CSM Specialization: Balancing Relationships and Knowledge
While we may agree that it takes a certain set of characteristics that make an awesome CSM, your definition of the role of a Customer Success Manager (CSM) likely looks slightly different than the definition that your competitors, vendors, and customers use in their own businesses. The set of customers each CSM interacts with will […]
read moreFundamentals: Basic Leading and Lagging Indicators in Customer Success
Leading and lagging indicators provide useful ways to look at the cause and effect relationship among various KPIs. It can get a bit complicated the deeper you dive. To keep things simple, think about breaking things down to an ACTIONS=RESULT equation, where leading indicators represent the action and lagging indicators the result. To apply this, […]
read moreFundamentals: Focus on Retaining your Mid-tier Customers
Here we are in the midst of “the dog days of summer.” That time when productivity ebbs and new customer acquisition slows down. It seems people are more focused on vacations with the family and road trips to the beach than they are on actual business. Who can blame you for soaking up those last […]
read moreOutsource – A Dirty Word?
As a function of my role as Business Development Manager at ESG, I spend a lot of time talking with Customer Success leaders. And from those conversations, I’ve found that many of them very much dislike the idea of outsourcing any part of their business. In fact, I recently spoke with a gentleman who boldly […]
read moreThe Customer Onboarding Handoff: Don’t Drop the Baton
If you’re onboarding a new customer, that can only mean one thing. You did it. You made it. You beat out all of your competitors. They chose you, and now you know, they like you. They really like you! But now it’s show time for your product and Customer Success team, and if you don’t […]
read moreCustomer Retention Strategy: Measuring & Managing Subscription Consumption
The need to measure product utilization and/or subscription consumption is a no-brainer. Usage metrics are critical indicators of how well your products are helping customers achieve their desired outcomes, which in turn influences your customer retention strategy. If usage is low, odds are that your customer sees little if any value in your solution. And […]
read moreCustomers Can’t Live on Automation Alone
Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? If we’re talking about time at the beach or the love of a puppy, I’d argue the answer is no. However, when it comes to automation in Customer Success (CS), I say yes, and science is in my corner. Fundamentally, it’s proven that the […]
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