Smart Tips: Customer Success

Course Curriculum

Chapter 1: Introduction

Lecture 1: Instructor Introduction

Chapter 2: Smooth Sales to Customer Success Handoffs

Lecture 1: Setting expectations with sales

Lecture 2: Clarify the client's expectations

Lecture 3: When clients aren't a good match

Chapter 3: Preparing for your customer kickoff

Lecture 1: Create relationships while it is fresh

Lecture 2: Aligning expectations for kickoff

Lecture 3: Trust but verify

Chapter 4: Planning for mutual success

Lecture 1: Good Success Plans start with discovery

Lecture 2: Identify major detractors early

Lecture 3: Get commitment for the next steps

Lecture 4: Keep the momentum going

Chapter 5: When should Customer Success start to engage

Lecture 1: Let Sales sell

Lecture 2: Once the ink is dry, the clock is ticking

Chapter 6: Discover the 5 stakeholder types

Lecture 1: Embrace the Execuitve Sponsor

Lecture 2: The key Point of Contact (PoC) is the key to your success

Lecture 3: Identify your End Users to ensure use

Lecture 4: Champions are your secret weapon

Lecture 5: Don't overlook the Decision Maker

Chapter 7: Communication planning with your key Point of Contact

Lecture 1: Personal and professional goals motivate your PoC

Lecture 2: Build shared accountability through Mutual Success Plans

Lecture 3: How to have efficient recurring meetings

Chapter 8: Engaging Executive Sponsors

Lecture 1: Adapt your communication style

Lecture 2: Asynchronous communication helps you scale

Lecture 3: Examples of impactful VIP touches

Chapter 9: Managing Cross Functional contacts at your client

Lecture 1: Managing managers in a matrixed organization

Lecture 2: Engaging technical teams

Lecture 3: Avoiding PITA (Procurement, InfoSec, Taxes, and Attorneys)

Chapter 10: Amplifying champions

Lecture 1: Recognize your allies

Lecture 2: Capturing Champion testimonials

Chapter 11: Handling Detractors

Lecture 1: Strategies to overcome naysayers

Lecture 2: Uncover motivations for haters

Chapter 12: Low-touch and high-touch strategies for communication

Lecture 1: How to be efficient with low-touch clients

Lecture 2: Engaging Decision Makers asynchronously

Lecture 3: Choosing impactful high-touch touch points

Chapter 13: Metrics that matter; forecasting your Net Recurring Revenue (NRR)

Lecture 1: The importance of acurate forecasting for CSMs

Lecture 2: How to calculate NRR

Lecture 3: Defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Lecture 4: Calculating Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Lecture 5: Using Opportunity Stages for forecasting (when CS software isn't available)

Lecture 6: Choosing the types of churn to monitor

Lecture 7: Forecasting with common churn risk indicators

Lecture 8: Customizing customer Health Scores

Lecture 9: Forcasting your book of business using health scores

Lecture 10: The art and science of CS team forecasts, for leaders

Chapter 14: Idenfitying and managing churn risk to maximize Net Recurring Revenue (NRR)

Lecture 1: Manage risks proactively

Lecture 2: Acquiring quantitative and qualitative feedback

Lecture 3: Navigating Execuitive Sponsor changes

Lecture 4: Strategies for engaging unresponsive customers

Lecture 5: Managing Product development expectations

Lecture 6: Mitigating the impact of bugs

Lecture 7: Managing the impact of system outages (down-time)

Lecture 8: Addressing territory realignment and CSM changes

Lecture 9: Navigating your client's organizational changes

Lecture 10: Dealing with objections and competitors

Chapter 15: Time Management for Customer Success

Lecture 1: Balancing proactive, operational, and reactive work

Lecture 2: Calendar blocking strategies

Lecture 3: Proactively scheduling proactive work

Lecture 4: Putting out customer fires

Lecture 5: Maximizing the benefits of your tools

Lecture 6: Never fail alone, communicating with your supervisor

Chapter 16: Working cross-functionally in a SaaS company

Lecture 1: Asking the right questions to present product ideas

Lecture 2: Prioritizing client's feature requests

Lecture 3: Advocating for the Voice Of the Customer (VoC)

Lecture 4: Amplifying your happy customers

Lecture 5: Directing customers to support

Lecture 6: What to do when clients don't pay

Lecture 7: Navigating internal executive relationships in start-ups

Chapter 17: Conclusion

Lecture 1: Thank you. Revisit this course any time to find a tip when you need it.