I've bought and sold (or helped sell my Sales team would say) a lot of software over the years. Nuking CSMs is a penny wise only to be a pound foolish. And I'd say this to the biggest of CFO leaders.
Under-investing, poorly executing, or worse nuking your CSM team is like telling your customers, "I just want your money, but don't want to actually help you do anything."
If the "nuke CSM trend" takes off, I may need to get out of SaaS entirely and open a coffee shop.
Excellent points! I love the analysis and exploring different scenarios. I think the same is true for any department with long feedback loops. Just like CS teams, UX teams are also plagued by the same anxieties.
My view is that the more complex the product is, the more likely it is to need a competent CX team. In terms of accountability, it may make sense to tie their performance metrics to LTV and churn but in a way that makes sense.
Great analysis on CS ROI! Also another key aspect is how CSMs contribute to product feedback loops. They are best positioned to gather and relay customer insights - which then drives product improvements. And that can massively impact long-term retention and expansion, further justifying their ROI.
For sure. CSMs can touch a lot of areas. The argument if they should be in the middle or in this example, should product be more involved to begin with to solve problems.
Or if CS is everyone’s problem does it become no one’s focus?
And are some business models / structures better / worse for the typical CSM model?
Infusing CS principles across departments is sure important. But having dedicated CSMs is a great way to make sure you keep consistent focus on customer outcomes. The key is ...balance. Between cross-functional collaboration and specialized CS expertise - and all that laser adapted to your specific business model and customer needs.
I've bought and sold (or helped sell my Sales team would say) a lot of software over the years. Nuking CSMs is a penny wise only to be a pound foolish. And I'd say this to the biggest of CFO leaders.
Under-investing, poorly executing, or worse nuking your CSM team is like telling your customers, "I just want your money, but don't want to actually help you do anything."
If the "nuke CSM trend" takes off, I may need to get out of SaaS entirely and open a coffee shop.
Excellent points! I love the analysis and exploring different scenarios. I think the same is true for any department with long feedback loops. Just like CS teams, UX teams are also plagued by the same anxieties.
My view is that the more complex the product is, the more likely it is to need a competent CX team. In terms of accountability, it may make sense to tie their performance metrics to LTV and churn but in a way that makes sense.
Great analysis on CS ROI! Also another key aspect is how CSMs contribute to product feedback loops. They are best positioned to gather and relay customer insights - which then drives product improvements. And that can massively impact long-term retention and expansion, further justifying their ROI.
For sure. CSMs can touch a lot of areas. The argument if they should be in the middle or in this example, should product be more involved to begin with to solve problems.
Or if CS is everyone’s problem does it become no one’s focus?
And are some business models / structures better / worse for the typical CSM model?
Infusing CS principles across departments is sure important. But having dedicated CSMs is a great way to make sure you keep consistent focus on customer outcomes. The key is ...balance. Between cross-functional collaboration and specialized CS expertise - and all that laser adapted to your specific business model and customer needs.