What Does a Customer Success Manager Do?

Customer success managers are responsible for ensuring that customers are happy with the products and services they receive from their company. They work closely with customer service representatives, sales teams, product developers, etc., to ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to providing a positive experience for customers.

Customer success managers may also be tasked with developing strategies to retain existing customers or attract new ones. This might include creating marketing campaigns, organizing events, or other activities designed to build relationships between the company and its customers.

Customer Success Manager Job Duties

A customer success manager typically has a wide range of responsibilities, which can include:

• Partnering with other departments such as engineering, product management, or design to ensure that solutions are meeting customer needs
• Creating reports that measure customer satisfaction, usage patterns, and other performance metrics to help identify areas where improvements can be made
• Supporting customers with questions or issues they have after purchasing a product or service from the company
• Conducting outreach to potential customers to educate them about a product or service and determine their interest in purchasing it
• Troubleshooting customer problems or issues that arise during the use of a product or service
• Educating customers about new features or updates to existing features of a product or service
• Helping customers evaluate new solutions or technologies that may be a good fit for their business needs
• Reviewing customer data to identify opportunities for upselling additional products or services
• Meeting regularly with customers to discuss issues and concerns, provide support, and identify opportunities for improvement

Customer Success Manager Salary & Outlook

Customer success managers’ salaries vary depending on their level of education, years of experience, and the size and industry of the company. They may also earn additional compensation in the form of commissions and bonuses.

• Median Annual Salary: $82,500 ($39.66/hour)
• Top 10% Annual Salary: $122,000 ($58.65/hour)

The employment of customer service managers is expected to decline over the next decade.

Employment growth will be limited because many companies are automating and outsourcing some customer service functions, such as answering questions or processing complaints. As a result, fewer customer service managers will be needed to oversee these functions. In addition, some companies may choose to outsource their call centers to countries with lower labor costs.

Customer Success Manager Job Requirements

A customer success manager typically needs the following qualifications:

Education: Customer success managers typically need at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Some companies prefer candidates who have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as business, computer science or information technology. Some of the coursework that is helpful for a customer success manager to complete includes marketing, business, statistics and economics.

Training & Experience: Customer success managers typically receive on-the-job training to learn the specific processes and procedures of their role. Training may include shadowing a current customer success manager or a member of the customer support team and performing duties under supervision until they are comfortable enough to complete tasks on their own. Training may also include learning about the company’s products and services, the computer systems they use and any software they require customer success managers to be familiar with.

Customer success managers who have previous experience in customer service or as a customer success manager may transfer skills such as communication, problem-solving and time management to their new role.

Certifications & Licenses: Certifications can offer proof of a customer success manager’s knowledge, increase their earning potential and make them a more competitive candidate when applying for jobs.

Customer Success Manager Skills

Customer success managers need the following skills in order to be successful:

Communication: Customer success managers use communication skills to interact with customers, colleagues and other stakeholders. They often use verbal and written communication to explain complex processes and procedures to customers and help them navigate the company’s products or services. They also use written communication to send customers updates and notifications about their orders or account information.

Problem-solving: Problem-solving skills allow you to identify and propose solutions to customer issues. You can use this skill to help customers overcome challenges and achieve their goals. For example, if a customer is having trouble finding a product on your company’s website, you can help them find the product and offer solutions to their technical difficulties.

Time management: Time management is the ability to plan and execute tasks within a set time frame. Customer success managers often have multiple responsibilities, including managing customer accounts, analyzing data and creating reports. It’s important for customer success managers to be able to prioritize their tasks and manage their time accordingly.

Project management: Project management skills can help you manage customer service campaigns and initiatives. You can use project management skills to create and track goals, monitor the status of projects and lead teams of customer service representatives.

Analytical skills: Customer success managers use analytical skills to evaluate customer data and make predictions about customer behavior. For example, they might analyze customer data to determine which customers are likely to churn and then take action to prevent it. They also use analytical skills to determine which customer actions are most effective and how to improve them.

Customer Success Manager Work Environment

The customer success manager works in an office environment during regular business hours. They may occasionally travel to meet with clients or attend conferences. The job is fast-paced and deadline-oriented, and customer success managers must be able to handle multiple projects at once. They must be able to work independently and be self-motivated. The customer success manager must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. They must be able to build relationships with customers and be able to understand their needs.

Customer Success Manager Trends

Here are three trends influencing how customer success managers work. Customer success managers will need to stay up-to-date on these developments to keep their skills relevant and maintain a competitive advantage in the workplace.

The Need for a More Holistic Approach to Customer Success

The customer success manager role is evolving, as businesses are beginning to realize the need for a more holistic approach to customer success.

Now, customer success managers need to be able to not only manage customer relationships but also help customers achieve their business goals. This requires a deep understanding of the products and services that the company offers, as well as the needs of the customer base.

More Focus on Employee Engagement

As businesses become more focused on employee engagement, customer success managers will need to develop new skills and strategies to keep employees engaged and productive.

Customer success managers can utilize a variety of tactics to keep employees engaged, such as creating opportunities for them to collaborate with other departments, providing feedback on their work, or offering rewards for meeting certain goals. In addition, customer success managers can also focus on creating a positive work environment that encourages collaboration and communication.

A Greater Emphasis on Data-Driven Decision Making

As data becomes an increasingly important part of business decision making, customer success managers will need to learn how to use data to make informed decisions about their customers.

This trend means that customer success managers will need to be familiar with data analytics tools and how to use them to gather insights about their customers. They will also need to be able to communicate these findings to other members of the team in order to help everyone make better decisions about how to serve their customers.

How to Become a Customer Success Manager

A career as a customer success manager (CSM) can be incredibly rewarding. It offers the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives, and to help businesses grow by delivering exceptional customer service.

To become a successful CSM, you need to have a deep understanding of your customers’ needs and wants, and how they interact with your company’s products or services. You also need to be able to develop and execute effective strategies for retaining and growing your customer base.

One of the best ways to learn about customer behavior is to talk to customers directly. Reach out to customers who are happy with their experience, and ask them what they like about your company and its products or services. Also reach out to customers who are unhappy with their experience, and find out what went wrong and how you can improve.

Another way to learn more about customer behavior is to read articles and watch videos on the subject. There is a lot of great content online that can help you understand why customers behave the way they do, and how you can use this knowledge to create better experiences for them.

Advancement Prospects

The best way to advance in this career is to gain more experience and knowledge in the field. Customer success managers can advance to senior customer success manager positions, and then to director or vice president positions. They may also move into other related fields such as customer service, sales, or marketing. With more experience, customer success managers can move into leadership roles and take on more responsibility for their team’s success.

Customer Success Manager Job Description Example

At [CompanyX], we’re all about making our customers happy. That’s where you come in! As a Customer Success Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring that our customers are satisfied with our products and services. You will be the main point of contact for customers, working to resolve any issues they may have. You will also be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with customers, as well as identifying opportunities for upselling and cross-selling. To be successful in this role, you must have excellent communication and customer service skills.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for a portfolio of customers, building and maintaining strong relationships to ensure customer satisfaction and success
• Understand customer needs and objectives, and work with them to set goals and track progress towards those goals
• Proactively identify opportunities for customers to get more value from our products and services, and help them realize those benefits
• Be an expert on our products and services, keeping up-to-date on new features and releases, and sharing that knowledge with customers
• Help customers troubleshoot issues and answer questions, escalating to appropriate teams when necessary
• Serve as an advocate for customers internally, providing feedback to help improve our products and processes
• Work cross-functionally with other teams to drive improvements in the customer experience
• Develop and deliver presentations and webinars on best practices and product updates
• Create and maintain documentation on customer successes, FAQs, and other relevant information
• Generate reports on customer health and activity metrics
• Manage customer renewals and expansion opportunities
• Plan and execute customer events and programs

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, or related field
• 3-5 years experience in customer service, sales, or a similar role
• Proven track record of success in meeting or exceeding performance goals
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships
• Strong time management and organizational skills

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• MBA or other advanced degree
• Experience working with CRM software, such as Salesforce
• Experience in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry
• Familiarity with project management tools, such as Jira or Asana
• Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript