Yet your customer satisfaction scores don’t improve as you expected.

Why?

Because you’re starting with what works for YOU, not for your customers.

That’s often the reality.

Most businesses start with their own systems:

• Their tech stack.

• Their processes.

• Their workflows.

It's natural—you want to create efficient operations.

So, how can you reverse that?

Here's an approach the most successful companies use that will transform the way you work with your customers:

1. Define your customer's ideal outcome, first.

2. Then build every touchpoint—working backward from there.

As simple as it is.

Customer Success is NOT about your systems—it's about your customers’ success stories.

Example:

Take payment providers like Square and Stripe.

Instead of focusing on their processing systems only, they built everything around crystal clear customer outcomes:

• Square helps small businesses with a complete ecosystem of services way beyond just payments.

  They build tools that focus on the customer and powerful engagement features.

• Stripe built its success on simplifying payments.

  They proved financial systems are not banking problems, but software.

  They launched with "seven lines of code" and promised that developers wouldn't need to make changes for years.

Both companies prioritize customer experience over system complexity.

And that’s what brought them massive success.

They focused on customer outcomes rather than just their internal systems and became market leaders.

The math remains dead simple:

Want to see how you can implement this approach in your organization?

In the next section, I reveal:

• The exact framework that another successful company in the financial services, CME Group, used to achieve their most successful product launch ever—starting with customer needs first

• A proven cross-functional alignment system that helped leading companies reduce customer friction by 40%

• The 3-step process for getting sales, marketing, and product teams working together to boost customer outcomes

• How to build a single source of truth for customer success metrics across departments

Join 100+ CS leaders already transforming their delivery approach

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🔒Exclusive: The Success-First Implementation Guide

Knowledge is great.

But action is what you need to succeed.

So let's break down how you can actually do it in practice:

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You can pour money into acquisition all year and still go backwards if customers leave through a hole in the bucket you never measured.

Here is the first thing to get right in 2026: the number everyone quotes is wrong.

For years people repeated “5% monthly churn is average,” and that figure has now become misinformation, because it blends B2B with B2C, monthly with annual, and enterprise with SMB into one meaningless average.

The real benchmarks are segmented, and you should measure yourself against your own segment, not the industry at large.

Here is what good looks like in 2026, by segment:

For monthly logo churn, enterprise products (ACV above 100K) need to stay around 1% or below. Mid-market sits near 1.5 to 3%. SMB and prosumer tools run 3 to 5% and that can still be healthy at high volume and low acquisition cost.

Best-in-class companies hold under 1% monthly regardless of segment.

Two numbers matter more than the headline churn rate.

1. First, net revenue retention: the median for public SaaS now sits around 114%, and anything above 100% means your existing customers grow on their own.

2. Second, the split between voluntary and involuntary churn.

Failed payments and expired cards cause 20 to 40% of total churn in many SaaS businesses, and fixing that alone can lift revenue by roughly 9% in the first year.

It is the highest-leverage, lowest-effort retention work most teams ignore.

One more figure to keep in front of you, because it reframes everything below: roughly 70% of churn happens in the first 90 days, and teams that get a customer to first value in under a week see materially lower churn.

Where you spend your retention effort matters as much as how much you spend.

With that grounding, here are eight strategies that move the number.

1. Make Customer Success Proactive, Not Reactive

Most teams still operate in firefighting mode, addressing problems as they surface.

By then the customer has already felt the pain. A proactive motion catches the issue before the customer does.

The fundamentals still hold: a clear owner for the function, structured onboarding, regular check-ins after go-live, and a habit of building for existing customers rather than only chasing new logos.

The classic Bain finding still stands, that a 5% lift in retention can raise profits anywhere from 25 to 95%, because retained revenue compounds while acquisition cost does not.

2. Ship Improvements That Make the Product Stickier

Regular product progress reduces churn.

Major launches help, but steady smaller updates that close real customer requests do more for retention, because they prove the product is moving toward the customer’s needs.

The mechanism is simple.

Every shipped request is evidence the customer was heard, and every unaddressed one is a reason to look elsewhere.

Prioritize the fixes that remove friction from the workflows customers use most, not the features that demo well.

3. Build In-App Onboarding That Does Not Depend on a Human

Put a guided onboarding checklist inside the product so every customer, on every plan, gets a consistent path to first value.

Self-serve customers especially need the product itself to teach them.

This is product-led retention in practice: the product handles onboarding, activation, and nudging, so engagement does not depend on a CSM chasing every account.

It matters because of the 90-day rule above.

Companies with structured onboarding see 20 to 30% lower first-90-day churn, and getting time-to-first-value under a week is one of the strongest retention levers you have.

For the full step-by-step, use my customer onboarding checklist guide.

4. Personalize and Segment

Treat a 12-seat SMB and a 4,000-seat enterprise as the same account and you will lose both.

Adapt the experience, the communication, and the level of attention to each segment, using behavioral data rather than guesswork.

Segmentation also tells you where to put your scarce human time.

High-value, high-risk accounts get a person. High-volume, low-touch accounts get the product-led motion from strategy 3.

The mistake is spreading the same effort evenly across a book that has wildly different needs.

5. Give Customers a Reason to Stay Beyond the Product

Long-term engagement deepens when customers feel like insiders.

Early access to new features, a community where they learn from peers, and a roadmap they can influence all build emotional investment that is hard to walk away from.

Annual contracts work the same way by design.

Monthly subscribers churn at three to five times the rate of annual ones, partly because each billing cycle is another chance to cancel.

A modest discount for an annual commitment reduces churn and makes your revenue more predictable.

6. Prove Value on a Schedule, Not Just at Renewal

Customers forget the value you delivered faster than you think.

Show it on a recurring cadence through outcome-focused reviews, ROI summaries, and before-and-after snapshots tied to the goals they bought for.

The renewal is decided long before the renewal call, and it is decided by whether the customer can see what they got. Tie your reviews to business outcomes rather than usage graphs.

For the meeting that does this well, see my surprise-churn prevention guide, which covers the executive engagement that keeps you in the room.

7. Invest in Customer Education

Well-educated users stay longer because they reach value on their own.

A searchable knowledge base, short focused video tutorials, in-app guidance, live and recorded webinars, and a customer community all reduce the dependence on your team while raising adoption.

Salesforce’s Trailhead is the model worth studying: gamified, self-paced learning that drives adoption while it teaches.

You do not need that scale to start. One clear learning path for your most common use case will move the number.

8. Build an Early-Warning System

The goal is to catch risk before the customer has decided to leave.

That means watching the right signals and acting on them, not waiting for a usage cliff that shows up after the decision is already made.

A working early-warning system has a few parts.

Track the leading indicators (login frequency, feature adoption, support patterns). Add a health score that combines them into one read per account. Set automated alerts so a CSM hears about risk in time to act.

And schedule outreach off the signals, not the calendar. For the metrics that belong in it, see my guide to the top SaaS metrics and KPIs.

The hardest risk to catch: the polite customer who never complains and simply does not renew.

That pattern has its own signals in how people talk and behave, and its own detection method, which I break down in silent churn detection.

Where to Start

Reducing churn is not a project with an end date.

It is a discipline you run continuously. As David Skok puts it, the key is to find the root causes driving churn and address each one directly, rather than treating the symptom.

If you do only three things from this list, do these.

• Fix involuntary churn first, because it is the fastest revenue you will recover.

• Get time-to-first-value under a week, because most churn happens early.

• And build the early-warning system, because everything else depends on seeing risk in time to act on it.

Pick one this week. Measure your churn by segment, set a real baseline, and start closing the gap before it compounds.

For ready-to-use retention templates, from onboarding to renewal planning, see my Customer Success Templates Collection.

The CS Café publishes one practical operating system for renewals, QBRs, and retention every week. Join 4,300+ CS and revenue leaders, free, at TheCScafe.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good SaaS churn rate in 2026?

It depends entirely on your segment. Enterprise products should hold monthly logo churn around 1% or below, mid-market 1.5 to 3%, and SMB 3 to 5%. Best-in-class companies stay under 1% monthly. Benchmark against your own segment and contract size, not the broad industry average.

What is the difference between logo churn and revenue churn?

Logo churn counts how many customers leave. Revenue churn measures the dollars lost. You can have low logo churn and severe revenue churn if your largest accounts are the ones leaving, so track both.

Should I focus on reducing churn or acquiring customers?

Retention usually returns more. It costs less than acquisition, and retained customers expand and refer. In a market where new sales are harder, the companies that keep and grow existing revenue are the ones still growing.

Can AI help reduce churn?

Yes, mainly by predicting which accounts are at risk from behavior patterns and by automating the early-warning and outreach steps. Pair it with human judgment on the high-value accounts rather than letting it run the relationship.

How often should I review my churn strategy?

Review the metrics monthly and the overall strategy quarterly. Give major changes time to show results before adjusting again.

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How to engage active users without relying too much on automation?

Many turn to automated tools, hoping to scale their efforts.

But this approach often backfires, annoying the very customers they aim to support.

Here are smarter ways to connect and create meaningful interactions that resonate with your customers:

💡Check out my Customer Success Renewals & Upsells Strategy for tips on effective engagement strategies.

The Automation Trap

Many turn to tools like Intercom to automate customer interactions with chat boxes, banners, and surveys.

These can be effective for onboarding or re-engaging at-risk customers.

But active users often ignore or dismiss these interruptions.

According to Dr. Peter Fader, Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School:

"Automation can be a double-edged sword. While it scales engagement, it can also depersonalize the customer experience if not implemented thoughtfully."

In my interview with Kirsten DiChiappari, VP of Customer Success at vCom Solutions, she highlights the importance of balancing automation with personalization:

"If you can curate relevant insights and recommendations for your customers, packaged in an easily consumable, non-threatening way, you've won."

Understanding User Behavior

Active customers focus on their work and view unexpected pop-ups as distractions.

This presents a challenge for CSMs trying to maintain relationships or promote new offerings.

Research supports this view:

A study by the Nielsen Norman Group found that 70% of users view pop-ups as annoying.

Furthermore, 50% report that these chat boxes or pop-ups impact their opinion of the advertiser in a negative way.

The Value Proposition

The core issue often is not in the method of communication.

But in the perceived value of the interaction.

Customers today have high expectations for personalized experiences:

According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions.

Even more telling, 76% get frustrated when this personalization doesn't happen.

This data underscores the importance of delivering value in every customer interaction.

Melissa Garcia, Director of Renewal Operations at Chief, highlights this point in our CS My Way interview:

"Customers are primarily interested in their own KPIs, not ours. Understanding this starts with attentive listening, asking pertinent questions, and then articulating how our offering aligns with their goals."

Shifting the Approach

To engage active users, set up these strategies instead:

1. Personalize your outreach

   Move away from automated mass messages to more personalized, human interactions.

2. Choose appropriate channels

   Email or Slack may be more effective than in-app interruptions.

3. Focus on outcomes

   Show how your software helps users achieve their goals.

4. Focus on high-touch engagement

   For key accounts, invest in higher quality, more personalized interactions.

Jeanne Bliss, Customer Experience Pioneer, states:

"The most successful companies are those that make their customers more successful and simplify their lives."

💡Check my Time-Saving Tips for Customer Success & Productivity for more insights.

In my interview with Krystel Leal, Head Of Customer Success at OneText, also adds:

"Whenever I interact with my customers, I always check if they prefer to have meetings or if they'd rather communicate asynchronously. It's important not to impose our own working style or preferences on our customers."

💡Check out my "Ultimate Customer Success Plan Template: 14-Step Guide for SaaS & B2B" for an exclusive framework for personalizing customer interactions.

Segmentation and Targeting

One key aspect of effective engagement is proper segmentation and targeting.

Not all active users are the same, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.

Segment your active users based on:

• Usage patterns

• Role within the organization

• Industry vertical

• Feature adoption rates

💡See my "Ultimate Customer Success Templates Collection" for more advanced segmentation strategies and templates.

A study published in the Journal of Marketing found that personalized marketing strategies can increase customer engagement by up to 20%.

Kirsten DiChiappari highlights the importance of segmentation:

"We also adjusted our customer health score to be calculated only based on a customer's consumption of our products and services. You can have a highly profitable customer who gives you a 10 on an NPS but still has a very low health score because they only use one thing you offer."

Read my full interview with Kirsten DiChiappari here.

Timing and Frequency

The timing and frequency of your engagements can impact their effectiveness.

Consider:

• User activity cycles

  Engage when users are most likely to be receptive, based on their usage patterns.

• Optimal frequency

  Find the right balance between staying top-of-mind and becoming a nuisance.

• Contextual triggers

  Reach out based on specific actions or milestones within the user's journey.

HubSpot reports that 33% of U.S. consumers have turned to social media at least once to complain about a bad experience with a brand.

This also highlights the importance of proactive, timely engagement.

Measuring Engagement Success

To improve your engagement strategies, it's fundamental to measure their effectiveness:

• Track response rates

  Track how often users interact with your engagements.

• Analyze engagement quality

  Look beyond simple clicks to assess the depth of interactions.

• Measure impact on key metrics

  Check how your engagement efforts affect retention, upsells, and customer satisfaction scores.

💡Check out my guide "7 Top SaaS Metrics Everyone Should Know" for a deep dive into important SaaS metrics and how to track them.

A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science found there is a direct correlation between customer engagement behaviors influencing customer lifetime value and company performance.

Gillian Core, Former SVP of Customer Success at Placer, shares her approach in CS My Way:

"Our north star metric in CS is net revenue retention (NRR). If we are consistently striving to increase this number and measure all of our projects and initiatives against their impact on that goal, we focus our efforts on the right activities more often than not."

Read my full interview with Gillian Core here.

Key Takeaways

Effective customer engagement isn't about frequency or automation.

It’s about providing genuine value.

Understanding your users' needs and segmenting your audience is key.

Timing your interactions, and measuring your success will help you build stronger relationships with your active customer base.

Lincoln Murphy, the renowned Customer Success Strategist, says:

"Customer Success is about more than just reducing churn. It's about orchestrating the customer's journey toward their desired outcome."

And Jill Favro Sawatzky, Chief Customer Officer at Thought Industries, reinforces this idea in our interview :

"I'm responsible for ensuring that every interaction our customers have with our platform adds value to their experience."

Case Study: Personalization Success

To illustrate these principles in action, let's look at a brief case study

A SaaS company shifted from automated pop-ups to a targeted email campaign for their enterprise customers.

They segmented users based on feature adoption.

And started sending personalized tips and success stories.

Result:

They saw a 40% increase in engagement rates and a 25% boost in feature usage among inactive users.

This success aligns with broader industry trends.

According to Emarsys, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%.

And That’s It: Level Up Your Customer Engagement

As you can see, effective customer engagement goes beyond automation.

It's about creating value, understanding your users, and delivering personalized experiences.

Implementing these strategies will help you transform your approach to customer success.

Even small changes can lead to significant improvements in engagement, and retention.

Don't wait to make a difference.

Choose one strategy from this edition and apply it to your customer success efforts this week.

Your customers - and your metrics - will thank you.

The future of customer success is personal, valuable, and measured.

Are you ready to lead the way?

-Hakan.

Read More on Customer Success Strategy

💡Check out my "Ultimate Customer Onboarding Template" and "Beyond KPIs: The Executive's Guide to Early Indicators and Predictive Analytics" for more in-depth resources and templates.

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Advanced Guide to High-Quality Customer Engagement

Get access to my exclusive Advanced Guide to boost your customer engagement strategies.

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This resource focuses on quality over quantity.

It will help you create meaningful interactions that drive long-term success:

• Personalization at Scale

  Learn advanced techniques to deliver highly personalized experiences without relying on intrusive automation.

• Crafting High-Impact Touchpoints

  Master the art of creating valuable, non-intrusive engagement points throughout the customer journey.

• Advanced Segmentation for Targeted Engagement

  Explore sophisticated segmentation strategies to ensure every interaction is relevant and timely.

• Balancing Human Touch and Technology

  Learn how to leverage technology to enhance, not replace, human interactions.

• Case Studies in Quality Engagement

  Get insights from in-depth analyses of companies that have prioritized quality over quantity in customer engagement.

My premium subscribers are getting ahead every week.

Join the crew and boost your success today!

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This question becomes more important as your company scales.

Here’s how you can find the right balance between Customer Success and Sales:

The Evolving Role of Customer Success

Customer Success Managers handle many responsibilities.

This includes managing customer relationships and driving strategic conversations to name a few fundamentals.

But the role is evolving fast.

As Esteban Kolsky, a customer experience strategist and founder of ThinkJar puts it well:

"Customer Success is where 90% of the revenue is.”

According to a 2024 study by Gainsight, 55.2% of CSMs predict an increased focus on upsells and renewals in their roles.

This shift highlights the growing importance of CS in revenue generation.

It also underscores the need for mastering the CSM role in any company.

The Traditional Case for Separation

There are several historical arguments for separating Customer Success from these sales-related activities:

1. Focus on Core Competencies

   CSMs are often hired for their relationship management skills rather than sales abilities.

2. Avoiding Conflict of Interest

   Asking for money can complicate the relationship between CSMs and customers.

3. Specialization

   Sales teams can handle the economic aspects of renewals and upsells better.

4. Workload Management

   Removing sales responsibilities allows CSMs to focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences.

A study by TSIA found that 30% of companies adjust their customer health scores based on changing business conditions.

This highlights the need for CSMs to focus on customer health rather than sales metrics.

This approach aligns with the importance of customer health in CS strategies.

The Trending Argument for Integration

But today, there are many compelling reasons to involve Customer Success in revenue-generating activities:

1. Relationship Leverage

   CSMs have deep knowledge of customer needs.

   They have their customers' trust which can be valuable in natural expansion conversations.

2. Holistic Customer View

   CSMs have a deeper understanding of customer health and growth potential.

   Involving them in renewals and upsells is key.

3. Career Growth

   Revenue responsibilities can provide CSMs with opportunities for professional development.

   It can also drive increased job satisfaction.

4. Seamless Customer Experience

   Having CSMs handle renewals and upsells can create a cohesive experience for customers.

💡According to a Customer Success Trends Report, 93.7% of companies that measure the impact of CS are using a revenue target (GRR, NRR, or both).

This shows a strong link between CS and revenue goals.

💡Want to master the essential metrics for Customer Success? Check out my SaaS Metrics Quick Guide to learn the 7 top SaaS metrics you should know by heart.

Finding the Right Balance

So, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to structuring Customer Success and Sales teams.

The optimal strategy depends on different factors:

1. Company Size and Stage

   CSMs might wear many hats in smaller companies.

   Yet larger organizations might prefer specialization.

2. Product Complexity

   More complex products may need dedicated sales expertise for upsells and renewals.

3. Customer Base

   B2B enterprises might need different approaches compared to B2C or SMB-focused companies.

4. Contract Structure

   Annual contracts may need strategies that are different from monthly subscription models.

5. Regulatory Environment

   Different industries face unique regulatory challenges that can impact CS strategies.

For insights on balancing these factors, my guide on balancing sales and customer success in SaaS gives you valuable perspectives.

Additionally, PaletteHQ provides a comprehensive process for determining if CSMs should own renewals and expansion.

Regulatory Considerations in Customer Success

It's key to be aware of these industry-specific regulations when running your CS strategies.

This can affect how Customer Success teams operate and engage with clients.

💡For more about advanced metrics and predictive analytics, check out my exclusive guide Beyond KPIs: The Executive's Guide to Early Indicators and Predictive Analytics.

Financial Services

Regulations like GDPR in Europe or the Dodd-Frank Act in the US can impact the way you handle data and communicate.

Customer Success teams must be vigilant about:

• Data privacy and protection

• Transparency in customer communications

• Compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) requirements

Healthcare

For healthcare-related SaaS companies, HIPAA compliance in the US is paramount. Customer Success teams need to consider:

• Strict data security measures

• Limited access to patient information

• Secure communication channels for discussing sensitive health data

Telecommunications

Telecom companies often face regulations around service quality and customer protection.

Customer Success teams should be aware of:

• Service level agreement (SLA) requirements

• Mandatory reporting of outages or service disruptions

• Fair billing practices and transparency

E-commerce

In the e-commerce sector, regulations often focus on consumer protection.

Key considerations include:

• Clear return and refund policies

• Accurate product descriptions

• Compliance with data protection laws for customer information

Software and Technology

For software companies, especially those dealing with cloud services, important regulatory considerations include:

• Data residency requirements in different countries

• Export control regulations for certain types of software

• Compliance with industry-specific standards (e.g., SOC 2 for cloud service providers)

So it's key to understand and adhere to these regulatory requirements.

It will help you avoid common customer success mistakes and ensure compliance.

In doing so, you’re not just helping customers achieve their goals.

But you're also protecting them and the company from potential legal issues.

CS strategies need to be flexible enough to adapt to changing regulatory landscapes.

All this while still delivering value to customers.

Besides, consider how these approaches can vary across global markets and cultures.

💡Looking to improve your Customer Success strategy? My Ultimate Customer Success Plan Template provides a comprehensive 14-step guide for SaaS and B2B companies.

Global Perspectives on Customer Success

As companies go international, here are some key considerations:

Cultural Nuances in Communication

Different cultures have varying communication styles that can impact customer success interactions:

For example, in the United States, communication often involves:

• More indirect and diplomatic phrasing

• Use of softeners and qualifiers

• Emphasis on positivity and optimism

In Germany, communication tends to be:

• More direct and straightforward

• Focused on facts and specifics

• Less concerned with cushioning criticism

In many East Asian cultures (e.g. Japan, China), communication is often characterized by:

• High context and indirect expression

• Emphasis on maintaining harmony and saving face

• Non-verbal cues and implicit meanings

For example:

• A US customer might say:

  "The product is interesting, but we might need some help getting started".

  It could actually mean they are struggling and need immediate help.

• A German customer could say:

  "This feature doesn't work as expected". They likely mean exactly that.

  There is a specific issue that needs a fix. And that’s it.

  It’s just factual. Nothing less, nothing more.

• A Japanese customer may say: "We will consider your proposal" or simply remain silent after a demonstration.
  This could be a polite way of expressing disagreement or dissatisfaction, rather than actual interest.

So understanding these nuances is key to interpreting feedback and taking appropriate action.

💡Looking to improve your communication skills for a global audience? Check out my Master Public Speaking: The Ultimate Guide to Captivating Any Audience to boost your confidence in any situation.

Relationship Building Across Cultures

The importance and methods of building business relationships vary globally:

• In the United States, relationships often develop through business interactions.

• In many Asian and Latin American countries, personal relationships are key.

  They need more face-to-face interactions and social engagements outside of business settings.

Decision-Making Processes

Understanding how different cultures make decisions is fundamental for CSMs:

• In some cultures, individuals make decisions, fast.

• In others, involving many stakeholders is the norm. This can extend the decision-making process.

Adapting Success Metrics

What makes up "success" can vary across cultures:

• Some markets may focus on rapid growth and innovation.

• Others might value stability and long-term relationships more.

So align your success metrics with local cultural values and business practices.

Technology Adoption Rates

The pace of technology adoption differs globally.

It affects how fast you can deploy CS strategies:

• Some markets may be more open to AI-driven CS tools and automation.

• Others might prefer more traditional, high-touch approaches.

Regulatory Considerations

CSMs must be aware of local regulations that can impact CS strategies:

• Data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR in Europe) can affect how you collect and use customer data.

• Industry-specific regulations may influence the level of support and engagement CSMs can provide.

Consider these global perspectives and adapt to resonate more with diverse international markets.

This will drive better outcomes and stronger customer relationships worldwide.

For more insights on global customer success strategies, read my article on Digital Customer Success Trends.

Key Considerations for Making A Decision

When choosing the best approach for your organization, consider the following:

1. Team Structure

   Explore different team configurations:

   • Such as dedicated customer growth teams.

   • Or hybrid roles that bridge Customer Success and Sales.

2. Enablement and Incentives

   Renewal and Upsells:

   • Make sure CSMs get proper training and that you incentivize as expected.

   A study by CSM Insight found that only 12.8% of CSMs receive incremental bonuses based on performance.

   This suggests room for improvement in incentive structures.

3. Workload Optimization

   Use technology and automation to improve your processes.

   This will free up CSM time for high-value activities.

   The Global Customer Success Platforms Market is estimated to reach $3.1 billion by 2026.

   This shows a growing trend towards technology-enabled CS operations.

4. Clear Handoff Processes

   Separating responsibilities from Sales:

   • Set clear protocols for when and how CS should engage with existing customers.

   ---

   💡Need a comprehensive toolkit for Customer Success? My Ultimate Customer Success Templates Collection offers 150-page industry best practices, and 50+ customizable templates covering the entire customer lifecycle.

   ---

5. Customer-Centric Approach

   Focus on the customer experience in all decisions.

   Make sure any changes improve rather than detract from customer satisfaction.

   • A Microsoft study found that 58% of customers will switch their service to a competitor because of poor experience.

6. Flexibility and Adaptability

   Update your approach as your company grows and market conditions change.

Lincoln Murphy, a renowned customer success consultant and author, states:

"Customer Success is when your customers achieve their Desired Outcome through their interactions with your company."

Murphy further emphasizes the need for adaptability in his blog post on Sixteen Ventures:

"The reality is, as you grow and evolve as a company, your Customer Success strategy must evolve, too."

💡Need help with customer onboarding? My Ultimate Customer Onboarding Template provides a 10-Step Success Roadmap to boost your onboarding strategy.

Effective Communication is Key

No matter which CS model you choose, developing strong customer success communication skills is fundamental.

This is especially true for renewals, upsells, and expanding your customer relationships.

💡Want to master the art of persuasive outreach? Check out my Cold Email Mastery Course. Learn how to craft messages that boost response rates by 35% in just 30 days. Perfect to boost your communication skills and drive better results with your customers.

And That’s It

The debate over owning renewals and upsells is nuanced.

There are valid arguments on both sides.

But the key is to find a balance that works for your specific organization and customers.

What’s clear is that Customer Success must own targeted revenue goals to some extent.

You need to leverage your relationships to expand into the accounts.

You also need to be a strategic partner to Sales on larger deals as the company scales.

So it's not an all-or-nothing approach.

But a balanced one that maximizes the CS expertise in the field and drives revenue growth.

Your company evolves.

So should your approach to Customer Success and Sales alignment.

Stay flexible and laser-focused on your customers.

This will help you create a strategy that drives both retention and expansion.

The ultimate goal is to fuel sustainable growth for the company.

For more insights on this topic, check out Gainsight's perspective on who should own renewals and upsells.

For more about building a successful Customer Success career, explore my comprehensive Customer Success Career Guide.

The Customer Success Trends Report shows that 'Delivering Value to Customers' is the top challenge for CS leaders in 2024 and beyond.

This highlights the importance of keeping customer outcomes at the forefront of any decisions you make.

For those looking to stay ahead of the curve, my article on AI-Powered Customer Success offers insights into the future of the industry.

To further enhance your skills in managing renewals and upsells, explore SuccessEve's guide on mastering the art of renewals, which provides valuable insights on balancing customer success and sales skills as an expansion manager.

💡Want to take your Customer Success career to the next level? My guide on Transitioning to a Customer Success Career can help you revive your career and find new opportunities!

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The strategies I described are just starting points.

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Read more

Many CSMs have found ways to thrive in their roles and have a fulfilling personal life.

Here are the key insights you need to master the art of balancing your career and personal well-being:

The Power of Boundaries

The first step is setting clear boundaries between work and personal time.

Effective customer success is not about firefighting.

It's important to care about your work, but not at the expense of your personal life and well-being.

Your health and personal interests should remain a top priority.

While it's good to do your best at work, it's also important to cultivate hobbies and a life outside of your job.

The Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that people who balance work and life better get 21% more productive.

They also have 33% higher job satisfaction compared to those with poor work-life balance.

Industry Matters, But Company Culture Is Key

Certain industries offer better work-life balance in general.

And the company's culture plays a significant role.

Here are some industries that CSMs have the best work-life balance:

• EdTech

• Enterprise SaaS (especially in cybersecurity and IT automation)

• E-commerce SaaS

• Corporate L&D

• HR Tech/EOR

• Government-focused tech companies

Note that even within these industries, experiences can vary.

The Impact of Account Load and Contract Size

Handling fewer large enterprise accounts is often easier than managing many small ones.

Even if the total revenue is similar.

This is a potential strategy that can help reduce your levels of stress and workload.

So have that in mind when assessing job opportunities or discussing the account portfolio with your manager.

Strategies for Success

Here are 4 practical strategies that will help you achieve a better work-life balance:

1. Set clear work hours

   Close your laptop at the end of the workday and don't check work communications after hours.

   Beware of managers who send you emails late evenings, considering they’re in the same time zone as you.

2. Focus on tasks

   When work piles up, ask your manager for guidance on priorities.

3. Avoid comparisons

   Don't feel pressured to match colleagues who work excessive hours.

   Being busy does not mean being productive.

   Focus on the results, not the amount of work.

4. Choose the right environment

   You may find a better balance transitioning from startups to more established companies. Here, it all depends on your specific career goals.

The Ongoing Challenge

Keeping a work-life balance in customer success remains a challenge.

A recent study by Vitally found that almost half (47%) of Customer Success Managers feel burned out at work.

Of those, more than a third (36%) feel this way often or all the time.

The Business Case for Work-Life Balance

The reality is companies that focus on work-life balance often see significant benefits.

According to Forrester's 2020 Report, a well-designed Customer Success program can yield a 91% ROI over three years.

Additionally, companies with strong work-life balance programs experience 33% less turnover.

Implementing these strategies can improve your work-life balance and career in customer success.

To help you put these ideas into practice, I've created the Ultimate Customer Success Templates Collection. This 150-page resource is packed with tips and best practices that will improve your work processes and support a healthier work-life balance saving you time and energy.

Part 2/2

3 Customizable Templates for Work-Life Balance & 7 Career Advancement Strategies

[Exclusive to my paid subscribers]

Here are 3 customizable templates that will help you achieve and maintain a healthy work-life balance along with 7 strategies to boost your career:

1. Personal Work-Life Balance Plan Template

2. Time Management Schedule Template

3. Boundary-Setting Scripts For CSMs

…

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According to a recent study by Vitally, 72% of CS professionals report experiencing burnout.

Here are the best tips to save time and stay sane in Customer Success:

Automate The Repetitive

A McKinsey report found that 45% of paid activities can be automated using current technologies.

Here's how:

1. Create a robust knowledge base with videos, linked to chat and ticketing systems:

   • Zendesk Guide

   • Confluence

   • HelpScout

   • Notion

2. Use tools to automate reports:

   • Rollstack

   • Tableau

   • Power BI

   • Google Data Studio

3. Set up integrations between apps to avoid manual data entry:

   • Zapier

   • Integromat (now Make)

   • Tray.io

   • Workato

4. Use software for customized email outreach:

   • Microsoft Power Automate

   • Mailchimp

   • HubSpot

   • ActiveCampaign

5. Set up robotic process automation (RPA) for routine data processing and administrative tasks:

   • UiPath

   • Automation Anywhere

   • Blue Prism

   • Microsoft Power Automate Desktop

6. Use workflow automation software to boost approval processes and task handoffs:

   • Kissflow

   • Process Street

   • Nintex

   • Pipefy

7. Set up automated data extraction from documents using optical character recognition (OCR) technology:

   • ABBYY FineReader

   • Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

   • Docparser

   • Rossum

8. Create automated dashboards and reports to remove manual data compilation:

   • Databox

   • Geckoboard

   • Klipfolio

   • Domo

9. Use chatbots or virtual assistants to handle common customer inquiries:

   • Intercom

   • Drift

   • MobileMonkey

   • ManyChat

10. Setup automated scheduling tools for meetings and appointments:

    • Calendly

    • Acuity Scheduling

    • Doodle

    • YouCanBook .me

These tools can improve your processes and save you a massive amount of time.

For more on leveraging automation in CS, check out my guide on AI-powered customer success.

Use AI and Tech Tools

These can be huge time-savers too.

A Gartner study predicts that by 2025, 50% of customer service functions will integrate AI technology.

• Fathom: One of the best AI notetakers out there

• Gong: Records calls and generates notes, allowing you to focus on the conversation

• Scribe: Creates how-to guides to avoid repeating explanations

• Loom: For making quick video walkthroughs

• ChatGPT: To generate email templates and learn new topics quickly

"The right tech stack can be a game-changer for CS teams," says Emily Chen, CS Operations Manager at SaaS Solutions.

Explore more AI tools for productivity to boost your CS workflow.

The key to staying sane in customer success is finding what works best for you.

Every little bit helps when it comes to saving time and keeping your cool in this challenging field.

If you're new to CS or looking to advance your career, my ultimate guide for customer success managers is a great resource.

Save Time And Make Your Job Easier

🥳I've just released The Ultimate Customer Success Templates Collection!

It's packed with:

• 150 pages of actionable, expert-curated content

• 50+ customizable templates covering the entire customer lifecycle

• Best practices for every stage of the customer journey

"Having ready-to-use templates can save CS professionals up to 10 hours per week," according to a survey by CS Insider.

Stop wasting time creating documents from scratch.

I built it as an all-in-one resource you can bookmark and add to your favorites!

👉 Check it out now!

Part 2/2: Exclusive Insights for Customer Success Time Management

Boost your CS career with my premium content.

Here's what I'm covering in this 2nd part exclusive to my paid subscribers:

• The Team Building Checklist for CS Leaders

• My proprietary CS Time Management Framework

• Exclusive CS Task Priority Matrix for better decision-making

• Data-driven techniques to boost efficiency

• Advanced AI implementation in CS operations

• Mindfulness and stress management tips for CS professionals

• Expert insights and Q&A on time management in CS

Plus, you'll get access to downloadable tools and templates to implement these strategies right away.

My paid subscribers report an average of 30% increase in productivity and a 20% boost in job satisfaction.

"Hakan’s premium content has really helped my work. The tips and tools he’s sharing have made my job so much easier and I'm getting better results than ever before. It's a bargain for the money for anyone who wants to get better at CS." - Steve, Global CS Director.

Don't just manage your time—master it.

Here are the advanced strategies that will set you apart and get you ahead in Customer Success:

Read more

It all started as a routine configuration update.

But then escalated into what some are calling the "largest IT outage in history".

Part 1/2

The Unprecedented Scale of Impact

The ripple effect of this outage was immediate and far-reaching:

• Airlines grounded flights, causing widespread travel chaos

• Banks experienced service interruptions, affecting millions of customers

• Hospitals faced scheduling system failures, impacting patient care

• Retailers grappled with payment processing issues and frustrated customers

According to CrowdStrike's official statement, the issue affected Windows operating systems. that is a large majority of all systems worldwide.

The company has since identified, isolated, and deployed a fix for the defect.

Communication Strategies for Crisis Management

For CrowdStrike's CSMs, this crisis means managing massive customer concerns and frustrations.

This is why building powerful strategies for communicating with customers is key.

Here are the ones to focus on during such challenging times in the future:

Transparent Communication

Create a dedicated status page with real-time updates.

For example:

"As of 10:00 AM EST, we've identified the root cause and our engineering team is working on a fix. We expect to deploy the solution within the next 4 hours."

Focus on Solutions

Share a clear action plan.

"We're implementing a three-step process:

1. Isolate affected systems,

2. Deploy the fix,

3. Verify system stability.

We'll update you at each stage."

Empathize and Listen

Building empathy is key.

Use phrases like:

"I understand your frustration and I’m sorry about it.”

This approach is key for managing difficult customer expectations.

Leveraging Internal Resources

• Collaborate with your technical teams to get clear, explanations of the issue.

  And then provide solutions without any corporate jargon.

• Work with your marketing team to craft consistent messaging across all communication channels.

• Engage with your product team to understand the roadmap.

  This will help prevent similar issues in the future.

These cross-functional collaborations are fundamental to managing crises.

Long-Term Crisis Management

• Document all customer interactions and pain points for post-crisis analysis.

• Identify opportunities for process improvements in your crisis response.

• Prepare a post-mortem report to share with customers. this will show transparency and your commitment to doing better.

Check out these best practices for preventing churn and maintaining customer trust.

Rebuilding Trust

• Schedule follow-up calls with affected customers.

  Discuss the incident and your company's response.

• Share detailed plans for preventing similar incidents in the future.

• Offer extra value or services to affected customers as a goodwill gesture.

These steps are key for rebuilding customer relationships after a crisis.

Take Care Of Yourself

Managing such a global crisis is tough.

But you can’t handle it for your customers if you’re not taking care of yourself, first:

• Take short breaks to recharge between difficult calls.

• Practice stress-management techniques like deep breathing.

• Stay hydrated and keep regular meals.

• Reach out to colleagues for support and shared experiences.

Maintaining your well-being is key to supporting your customers.

Looking Ahead

As the dust settles, there will be time for thorough analysis and lessons learned.

But for now, know that your efforts are making a real difference.

You're the unsung heroes.

You work hard to build customer relationships during such challenging periods.

A crisis is temporary.

Your dedication and professionalism help rebuild trust and strengthen long-term relationships.

Share Your Experience

Have you experienced similar issues in the past?

• Share your experiences or strategies in the comments section.

Your insights could help others tackle similar challenges.

For more on tackling CS challenges, check out my Ultimate Guide to Customer Success Managers.

Leave a comment

Part 2/2

Exclusive Insights for Premium Subscribers

Advanced Crisis Management Techniques

Exclusive to my paid subscribers,

I explore advanced crisis management techniques in the 2nd part, including:

Psychological Strategies for Customer Engagement

Learn how to use psychology to calm and reassure customers during a crisis.

I explore the following:

• The "Acknowledge, Align, Assure" method for instant rapport building

• How to use "future pacing" to instill confidence in your resolution timeline

• The power of "contrast framing" to put issues into perspective

Building a Resilient Customer Success Team

• Discover strategies to build a resilient team capable of handling crises.

• Learn how to run regular crisis simulation training and reduce burnout risk.

Leveraging AI for Crisis Management

• Understand how AI tools can help you manage crises in a more efficient way.

• Use predictive analytics, AI-powered chatbots, and sentiment analysis to improve crisis response capabilities.

Case Studies of Successful Crisis Management

• Get insights from three case studies of renowned tech companies that navigated major crises with success.

• Learn from their experiences and apply these lessons to your own strategies.

“I love the CS Café!” - Melissa Garcia, Director of Renewal Operations @ Chief

“I upgraded to Premium to access your exclusive content and learn from you. I find your content very valuable” - Tasneem Nomanbhai, Customer Success Manager, Digital Marketing

“The CS Café Newsletter is the quintessential resource for all things Customer Success. The material resourced and curated by Hakan is always current and actionable for all CS organizations.” - Kevin Herrholtz, VP of Client Success, AddShoppers

[Exclusive to my premium subscribers below this line]

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Customer success is key to growth and retention in SaaS.

As companies grow, they often face a challenge:

Should they have separate teams for onboarding new customers and managing ongoing customer success?

And the decision can have a major impact on:

• Customer satisfaction

• Team efficiency

• Overall business performance

So here are the pros and cons of splitting teams, with real-life examples and guidance on when and how to implement this change.

What is Customer Success?

First things first. A quick reminder:

Customer Success is a proactive approach to ensuring customers achieve their desired outcomes while using a product or service faster than if they had to do it themselves.

• It goes beyond traditional customer service

• It's all about driving long-term customer satisfaction, retention, and growth

For a more comprehensive understanding, check out my guide on what is customer success.

So Why Split the Teams?

The main reason for splitting these roles is that they require different skills:

Onboarding Specialists:

• Focus on getting new customers started

• Need to know the product inside and out

• Help with initial setup and training

Customer Success Managers (CSMs):

• Need to understand customer goals

• Work on customer satisfaction long-term

• Help customers get the most value from the product

Having separate teams helps each group become experts in their own area and execute in a more efficient way.

For more insights on the role of CSMs, read my ultimate guide for customer success managers.

Real-World Example: HubSpot's Success

HubSpot, a leading CRM platform, successfully implemented a split between onboarding and CSM teams:

• Created a dedicated "Customer Onboarding Specialists" team

• This team works closely with customers during the first 90 days

• After onboarding, customers transition to long-term CSMs

This approach allowed HubSpot to provide more specialized support at each stage of the customer journey.

It resulted in higher customer satisfaction and retention rates.

Industry Trends

According to a study by TSIA:

• Only 40% of companies have dedicated onboarding roles or teams

• 57% of customer success organizations have operationalized the customer journey

• Organizations see a 26% improvement in ARR when onboarding and customer success align closely.

💡Reflection Question: How does your current team structure compare to these industry trends?

When to Consider Splitting

Several factors can help you decide if it's time to split these teams:

• Product Complexity

  If your product is technical, having a dedicated onboarding team might be helpful.

• Number of Customers

  As you get more customers, specialized teams can handle the workload better.

• Company Size

  Large enterprise customers can usually afford to have separate teams.

• Different Focus Areas

  Separating teams makes sense if there is a clear difference between getting started with the product and using it long-term.

For more insights, check out my guide on scaling customer success.

Benefits of Splitting Teams

Having separate onboarding and CSM teams can offer several advantages:

• Better Expertise: Each team can focus on becoming great at their specific job.

• Improved Efficiency: Dedicated teams can often solve problems faster.

• Satisfied Customers: They get focused support at each stage of their journey.

• Room to Grow: Separate teams can handle more customers and more complex products as the company expands.

To learn more about improving customer satisfaction, read my article on secrets to wow customers.

And There You Have It!

If you would like to explore more in detail, here's what I'm covering in Part 2 (exclusive to my Premium subscribers):

Deep Dive: Case Study on Scaling Customer Success

• Learn how a mid-sized SaaS company successfully split their teams

• Discover the measurable impacts on customer satisfaction and efficiency

Decision-Making Toolkit

• Access my exclusive decision flowchart to check if splitting teams is right for your company

• Use my simple scoring system to evaluate your company's readiness for team splitting

Overcoming Implementation Challenges

• Practical solutions for common communication barriers between teams

• Strategies to avoid overlap in responsibilities and maximize efficiency

Step-by-Step Guide: Evaluating Your Specific Needs

• Detailed walkthrough on analyzing customer feedback, metrics, and workload

• Financial analysis framework to calculate the ROI of splitting teams

Want to level up your knowledge and skills?

Upgrade to Premium and access exclusive additional insights my premium subscribers enjoy every week.

Upgrade To Premium

“I love the CS Café!” - Melissa Garcia, Director of Renewal Operations @ Chief

“I upgraded to The CS Café Premium to access your exclusive content and learn from you. I find your content very valuable” - Tasneem Nomanbhai, Customer Success Manager, Digital Marketing

“The CS Café Newsletter is the quintessential resource for all things Customer Success. The material resourced and curated by Hakan is always current and actionable for all CS organizations.” - Kevin Herrholtz, VP of Client Success, AddShoppers

Upgrade Now to Access Part 2

Part 2/2: In-Depth Analysis and Practical Advice

(Exclusive to The CS Café Premium Subscribers)

Case Study: Scaling Customer Success

…

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But helping your current customers grow is even better.

This is customer expansion.

And it's super important for any business that wants to keep growing.

But how do you make customer expansion happen?

Here are 10 easy ways that will help you get more from your existing customers.

1. Get Your Team on the Same Page

First things…

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