Written by Colby Bock
There are many posts and articles published by leaders in Customer Success that articulate an attempt to guide current and aspiring Customer Success Managers on their role. Of course, this is natural and something we should expect from leaders. I mean, why call yourself one if you aren’t actually, you know, leading? But how often do leaders turn around and pause to ask the CSMs reporting to them for their thoughts about how leaders could better enable their success?
With that framing, I’ve compiled what I imagine is a pretty typical wish list from the point of view of a CSM:
🌟A Customer Success Manager’s Wish List: What Fuels My Success 🌟
Customer Information:
🔍 Enriched Insights: Empower me with rich customer data, from contact info to personas, renewal dates, contract specifics, and updated customer notes. I crave to immerse myself in my customers’ stories.
📈 Streamlined Support: Keep me in the know with real-time support metrics and ticket details. Simplify reporting so I can quickly focus on my accounts.
🚀 Product and Partner Updates: Light up my world with notifications about new releases, campaigns, partnerships – everything that shapes our customers’ experience.
Cross-functional Support:
🤝 Swift Assistance: In the complex world of renewals, grant me rapid access to finance, legal, and contractual support. It’s the lifeline when things get intricate.
🗺️ Tear down that wall: Pave the way for me to build relationships with the sales teams and channel partners. Cross-org collaboration and data flow are critical to my job. They’re two of the secrets behind a seamless customer experience, which is a hallmark of companies with very high customer retention rates.
🔧 Technical Guidance: Although I know our products, sometimes I need that extra tech expertise to serve my customers better. Quick access to these resources is a game-changer.
💡 Feedback Empowerment: Create a hub for product feedback, feature requests, and timely responses on defects. Answers are critical. Even a “no” or a “not right now” is better than no answer for my customers.
🗣️ Voice in Decision-making: Let me share customer insights that influence our business; my customers have great information to share.
🌐 Stability Matters: Building enduring partnerships takes time. While I welcome new accounts in my Book of Business, a constant shuffle can disrupt nurturing relationships.
Tools and Automation:
🛠️ Efficiency Unleashed: Equip me with tools to streamline my work. I want access to customer information fast & through fewer systems. Automation can also keep me on top of customer timelines and content creation.
Processes and Best Practices:
🗺️ Guiding Lights: Illuminate my path with Customer Success best practices. Show me when to initiate contact, what information to share, when to survey customers, and how to navigate renewals and upsells. Let me discover the art of impactful outreach in a world flooded with information.
Now, CS leaders, does that list look like an unreasonable collection of hopes and dreams? Yeah, I don’t think so either. Let’s do this. Let’s do what we can to properly enable our teams and let’s start by asking them what they need to succeed.
Together, we can supercharge Customer Success!
🚀 #CustomerSuccessLeadership #CSMsuccess