Support AI Skill

Customer Success Ops

Manage customer success operations including onboarding, health scoring, QBRs, renewal management, expansion identification, churn prevention, and customer lifecycle management. Use when designing onboarding programs, building health scores, conducting QBRs...

Customer Success Operations

Drive customer satisfaction, retention, and expansion through proactive success management and lifecycle optimization.

Workflow

1. Customer Onboarding & Time-to-Value

Structured onboarding program:

Pre-onboarding: contract review, technical prerequisites, stakeholder mapping
Welcome communication: kickoff meeting scheduling, success plan sharing
Technical onboarding: system configuration, integration setup, data migration
User training: role-based training, documentation access, sandbox environment
Go-live support: enhanced support during first 30 days

Onboarding milestone tracking:

Define success milestones (account setup, first use, first value, full adoption)
Track milestone completion against timeline
Automated milestone reminders and escalation
Milestone completion rate by customer segment
Time-to-first-value measurement

Success plan development:

Customer goals and business objectives documentation
Key success metrics definition (aligned with customer goals)
Stakeholder identification and engagement plan
Resource requirements and timeline
Quarterly review and update cadence

2. Customer Health Scoring

Health score model design:

Product usage metrics (login frequency, feature adoption, usage depth)
Engagement metrics (support tickets, training attendance, event participation)
Business health (payment history, contract status, stakeholder changes)
Sentiment metrics (CSAT, NPS, communication tone)
Risk indicators (usage decline, key champion departure, competitive mention)

Health score calculation and segmentation:

Weighted scoring model (0-100 scale)
Health categories: Healthy (80-100), Watch (60-79), At-Risk (40-59), Critical (<40)
Automated health score calculation (daily update)
Health score trend analysis (improving, stable, declining)
Segment-specific health thresholds

Health score-driven actions:

Healthy: proactive engagement, expansion identification, reference opportunities
Watch: targeted engagement, training reinforcement, CSM check-in
At-Risk: immediate CSM intervention, executive outreach, remediation plan
Critical: executive escalation, win-back strategy, retention offer consideration
Automated alerts on health score threshold crossing

3. Quarterly Business Reviews (QBR)

QBR preparation:

Customer data compilation: usage analytics, support history, success plan progress
ROI and business value quantification
Achievement summary against success plan goals
Issue and resolution review
Forward-looking recommendations and roadmap alignment

QBR execution:

Presentation format: business value focus (not just product metrics)
Executive participation alignment (match customer executive level)
Interactive format: discussion, not monologue
Goal reassessment and success plan update
Action items and next steps documentation

QBR follow-up:

Summary email with key takeaways and action items
Action item tracking and deadline management
Success plan update and distribution
Expansion opportunity qualification
Customer feedback collection and incorporation

4. Renewal Management

Renewal forecasting and pipeline:

Renewal calendar: 12-month rolling forecast
Renewal probability scoring by health score and engagement
Revenue at risk identification and mitigation planning
Renewal timeline by customer tier (enterprise: 6 months, SMB: 3 months)
Contract terms and pricing review

Renewal process execution:

Early engagement (6 months for enterprise, 3 months for standard)
Renewal QBR: value review and future planning
Contract preparation and terms negotiation
Stakeholder alignment and champion reinforcement
Competitive threat assessment and response

Renewal optimization:

Expansion bundling with renewal (additional seats, features, years)
Loyal customer incentives and loyalty programs
Multi-year renewal discount structure
Auto-renewal terms and notification timing
Post-renewal success transition

5. Churn Prevention & Win-Back

Churn risk identification:

Leading indicators: usage decline, support ticket increase, stakeholder changes, competitive mentions
Churn prediction modeling (ML-based risk scoring)
At-risk account prioritization and assignment
Churn reason categorization (product fit, pricing, service, strategic shift)
Churn trend analysis by cohort, segment, and product

Churn prevention interventions:

Early warning system alerts to CSM and management
Executive outreach and relationship reinforcement
Product usage coaching and re-engagement campaigns
Service level enhancement (temporary premium support)
Customized retention offers (discount, extended term, additional features)

Win-back strategy:

Exit interview and churn reason documentation
Win-back campaign for strategically valuable customers
Product improvement communication (addressed original issues)
Re-onboarding plan and success guarantee
Win-back success rate tracking and optimization

6. Expansion & Growth Management

Expansion opportunity identification:

Usage-based triggers (approaching limits, high engagement with specific features)
Account growth signals (hiring, funding, expansion news)
Cross-sell opportunity mapping (complementary products/features)
Upsell readiness assessment (adoption, health, satisfaction)
Expansion pipeline management in CRM

Expansion execution:

Business case development for expansion (ROI, value realization)
Executive sponsorship and stakeholder alignment
Pricing and packaging for expansion
Implementation planning for new features/products
Success measurement post-expansion

Templates & Frameworks

Customer Health Score Model

HEALTH SCORE CALCULATION MODEL
===============================

SCORING CATEGORIES (0-100):

PRODUCT USAGE (Weight: 35%):
  Login frequency (last 30 days): 25+ days = 100, 15-24 = 70, <15 = 30
  Feature adoption breadth: 80%+ features = 100, 50-79% = 60, <50% = 20
  Usage depth (transactions per active user): above avg = 100, avg = 70, below = 30
  Trend (usage change last 30 days): increasing = 110, stable = 80, decreasing = 40

ENGAGEMENT (Weight: 25%):
  Support tickets (last 90 days): <2 = 100, 2-5 = 70, 6-10 = 40, >10 = 10
  Training completion: 100% = 100, 75-99% = 70, 50-74% = 40, <50% = 10
  CSM meeting attendance: 100% = 100, 75-99% = 70, <75% = 30
  Event/webinar attendance: attending = 80, not attending = 40

BUSINESS HEALTH (Weight: 25%):
  Payment timeliness: on time = 100, late once = 60, late twice = 20
  Contract status: active = 100, approaching renewal = 70, expired = 0
  Key stakeholder stability: no changes = 100, 1 change = 60, 2+ changes = 20
  Strategic alignment: aligned = 100, uncertain = 50, misaligned = 0

SENTIMENT (Weight: 15%):
  CSAT score: 5 = 100, 4 = 70, 3 = 40, <3 = 10
  NPS: Promoter = 100, Passive = 50, Detractor = 10
  Communication tone (sentiment analysis): positive = 100, neutral = 60, negative = 20

HEALTH CATEGORIES:
  Healthy: 80-100 (green) — proactive engagement
  Watch: 60-79 (yellow) — targeted check-in
  At-Risk: 40-59 (orange) — immediate intervention
  Critical: <40 (red) — executive escalation

ALERT TRIGGERS:
  Score drops >15 points in 7 days → auto-alert CSM
  Score enters At-Risk → auto-alert CSM + Manager
  Score enters Critical → auto-alert CSM + Manager + VP
  Health trend declining for 30 days → quarterly review

QBR Agenda Template

QUARTERLY BUSINESS REVIEW — [Customer, Date]
==============================================

AGENDA (60 minutes):

1. OPENING & RELATIONSHIP CHECK (5 min)
   — Executive introductions and rapport building
   — Customer priorities and strategic updates

2. BUSINESS VALUE REVIEW (15 min)
   — Success plan goal progress
   — ROI and quantified business outcomes
   — Key achievements and milestones
   — Usage and adoption summary

3. CHALLENGE & RESOLUTION REVIEW (10 min)
   — Open issues and resolution status
   — Feedback incorporation and improvements
   — Service level performance review

4. FORWARD LOOK & RECOMMENDATIONS (15 min)
   — Upcoming product roadmap relevance
   — Optimization and expansion opportunities
   — Best practices and benchmarking
   — Industry trends and peer insights

5. GOAL SETTING & NEXT QUARTER PLAN (10 min)
   — Success plan goal update
   — Resource and training recommendations
   — Key milestones and timeline

6. CLOSING & ACTION ITEMS (5 min)
   — Action item summary and ownership
   — Next QBR scheduling
   — Feedback collection

Integration Points

CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot): Customer data, renewal tracking, expansion pipeline
Customer success platforms (Gainsight, Totango, Catalyst): Health scoring, QBR management
Product analytics (Mixpanel, Amplitude, Pendo): Usage data and feature adoption
Support platforms (Zendesk, Freshdesk): Support ticket history and CSAT
Survey tools (Qualtrics, Medallia): NPS and CSAT collection
Revenue analytics (Revenue.io, Clari): Renewal forecasting, expansion revenue
Communication platforms: QBR scheduling and delivery
Marketing automation: Customer engagement campaigns

Edge Cases

Churn of strategic/enterprise customer: Immediate executive engagement; root cause investigation; custom retention package; board-level escalation if needed
Product-led growth (PLG) churn: Product-led re-engagement (in-app prompts, email triggers); freemium-to-paid conversion optimization; self-serve win-back offers
Global customer with distributed team: Multi-timezone QBR scheduling; local champion identification; regional success management
Post-merger/acquisition customer changes: Stakeholder reassessment; re-alignment of success plan; executive relationship rebuilding
Competitive displacement threat: Competitive intelligence gathering; value differentiation reinforcement; switching cost articulation; rapid response team

Output

Customer Success Dashboard

CUSTOMER SUCCESS — April 2025
===============================

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW:
  Total active customers: 847
  Enterprise: 124 | Mid-market: 342 | SMB: 381
  Net Revenue Retention: 118% ✓
  Gross Revenue Retention: 94% ✓
  Expansion revenue: $1.2M (12% of total revenue)

HEALTH DISTRIBUTION:
  Healthy: 612 (72.3%) ✓
  Watch: 143 (16.9%)
  At-Risk: 58 (6.9%)
  Critical: 34 (4.0%) ⚠

RENEWAL FORECAST (NEXT 90 DAYS):
  Up for renewal: 89 customers
  Expected renewals: 81 (91%)
  At-risk renewals: 8 (9%)
  Expected revenue: $4.2M
  Expansion opportunities: $680K

CHURN ANALYSIS (LAST 90 DAYS):
  Churned: 12 customers (1.4%)
  Churn reasons: Product fit (5), Pricing (3), Strategic shift (3), Service (1)
  Revenue lost: $187K
  Win-back in progress: 3

QBR PERFORMANCE:
  QBRs completed (Q2): 89/124 enterprise (72%)
  Avg post-QBR health score change: +8.3 points
  Expansion opportunities identified: 34
  QBR satisfaction score: 4.6/5.0

CSM PRODUCTIVITY:
  CSM:customer ratio: 1:87 (target: <1:100 ✓)
  Avg time to first value: 18 days (target: <21 ✓)
  Onboarding completion rate: 94%
  Proactive outreach rate: 3.2 touches/week/customer