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Michael Maday

AMA: Gainsight Senior Director, Customer Success, Michael Maday on Scaling a Customer Success Team

April 10 @ 10:00AM PT

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  1. What does your customer success team org structure look like?

    Michael Maday
    Michael Maday

    Payscale Vice President - Customer Success & Implementation • 2y

    1. Customer Success Managers (CSMs) are grouped into segments based on either Product Type or Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR).

    2. Each CSM reports to a CS Director responsible for leading their respective segment.

    3. CS Directors report to the VP of Customer Success, who manages all CSMs.

    4. The VP of CS reports to the Chief Customer Officer (CCO), who oversees all post-sales teams, including Renewal Managers.

    5. The CCO, in turn, reports to the CEO of the company

    1,891 Views
    1 request

  2. As a hiring manager, what do the best customer success candidates have in common?

    Michael Maday
    Michael Maday

    Payscale Vice President - Customer Success & Implementation • 2y

    When interviewing new Customer Success Managers, I prioritize strong communication skills and professionalism as fundamental requirements for the role. Additionally, I seek evidence of their proven track record in essential role-related skills. I also inquire about instances where they've demonstrated "Extreme Ownership" of accounts and situations, along with lessons learned from past missteps, whether internal or with customers.

    1,377 Views
    2 requests

  3. What's the most effective way to scale a customer success team beyond the first customer success manager?

    Michael Maday
    Michael Maday

    Payscale Vice President - Customer Success & Implementation • 2y

    To scale a Customer Success function effectively, it's crucial to demonstrate its financial impact and how additional headcount can amplify this effect. A simple method is to analyze renewal and expansion rates for accounts managed by Customer Success. By applying this financial model, you can determine the potential growth and retention value that an additional CSM could bring when engaging with currently uncovered accounts. This approach provides a clear rationale for expanding the team while ...Read More

    1,345 Views
    1 request

  4. What's your framework to prioritizing needs/deliverables when you're the first customer success manager at a company establishing the function?

    Michael Maday
    Michael Maday

    Payscale Vice President - Customer Success & Implementation • 2y

    Understanding and quantifying the value customers receive is paramount for a new CSM function. Once identified, it facilitates the construction of a CS framework to expedite time to value recognition and provide tangible proof to the customer. Growth of this value becomes the cornerstone for aligning with stakeholders, conducting Executive Business Reviews, and other operational motions.

    1,546 Views
    1 request

  5. How do you communicate customer success updates and activities to the rest of the company?

    Michael Maday
    Michael Maday

    Payscale Vice President - Customer Success & Implementation • 2y

    We conduct monthly CS All-Hands meetings for team updates. Quarterly, we extend this to include all teams under our Chief Customer Officer (CCO), along with company-wide All-Hands meetings. Additionally, we host Leader-level Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) where all teams are represented, allowing for deeper dives into metrics and trends.

    899 Views
    1 request

  6. What are the key processes you'd set up when expanding the customer success team from 1 to multiple people?

    Michael Maday
    Michael Maday

    Payscale Vice President - Customer Success & Implementation • 2y

    Key initiatives for a nascent Customer Success team to establish include: 1. Implementation of a robust Health Score framework capable of forecasting both risks and opportunities for growth. 2. Implementation of a streamlined risk identification process enabling Customer Success Managers to promptly flag problematic accounts to leadership. 3. Development of a comprehensive Value Framework allowing CSMs to articulate to customers where value is being derived and identify areas for future enhancem ...Read More

    739 Views
    2 requests

  7. If your customer success team has only one or two people responsible for covering multiple products with complex features, how would you recommend dividing workload in the short-term so as best to support long-term growth and expansion of the team?

    Michael Maday
    Michael Maday

    Payscale Vice President - Customer Success & Implementation • 2y

    In this scenario, I aim to pinpoint areas where the most significant impact can be made. If one product exhibits notably lower retention rates, focusing efforts there may be prudent. Alternatively, if a product contributes substantially to revenue, it warrants priority attention. Specializing team members to focus solely on one product can also streamline their efforts and enhance expertise.

    909 Views
    1 request