4 Steps for a Perfect Week as a Customer Success Manager (CSM)
Working as a Customer Success Manager can be overwhelming if you’re not strategically using your time.
When I worked as a CSM, the one thing I refused to be was overwhelmed. And when I worked as a Manager, I refused to let my team get overwhelmed.
I developed and refined a system with four things I think are essential to having a perfect week as a CSM.
1. Schedule an Accounts Review at the end of every week
Pull up a list of all your accounts. Sort by relevant attributes, like upcoming renewal, priority level, engagement level, health, etc.
Make a note on each account — 1-2 sentences max, about their status.
Use this to inform your plan for next week so you know exactly what you’re doing on Monday.
2. Block off at least one day from calls every week
Pick a day each week and block it off from customer calls.
Use this time wisely: do account reviews, prepare for renewals or QBRs, knock out your to-do list, and every few weeks, take it slow and use it as a rest day.
3. Schedule enough prep time for Renewals and QBRs
Game out different scenarios so you won’t be blindsided and have a plan for every possible outcome. Prepare a summary of wins you can point to, especially wins that translate to ROI in real dollars.
Try to anticipate what questions might come up, and how to steer your customer into the conversations you want to be having.
4. Focus on inbox triage, rather than inbox zero
The key to inbox triage is that you are not replying to every email as it comes in, and you are certainly not actioning every email as it comes in.
You are assessing it, determining whether it is urgent, important, both, or neither, and then you are prioritizing it alongside your other daily tasks.
These are the bullets, read the full article for more in-depth on each step.