Customer Success Career: Your Roadmap to Success

Customer Success (CS) is here to stay. As companies are prioritizing customer retention and expansion, the Customer Success Manager (CSM) role is no longer optional. This post will dive into the world of customer success and explore the different career paths, skills and strategies to succeed in this field.

To uncover what it takes to build a thriving career in Customer Success, we spoke with several industry leaders. Anupran from Netradyne, Lauren Shadir from KNIME, and Alok Singh, a 2023 Top 100 CS Strategist, shared their experiences and insights. Seasoned experts like Vipul from GTM Buddy, Abhishek from Kapture CX, and Manish, along with thought leaders like Atma, author of Customer Success Flywheel, provide valuable perspectives on navigating the CS landscape, equipping you with the knowledge to advance in this high-impact field. Career in Customer Success

Career in Customer Success

Customer success has many career paths, from individual contributor to leadership roles. Here are some:

• Individual Contributor: Starting as a CSM, customer onboarding, adoption and retention.
• Senior CSM: Leading a team of CSMs, managing a larger book of business and driving revenue growth.
• Customer Success Operations: Overseeing the operational side of customer success, process improvement, data analysis and tool implementation.
• Customer Success Leadership: Leading the customer success function, setting strategy and managing teams.

Skill Analysis for Customer Success: A Comprehensive Examination

Unlocking your potential through skill analysis is a transformative journey in your career, especially in the ever-evolving field of customer success. Embrace the wealth of insights available to you, as you discover and enhance your unique capabilities, pinpoint areas for growth, and harness your strengths to thrive in diverse roles within customer success.

Introspection and Self-Assessment

• Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses: Before choosing a company or role, Lauren Shadir recommends engaging in a thorough introspection process to assess your skills and preferences. This involves:
  • Recognizing Your Strong Suits: What are you naturally good at? Do you excel at technical troubleshooting, building relationships, or developing strategic plans? Understanding your strengths helps you target roles where you can thrive and contribute effectively.
  • Acknowledging Areas for Development: What skills do you need to improve? Are you lacking in technical expertise, communication skills, or analytical abilities? Recognizing your weaknesses allows you to seek opportunities for growth and professional development.
• Align Skills with Company Size and Stage: Shadir suggests considering the size and maturity of a company when evaluating customer success roles. Startups often require CSMs to wear multiple hats, demanding versatility and a willingness to handle various tasks. Larger, more established companies typically offer more specialized roles, allowing you to focus on specific skills and areas of expertise.

Essential Skills for Customer Success

Several sources highlight essential skills for customer success professionals:

• Technical Expertise: Ripal emphasizes the importance of understanding product adoption and leveraging technical tools to track customer usage. This includes familiarity with analytics platforms like Mixpanel, project management tools like ClickUp, and communication platforms like Slack.
• Relationship Building and Communication: Manish emphasizes the importance of collaboration skills and the ability to effectively communicate with both internal teams and external customers. Building strong relationships is crucial for understanding customer needs, advocating for their success, and identifying expansion opportunities.
• Data Analysis and Insights: Manish also highlights the importance of data analysis skills, including proficiency in Excel and the ability to extract insights from data to inform decision-making and demonstrate customer value.
• Consultative Approach and Problem Solving: Abhishek stresses the need for a consultative approach in customer success, understanding customer problems and tailoring solutions to meet their specific needs. Ripal also emphasizes value mapping, understanding the value customers derive from the product and aligning it with their business goals.

Cultivating Skills for Growth

• Seek Opportunities for Development: Manish recommends taking on cross-functional projects and ancillary responsibilities to gain exposure to different departments and expand your skillset.
• Embrace Continuous Learning: Atma emphasizes the importance of staying updated with the latest trends and technologies in customer success. He encourages reading industry publications, attending conferences, and engaging in online communities to expand your knowledge base.
• Leverage Technology to Enhance Efficiency: Anuran highlights the role of automation and technology in scaling customer success efforts. This includes utilizing tools and platforms to automate tasks, personalize communication, and improve efficiency.

Future-Proofing Your Skillset

• Embrace AI and Automation: Manish predicts that AI will play an increasingly important role in customer success, enabling professionals to automate tasks and focus on high-value interactions. He recommends developing skills in leveraging AI tools and understanding how to effectively integrate them into customer success workflows.
• Develop Human-Centric Skills: While AI will automate certain aspects of customer success, Manish emphasizes that human skills like storytelling, communication, and influence will become even more crucial.
• Cultivate a “Super CSM” Mindset: Atma encourages CSMs to develop a “superpower” outside of traditional customer success skills. This could involve specializing in a particular industry, mastering a technical skill, or developing expertise in a specific area like operations or program management.

By engaging in self-assessment, developing essential customer success skills, embracing continuous learning, and adapting to emerging trends, professionals can effectively navigate their careers and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the field.

Ways People Grow Their Customer Success Careers

The sources highlight various ways individuals have advanced their careers in Customer Success:

• Starting at a Startup: Joining a smaller company, especially in its early stages, can provide unique growth opportunities. As a CSM in a startup, you may be the sole person responsible for customer success, leading to rapid development of diverse skills and potentially even leading to executive-level roles like VP of Customer Success. However, these opportunities come with risks, as the fast-paced and ambiguous environment may lead to burnout and the promised career progression might not materialize.
• Leveraging Existing Experience: Professionals from various backgrounds, including support, sales, and marketing, can transition into Customer Success roles by highlighting their transferable skills. For example, strong communication skills gained in sales or technical expertise acquired in support roles can be valuable assets in Customer Success. To ease the transition, it is recommended to first try moving into a Customer Success role within the current company.
• Specializing within Customer Success: The field of Customer Success now offers diverse career paths beyond the traditional CSM role. Individuals with specific skills can pursue roles in CS Operations, CS Enablement, or even as Customer Success Project Managers, leveraging their expertise in data analysis, training, or project management, respectively.
• Networking and Community Engagement: Actively engaging with the Customer Success community through networking events, online forums, and industry meetups can provide valuable insights and connections. Learning from experienced professionals, staying updated on industry trends, and building relationships can significantly boost career growth.
• Continuous Learning: Staying updated on the latest trends in Customer Success and acquiring new skills are crucial for career progression. Enrolling in courses, attending webinars, listening to podcasts, and reading relevant content can help individuals stay ahead of the curve.
• Taking Initiative and Ownership: Demonstrating a proactive and ownership-driven mindset is essential for success in Customer Success and for career advancement. Taking on additional responsibilities, volunteering for challenging projects, and consistently exceeding expectations can open up new opportunities.
• Building Thought Leadership: Establishing thought leadership within the industry can significantly enhance career prospects. Regularly sharing insights, presenting at conferences, and contributing to industry publications can increase visibility and establish credibility.

Focusing on Customer Outcomes: The sources emphasize that prioritizing customer outcomes and delivering tangible value is paramount for success in Customer Success. This focus on customer success ultimately leads to company success, which opens up further opportunities for individual career growth.

Customer Success in Startups vs. Enterprises: Key Differences

The sources provide valuable insights into how customer success roles differ significantly between smaller companies (often startups) and larger, more established enterprises:

Responsibilities and Scope:

• Startups: Customer Success Managers (CSMs) in startups often wear multiple hats, handling a wider range of tasks, including support, renewals, and even sales. This breadth of responsibility stems from limited resources and the need for flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment. You mentioned in our conversation that this “ownership” mindset is crucial in startups, where saying “no” is not an option.
• Enterprises: Larger companies usually have more structured teams and processes, allowing CSMs to focus on specific aspects of the customer journey, like renewals or expansion. Their roles are often more specialized, with dedicated teams handling technical support and other tasks.

Skills and Mindset:

• Startups: CSMs in startups need to be comfortable with ambiguity, adapt to rapid changes, and demonstrate a high level of ownership. They often need to be resourceful and proactive, as established processes and playbooks might not exist.
• Enterprises: CSMs in larger companies benefit from strong communication and stakeholder management skills, as they navigate complex organizational structures and collaborate with various departments. They also need to be data-driven and analytical, leveraging insights from CRM systems and other tools to drive customer success.

Career Growth:

• Startups: Joining a startup offers the potential for rapid career progression, with the possibility of moving into leadership roles like VP of Customer Success. However, this growth trajectory is not guaranteed and depends heavily on the company’s success and the CSM’s performance.
• Enterprises: Career progression in larger companies may be slower but more structured, with clear paths for advancement and opportunities for specialization within the Customer Success domain.

Focus and Approach:

• Startups: Customer success in startups often revolves around building strong relationships with customers and adapting the product to their needs. The focus is on gaining traction and proving the product’s value in the market.
• Enterprises: Customer success in larger companies is often more focused on driving revenue and demonstrating ROI. With established products and customer bases, CSMs in enterprises concentrate on maximizing customer lifetime value through renewals, expansions, and upsells.

Compensation:

• Startups: Startups may offer competitive salaries to attract top talent, especially for critical roles like CSM.
• Enterprises: Larger companies typically have more established compensation structures and benefits packages.

Ultimately, the best fit for a CSM depends on their individual preferences, skills, and career aspirations. Someone who thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with opportunities for rapid growth might prefer a startup. Conversely, an individual who values stability, structure, and specialization might find a better fit in an enterprise.

Key Differences in Customer Success Between Early-Stage and Mature Companies

The sources offer insights into the distinctions between Customer Success (CS) in early-stage companies, like startups, and mature, well-established enterprises. Here’s a breakdown of those differences:

Responsibilities and Scope

• Early-stage companies: In resource-constrained environments like startups, CSMs typically wear “many hats” (), encompassing a broader range of responsibilities that may extend beyond traditional CS tasks. These may include:
  • Handling customer support tickets ()
  • Managing renewals ()
  • Contributing to sales efforts ()
  • Laying the groundwork for CS processes and infrastructure ()
  This multifaceted role requires a high degree of adaptability, flexibility, and ownership (). As you previously mentioned, a “can-do” attitude and willingness to go above and beyond are crucial for success in such settings.
• Mature companies: Enterprises, with their larger teams and well-defined processes, generally allow for more specialization within CS. Responsibilities tend to be more focused, with dedicated teams supporting various customer needs (). For instance, CSMs might concentrate on:
  • Revenue generation through renewals and expansions ()
  • Strategic account management and relationship building
  • Leveraging data and analytics for proactive customer engagement ()
  This structure allows CSMs to develop deep expertise in specific areas.

Required Skills and Mindset

• Early-stage companies: The dynamic nature of startups necessitates CSMs who are:
  • Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity: They must readily embrace change and navigate situations with evolving processes ().
  • Resourceful and proactive: The absence of established playbooks demands initiative and creative problem-solving ().
  • Ownership-driven: CSMs in startups are expected to take full responsibility for customer success and drive outcomes ().
• Mature companies: The structured environment of enterprises requires CSMs with:
  • Strong communication and stakeholder management skills: Navigating complex organizational structures and collaborating effectively with various teams is critical ().
  • Data-driven and analytical mindset: Leveraging data insights from CRM systems and other tools is crucial for driving customer success and achieving revenue goals ().
  • Strategic thinking and planning: CSMs in enterprises need to focus on long-term customer value and develop strategic plans to achieve desired outcomes.

Career Growth Opportunities

• Early-stage companies: The rapid growth trajectory of startups often presents opportunities for swift career advancement, potentially leading to leadership positions like VP of Customer Success . You highlighted in our previous conversation how these roles can be attainable in a shorter time frame compared to enterprises. However, this rapid growth is not guaranteed and depends heavily on both the company’s success and the CSM’s performance .
• Mature companies: While career progression might be slower in established enterprises, it tends to be more structured with well-defined paths for advancement and opportunities for specialization within the CS domain . CSMs can progress through different levels within the team or transition into specialized roles like CS Operations, CS Enablement, or Project Management .

Compensation and Benefits

• Early-stage companies: Startups often offer competitive salaries to attract and retain talent, especially for critical roles like CSM. In some regions, like India, startups might even provide more attractive compensation packages than larger companies.
• Mature companies: Larger companies usually have more established compensation structures and comprehensive benefits packages, including healthcare, retirement plans, and learning stipends .

Focus and Approach

• Early-stage companies: The initial focus in startups is often on building strong customer relationships and ensuring product-market fit (). This often involves:
  • Understanding customer needs and adapting the product to meet those needs
  • Providing high-touch, personalized support ()
  • Gaining traction and demonstrating product value
• Mature companies: With established products and a wider customer base, the focus shifts to:
  • Driving revenue and demonstrating ROI ()
  • Maximizing customer lifetime value through renewals, expansions, and upsells
  • Developing scalable processes and leveraging technology to optimize CS efforts

Customer Success Tools and Technology

• Early-stage companies: Due to budget constraints, startups often rely on a patchwork of existing tools for managing customer success, such as:
  • CRM systems for customer data and communication ()
  • Project management tools for tracking onboarding and implementation progress ()
  • Communication platforms like Slack for team collaboration ()
  This can lead to challenges with data silos and tool fatigue, although integration efforts can help alleviate these issues ().
• Mature companies: Larger enterprises often invest in dedicated Customer Success Platforms (CSPs) to streamline processes, automate tasks, and gain comprehensive insights into customer health (). These platforms offer features such as:
  • Customer health scoring and risk identification
  • Automated communication and workflow management
  • Analytics and reporting for performance tracking and decision-making

Culture and Environment

• Early-stage companies: The work environment in startups is typically fast-paced, dynamic, and often lacks structure. This can be both exhilarating and challenging, requiring CSMs to be adaptable and comfortable with constant change. The culture tends to be informal, collaborative, and focused on innovation ().
• Mature companies: Enterprises have more established cultures and hierarchical structures. The work environment is often more structured and process-driven. While this can provide stability and clarity, it can also lead to slower decision-making and less flexibility.

Here are three distinct approaches that Manish has observed companies taking to customer success, ranging from reactive to transformative:

●High-Touch Customer Success for SMBs: In this approach, CSMs engage in high-touch interactions with customers, especially when working with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This involves being highly responsive to customer needs, acting as consultants, trusted advisors, and problem solvers. The focus is on building strong relationships and ensuring customer satisfaction through personalized support.

●Strategic Customer Success for Enterprise Accounts: When working with large enterprise accounts, CSMs adopt a more strategic approach. This entails managing complex stakeholder relationships, multi-threading within accounts to identify and nurture new champions and influencers, and driving account growth through strategic initiatives. The emphasis shifts from reactive problem-solving to proactive engagement and value creation, solidifying the CSM’s position as a trusted advisor to the customer.

●Data-Driven Customer Success for Scale: As companies grow and CSMs manage a larger customer base, a data-driven approach becomes essential. By implementing tools like Gainsight and Mixpanel, CSMs can leverage data to understand customer behavior, track progress, and identify potential risks and opportunities. This allows for more efficient and scalable customer success efforts, focusing on proactive engagement and personalized interventions based on data insights.

Choosing the Right Fit

Ultimately, the ideal work environment for a CSM depends on their individual preferences, skill set, and career aspirations. Those who thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments with potential for rapid growth might gravitate toward startups. Individuals who value stability, structure, and specialization might find a better fit in larger enterprises.

It’s important to note that these are general observations and exceptions exist. Some startups prioritize structured processes and dedicated CS tools, while some enterprises foster an entrepreneurial, fast-paced culture. It’s crucial to research individual companies and understand their specific CS approaches and environments before making a career decision.

How to Build a Customer Success Career

Career Advancement Tips

To build a customer success career:

1. Always be learning: stay up to date with industry trends, attend webinars and get certified.
2. Network: connect with other customer success pros through online communities, conferences and industry events.
3. Data driven: use data to measure, to trend and to make decisions.
4. Customer first: put customer needs and satisfaction first, build relationships and deliver value.
5. Communication: communicate openly and transparently with customers, address issues and anticipate their needs.
6. Ownership: own your stuff and be accountable.
7. Mentor: get mentored and mentor others.

Building Connections for Success: Networking Advice from Customer Success Professionals

The sources and our conversation history provide valuable insights into networking within the realm of customer success. Here’s a breakdown of key recommendations:

Prioritize Internal Networking: Lauren Shadir emphasizes the importance of establishing strong relationships with individuals across different departments within your company1. She views customer success as a bridge between various teams and stresses the need for connections with product, marketing, finance, legal, and sales departments. These internal networks can provide valuable insights into customer needs, product developments, and overall company strategy, ultimately enhancing your ability to serve customers effectively.

Engage in External Networking: Shadir also advocates for external networking to expand your knowledge and connect with other professionals in the field1. This can be achieved through:

Joining Industry Events and Conferences: These gatherings offer opportunities to learn from industry experts, connect with peers, and stay abreast of the latest trends in customer success.

Participating in Online Communities: Platforms like LinkedIn, Slack, and dedicated customer success communities facilitate virtual connections and knowledge sharing.

Attending Local Meetups: As Anit points out, meetups offer valuable opportunities for in-person networking, especially for those in remote or hybrid work environments2. They allow for direct interaction with peers and industry leaders, fostering stronger connections and potential career opportunities.

Leverage Referrals: Anit highlights the significance of referrals in the job application process, especially in a competitive market3. Referrals from existing employees can increase your visibility to hiring managers and demonstrate a level of trust and credibility. He suggests connecting with hiring managers, CSMs, or talent acquisition professionals within the company of interest and requesting a referral. This direct connection can differentiate your application and improve your chances of landing an interview.

Connect with Hiring Managers and CSMs: Anit advises connecting with hiring managers and CSMs at companies you’re interested in to gain insights into their specific needs and expectations3. This information can be valuable in tailoring your resume, cover letter, and interview responses to demonstrate your alignment with the company’s goals and culture.

Seek Mentorship and Sponsorship: Manish stresses the value of having both mentors and sponsors to accelerate career growth, especially within larger organizations4.

Mentors provide guidance, share experiences, and help identify blind spots. When seeking a mentor, Manish recommends reaching out with specific context, clearly articulating your needs and the value you seek from the relationship5.

Sponsors, on the other hand, advocate for your career advancement within the company, opening doors to new opportunities and championing your skills and contributions. Manish suggests building relationships with senior leaders through cross-functional projects, demonstrating your capabilities, and actively discussing your career aspirations6.

Develop a “Personal Board of Directors”: Manish recommends creating a “personal board of directors” composed of individuals who can offer guidance, support, and sponsorship7. This diverse group can provide valuable perspectives and connections throughout your career journey.

By actively engaging in both internal and external networking, leveraging referrals, seeking mentorship and sponsorship, and developing a strong support system, customer success professionals can enhance their knowledge, expand their career opportunities, and contribute to the growth of the field.

The Future Of Customer Success

As technology advances and customer expectations increase, the function of customer success will become increasingly important. Watch out for the following key trends:

AI and automation: Using AI-powered technologies to automate operations and increase productivity.
Customer Experience (CX): Prioritizing the whole customer experience, from first contact to continuing assistance.
Data-Driven Insights: Using data analytics to acquire a deeper understanding of customer behavior and preferences.
Product-led growth entails working closely with product teams to achieve product-market fit and customer delight.

By staying ahead of these trends and embracing the difficulties and opportunities they provide, customer success professionals can play a critical role in driving corporate development and customer loyalty.

Who did we interview for this article?

Hey there! We’ve put together a fantastic list of remarkable people who have shared their insights on the super popular YouTube channel “Drive Revenue Retention & Expansion.” This channel has become a go-to for its fun and enlightening conversations, all centered around smart strategies and practices that affect revenue retention and growth in many industries. The interviews showcase a vibrant mix of experts, each sharing their unique stories and knowledge, making the content not just informative but also incredibly helpful for anyone looking to boost their understanding of this important business topic.

Lauren Shadir: A Customer Success Manager at KNIME, a German data science company, and the founder of a customer success community in the Twin Cities. Lauren was interviewed for the episode “Choosing the Right Company for Your CSM Career” and discussed the impact of company size on customer success roles, the different umbrellas of customer success (Support, Revenue, and Services), and the importance of work-life balance and team structure.

Alok Singh: An Associate Director of Customer Success at MangoApps, a company specializing in employee super apps. Alok was interviewed for the episode “From Output to Outcome: Transforming Product Focus into Customer Success,” where he shared his insights on the transition from product-centric to customer-centric outcomes, the significance of qualitative outcomes, the role of discovery sessions and customer segmentation, and the importance of customization and industry leadership in customer success.

Ankit: A Senior Manager of Customer Success Operations and Enablement at MoEngage. He is recognized for establishing India’s largest customer success community. Anit was interviewed for the episode “Navigating Career in Customer Success.” He offered advice on transitioning into customer success from other roles, the challenges faced by individuals making this transition, and strategies for excelling in customer success interviews, including understanding the company’s needs, crafting a compelling resume, and leveraging referrals.3

Vipul: The head of Customer Success at GTM Buddy, with a wealth of experience in leading high-performing CS teams. Ripal was interviewed for the episode “Navigating Customer Success Without a Customer Success Platform.” He shared insights on the challenges faced by small companies managing customer success without dedicated tools, strategies for leveraging existing tools like Mixpanel, CRM, Slack, and others, and the importance of collaboration and value mapping in customer success.4

Abhishek: A seasoned customer success and business leader with over a decade of experience in identifying and managing customer needs and delivering digital and omnichannel engagement across the globe. Abhishek was interviewed for the episode “Renewals as a Stepping Stone for Expansions,” where he highlighted the importance of renewals as a foundation for expansion revenue, strategies for identifying and acting on revenue opportunities, and the significance of consultative selling, customer relationships, and face-to-face interactions in customer success.5

Manish: A seasoned leader with over 14 years of experience in B2B SaaS customer success, holding various roles from individual contributor to VP of Customer Success at companies like Belong, LinkedIn, Chargebee, and Toddle. Manish was interviewed for the episode “Scaling the Customer Success Ladder: Secrets to Leadership Growth,” where he shared his journey through different customer success roles, the skills and qualities that set him apart as a leader, and the importance of mentorship, sponsorship, and building a personal board of advisors for career growth.6

Atma: A highly accomplished Customer Success leader recognized for driving exponential growth, building high-performing teams, and ensuring customer satisfaction at various companies, including British Telecom, Salesforce, and MoEngage. Atma was interviewed for the episode “The Customer Success Flywheel: Lessons from Atma on Scaling Growth.” He discussed his inspiration for writing his book “Customer Success Flywheel,” the structure and key takeaways from the book, the importance of segmentation for efficient resource allocation, and the challenges and opportunities associated with building customer success teams in India for the global market.7

Anupran: A leader at Netcore with extensive experience in setting up and scaling customer success operations. Anuran was interviewed for the episode “Transforming CS Teams: The Power of Scaled Customer Success,” where he provided insights into the definition and implementation of scaled customer success, the challenges and metrics involved, and the key qualities and skills he seeks when hiring for scaled CS roles.8