CSMs: Set Your Week for Success
How customer success managers can set the week up for success by jump-starting Monday — prepare, make a list, review the data, and build in extra time.
TL;DR
- CSMs can set their week up for success by jump-starting Monday with four habits: prepare, make a prioritized list, review customer data, and build in extra time.
- A productive Monday matters because customers come off hectic weekends too, so getting your own schedule straight helps you stay ahead of their needs.
- Blocking off calendar time prevents back-to-back meetings from crowding out the strategic work and action items CSMs actually need to complete.
Juggling the day-to-day responsibilities of a customer success manager can be overwhelming at times. It can be hard to know where to focus between serving as the main point of contact between customers and the rest of your business and managing all of the minute details of implementation and ongoing projects.
While focusing on the ins and outs of customer success strategy can allow CSMs to grip their weekly to-do lists better, sometimes it helps to go back to basics. The foundation of good corporate planning starts with setting your week up for success, clearing your head, and planning.
How to set your week up for success
As many know already, having a productive Monday is critical to set the rest of your week up for success. Your customers are also coming off of hectic weekends, which means they’re all over the place as well. By setting your schedule straight and planning
Here’s how you can set your week up for success by jump-starting your Monday:
1. Prepare!
Depending on the number of customers you’re managing and the level of engagement they require, you could be facing a full calendar of customer check-is and meetings. Preparation is key to keeping your customers and meetings straight throughout the week. It’s a good idea to use color-coding on your calendar to distinguish between different customers and even internal meetings.
Additionally, if you have set up a meeting with a customer, make sure you send out an agenda before the meeting starts, so others have a chance to prepare as well. This also gives your attendees the ability to confirm attendance.
2. Make a list.
From all of your meetings the previous week, you most likely have a to-do list chock full of action items to take care of. While you hopefully made a good dent in the list last week, it’s a wise practice to go through your to-do’s and identify any immediate action items for the week. Identify your priorities, customer requests, and even internal initiatives that require your attention this week. You truly only have a set number of hours in the week, so it’s essential to be critical about how you spend your time, and prioritizing can help you focus on what will make an impact.
3. Review the data.
Your CSM team collects a myriad of customer data to help ensure you’re making the right strategic decisions. Use this information to help inform your weekly priorities and areas of focus. Every Monday, spend some time looking at your customer health dashboards and reports. Are there any red flags or significant changes? Is there a critical renewal or upsell coming up? These numbers can help uncover action items to bring up with customers or internal initiatives that require follow-up.
4. Build in extra time.
Often, CSMs fall into the trap of back-to-back (to back) customer meetings throughout the week, which leaves little time for actually working on the strategic initiatives and action items you need to focus on. Block off time on your calendar to get things done for customers. This can be especially helpful if you’re managing multiple high-touch customers, and you can use your blocked-off time to switch gears and mentally prepare for your upcoming meetings.
How is your team setting your week up for success?
Maybe you have a team-wide weekly kick-off call to get CSMs ready for the week. Maybe your CSMs have weekly check-ins with customers on Mondays to open up any discussion items or the week. However, your team managers customers, making the most of your Mondays can help get ahead of customer needs and stay on top of ongoing projects.
You can learn more about planning for customer success with these additional resources:
- Webinar: 5 Strategies of Top Performing Customer Success Teams
- eBook: How to Become an Elite Customer Success Leader
- Toolkit: Customer Success Leaders Toolkit
Frequently Asked Questions
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