What is your favorite customer success interview question and the best answer you've heard?

Question: What does customer success mean to you? What is it, what is it not? Why it's good: It's open-ended, and gives the candidate a big opportunity to talk about CS as a field, the success of a customer on an individual basis, and more.  Example of a great answer: "To me, Customer Success is the driving of client business outcomes by providing value through our product and services." From there, the best candidates talk about being able to do this at scale (do more with less!), using technol ...Read More

Almost did not want to answer this question because it would give it away. Haha! I ask: Has it ever happened to you that a very red customer is moved to your portfolio? What's your first reaction when that happens? How do you solve for it? The answer to the first question tells me whether the CSM's current leadership trusts them enough to give a red-hot customer. Only the best CSMs get really risky customers because the leadership believes in the capability of the CSM to save the customer. The a ...Read More

Scenario-based questions are my favorite but I especially like this one as it breaks the ice and allows the candidate to show their personality & you can have fun with the scenarios. Three emails hit your inbox, which do you answer first, second, and last and why?  No wrong answers here! You ordered lunch and the delivery person is running an hour behind and asks if you still want your order. (symbolizes a higher-value downgrade scenario) Your friend wants to reschedule your plans for the ev ...Read More

I'm a big fan of asking people about a professional area that they would like to improve in. For example, it could be; Presentation skills Improving their use of AI Learning a programming language The exact response doesn't actually matter. The key to this question is the follow-up: "What are you currently doing to improve that area." Great candidates have an immediate response and show action and a focus towards self-improvement. Weaker candidates have an appetite to improve, but can't tangibly ...Read More

I have many different questions and always include some scenario based questions to see how they would handle those. Often I start with a very fundamental question along the lines of;"Tell my why you want to be a Customer Success Manager? What motivates you for this type of role?A good answer to the question would be one that demonstrates a genuine passion for helping customers achieve their outcomes and a desire to be part of a dynamic collaborative team that strives to make a positive impact o ...Read More

I love asking candidates to share a time when they worked on a project or customer challenge that didn’t go as planned. People who take risks usually have a story or two about when things didn’t work out or when they faced obstacles they couldn’t overcome. In those moments, I’m looking for vulnerability, self-awareness, and the lessons learned for future projects. It can be humbling to admit to a hiring manager that you misjudged a risk or moved forward with an unrealistic timeline—but that hone ...Read More

I’ll share 2 questions – one is behavioral based, and one is situational. One of our core values is Extreme Ownership. I ask candidates to “Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone to do something in order for you to meet a goal or deadline. Why did you need to convince them? What was the goal/deadline? What was the result?” What I like about this question is it embodies all things CS - accountability; influence (usually without authority; partnership and teamwork; creativity… I loo ...Read More

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, hum ...Read More

I have two favorite questions I intentionally save for the end of an interview. They are less tactical and more personal. By that stage, most candidates have moved through their rehearsed responses. These questions invite them to lower their guard, step away from “triggered” answers, and simply be themselves. Question #1: “Who is [Candidate’s Name]? Tell me about yourself.” Not your résumé. Not your job description.You. This question reveals authenticity, self-awareness, and confidence. It allow ...Read More

What problem have you solved in your work that you are most proud of? This is a great question for a few reasons: If they fumble for an answer, they haven't been reflecting on their experience and professional journey so that is an easy red flag to spot Their answer tells you a great deal about their real values - what is really important to them - and lets you get to know them more deeply. If they've said they value collaboration but then their story is all about them solving a problem on their ...Read More