clean handoff should include the following :- 1. Customer & Deal Context Customer overview (priorities, strategic importance) Key stakeholders (buyer, sponsor, technical) Business objectives (revenue, cost, risk, transformation) Defined success criteria Artifacts: Account plan, stake ...Read More