Fundamentals: SaaS, B2B, ICP, GTM, PLG, Vertical

Company stage: Series A (B, C, D), Bootstrapped

Pricing: Seat Model, Consumption Model, Usage Model

Context about the business itself rather than the job. Useful for reading between the lines of a posting and working out what the CS role there will actually look like.

Software as a Service.

Software sold as a subscription rather than a one-time purchase, which is why retention matters so much and why the CS role exists at all.

Business to Business.

Your customer is a company, not an individual. Most CS roles are B2B.

Ideal Customer Profile.

The type of customer a company is built to serve. When a company says an account is "outside ICP," they mean it was sold something that was never a good fit.

Go To Market.

An umbrella for the revenue-facing functions: Marketing, Sales, Success, Support. Showing up in more and more job titles and postings.

Product-Led Growth.

The product does the selling and customers sign up on their own. CS at PLG companies is usually digital.

See also: Digital

An industry a company sells into, like healthcare, fintech, legal, or edtech.

Vertical SaaS is built for one industry; horizontal SaaS sells across many. Vertical experience is one of the most common unstated criteria in a CS job description.

Funding stages.

A rough proxy for company size and maturity, and a decent signal for what a CS role there will actually look like.

A company funded by its own revenue rather than by investors.

Usually means slower and steadier growth, smaller teams, and broader roles than a venture-backed company at the same size.

Pricing based on the number of users.

The most common SaaS pricing model. Expansion means adding seats, and contraction means losing them.

See also: Expansion, Contraction

Pricing based on how much of the product a customer actually consumes.

API calls, data processed, messages sent. Consumption becomes the renewal conversation, so CS watches it constantly.

Also called: Usage Model

Pricing tied to how much a customer uses, rather than how many people use it.

Often used interchangeably with consumption pricing, though some companies distinguish between the two.

See also: Consumption Model

Success: Customer Success, CSM, Implementation

Ops: CS Operations, RevOps, Enablement

Sales: Sales, AM, AE, ISR, SDR, SE

Other Teams: Professional Services, Support, CX

The other titles you'll see in a job description or on an org chart. Who owns what tells you a lot about how a company is actually structured, and what the CSM job there really is.

A post-sales team that manages all aspects of a customer's lifecycle.

See also: CX, Support

Customer Success Manager.

Typically, CSMs are the point of contact for a portfolio of customers. While responsibilities may vary, CSMs are generally considered a revenue role, responsible for renewals and expansion.

Levels: Associate, Senior, Principal

Segments: SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise, Strategic, Digital

Onboarding or setup of an account post-sale.

For complex technical products, there is a team that is responsible for the setup before handing off to the CSM.

Also called: Onboarding

See also: Onboarding, Handoff

The workflows, processes, and setup of the work for the CS team.

See also: RevOps

Revenue Operations.

Owns the systems, data, and process across Sales, Marketing, and Success. Focused on things like assigning accounts to different segments, maintaining the CRM, building workflows, etc.

See also: CS Operations, CRM

A role or team responsible for training internal team members, not just on the product but on process and upskilling.

Pre-customer team.

See also: GTM

Account Manager.

Account Manager can be used interchangeably with Customer Success Manager, or it may be a separate role that is responsible for commercial outcomes (expansions and upsells).

See also: CSM

Account Executive.

AEs are the “salesperson” at a SaaS company. They are generally responsible for closing an account, and may be responsible for building their own sales pipeline or work with a team of SDRs or BDRs.

Inside Sales Representative.

Functionally similar to an AE, but focused on inbound leads, so typically the sales cycle is shorter and they handle more volume.

Sales Development Representative.

SDRs are typically responsible for generating outbound leads, via email, phone, or other means, and convincing them to book a demo.

Also called: BDR (Business Development Representative)

Solutions Engineer (sometimes Sales Engineer).

The technical counterpart to an AE, responsible for demos and technical validation during the sale. This role isn't at every tech company, but exists at companies with more complex and technical products.

Also called: Solutions Consultant, Pre-Sales Engineer

Responsible for delivery of services like custom configuration and training.

A team that sits between Sales and Success at some SaaS companies. Can be sold at the time of sale, or sold by the CSM over the lifecycle of the customer.

Also called: Pro Serv

Reactive, ticket-based help for customers. Generally focused on troubleshooting and specific product questions and issues.

Sometimes confused with Success, but ultimately the teams serve different functions.

See also: CX, Customer Success

Customer Experience.

Used to broadly describe all customer-facing post-sales functions, like Success, but also may include Support, Onboarding, Education, Professional Services, etc.

Can also be used to specifically describe Customer Support.

See also: Customer Success, Support

Segments: SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise, Strategic, Digital

Levels: Associate, Senior, Principal

How a company divides up its customer base, and the most common types of CSM roles. Every company defines these differently, and this is not an exhaustive list of all possible segments and experience levels, just the most common that show up across job descriptions.

Small and Medium Business.

Usually the lowest segment by spend and the largest book of business. SMB CSMs often own 100+ accounts.

A segment above SMB and below Enterprise.

Definitions vary considerably by company and could represent a large range of contract values. Mid-Market CSMs often own 50-100 accounts.

One of the highest segments, with companies representing a very large spend, generally Fortune 500 or larger.

Definitions vary considerably by company and could represent a large range of contract values. Importantly, some companies use this term aspirationally and may not always be market-accurate. Most Enterprise CSMs own a small book of business.

A small set of the highest value accounts, sitting above Enterprise.

A Strategic CSM might own only one account, or just a few.

Also called: Named

A type of segment where the CSM either owns a very large book of customers, or doesn't own any accounts directly but uses automation, campaigns, webinars, and other tools to drive outcomes without 1:1 engagement.

Also called: Scaled, Pooled, Tech-Touch

See also: PLG

An entry point to Customer Success, generally seeking 0-2 years of customer-facing experience.

This isn't an entry level role as you often need work experience, but not CS experience.

Senior is used as a descriptor for CSM that has 5+ years of experience as a CSM.

Senior doesn't always mean Enterprise - a Senior CSM could work in any customer segment.

Generally the highest level of seniority for a CSM, requiring 8-10 years experience as a CSM, serving the most important customers.

See also: Strategic, Enterprise

Customer Lifecycle: Customer Lifecycle, Kickoff, Onboarding, Handoff, Adoption, Renewal

Managing accounts: Book of Business, Success Plan, QBR, Health Score, At-Risk, Land and Expand

Stakeholders: Champion, Executive Sponsor, Multi-Threading, Voice of Customer

The day to day of the job. These are the words that fill the responsibilities section of almost every CS posting, and the ones you'll be asked to give examples of in an interview.

The full arc of a customer relationship, from signing to renewal or churn.

Usually broken into onboarding, adoption, ongoing value, and renewal. Most CS teams are organized around some version of these phases.

The first meeting with a customer after they sign.

Sets scope, timeline, goals, and who owns what on both sides. Usually run by Implementation or the CSM, often with the AE there to hand off.

See also: Handoff, Onboarding

The first phase after a customer signs. Getting them set up, trained, and live.

See also: Implementation, Kickoff

The transfer of a customer from one team to another.

Most commonly Sales to Success after the close, or Implementation to the CSM once the customer is live.

See also: Kickoff, Implementation

How much and how well a customer actually uses what they bought.

Usually measured in active users, logins, or specific feature usage.

See also: Health Score

Retaining a customer and getting them to sign a new contract at the end of their term.

Generally, the reason most companies have a Success org at all.

Also called: Retention

See also: Churn, GRR

The set of accounts a CSM owns.

Usually described by the number of accounts and their total value.

See also: ACV, SMB

A shared document of what the customer wants to achieve and how they'll get there.

Goals, milestones, owners, and timelines, revisited across the lifecycle. Some companies formalize it in their CS platform, others keep it in a deck.

See also: QBR

Quarterly Business Review.

CSMs with a smaller book of business may hold these meetings every quarter, where a larger book may have to prioritize. A good QBR should communicate the value of the product and how much ROI the product and CSM have helped drive.

Also called: EBR

See also: Executive Sponsor, Success Plan

A composite metric companies use to predict whether an account will renew.

Usually some mix of product usage, support tickets, engagement, and sentiment.

See also: At-Risk, Adoption

An account flagged as likely to churn or reduce spend.

Usually triggered by a drop in usage, a champion leaving, an unresolved escalation, or a falling health score.

See also: Churn, Health Score

A go-to-market motion that starts small and grows inside the same customer.

Win one team or one use case, prove value, then expand to more seats, teams, or products. Puts expansion squarely on the CS team.

See also: Expansion, PLG

Every person at your customer’s company that your product matters to. This could include end users, admin and leaders.

See also: Champion, Executive Sponsor, Multi-Threading

Your main advocate inside your customer’s company.

The person who uses the product, sees the value, and defends the renewal internally. Losing a champion is one of the most common reasons an account goes at-risk.

See also: Multi-Threading, At-Risk

The senior stakeholder at the customer who controls the budget.

Often not a day-to-day user, but they sign off on the renewal.

See also: Champion, QBR

Building relationships with more than one person at an account.

Protects the account when a champion leaves, and gives you a path to the executive sponsor. Single-threaded accounts are generally treated as a risk.

See also: Champion, Executive Sponsor

The practice of collecting customer feedback and getting it in front of Product and leadership.

Frequently named as a CSM responsibility in job descriptions.

Also called: VoC

See also: NPS, CSAT

Retention and revenue: NRR, GRR, Logo Retention, Churn, Contraction, Expansion, Upsell, Cross-Sell, Time to Value

Contract values: ARR, MRR, ACV, TCV

Customer feedback: NPS, CSAT, SLA

Your compensation: OTE, Quota, RSUs, Options, Vesting, Cliff

What Success gets measured on. These are the numbers that belong on your resume, and the ones an interviewer will expect you to speak to without hesitating.

Net Revenue Retention.

Revenue from your existing customers over a period, including expansion, minus churn and downgrades. Above 100% means the customer base grew without adding a single new logo. This is the most cited metric in Customer Success.

See also: GRR, Expansion

Gross Revenue Retention.

The same calculation without expansion, so it caps at 100%. NRR shows what you grew, GRR shows what you kept.

See also: NRR, Renewal

The percentage of customers retained by count, regardless of what they're worth.

See also: Churn, GRR

A customer leaving.

Logo churn counts customers lost, revenue churn counts dollars lost, and they can look very different.

See also: Renewal, At-Risk

A customer reducing spend without leaving.

Fewer seats, a lower tier, or dropping a product. Counts against NRR the same way churn does, just less visibly.

Also called: Downgrade

See also: NRR, Seat Model

Additional revenue from a customer you already have.

Usually a mix of upsell and cross-sell, and increasingly a named CSM responsibility rather than a Sales one.

See also: Upsell, Cross-Sell, NRR

Expansion by selling more of what they already have, or a higher tier.

See also: Expansion, Cross-Sell

Expansion by selling a different product than the one they bought.

See also: Expansion, Upsell

How long it takes a new customer to get their first real result.

Often the primary metric for an onboarding or implementation team.

See also: Onboarding

Annual Recurring Revenue.

The subscription revenue a company brings in per year.

See also: MRR, SaaS

Monthly Recurring Revenue.

The same idea as ARR, measured monthly. More common at companies with monthly billing or a lot of smaller customers.

See also: ARR

Annual Contract Value.

What one customer pays per year.

See also: TCV, Book of Business

Total Contract Value.

The total amount a customer is paying your company over the contract term.

See also: ACV

Net Promoter Score.

A survey asking how likely a customer is to recommend the product, scored 0 to 10 and reported as promoters minus detractors. Widely used and widely argued about.

See also: CSAT, Voice of Customer

Customer Satisfaction.

A short survey about one specific interaction, usually sent right after a support ticket or a call. Narrower and more immediate than NPS.

See also: NPS, Support

Service Level Agreement.

A contractual commitment on response or resolution time, most often for Support. Missing them can carry real financial penalties.

See also: Support

On Target Earnings.

Used in job descriptions to represent base salary plus the variable portion you'd earn by hitting your targets. Used primarily in a role that has a performance based bonus ie CSMs have to hit a certain renewal percentage every quarter to achieve their full compensation. Equity and benefits sit outside OTE.

See also: Quota, RSUs

A revenue target you're measured against.

For CSMs this is usually a renewal or expansion number, set quarterly or annually. The percentage of it you hit is your attainment.

See also: OTE, Renewal

Restricted Stock Units.

Company shares granted as part of your compensation that become real stock as they vest. The most common form of equity at larger and public companies.

See also: Vesting, Options

The right to buy company shares at a set price.

More common at earlier stage startups. They're only worth something if the company's value rises above that price.

See also: RSUs, Vesting

The schedule on which equity actually becomes yours.

Typically four years. You earn a portion at a time rather than receiving the whole grant up front.

See also: Cliff, RSUs

The point before which you vest nothing at all.

Usually one year. Leaving at eleven months means walking away with no equity.

See also: Vesting

CRM: CRM, Salesforce, HubSpot

CS platforms: Gainsight, Totango, ChurnZero

Support and reporting: Zendesk, Jira, Knowledgebase

The software named in job descriptions. Knowing which category a tool belongs to matters more than having used that exact one.

Customer Relationship Management software.

The system of record for accounts, contacts, and deals. Where activity gets logged and where renewal and pipeline reporting comes from.

See also: RevOps

The most widely used CRM in B2B SaaS.

Often where CSMs log activity and track renewals, even at companies that also run a separate CS platform.

See also: CRM

A CRM and marketing platform, lighter than Salesforce.

Common at startups and smaller companies.

See also: CRM

A customer success platform.

Health scores, playbooks, lifecycle automation, and CS reporting. The most established platform in the category and the one most often named in job descriptions.

See also: Health Score

A customer success platform.

Covers the same ground as Gainsight: health, lifecycle programs, and reporting.

See also: Gainsight

A customer success platform.

Common at mid-market SaaS companies.

See also: Gainsight

Support ticketing software.

Where Support logs and resolves customer issues. Not a CS platform, though the two get confused.

See also: Support, SLA

Issue and project tracking software used by engineering teams.

Where CSMs file bugs and feature requests on behalf of customers.

The library of self-serve help articles and documentation.

Also called: Help Center, Docs

See also: Support, PLG

Hiring: ATS, RIF

Where you work: Remote-first, Hybrid, Distributed, RTO

Words you'll hit while job searching rather than on the job. Worth knowing before you read another posting.

Applicant Tracking System.

The software a company uses to receive and manage applications. Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, and Workday are the ones you'll run into most.

Reduction in Force.

A layoff. Distinct from being let go for performance, and the term companies use internally and in filings.

Also called: Layoff

A company built to operate without an office.

Different from remote-friendly, where remote is allowed but the company still centers on a headquarters.

See also: Distributed

A mix of in-office and remote work.

Usually a set number of days on site per week. Postings often bury the actual number.

See also: RTO

A team spread across locations and time zones.

Often used interchangeably with remote-first, though it emphasizes the spread rather than the policy.

See also: Remote-first

Return to Office.

A policy requiring employees back on site. A common reason a role that was remote gets re-posted as hybrid.

See also: Hybrid

AMER, NAMER, EMEA, APAC, LATAM, ROW

Abbreviations used in Sales Territories that occasionally spill over into Success. You'll see them in job postings when a company is looking for specific geographic coverage, or working hours to match it.

The Americas, including both North and South.

North America - Canada, Mexico, and the US.

Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Asia-Pacific.

Latin America.

Rest of World.

Usually used in conjunction with NA. Not typical, but the first time I encountered it was a head scratcher!