Interview Guide for

Enterprise Customer Success Manager

This comprehensive interview guide is designed to help you effectively evaluate candidates for the Enterprise Customer Success Manager role at your organization. It provides a structured approach to assessing candidates' skills, experience, and potential for success through multiple interview stages, including a strategic 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, ideal candidate profile, and key goals for the role before conducting interviews. This will help you better assess candidate fit and potential for success.
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 enterprise 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 strategic work sample exercise.
Pay close attention to candidates' past performance metrics and their ability to articulate complex customer success strategies. The hiring manager interview section is particularly useful for diving deep into these areas.
Use the behavioral competency interview to assess critical skills like relationship building, strategic thinking, and proactive problem-solving, which are crucial for success in enterprise customer success roles.
Leverage the executive interview to evaluate candidates' ability to engage with C-level stakeholders and drive strategic value for enterprise accounts.
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 enterprise 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 enterprise customer success team.

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

Job Description

🌟 Enterprise Customer Success Manager

🚀 About [Company]

[Company] is a leading provider of [industry] solutions, trusted by category leaders and innovators worldwide. With backing from top-tier investors, we're on a mission to revolutionize [industry] management for businesses of all sizes.

💼 The Role

As an Enterprise Customer Success Manager at [Company], you'll be a key advocate for our customers, ensuring they achieve maximum value from our platform. You'll develop and maintain strong relationships with our enterprise clients, acting as their primary point of contact and trusted advisor.

🎯 Key Responsibilities

Understand customer business objectives and develop tailored success plans
Serve as a subject matter expert on [Company]'s platform, providing strategic guidance and best practices
Monitor customer usage and adoption, identifying opportunities for improvement and growth
Proactively address customer challenges and partner with internal stakeholders to provide solutions
Drive customer retention and renewal efforts, ensuring high satisfaction and loyalty
Identify and pursue upsell and cross-sell opportunities within assigned accounts

🧠 What We're Looking For

Proven track record of managing and growing enterprise-level customer relationships
Strong communication, presentation, and negotiation skills
Ability to understand and effectively communicate technical product features
Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
Self-motivation and ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment
Experience in [industry] or related fields is highly desirable

💫 Why Join [Company]?

Be part of a dynamic team shaping the future of [industry]
Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits
Flexible work environment with remote options
Opportunities for professional development and career growth
Collaborative and innovative company culture

Hiring Process

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

Initial Screening Interview
‍A brief conversation with our recruiting team to discuss your background and experience in customer success.

Customer Success Strategy Presentation
‍An opportunity to demonstrate your strategic thinking by presenting a 90-day customer success plan for a sample enterprise account.

Hiring Manager Interview
‍An in-depth discussion about your relevant work history and performance in customer success roles.

Behavioral Competency Interview
‍A focused conversation about your past experiences and how they relate to key competencies for this role.

Executive Interview
‍A final interview with a senior leader to discuss your strategic approach to enterprise customer success.

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. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Ideal Candidate Profile (Internal)

Role Overview

The Enterprise Customer Success Manager will be responsible for driving customer satisfaction, retention, and growth for our high-value enterprise accounts. This role requires a blend of relationship management, strategic thinking, and technical aptitude to effectively guide customers through their journey with our platform.

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 analyze complex business situations, identify opportunities, and develop long-term account strategies that align with both client needs and company objectives.
Proactive Problem-Solving: Skill in anticipating potential challenges, developing preventative measures, and quickly resolving issues as they arise.
Consultative Approach: Ability to understand client pain points, translate technical features into business benefits, and propose tailored solutions that deliver measurable value.
Adaptability: Flexibility to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment, adjusting strategies as needed and embracing new technologies and methodologies.

Desired Outcomes

Example Goals for Role:

Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher for assigned enterprise accounts.
Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions.
Maintain an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score of 9/10 or higher across all assigned accounts.
Successfully onboard and drive adoption for 3 new enterprise customers per quarter, achieving full implementation within agreed timelines.
Contribute to product development by providing quality feedback from customers to the product team on a monthly basis.

Ideal Candidate Profile

5+ years of experience in customer success, account management, or related roles in a SaaS environment
Proven track record of managing and growing enterprise-level customer relationships ($100k+ ARR)
Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
Demonstrated ability to understand and articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
Experience with [industry]-related software or technologies
Analytical mindset with the ability to leverage data in decision-making and strategy development
Self-motivated with a strong work ethic and commitment to continuous improvement
[Location]-based or comfortable working remotely with occasional travel as needed

📞 Screening Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This initial screening interview is crucial for quickly assessing if a candidate should move forward in the Enterprise Customer Success Manager hiring process. Focus on past performance, relevant experience, and key competencies outlined in the job description. Getting detailed information on past account management performance 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 Enterprise 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 managing enterprise accounts. What were your key achievements and how did you compare to your peers?

Areas to Cover:

Specific metrics (retention rate, upsell/cross-sell success, NPS scores)
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 target retention rate 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 account size and contract value?

Walk me through your approach to developing a strategic success plan for a complex enterprise client.

Areas to Cover:

Steps in developing a success plan
Methods for uncovering customer needs and goals
Strategies for engaging multiple stakeholders
Approach to aligning customer objectives with product capabilities

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How do you prioritize different stakeholders' needs in your plan?
What challenges have you faced in implementing such plans and how did you overcome them?
How do you measure the success of your strategic plans?

Describe a situation where you had to adapt your customer success strategy due to changes in the industry or a customer's business. What was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

Awareness of industry trends and changes
Flexibility in approach
Strategic thinking and problem-solving
Results of adapted strategy

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you become aware of the need to change your strategy?
What specific changes did you make to your approach?
How did this experience inform your future customer success strategies?

How do you leverage data and analytics to drive customer adoption and identify growth opportunities?

Areas to Cover:

Types of data and metrics analyzed
Tools or platforms used for analysis
Process for turning data insights into action plans
Examples of data-driven decisions and outcomes

Possible Follow-up Questions:

Can you share a specific example of how you've used data to improve a customer's experience or outcomes?
How do you present data-driven insights to customers?
What's your approach to setting and tracking KPIs for your accounts?

Tell me about a time when you had to manage a challenging customer situation or escalation. How did you handle it and what was the result?

Areas to Cover:

Nature of the challenge or escalation
Steps taken to address the situation
Communication with stakeholders (internal and external)
Resolution and lessons learned

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you prioritize the various stakeholders' concerns?
What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation in the future?
How did this experience impact your approach to proactive risk management?

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 accounts?
Are there any emerging trends you're particularly excited about in our industry?

Are you legally authorized to work in [Location] without sponsorship?

Areas to Cover:

Current work authorization status
Any restrictions or limitations on employment
Timeline of work eligibility if applicable

Possible Follow-up Questions:

When does your current work authorization expire?
Are there any travel restrictions we should be aware of?

Interview Scorecard

Relevant Enterprise 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

Account Management Performance History

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Consistently below 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 Planning Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited ability to develop strategic success plans
2: Basic strategic planning skills with some gaps
3: Strong strategic thinking with clear, effective success plans
4: Exceptional strategist, consistently delivers high-impact success plans

Data-Driven Decision Making

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited use of data in decision making
2: Basic use of data to inform decisions
3: Effectively uses data to drive decisions and actions
4: Advanced data analysis skills, consistently leverages insights for exceptional results

Problem-Solving and Adaptability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to adapt or solve complex problems
2: Can adapt and solve problems with guidance
3: Adapts well, demonstrates good problem-solving skills
4: Highly adaptable, innovative problem-solver in complex situations

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

Work Authorization

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Requires sponsorship with significant restrictions
2: Requires sponsorship with minor restrictions
3: Authorized to work with time limitation
4: Fully authorized to work without restrictions

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher for assigned enterprise accounts.

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: Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to achieve 120% NRR
2: May achieve NRR between 100-119%
3: Likely to achieve 120% NRR
4: Likely to exceed 120% NRR

Goal: Maintain an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score of 9/10 or higher across all assigned accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to achieve 9/10 CSAT score
2: May achieve CSAT score between 8-8.9
3: Likely to achieve 9/10 CSAT score
4: Likely to exceed 9/10 CSAT score

Goal: Successfully onboard and drive adoption for 3 new enterprise customers per quarter, achieving full implementation within agreed timelines.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to onboard 3 new customers per quarter
2: May onboard 1-2 new customers per quarter
3: Likely to onboard 3 new customers per quarter
4: Likely to exceed 3 new customer onboards per quarter

Overall Recommendation

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

🎭 Work Sample: Customer Success Strategy Presentation

Directions for the Interviewer

This work sample assesses the candidate's ability to develop and present a strategic customer success plan for an enterprise client. It evaluates their strategic thinking, data analysis skills, communication abilities, and understanding of customer success principles.

Best practices:

Provide the candidate with sample customer data and account information 24 hours before the exercise
Limit the presentation to 15 minutes, followed by 10-15 minutes of Q&A
Take detailed notes on specific recommendations, rationale, and presentation 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, dive deeper into one aspect of their strategy to assess adaptability

Directions to Share with Candidate

"For this exercise, you'll prepare and deliver a 15-minute presentation outlining a 90-day customer success strategy for a sample enterprise account. You'll receive background information on the customer, including usage data and account history, 24 hours before the presentation. Your strategy should include recommendations for driving adoption, identifying growth opportunities, and mitigating risks. After your presentation, we'll have a 10-15 minute Q&A session to discuss your approach in more detail. Do you have any questions?"

Provide the candidate with:

Sample customer data (e.g., product usage metrics, support tickets)
Account history and background information
Current contract details and renewal timeline
Any relevant industry or market information
Brief overview of your product/service capabilities

Interview Scorecard

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Strategy lacks coherence or alignment with customer needs
2: Basic strategy with some alignment to customer objectives
3: Well-developed strategy addressing key customer needs and business goals
4: Exceptional strategy demonstrating deep understanding of customer and innovative approaches

Data Analysis and Insights

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Minimal use of data to inform strategy
2: Basic data analysis with some relevant insights
3: Strong data analysis with clear, actionable insights
4: Advanced data analysis revealing non-obvious insights and opportunities

Adoption and Engagement Plan

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Vague or generic adoption strategies
2: Basic adoption plan with some tailored elements
3: Comprehensive adoption plan with clear, customer-specific strategies
4: Innovative adoption approach with high potential for driving engagement

Growth Opportunity Identification

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Fails to identify relevant growth opportunities
2: Identifies obvious growth opportunities
3: Uncovers multiple relevant growth opportunities with solid rationale
4: Identifies high-impact, innovative growth opportunities others might miss

Risk Mitigation Strategies

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Fails to address significant risks
2: Identifies some risks with basic mitigation strategies
3: Comprehensive risk assessment with clear mitigation plans
4: Proactive risk management approach with innovative solutions

Communication and Presentation Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unclear presentation with poor organization
2: Clear presentation but lacks engagement or persuasiveness
3: Well-organized, engaging presentation with clear recommendations
4: Exceptional presentation skills, highly persuasive and impactful

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher for assigned enterprise accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Strategy unlikely to improve retention
2: Strategy may marginally improve retention
3: Strategy likely to achieve 95% retention goal
4: Strategy likely to exceed 95% retention goal

Goal: Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Strategy unlikely to drive NRR growth
2: Strategy may achieve some NRR growth
3: Strategy likely to achieve 120% NRR goal
4: Strategy likely to exceed 120% NRR goal

Goal: Maintain an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score of 9/10 or higher across all assigned accounts.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Strategy unlikely to improve CSAT scores
2: Strategy may marginally improve CSAT scores
3: Strategy likely to achieve 9/10 CSAT goal
4: Strategy likely to exceed 9/10 CSAT goal

Goal: Successfully onboard and drive adoption for 3 new enterprise customers per quarter, achieving full implementation within agreed timelines.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Approach unlikely to successfully onboard 3 new customers per quarter
2: Approach may successfully onboard 1-2 new customers per quarter
3: Approach likely to successfully onboard 3 new customers per quarter
4: Approach likely to exceed 3 new customer onboards per quarter

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 and account management roles, particularly for enterprise clients. 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 retention, upselling, and driving adoption.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'd like to discuss your relevant work experience in customer success and account 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 managing enterprise accounts, driving customer satisfaction, and achieving retention and growth targets."

Interview Questions

Of all the jobs you've held in customer success or account management, which was your favorite and why?

Areas to Cover:

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

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 enterprise customer profile
Customer success process and methodology used
Approach to building and maintaining customer relationships
Experience with technical product features and their business impact

Possible Follow-up Questions:

Who was your ideal enterprise customer, and how did you identify their needs?
Walk me through your typical customer success process from onboarding to renewal.
How did you stay up-to-date with product features and their business applications?
What was the typical engagement cycle for different enterprise account sizes?
How did your approach differ for new customers versus established accounts?

Describe your portfolio and key performance indicators when you started. How did that change over time?

Areas to Cover:

Size and composition of enterprise account portfolio
Key metrics for measuring customer success performance
Evolution of responsibilities and targets over time
Strategies for managing and prioritizing multiple accounts
Team structure and support for enterprise customer success

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What were your primary KPIs, and how were they measured?
How did you prioritize accounts within your portfolio?
Walk me through your typical enterprise account size range and their specific needs.
What resources did you have available to support your customer success efforts?
How did you balance reactive support with proactive strategic initiatives?

What were your key achievements in this customer success role?

Areas to Cover:

Customer retention rates for enterprise accounts
Upsell and cross-sell success metrics
Customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Scores
Impact on product adoption and usage metrics
Recognition or awards for customer success performance
Contributions to overall company growth and revenue

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What was your customer retention rate, and how did it compare to team averages?
Can you provide an example of a significant upsell or cross-sell you achieved?
How did you measure and improve customer satisfaction in your accounts?
What strategies did you use to drive product adoption and usage?
Can you quantify the revenue impact of your customer success efforts?

What were the most significant challenges you faced in managing enterprise accounts and how did you handle them?

Areas to Cover:

Major obstacles overcome in complex customer relationships
Strategies for addressing customer dissatisfaction or at-risk accounts
Problem-solving approach for technical or implementation issues
Handling of conflicting priorities between customer needs and company goals
Lessons learned from challenging customer situations

Possible Follow-up Questions:

Describe a specific situation where an enterprise account was at risk. How did you turn it around?
How did you balance the needs of multiple stakeholders within a large organization?
What approach did you take when a customer's expectations weren't aligned with your product capabilities?
How have you leveraged internal resources to solve complex customer challenges?
What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation today?

Describe your relationship with your leadership and cross-functional teams in your customer success role.

Areas to Cover:

Collaboration with sales, product, and support teams
Communication of customer feedback to product development
Involvement in strategic planning and goal-setting
Mentoring or knowledge-sharing within the customer success team
Performance review process and career development opportunities

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you work with the sales team to ensure smooth customer handoffs?
Can you provide an example of how your feedback influenced product development?
How were you involved in setting strategic direction for the customer success function?
Tell me about a time you helped a team member improve their customer success skills.
How was your performance evaluated beyond retention metrics?

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

Areas to Cover:

Similarities in customer profile and engagement model
Alignment of success metrics and performance expectations
Comparable challenges in driving customer value and retention
Relevant skills and experiences that would transfer to this role
Differences that might require adaptation or new learning

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What specific aspects of enterprise customer success feel similar to you?
What challenges from that role do you anticipate facing in this position?
How would you apply your past experiences to drive success in this role?
What new skills or knowledge do you think you'd need to develop for this position?
How would you adapt your approach given the similarities and differences?

Interview Scorecard

Relevant Customer Success Experience

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited customer success experience with enterprise accounts
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 Retention and Growth Performance

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Consistently underperformed on retention and growth targets
2: Occasionally met retention targets with inconsistent growth performance
3: Consistently met or exceeded retention and growth targets
4: Consistently top performer, significantly exceeding retention and growth expectations

Strategic Account Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Primarily tactical account management with limited strategic planning
2: Some experience with strategic account planning and execution
3: Proven success in developing and implementing strategic account plans
4: Exceptional track record of driving strategic value in enterprise accounts

Technical Product Knowledge

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited understanding of technical product features and their business impact
2: Basic technical knowledge with some ability to translate features to benefits
3: Strong technical understanding and ability to communicate product value
4: Expert-level product knowledge with exceptional ability to align technical capabilities with business outcomes

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher for assigned enterprise accounts.

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: Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions.

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

Goal: Maintain an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score of 9/10 or higher across all assigned accounts.

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

Goal: Successfully onboard and drive adoption for 3 new enterprise customers per quarter, achieving full implementation within agreed timelines.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Onboarding and Adoption 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 Enterprise 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 managing complex customer relationships and driving value in enterprise accounts.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'll be asking you about specific experiences from your past that relate to key competencies for this Enterprise Customer Success Manager role. 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 develop and implement a strategic plan to improve the health and growth of a complex enterprise account. What was your approach, and what were the results? (Strategic Thinking, Consultative Approach)

Areas to Cover:

Analysis of enterprise customer's business needs and challenges
Development of long-term account strategy and success plan
Execution of plan and stakeholder management
Measurable outcomes and impact on customer retention/growth
Lessons learned and application to future account strategies

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you prioritize initiatives within your account strategy?
How did you adapt your plan as the customer's needs or business environment changed?
What tools or resources did you use to track and measure the success of your plan?
How did you align your strategy with the customer's long-term business objectives?
What challenges did you face in implementing the plan, and how did you overcome them?

Describe a situation where you had to navigate a complex customer issue involving multiple stakeholders with conflicting priorities. How did you approach this challenge? (Relationship Building, Proactive Problem-Solving)

Areas to Cover:

Identification of key stakeholders and their interests
Strategies for engaging different personas within the customer organization
Approach to understanding and addressing conflicting priorities
Communication and negotiation tactics used
Resolution achieved and impact on the customer relationship

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you tailor your communication style for different stakeholders?
What techniques did you use to build consensus among conflicting parties?
How did you balance the customer's needs with your company's objectives?
Can you give an example of how you turned a skeptical stakeholder into an advocate?
What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation in the future?

Give me an example of a time when you identified an opportunity to significantly increase product adoption or expand usage within an existing account. How did you approach this, and what was the outcome? (Adaptability, Consultative Approach)

Areas to Cover:

Process for identifying expansion opportunities
Development of business case and value proposition
Strategies for overcoming potential objections or hesitations
Collaboration with internal teams (e.g., sales, product) to support the initiative
Results achieved in terms of increased adoption, revenue, or other relevant metrics

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you determine the potential value of the expansion opportunity?
What data or insights did you use to support your recommendations to the customer?
How did you align the expansion with the customer's business goals and challenges?
What obstacles did you encounter during the process, and how did you overcome them?
How has this experience influenced your approach to identifying and pursuing growth opportunities?

Interview Scorecard

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to develop comprehensive account strategies
2: Demonstrates basic strategic planning abilities for enterprise accounts
3: Develops effective, data-driven strategies aligned with customer and business goals
4: Creates innovative, high-impact strategic approaches that drive exceptional results

Relationship Building

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Difficulty forming strong relationships with enterprise 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: Reactive approach to customer issues with limited foresight
2: Addresses obvious problems but may miss underlying issues
3: Effectively anticipates and resolves complex customer challenges
4: Exceptional at identifying and mitigating potential issues before they escalate

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

Adaptability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to cope with changes in customer needs or business environment
2: Can adapt when given clear direction
3: Demonstrates flexibility and resilience in dynamic customer situations
4: Thrives in changing environments, turning challenges into opportunities

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher for assigned enterprise accounts.

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: Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions.

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

Goal: Maintain an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score of 9/10 or higher across all assigned accounts.

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

Goal: Successfully onboard and drive adoption for 3 new enterprise customers per quarter, achieving full implementation within agreed timelines.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Onboarding and Adoption 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 enterprise customer success. 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 relationships.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'll be asking you about specific experiences from your past that relate to key competencies for this Enterprise Customer Success Manager role, with a focus on strategic thinking and leadership in complex customer relationships. 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 skeptical C-level executive at a customer organization to adopt a new strategy or expand their investment in your solution. How did you approach this challenge? (Strategic Thinking, Consultative Approach)

Areas to Cover:

Initial objections or skepticism from the C-level executive
Research and preparation for engaging with senior leadership
Development of a compelling business case and value proposition
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 the new strategy or expansion?
How did you translate technical features or metrics into business value for the executive?
What challenges did you face in gaining buy-in, and how did you overcome them?
How has this experience shaped your approach to executive-level engagements?

Describe a situation where you had to balance the needs of multiple enterprise customers or initiatives simultaneously while facing resource constraints. How did you manage your priorities and deliver results? (Adaptability, Proactive Problem-Solving)

Areas to Cover:

Scope and complexity of competing customer priorities
Strategies for time management and resource allocation
Communication with customers and internal stakeholders
Decision-making process for prioritization
Results achieved across multiple accounts or initiatives

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What criteria did you use to prioritize between different customer needs or initiatives?
How did you communicate prioritization decisions to customers and internal teams?
Can you give an example of a difficult trade-off you had to make, and how you handled it?
How did you ensure consistent progress across all accounts despite resource constraints?
What tools or systems do you use to stay organized when managing multiple complex relationships?

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

Areas to Cover:

Identification of improvement opportunity in customer success processes
Development of new approach or strategy
Implementation and change management within the team
Collaboration with other departments or leadership
Measurable impact on team performance and customer outcomes

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did you identify the need for improvement in your customer success processes?
What data or insights did you use to support your proposed changes?
How did you gain buy-in from leadership and team members for your proposed improvements?
What challenges did you encounter during implementation, and how did you overcome them?
How have you continued to iterate on this improvement over time to adapt to changing customer needs?

Interview Scorecard

Strategic Thinking

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

Consultative Approach

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

Adaptability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles to cope with changes in customer needs or business environment
2: Can adapt when given clear direction in changing situations
3: Demonstrates flexibility and resilience in dynamic customer environments
4: Thrives in changing environments, turning challenges into opportunities for growth

Proactive Problem-Solving

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reactive approach to customer issues with limited foresight
2: Addresses obvious problems but may miss underlying issues
3: Effectively anticipates and resolves complex customer challenges
4: Exceptional at identifying and mitigating potential issues before they escalate

Relationship Building

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Difficulty forming strong relationships with enterprise 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

Goal: Achieve a customer retention rate of 95% or higher for assigned enterprise accounts.

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: Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions.

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

Goal: Maintain an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score of 9/10 or higher across all assigned accounts.

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

Goal: Successfully onboard and drive adoption for 3 new enterprise customers per quarter, achieving full implementation within agreed timelines.

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
3: Likely to Achieve Onboarding and Adoption Goal
4: Likely to Exceed Onboarding and Adoption 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. Use the questions below to guide the discussion.

Start the meeting by reviewing the requirements for the Enterprise 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 for assigned enterprise accounts?

Guidance: Discuss specific examples from the candidate's past performance that indicate their ability to retain and grow complex enterprise accounts. Consider their strategies for building strong relationships and driving customer value.

How well-equipped is the candidate to drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions?

Guidance: Consider the candidate's demonstrated skills in identifying growth opportunities, their strategic approach to account management, and their past success in upselling and cross-selling.

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 or account management capacity, preferably with enterprise clients. 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 enterprise customer success skills

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How closely did you work together on enterprise accounts?
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 enterprise customer success experience

Possible Follow-up Questions:

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

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 ability to drive account growth

Possible Follow-up Questions:

What was their average customer retention rate?
How did they rank in terms of upselling and cross-selling success?

Can you give an example of a particularly complex or challenging enterprise account that [Candidate Name] successfully managed?

Guidance:

Assess the candidate's ability to navigate complex customer relationships
Understand their strategic approach to enterprise customer success

Possible Follow-up Questions:

How did they handle multiple stakeholders in this account?
What strategies did they use to overcome challenges and drive value?

How would you describe [Candidate Name]'s approach to building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders in enterprise accounts?

Guidance:

Evaluate the candidate's ability to engage with senior 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 strategic value beyond day-to-day account management?

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 overall customer retention or growth?
Were any of their strategies adopted by other team members or the broader organization?

On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to hire [Candidate Name] again if you had an appropriate enterprise 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 on retention and growth metrics
2: Occasionally met retention and growth targets
3: Consistently met or exceeded retention and growth targets
4: Top performer, significantly exceeding retention and growth expectations

Complexity of Accounts Managed

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Primarily handled simple, transactional accounts
2: Some experience with moderately complex enterprise accounts
3: Regularly managed complex enterprise accounts
4: Excelled at managing highly strategic, organization-wide relationships

Stakeholder Relationship Building

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

Strategic Account Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Focused primarily on day-to-day account maintenance
2: Basic strategic account management skills
3: Effective long-term account strategies
4: Exceptional at developing and executing strategic plans for account growth

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 solve complex customer challenges
2: Resolved obvious issues with guidance
3: Demonstrated good ability to anticipate and solve customer challenges
4: Excelled at proactively identifying and resolving complex customer 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 for assigned enterprise 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: Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR) to 120% or above through successful upsells and expansions.

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: Maintain an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score of 9/10 or higher across all assigned 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: Successfully onboard and drive adoption for 3 new enterprise customers per quarter, achieving full implementation within agreed timelines.

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 assess a candidate's strategic thinking skills?

Look for candidates who can articulate comprehensive account strategies, analyze complex business situations, and align solutions with client objectives. Use questions that probe their ability to develop and execute strategic success plans. Our article on how to identify top sales leaders in the interview process provides insights that can be applied to assessing strategic thinking in customer success roles.

What's the best way to evaluate relationship building abilities?

Ask for specific examples of how they've built and maintained relationships with multiple stakeholders in enterprise accounts. Look for evidence of their ability to navigate complex organizational structures, build trust, and maintain long-term partnerships. Pay attention to how they've handled challenging relationships in the past.

How do I gauge a candidate's proactive problem-solving approach?

Focus on their ability to anticipate potential issues, develop preventative measures, and quickly resolve challenges as they arise. Ask for examples of how they've proactively addressed customer challenges in the past. Our guide on interviewing sellers for emotional intelligence can help you assess their ability to understand and respond to client needs proactively.

What strategies can I use to assess adaptability in enterprise customer success candidates?

Look for examples of how candidates have handled unexpected changes or challenges in complex customer environments. Ask about times they've had to pivot their approach or adapt to new market conditions. Our article on interviewing sellers for adaptability offers valuable insights that can be applied to customer success roles.

How can I determine if a candidate can drive growth and retention?

Review their past performance metrics carefully, asking for specific examples of how they've achieved or exceeded retention and Net Revenue Retention (NRR) targets in previous roles. Look for evidence of their ability to identify and pursue upsell/cross-sell opportunities. The article on asking the right questions to understand the truth about a sales candidate's past performance can guide you in this assessment.

What's the most effective way to conduct the strategic work sample exercise?

Provide clear instructions and background information to the candidate in advance. During the exercise, pay attention to their strategic thinking, data analysis skills, and ability to articulate a clear plan. 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 exercises.

How should I evaluate a candidate's industry knowledge and ability to stay current?

Ask about recent industry trends and how they've applied new knowledge in their customer success approach. Look for evidence of continuous learning and a proactive approach to professional development. Candidates should be able to discuss how emerging technologies are impacting the industry and potential clients.

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

Be cautious of candidates who can't provide specific examples of past successes, struggle to articulate their customer success methodology, or show a lack of preparation for the interview. Also, watch for signs of inflexibility, poor listening skills, or an inability to handle constructive feedback during the strategic work sample exercise.

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.

What if a candidate doesn't have direct enterprise customer success experience?

Focus on transferable skills such as relationship building, strategic thinking, and adaptability. Look for evidence of success in complex B2B environments and the ability to learn quickly. Consider their potential for growth and how their unique background might bring fresh perspectives to the role. Our article on how to construct the ideal candidate profile to improve sales hiring offers insights that can be applied to defining key attributes for customer success roles.