How do you inspire and motivate your customer success team to achieve their goals?

Here are some strategies that I use to inspire and motivate my Customer Success team:

Set Clear and Achievable Goals: It is important to set clear, specific, and achievable goals for your team. At Sitecore we use the Objectives - Key Results (OKRs) approach. These OKRs align with the company's mission and are mostly customer-centric objectives. When goals are SMART - specific, strategic, measurable, motivating,  achievable (yet ambitious), agreed to, realistic, relevant, resourced, results based, trackable, timely and tested then it's easier to motivate the team to achieve them. 

We pay a bi-annual bonus based on performance achieved against the set objectives. The OKRs are reviewed quarterly. Ideally I would prefer to pay a bonus quarterly. 

We also have a SPIFF program where CSMs are rewarded for CSQL that become Closed Booked. The contribution the CSMs are making to Expansion revenue is now widely recognized within the company. 

Celebrate and Recognize Individual and Team Achievements: Regularly acknowledge and reward team members who excel in their roles and / or make key accomplishments.  Public, company and / or department recognition awards can mean a lot. Even small incentives can be effective in boosting morale. We have quarterly individual performance awards where time off is provided as well as other incentives. The winners are shared at the Cxx level in the CCO QBRs.

Celebrate their customers' success stories and help to get published internally and even externally. Remind the team of the positive impact they have on customers' business outcomesand the value they bring to the organization.

Ongoing feedback, praise and coaching: Offer constructive criticism when necessary and highlight areas where team members are excelling. Provide timely praise for a job well done. Ensure you provide regular and timely feedback to help team members understand their strengths and areas for development. Identify coaching opportunities for performance improvement and development as well as reinforcing positive behaviors. 

Individual Development Plans (IDP): Invest in the career development and growth of your team members. Provide opportunities for continuous learning and development for team members. This can be Customer Success specific training, soft skills and / or complementary skills training. Ensure CSMs are updated regularly on your company’s product and solution. Have clear career paths for your team members to grow and advance into not just as CSMs but other roles within the company. 

Team Building and Collaboration: Foster a collaborative environment where team members support and learn from each other, “Iron sharpens iron”, where they build up and encourage each other. Team members should proactively seek hope from one another - a problem shared is a problem halved.  

Effective Leadership: Try to be an effective and inspiring leader yourself. Adjust your leadership style to what is most appropriate - situational leadership. Be a conduit to remove any barriers to your teams success. Be transparent and cascade down information from the executive leadership on company direction, mission, objectives and performance. Be a great listener then a great communicator. Maintain open and transparent communication. Keep the team informed about company updates, changes in strategy, and customer feedback. When team members understand the bigger picture, they're more likely to stay motivated.