“I want the customer to feel like they've just won the CSM lottery.”
Introduction
I'm excited to share this blog series, which chronicles my experiences as both a Customer Success Manager (CSM) and a CSM Trainer. Through these posts, I hope to not only inspire others but also provide unique insights that might not be covered in traditional CSM trainings.
By sharing my personal anecdotes and lessons learned from working with customer bases, I hope to offer a relatable and authentic perspective on what it takes to excel as a CSM.
History
A glance at my LinkedIn history reveals a diverse range of roles, including Account Manager, Customer Success Manager, Technical Account Manager, Service Delivery Manager, and Cloud Launch Manager (customer onboarding).
While the job titles may have changed over time, the core responsibilities remained consistent. In essence, I was entrusted with customer relationships post-sales, ensuring that the value promised during the sales process was delivered. My work involved fostering strong connections with my customer base, providing ongoing support until they either outgrew their relationship with us or ceased doing business with our organization.
What is Customer Success…to me?
You can find online a thousand different ways to do Customer Success. Just a quick look down my LinkedIn feed I find the following readings:
- Creating High Performance CX Teams
- Transforming CS Strategy for Enterprise B2B SaaS
- The Value-Centric CSM Operating System
- Client Relationship Strategies
- The Difference in CSM Approaches
- The Ultimate Guide to Customer Success in SaaS
Need I go on? These are all great reads and I recommend you explore all aspects of the role.
However, what does Customer Success mean to me? I remember sharing my philosophy with a CSM student: 'I want the customer to feel like they've just won the CSM lottery.' What I meant by this is it was my aim to make customers feel confident and valued in their relationship with me and the company I represented.
This means providing exceptional support, characterized by swift responses, innovative solutions, attentive listening, and more. In this blog series, we'll dive into these essential topics and explore what it takes to deliver world-class customer care.