The 4-Step Customer Success (CS) Strategy
STEP 1: CUSTOMER SUCCESS PLANNING
Whether you are standing up a Customer Success team or leading an existing one, a well-crafted plan will increase your organization’s chances of making your number. For this emerging function, it will help you secure what you need from your peers across the enterprise.
Phase 1: Customer Segmentation
Properly align your Customer Success resources to your highest value and highest potential accounts.
Phase 2: Customer Success Operating Plan
Define the mission, objectives, and KPIs for the Customer Success department.
Phase 3: Revenue and Budget Planning
Determine the right level of Customer Success investment that is appropriate for your organization in its growth stage.
Phase 4: Customer Lifecycle Management
Understand the Life Cycle of your Customers, and the key leverage points that you must orchestrate.
STEP 2: CUSTOMER SUCCESS PROCESS
Understanding your customers’ needs is vital so that you can put the right processes in place that help them reach their objectives. Ensure that each phase of the customer lifecycle is well designed.
During the initial onboarding period, properly introduce new customers and users to your products so they truly view it as the solution they purchased that can achieve their desired business outcomes.
Phase 6: Value Creation and Communication
Throughout the Customer Life Cycle, you must identify, generate, and communicate the value that you create. Usage is often a key lever, but Customers want you to deliver outcomes that generate value for them.
Phase 7: CS Opportunity Management Process
Build an opportunity management process to enable CSMs to uncover upsell/cross-sell instances and a proactive renewal management cycle.
Leverage your successful relationships to generate references and referrals both inside the account and to other accounts to grow revenue.
STEP 3: CUSTOMER SUCCESS PEOPLE PLAN
Once we understand how we will deliver at each phase of the customer lifecycle, we can design the right roles and subsequently fill each role with an A player.
Phase 9: CS Roles and Responsibilities
Determine which types of roles are necessary and how they will interact with each other and other functions..
Phase 10: CS Organizational Design
Based on your own unique customer segmentation, determine the right organization to achieve your objectives.
Phase 11: CS Compensation and Quota Design
Design compensation plans that align your Customer Success team with your company’s interests.
Ensure the success of your channel program by ensuring your partners are sharing in your success, and effectively enabling your customers.
STEP 4: CUSTOMER SUCCESS PERFORMANCE CONDITIONS
With the right people in place, deploy the right tools and support platforms to ensure the team is effective and efficient.
Phase 13: Customer Success Enablement
Design an education plan that equips CSMs with the knowledge and tools to effectively execute Customer Success.
Phase 14: Customer Success Operations
Increase CSM efficiency through process, technology, metrics, and reporting.
Phase 15: Customer Success Tech Stack
Define process for selecting solution(s) that improve effectiveness and efficiency.