Interview Guide for

Customer Success Manager

This comprehensive interview guide is designed to help you effectively evaluate candidates for the Customer Success Manager role at your organization. It provides a structured approach to assessing candidates' skills, experience, and fit for the position through multiple interview stages, including a work sample exercise.

How to Use This Guide

To make the most of this interview guide and improve your hiring decisions:

Familiarize yourself with the job description and ideal candidate profile before conducting interviews. This will help you better assess candidate fit and potential for success in the role.
Customize the guide to align with your company's specific needs and industry focus. You can edit questions or add new ones using Yardstick, ensuring the interview process remains relevant and effective for your customer success environment.
Use the same questions and scorecards for each interview stage to ensure consistency across candidates. This standardized approach allows for more accurate comparisons and data-driven decision-making.
Take detailed notes during interviews to support your evaluations. Yardstick's AI-powered note-taking feature can help capture key insights without distracting you from the conversation, especially during the mock client business review exercise.
Complete the scorecard immediately after each interview while your impressions are fresh. This helps maintain accuracy and facilitates easier comparisons between candidates, particularly when evaluating complex competencies like strategic thinking and consultative approach.
Pay close attention to candidates' past performance metrics and their ability to articulate customer success strategies. The hiring manager interview section is particularly useful for diving deep into these areas.
Use the behavioral competency interview to assess relationship building and proactive problem-solving skills, which are crucial for success in dynamic customer success environments.
Leverage the executive interview to evaluate candidates' ability to engage with C-level stakeholders and drive strategic customer outcomes.
Conduct thorough reference checks to verify the candidate's claims about their customer success performance and relationship-building abilities.
Use Yardstick's analytics to track the effectiveness of each element of the interview guide over time, allowing you to refine and improve your hiring process for customer success roles continuously.

Remember that this guide is a tool to support your decision-making process. Use your judgment and expertise to evaluate candidates holistically, considering both their qualifications and potential cultural fit within your organization's customer success team.

For more interview question ideas specific to this role, visit: Customer Success Manager Interview Questions.

Job Description

🌟 Customer Success Manager

🚀 About [Company]

[Company] is a leading provider of innovative [Industry] software solutions, empowering businesses to transform their operations and achieve higher levels of performance. With a strong focus on customer satisfaction and a commitment to integrity, we've been serving clients across 100+ countries for over three decades.

💼 The Role

As a Customer Success Manager at [Company], you'll play a crucial role in ensuring our clients derive maximum value from our software solutions. You'll be responsible for managing customer relationships, driving platform adoption, and fostering long-term partnerships that contribute to both client success and company growth.

🎯 Key Responsibilities

Actively manage post-sales customer relationships, focusing on platform adoption, client satisfaction, and timely renewals
Maintain an accurate pulse on customer health through metrics, regular interactions, and other related attributes
Establish yourself as a trusted advisor, strategically positioning our solution and driving adoption
Build relationships with stakeholders at all levels, from end-users to senior executives
Lead high-level online training sessions to boost user adoption
Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities through regular client interactions
Analyze customer data to improve overall customer experience
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Sales, Operations, Support, Product, and Marketing) to enhance the entire customer journey
Develop and share best practices related to products and customer success advocacy
Attend on-site customer meetings as needed to cultivate relationships and conduct business reviews

🧠 What We're Looking For

Proven experience in Customer Success Management or Account Management, preferably in a B2B SaaS environment
Strong client-facing skills, including excellent communication, expectation management, and presentation abilities
Exceptional problem-solving skills and resourcefulness when assisting customers
High attention to detail and ability to juggle multiple priorities effectively
Proactive mindset with a drive to take ownership of customer success
Ability to build rapport with customers, drive desired actions, and provide constructive challenge when appropriate
Quick learner who can rapidly adapt to new solutions and technologies
Post-secondary education in a related field (e.g., Business, Software Development, Information Technology)

💫 Why Join [Company]?

Be part of a dynamic team shaping the future of [Industry]
Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits
Opportunities for professional growth and skill development
Collaborative and innovative work environment
Make a meaningful impact on customer success and business transformation

Hiring Process

We've designed our hiring process to be thorough and give you multiple opportunities to showcase your skills and experience. Here's what you can expect:

Screening Interview

‍An initial conversation with our recruiting team to discuss your background and experience in customer success.

Work Sample: Mock Client Business Review

‍An opportunity to demonstrate your skills through a simulated client business review presentation.

Hiring Manager Interview

‍An in-depth discussion about your work history and approach to customer success with the hiring manager.

Behavioral Competency Interview

‍A focused conversation about your past experiences and how they relate to key aspects of this role.

Executive Interview

‍A final interview with a senior leader to discuss your strategic thinking and alignment with our company vision.

We aim to provide feedback promptly after each stage and encourage you to ask questions throughout the process. We're excited to get to know you and learn how you can contribute to our team's success!

[Company] is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We do not discriminate based on race, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other legally protected status.

Ideal Candidate Profile (Internal)

Role Overview

The Customer Success Manager will be responsible for driving customer satisfaction, retention, and growth by ensuring clients achieve their desired outcomes with our [Industry] software solutions. This role requires a blend of relationship management, strategic thinking, and technical aptitude to effectively guide customers through their success journey.

Essential Behavioral Competencies

Relationship Building: Ability to establish and nurture strong, trust-based relationships with multiple stakeholders at various levels within client organizations.
Strategic Thinking: Capacity to understand clients' business objectives, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop long-term strategies that align our solutions with their needs.
Proactive Problem-Solving: Skill in anticipating potential challenges, identifying root causes, and developing innovative solutions to ensure customer success.
Consultative Approach: Ability to act as a trusted advisor, leveraging industry knowledge and product expertise to guide clients towards optimal use of our solutions.
Results Orientation: Strong drive to achieve measurable outcomes for clients, consistently working towards improved adoption, satisfaction, and retention metrics.

Desired Outcomes

Example Goals for Role:

Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within the assigned portfolio.
Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of managed accounts by 10 points over the course of 12 months.
Drive platform adoption, aiming for an average user engagement increase of 20% across all accounts.
Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities, contributing to a 15% growth in annual recurring revenue from existing accounts.
Maintain a customer health score average of 8/10 or higher across the entire portfolio.

Ideal Candidate Profile

3-5 years of proven success in Customer Success Management or Account Management, preferably in a B2B SaaS environment
Strong understanding of [Industry] trends, challenges, and best practices
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple customer relationships effectively, prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines
Analytical mindset with the ability to leverage data in decision-making and strategy development
Experience with CRM systems and customer success tools
Collaborative team player who can work effectively across departments to ensure client success
Self-motivated with a strong work ethic and commitment to continuous improvement
Adaptability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment
[Location]-based or willing to travel up to 20% of the time for client meetings and business reviews

📞 Screening Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This initial screening interview is crucial for quickly assessing if a candidate should move forward in the Customer Success Manager hiring process. Focus on past performance, relevant experience, and key competencies outlined in the job description. Getting detailed information on past customer success metrics and outcomes early is essential.

Ask all candidates the same questions to ensure fair comparisons. Take detailed notes during the interview to support your evaluations. Complete the scorecard immediately after the interview while your impressions are fresh.

Remember that this is just the first step in the process, so focus on gathering key information rather than making a final decision. The goal is to determine if the candidate has the potential to excel in this role and should continue to the next stage of the interview process.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'll be asking you some initial questions about your background and experience to determine fit for our Customer Success Manager role. Please provide concise but thorough answers, focusing on specific examples and results where possible. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

Interview Questions

Tell me about your most successful year in customer success. What were your key achievements and how did you compare to your peers?

Areas to Cover:

Specific customer success metrics (retention rate, NPS, adoption rates)
Ranking or performance compared to team
Strategies or approaches that led to success
Types of customers and solutions managed

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What was your retention rate target that year and by what percentage did you exceed it?
How did you achieve such strong results compared to your peers?
What was your average customer lifetime value and how did you impact it?

Walk me through your approach to onboarding and driving adoption for a complex enterprise client.

Areas to Cover:

Steps in onboarding and adoption process
Methods for understanding client needs and goals
Strategies for engaging multiple stakeholders
Approach to measuring and improving adoption

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you identify and engage key decision makers and end-users?
What challenges did you face during this process and how did you overcome them?
How did you measure the success of your onboarding and adoption efforts?

Describe a situation where you had to turn around an at-risk client relationship. What actions did you take and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

Identification of relationship issues
Root cause analysis
Action plan development and execution
Stakeholder management
Results and lessons learned

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you become aware of the relationship issues?
What specific steps did you take to rebuild trust?
How did this experience inform your approach to managing client relationships moving forward?

How do you leverage data and analytics to drive customer success and inform your strategic recommendations?

Areas to Cover:

Types of data and metrics analyzed
Tools and processes used for analysis
Methods for translating data into actionable insights
Examples of data-driven recommendations and outcomes

Possible Follow-up Questions:

Can you share a specific example of how you've used data to improve a client's outcomes?
How do you present complex data insights to clients in an understandable way?
What's your process for continuously improving your data analysis capabilities?

Tell me about a time when you identified and successfully executed an upsell or cross-sell opportunity with an existing client.

Areas to Cover:

Process for identifying growth opportunities
Approach to building business cases
Collaboration with sales team
Presentation and negotiation with client
Results achieved

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you align the upsell/cross-sell with the client's business objectives?
What objections did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
How did this expansion impact the overall client relationship?

How do you stay current on industry trends and continuously improve your customer success skills?

Areas to Cover:

Specific learning methods and resources used
Frequency of skill development activities
Application of new knowledge to customer success approach
Passion for continuous improvement

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What's the most impactful thing you've learned recently and how have you applied it?
How do you balance ongoing learning with managing your client portfolio?
Are there any emerging trends you're particularly excited about in our industry?

Why are you interested in this Customer Success Manager role at our company?

Areas to Cover:

Knowledge of company and role
Alignment with career goals
Enthusiasm for customer success and company mission

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What do you know about our company's products/services?
How does this role fit into your long-term career plans?
What aspects of customer success are you most passionate about?

Interview Scorecard

Relevant Customer Success Experience

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Less than 2 years of enterprise customer success experience
2: 2-4 years of enterprise customer success experience
3: 5-7 years of successful enterprise customer success experience
4: 8+ years of exceptional enterprise customer success experience

Customer Success Performance History

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Consistently fails to meet retention and growth targets
2: Occasionally meets retention and growth targets
3: Consistently meets or exceeds retention and growth targets
4: Consistently ranks in top 10% of customer success team

Strategic Thinking and Problem-Solving

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of strategic thinking or problem-solving abilities
2: Shows basic strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
3: Demonstrates strong strategic thinking and effective problem-solving
4: Exhibits exceptional strategic insights and innovative problem-solving approaches

Data Analysis and Insights

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited experience with data analysis in customer success
2: Basic ability to analyze and present customer success data
3: Strong data analysis skills with clear examples of data-driven insights
4: Expert in leveraging data to drive customer outcomes and business growth

Client Relationship Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to build and maintain strong client relationships
2: Can maintain positive client relationships with some guidance
3: Consistently builds and nurtures strong client relationships
4: Exceptional at cultivating deep, strategic partnerships with clients

Upsell/Cross-sell Capability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited experience or success with upselling/cross-selling
2: Some success in identifying and executing expansion opportunities
3: Strong track record of driving account growth through upsell/cross-sell
4: Consistently exceeds growth targets through strategic account expansion

Continuous Learning and Improvement

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Little evidence of ongoing skill development
2: Some effort towards continuous learning
3: Consistent focus on learning and skill improvement
4: Passionate self-learner, applies new knowledge effectively to drive results

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within the assigned portfolio.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to achieve 95% retention rate
2: May achieve retention rate between 90-94%
3: Likely to achieve 95% retention rate
4: Likely to exceed 95% retention rate

Goal: Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of managed accounts by 10 points over the course of 12 months.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to increase NPS by 10 points
2: May increase NPS by 5-9 points
3: Likely to increase NPS by 10 points
4: Likely to increase NPS by more than 10 points

Goal: Drive platform adoption, aiming for an average user engagement increase of 20% across all accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to increase user engagement by 20%
2: May increase user engagement by 10-19%
3: Likely to increase user engagement by 20%
4: Likely to increase user engagement by more than 20%

Goal: Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities, contributing to a 15% growth in annual recurring revenue from existing accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to contribute to 15% ARR growth
2: May contribute to 10-14% ARR growth
3: Likely to contribute to 15% ARR growth
4: Likely to contribute to more than 15% ARR growth

Overall Recommendation

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

🎭 Work Sample: Mock Client Business Review

Directions for the Interviewer

This work sample assesses the candidate's ability to conduct an effective client business review for an enterprise customer using our software solution. It evaluates their preparation, data analysis skills, strategic thinking, communication abilities, and consultative approach.

Best practices:

Provide the candidate with sample client data and context 24 hours before the exercise
Limit the presentation to 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A
Take detailed notes on specific insights, recommendations, and communication style
Provide a brief opportunity for the candidate to self-reflect after the exercise
Offer both positive and constructive feedback on their execution
If time allows, discuss how they would implement one of their key recommendations

Directions to Share with Candidate

"For this exercise, you'll conduct a mock client business review for a fictitious enterprise customer using our software solution. You'll receive sample client data and context 24 hours before the presentation. Your task is to analyze the data, identify key insights, and prepare a 20-minute presentation on client health, adoption, and growth opportunities. I'll play the role of the client's senior leadership team. After your presentation, there will be a 10-minute Q&A session. Your goal is to demonstrate your ability to derive insights from data, communicate effectively, and provide strategic recommendations to drive customer success. Do you have any questions?"

Provide the candidate with:

Sample client data (usage metrics, NPS scores, support tickets, etc.)
Brief overview of the client's business and objectives
Information on which of your company's products/services they use
Any relevant industry context or challenges

Interview Scorecard

Data Analysis and Insights

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Superficial analysis with few actionable insights
2: Basic analysis with some relevant insights
3: Thorough analysis with valuable, actionable insights
4: Exceptional analysis revealing deep insights and hidden opportunities

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Recommendations lack strategic focus or alignment with client goals
2: Some strategic recommendations, but limited in scope or impact
3: Strong strategic recommendations aligned with client objectives
4: Innovative, high-impact strategies that demonstrate deep understanding of client's business

Communication and Presentation Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unclear or disorganized presentation
2: Clear presentation but lacks engagement or persuasiveness
3: Well-structured, engaging presentation with clear messaging
4: Exceptionally compelling presentation that tells a powerful story with data

Consultative Approach

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Presents findings without connecting to client's business challenges
2: Makes some connections to client's needs but misses key opportunities
3: Consistently frames insights and recommendations in terms of client value
4: Demonstrates deep understanding of client's business, positioning self as a strategic advisor

Handling of Q&A

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to answer questions or provide additional context
2: Provides adequate responses to most questions
3: Handles questions well, providing thoughtful and informed responses
4: Excels in Q&A, using questions to further demonstrate expertise and value

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within the assigned portfolio.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Recommendations unlikely to impact retention significantly
2: Recommendations may lead to modest improvement in retention
3: Recommendations likely to help achieve 95% retention rate
4: Recommendations likely to exceed 95% retention rate

Goal: Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of managed accounts by 10 points over the course of 12 months.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited focus on improving NPS
2: Some strategies to improve NPS, but may fall short of 10-point goal
3: Clear strategies to achieve 10-point NPS increase
4: Comprehensive plan likely to exceed 10-point NPS increase

Goal: Drive platform adoption, aiming for an average user engagement increase of 20% across all accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Few concrete strategies to increase user engagement
2: Some strategies to improve engagement, but may fall short of 20% goal
3: Clear plan to achieve 20% increase in user engagement
4: Innovative strategies likely to exceed 20% engagement increase

Goal: Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities, contributing to a 15% growth in annual recurring revenue from existing accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited identification of growth opportunities
2: Some growth opportunities identified, but may fall short of 15% goal
3: Clear strategies to achieve 15% growth in annual recurring revenue
4: Exceptional growth strategies likely to exceed 15% ARR increase

Overall Recommendation

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

👔 Hiring Manager Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview focuses on the candidate's relevant work history and performance in Customer Success Management. Ask the following questions for each relevant previous role, adapting as needed for time and the number of relevant roles. Ask all questions on the most recent or most relevant role. Probe for specific examples and quantifiable results. Pay attention to the progression of responsibilities and achievements across roles, especially in relation to customer success, relationship building, and achieving retention and growth targets.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'd like to discuss your relevant work experience in Customer Success Management in more detail. We'll go through each of your previous roles, focusing on your responsibilities, achievements, and lessons learned. Please provide specific examples and metrics where possible, especially related to customer retention, platform adoption, and account growth."

Interview Questions

Of all the jobs you've held in Customer Success Management, which was your favorite and why?

Areas to Cover:

Motivations and preferences in customer success roles
Alignment with current Customer Success Manager role
Self-awareness and understanding of strengths

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What aspects of that role do you hope to find in this position?
How did that experience shape your approach to customer success?
What did you learn about yourself as a customer success professional in that role?

Tell me about your role at [company]. What attracted you to this customer success opportunity?

Areas to Cover:

Company background and product/service overview
Target customer profile
Customer success process and methodology used
Approach to platform adoption and customer satisfaction
Pricing model and upsell/cross-sell structures

Possible Follow-up Questions:

Who was your ideal customer, and how did you identify their needs?
Walk me through your typical customer success process from onboarding to renewal.
How did you approach driving platform adoption?
What was the typical timeframe for seeing tangible results in customer success?
How did your product/service differentiate from competitors in terms of customer success?

Tell me about your portfolio and targets when you started. How did that change over time?

Areas to Cover:

Customer portfolio size and composition
Target customer profile
Retention and growth expectations
Team structure and support for customer success
Typical customer lifecycle and engagement frequency

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What were your annual retention and growth targets?
How was your customer portfolio defined and allocated?
How did you prioritize accounts within your portfolio?
Walk me through your typical account value range and growth potential.
What resources did you have available to support your customer success efforts?

What were your key achievements in this customer success role?

Areas to Cover:

Retention rate percentage
Account growth metrics
Platform adoption rates
Customer satisfaction scores (e.g., NPS, CSAT)
Awards or recognition for customer success performance
Impactful best practices developed or implemented

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What percentage of your retention and growth targets did you achieve each year?
Can you break down the components of your most successful account growth story?
How did you rank among your peers in [specific customer success metric]?
What was your average platform adoption rate compared to the team average?
How did you measure and improve customer satisfaction over time?

What were the most significant challenges you faced in customer success and how did you handle them?

Areas to Cover:

Major obstacles overcome in complex customer relationships
Lost accounts and learnings
Problem-solving approach for at-risk customers
Internal barriers to customer success
Competitive situations in customer retention

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What was the specific situation that created this challenge in your customer success efforts?
Walk me through your thought process in addressing it.
What resources or support did you leverage to overcome the challenge?
What was the quantifiable impact of your solution on the customer relationship?
What would you do differently if faced with the same situation in customer success today?

Describe your relationship with your leadership and team in your customer success role.

Areas to Cover:

Management style preferences in customer success environment
Coaching received for complex customer situations
Cross-functional collaboration for customer success
Team contributions in customer success
Customer success culture fit
Peer relationships in customer-centric environment
Performance review process for customer success roles

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What was the most valuable coaching you received for customer success?
How did you work with other departments to ensure customer success?
Tell me about a time you helped another customer success team member.
What aspects of the customer success culture drove your performance?
How was your performance evaluated beyond retention rates in customer success?

Which job that you've had in the past does this Customer Success Manager role remind you of the most?

Areas to Cover:

Customer success process and customer profile similarities
Team structure comparisons in customer-centric environments
Product complexity alignment
Required skills overlap for customer success
Success metrics alignment for customer retention and growth

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What specific aspects of customer success feel similar to you?
What challenges from that customer success role might you anticipate here?
What skills from that experience would transfer well to this Customer Success Manager position?
What would you do differently in this role based on that customer success experience?
How would you adapt your approach given the similarities in customer success?

Interview Scorecard

Relevant Customer Success Experience

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited customer success experience
2: Some customer success experience but gaps in key areas
3: Strong customer success experience aligned with role requirements
4: Extensive highly relevant customer success experience exceeding role requirements

Customer Success Performance History

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Consistently underperformed against customer success targets
2: Occasionally met customer success targets with inconsistent performance
3: Consistently met or exceeded customer success targets
4: Consistently top performer, significantly exceeding customer success targets

Platform Adoption and Client Satisfaction

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited success in driving platform adoption or improving client satisfaction
2: Some success in improving adoption rates and satisfaction scores
3: Consistently achieved strong platform adoption and high client satisfaction
4: Exceptional track record of maximizing adoption and achieving industry-leading satisfaction scores

Strategic Thinking and Proactive Problem-Solving

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to think strategically or proactively solve customer issues
2: Shows some ability to develop strategies and address problems
3: Consistently demonstrates strategic thinking and effective problem-solving
4: Excels at developing innovative strategies and solving complex customer challenges

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within the assigned portfolio.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Retention Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Retention Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Retention Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Retention Goal

Goal: Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of managed accounts by 10 points over the course of 12 months.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
3: Likely to Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
4: Likely to Exceed NPS Improvement Goal

Goal: Drive platform adoption, aiming for an average user engagement increase of 20% across all accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Adoption Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Adoption Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Adoption Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Adoption Goal

Goal: Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities, contributing to a 15% growth in annual recurring revenue from existing accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Revenue Growth Goal

Overall Recommendation

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

🧠 Behavioral Competency Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview assesses the candidate's behavioral competencies critical for success in the Customer Success Manager role. Ask all candidates the same questions, probing for specific examples and details about the situation, actions taken, results achieved, and lessons learned. Avoid hypothetical scenarios and focus on past experiences, particularly those related to customer success management and complex relationship management.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'll be asking you about specific experiences from your past that relate to key competencies for this Customer Success Manager role. Please provide detailed examples from your customer success experience, including the situation, your actions, the outcomes, and what you learned. Take a moment to think before answering if needed."

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to develop and execute a strategic plan to improve a struggling customer's adoption and satisfaction with your product or service. What was your approach, and what were the results? (Strategic Thinking, Consultative Approach)

Areas to Cover:

Analysis of customer's business and pain points
Development of comprehensive improvement strategy
Execution of plan and stakeholder management
Measurable outcomes and lessons learned

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you prioritize initiatives within your improvement plan?
How did you adapt your strategy as the customer's needs evolved?
What tools or resources did you use to track and measure your progress?
How did you align your strategy with the customer's long-term business objectives?

Describe a situation where you had to manage multiple high-value accounts with competing priorities simultaneously. How did you approach this challenge? (Relationship Building, Results Orientation)

Areas to Cover:

Identification of key priorities for each account
Strategies for time management and organization
Communication with customers and internal stakeholders
Results achieved across multiple accounts

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you tailor your approach for different customer personas?
What challenges did you face in balancing diverse customer needs?
How have you maintained strong relationships while managing multiple priorities?
Can you give an example of how you turned a potential conflict into a win-win situation?

Give me an example of a time when you identified an opportunity to significantly improve your team's customer success processes or strategies. How did you approach implementing this change? (Proactive Problem-Solving, Strategic Thinking)

Areas to Cover:

Identification of improvement opportunity in customer success processes
Development of solution or new approach
Implementation and change management within the team
Measurable impact on team performance and customer outcomes

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you gain buy-in from leadership and team members for your proposed changes?
What challenges did you encounter during implementation and how did you overcome them?
How have you continued to iterate on this improvement over time?
Can you quantify the impact of these improvements on customer satisfaction or retention?

Interview Scorecard

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to develop comprehensive strategies for customer success
2: Demonstrates basic strategic planning abilities for customer accounts
3: Develops effective, data-driven strategies aligned with customer goals
4: Creates innovative, high-impact strategic approaches for complex customer situations

Relationship Building

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Difficulty forming strong relationships with customers
2: Builds adequate relationships with some customer stakeholders
3: Consistently develops strong, multi-level customer relationships
4: Masterfully cultivates deep, lasting partnerships across customer organizations

Proactive Problem-Solving

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reacts to problems rather than anticipating and preventing them
2: Shows some ability to identify and address potential issues
3: Consistently anticipates challenges and develops effective solutions
4: Excels at identifying root causes and implementing preventative measures

Consultative Approach

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Focuses on product features rather than customer needs
2: Basic ability to understand and address customer pain points
3: Effectively uncovers and addresses complex customer needs
4: Exceptional at aligning solutions with strategic business objectives

Results Orientation

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to achieve measurable outcomes in customer success
2: Occasionally meets customer success targets
3: Consistently meets or exceeds customer success performance targets
4: Demonstrates exceptional drive, consistently surpassing customer success expectations

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within the assigned portfolio.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Retention Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Retention Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Retention Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Retention Goal

Goal: Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of managed accounts by 10 points over the course of 12 months.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
3: Likely to Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
4: Likely to Exceed NPS Improvement Goal

Goal: Drive platform adoption, aiming for an average user engagement increase of 20% across all accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Adoption Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Adoption Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Adoption Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Adoption Goal

Goal: Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities, contributing to a 15% growth in annual recurring revenue from existing accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Revenue Growth Goal

Overall Recommendation

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

👨‍💼 Executive Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview further assesses the candidate's behavioral competencies from an executive perspective, focusing on high-level strategic thinking and leadership in customer success management. Ask all candidates the same questions, probing for specific examples and details about the situation, actions taken, results achieved, and lessons learned. Avoid hypothetical scenarios and focus on past experiences that demonstrate the candidate's ability to operate at a strategic level in complex customer success environments.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'll be asking you about specific experiences from your past that relate to key competencies for this Customer Success Manager role, with a focus on strategic thinking and leadership in complex customer success environments. Please provide detailed examples, including the situation, your actions, the outcomes, and what you learned. Take a moment to think before answering if needed."

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to influence a C-level executive at a key account to expand their investment in your product or service. How did you approach this challenge? (Strategic Thinking, Consultative Approach)

Areas to Cover:

Initial situation and expansion opportunity
Research and preparation for engaging with senior leadership
Tailoring of message and approach for executive-level communication
Outcome and follow-up strategies for maintaining executive relationships

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you identify the C-level executive's key priorities and concerns?
What data or evidence did you leverage to build your case for expansion?
How has this experience shaped your approach to executive-level customer success?
Can you describe how you translated product features into business value for the executive?

Describe a situation where you had to lead a cross-functional initiative to improve overall customer success outcomes. How did you manage the diverse stakeholders and priorities? (Relationship Building, Results Orientation)

Areas to Cover:

Scope and complexity of the customer success initiative
Strategies for aligning different departments towards common goals
Communication and change management across the organization
Results achieved and impact on customer success metrics

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you gain buy-in from different departments for the initiative?
What challenges did you face in aligning diverse stakeholder interests?
Can you give an example of how you resolved conflicts between departments?
How did you measure and communicate the success of the initiative?

Give me an example of a time when you identified a significant trend or opportunity in the customer success landscape. How did you leverage this insight to drive innovation within your organization? (Proactive Problem-Solving, Strategic Thinking)

Areas to Cover:

Process of identifying the trend or opportunity
Development of innovative approach or solution
Implementation and change management within the organization
Measurable impact on customer success outcomes and business results

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you validate the significance of this trend or opportunity?
What challenges did you encounter when introducing this innovation?
How have you continued to evolve this innovation over time?
Can you quantify the impact of this innovation on customer retention or growth?

Interview Scorecard

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Focuses primarily on short-term, tactical execution in customer success
2: Demonstrates some longer-term planning for customer accounts
3: Develops comprehensive strategies aligned with business and customer goals
4: Creates innovative, market-leading strategic approaches for complex customer success challenges

Consultative Approach

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Relies on product features rather than addressing strategic customer needs
2: Shows basic understanding of customer business objectives
3: Effectively aligns solutions with customer's long-term business strategy
4: Demonstrates exceptional ability to uncover and address complex customer needs at an executive level

Results Orientation

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Lacks focus on achieving measurable outcomes in customer success
2: Meets basic customer success expectations with some prompting
3: Consistently self-motivated to exceed customer success goals
4: Demonstrates exceptional drive, inspiring others through example in high-stakes customer relationships

Proactive Problem-Solving

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to anticipate or proactively address customer challenges
2: Can solve problems when given clear direction
3: Demonstrates ability to anticipate and proactively solve complex customer issues
4: Excels at identifying potential challenges and implementing innovative, preventative solutions

Relationship Building

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Difficulty forming strong relationships with customer stakeholders
2: Builds adequate relationships with some customer stakeholders
3: Consistently develops strong, multi-level relationships in customer organizations
4: Masterfully cultivates deep, lasting partnerships across customer organizations, including at the executive level

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within the assigned portfolio.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Retention Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Retention Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Retention Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Retention Goal

Goal: Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of managed accounts by 10 points over the course of 12 months.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
3: Likely to Achieve NPS Improvement Goal
4: Likely to Exceed NPS Improvement Goal

Goal: Drive platform adoption, aiming for an average user engagement increase of 20% across all accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Adoption Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Adoption Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Adoption Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Adoption Goal

Goal: Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities, contributing to a 15% growth in annual recurring revenue from existing accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Revenue Growth Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Revenue Growth Goal

Overall Recommendation

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

Debrief Meeting

Directions for Conducting the Debrief Meeting

The Debrief Meeting is an open discussion for the hiring team members to share the information learned during the candidate interviews for the Customer Success Manager role. Use the questions below to guide the discussion.

Start the meeting by reviewing the requirements for the Customer Success Manager role and the key competencies and goals to succeed.

The meeting leader should strive to create an environment where it is okay to express opinions about the candidate that differ from the consensus or the leadership's opinions.

Scores and interview notes are important data points but should not be the sole factor in making the final decision.

Any hiring team member should feel free to change their recommendation as they learn new information and reflect on what they've learned.

Questions to Guide the Debrief Meeting

Does anyone have any questions for the other interviewers about the candidate?

Guidance: The meeting facilitator should initially present themselves as neutral and try not to sway the conversation before others have a chance to speak up.

Are there any additional comments about the Candidate?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for all the interviewers to share anything they learned that is important for the other interviewers to know.

Based on the candidate's past performance and interview responses, how likely are they to achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within their assigned portfolio?

Guidance: Discuss specific examples from the candidate's past performance that indicate their ability to meet or exceed this goal. Consider their strategies for customer relationship management and platform adoption.

How well-equipped is the candidate to drive a 20% increase in user engagement across all accounts?

Guidance: Consider the candidate's demonstrated skills in platform adoption strategies, training capabilities, and their past success in improving user engagement.

Is there anything further we need to investigate before making a decision?

Guidance: Based on this discussion, you may decide to probe further on certain issues with the candidate or explore specific issues in the reference calls.

Has anyone changed their hire/no-hire recommendation?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for the interviewers to change their recommendation from the new information they learned in this meeting.

If the consensus is no hire, should the candidate be considered for other roles? If so, what roles?

Guidance: Discuss whether engaging with the candidate about a different role would be worthwhile.

What are the next steps?

Guidance: If there is no consensus, follow the process for that situation (e.g., it is the hiring manager's decision). Further investigation may be needed before making the decision. If there is a consensus on hiring, reference checks could be the next step.

Reference Checks

Directions for Conducting Reference Checks

When conducting reference checks, aim to speak with former managers and colleagues who have directly worked with the candidate in a customer success capacity. Explain that their feedback will be kept confidential and used to help make a hiring decision. Ask the same core questions to each reference for consistency, but feel free to ask follow-up questions based on their responses.

Questions for Reference Checks

In what capacity did you work with [Candidate Name], and for how long?

Guidance:

Establish the context of the professional relationship
Determine the reference's ability to speak to the candidate's customer success skills

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How closely did you work together on customer success initiatives?
Were you directly involved in overseeing their performance?

Can you describe [Candidate Name]'s primary responsibilities in their customer success role?

Guidance:

Verify the candidate's claims about their previous role
Understand the scope and complexity of their customer success experience

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What was the typical size and nature of accounts they managed?
How many accounts were they responsible for managing?

How would you rate [Candidate Name]'s customer success performance compared to their peers?

Guidance:

Get specific metrics or rankings if possible
Understand their customer retention rates and satisfaction scores

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What was their average customer retention rate?
How did they rank in terms of platform adoption rates?

Can you give an example of a particularly complex or challenging customer situation that [Candidate Name] successfully resolved?

Guidance:

Assess the candidate's ability to navigate difficult customer scenarios
Understand their strategic approach to customer success

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did they handle multiple stakeholders in this situation?
What strategies did they use to turn the situation around?

How would you describe [Candidate Name]'s approach to building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders at all levels?

Guidance:

Evaluate the candidate's ability to engage with various decision-makers
Understand their skills in long-term relationship management

Possible Follow-up Questions:

Can you provide an example of how they turned a challenging relationship into a successful partnership?
How did they add value beyond the immediate customer success process?

What initiatives or strategies did [Candidate Name] implement to improve customer success processes or outcomes?

Guidance:

Assess the candidate's ability to innovate and drive improvements
Understand their contribution to the overall customer success organization

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did these initiatives impact the team's overall performance?
Were any of their strategies adopted by other team members?

On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to hire [Candidate Name] again if you had an appropriate customer success role available? Why?

Guidance:

Get a clear, quantifiable measure of the reference's overall impression
Understand the reasoning behind their rating

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What would make you rate them higher?
In what type of customer success environment do you think they would thrive most?

Reference Check Scorecard

Verification of Role and Responsibilities

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Significant discrepancies with candidate's claims
2: Some minor discrepancies
3: Mostly aligns with candidate's claims
4: Fully verifies and expands on candidate's claims

Customer Success Performance

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Consistently underperformed against customer success targets
2: Occasionally met customer success targets
3: Consistently met or exceeded customer success targets
4: Top performer, significantly exceeding customer success targets

Complexity of Accounts Managed

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Primarily handled simple, low-value accounts
2: Some experience with moderately complex accounts
3: Regularly managed complex, high-value accounts
4: Excelled at managing strategic, enterprise-level accounts

Stakeholder Relationship Building

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggled to build relationships with stakeholders
2: Maintained adequate relationships with some stakeholders
3: Consistently developed strong stakeholder relationships
4: Masterful at cultivating deep, lasting partnerships at all levels

Platform Adoption and User Engagement

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggled to drive platform adoption and engagement
2: Achieved moderate success in improving adoption rates
3: Consistently achieved strong platform adoption and engagement
4: Exceptional at maximizing adoption and driving high user engagement

Innovation and Process Improvement

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Rarely contributed to process improvements
2: Occasionally suggested minor improvements
3: Regularly implemented effective process improvements
4: Consistently drove significant innovations in customer success strategies

Proactive Problem-Solving

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggled to anticipate or resolve customer issues
2: Resolved issues reactively when they arose
3: Demonstrated good ability to anticipate and prevent customer problems
4: Excelled at proactively identifying and resolving potential issues

Overall Recommendation from Reference

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Would not rehire (1-3 on scale)
2: Might rehire (4-6 on scale)
3: Would likely rehire (7-8 on scale)
4: Would definitely rehire (9-10 on scale)

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher within the assigned portfolio.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Goal

Goal: Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of managed accounts by 10 points over the course of 12 months.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Goal

Goal: Drive platform adoption, aiming for an average user engagement increase of 20% across all accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Goal

Goal: Identify and influence upsell/cross-sell opportunities, contributing to a 15% growth in annual recurring revenue from existing accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Goal

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I effectively assess a candidate's ability to drive platform adoption?

Look for candidates who can articulate clear strategies for increasing user engagement and demonstrate a track record of improving adoption rates. During the mock client business review, pay attention to how they present adoption data and recommend improvement strategies. Our article on mastering sales hiring with data-backed candidate profiles offers insights that can be applied to assessing platform adoption skills.

What's the best way to evaluate a candidate's strategic thinking skills?

Focus on the candidate's ability to analyze complex business situations, develop long-term account strategies, and align solutions with client objectives. Use questions that probe their experience in creating and executing strategic plans for customer success. The article on how to identify top sales leaders in the interview process provides valuable insights on assessing strategic thinking that can be adapted for customer success roles.

How do I gauge a candidate's consultative approach during the interview process?

Look for evidence of the candidate's ability to uncover customer needs, translate product features into business benefits, and propose tailored solutions. Ask for specific examples of how they've addressed complex client challenges in the past. The mock client business review exercise can provide valuable insights into their consultative skills. Our guide on interviewing sellers for emotional intelligence offers techniques that can be applied to assessing consultative abilities.

What strategies can I use to assess relationship-building skills?

Ask for specific examples of how candidates have built and maintained relationships with various stakeholders, from end-users to C-level executives. Look for evidence of their ability to navigate complex organizational structures and manage multiple relationships simultaneously. Our article on key competencies to consider when hiring sales roles includes insights on relationship-building that are relevant to customer success roles.

How can I determine if a candidate can meet our customer retention goals?

Review their past performance metrics carefully, asking for specific examples of how they've achieved high retention rates in previous roles. Look for evidence of their proactive approach to identifying and mitigating churn risks. The article on asking the right questions to understand the truth about a sales candidate's past performance can guide you in assessing a candidate's potential for meeting retention targets.

What's the most effective way to conduct the mock client business review exercise?

Provide clear instructions and relevant data to the candidate in advance. During the exercise, pay attention to their data analysis skills, strategic recommendations, and ability to communicate complex information clearly. Use the scorecard to evaluate their performance objectively. Our guide on mastering role-playing interviews offers additional tips that can be adapted for customer success simulations.

How should I evaluate a candidate's data analysis and insight generation skills?

Look for candidates who can effectively interpret customer data, identify trends, and translate insights into actionable recommendations. During the mock client business review, assess their ability to present data-driven insights and link them to strategic initiatives. Our article on how to find sales candidates who can prepare, organize, and plan complex sales includes principles that can be applied to evaluating data analysis skills in customer success candidates.

What red flags should I look out for during the interview process?

Be cautious of candidates who struggle to provide specific examples of past successes, show a lack of preparation for the mock client business review, or demonstrate poor listening skills. Watch for signs of inflexibility, an inability to handle constructive feedback, or a lack of customer-centric thinking. Our blog post on 9 simple ways to avoid failed sales hires offers insights on red flags that are also relevant to customer success hires.

How can I use this guide to compare candidates consistently?

Use the scorecards provided for each interview stage to evaluate all candidates against the same criteria. Take detailed notes and complete the scorecards immediately after each interview. During the debrief meeting, focus on comparing candidates' scores and specific examples rather than general impressions. Our article on why you should use structured interview when hiring provides additional guidance on maintaining consistency in the interview process.

What should I do if a candidate doesn't have direct experience in our industry?

Focus on transferable skills such as relationship building, strategic thinking, and adaptability. Look for evidence of success in similar customer-centric roles and the ability to learn quickly. Consider their potential for growth and how their unique background might bring fresh perspectives to the role. Our blog post on how to raise the talent bar in your organization includes valuable insights on hiring for potential that can be applied to this situation.