Customer Success frameworks for Playbook

Julie Schifter

Hi all,

What are great CS frameworks to include in a general CS playbook? 

I currently have: 

- The customer journey (with different touchpoints in a given time frame) 
- The Success Plan - defining realistic metrics and belonging projects and tracking those 
- The Success Program - a generic program identifying different fixed touchpoints and cadence 

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas of other great frameworks you have been successful in working with. 

Best 


Julie 

Surendranath

Hi Julie,

Below are what which strikes my mind:

Can be included in CS Framework:
- Try to anticipate the customer's expectations in each stage. Identify the roles, processes, and tools to support customer objectives at each stage.
- Key deliverables of a CSM at each stage of customer life journey.
- Template to tracking white space opportunities for customers.  

Can be included in CS playbook:
- Links to various internal resources (templates).
- Internal POC's (escalation matrix).

Wayne McCulloch

Hi Julie,

We follow the The 7 Pillars of Customer Success framework which uses a CS Tool Box consisting of 10 essential tools:
T1. Moments of Truth (customer journey map)
T2. Playbooks
T3. Customer Health Score
T4. Customer Risk Framework
T5. Customer Success Plan
T6. Segmentation
T7. Voice of the Customer
T8. QBRs/EBRs
T9. Customer Delight
T10. Metrics
Note: these are the tools that you use to Operationalize Customer Success in your organization.

These 10 tools are applied across these 5 Customer Journey Pillars:
P1. Onboarding
P2. Adoption 
P3. Retention
P4. Expansion
P5. Advocacy

The way you leverage the Tool will change based on the Pillar it's applied to (for example a customer health score input would not have license utilization during onboarding, but it will during adoption for example).

Happy to explain more if useful.

Laura Lakhwara

@Wayne McCulloch I love how concise this is. Thank you for sharing this. I've done all of this, but haven't seen a great way to package it efficiently.

Dana Soza

Hi Julie,

I have a couple resources on this topic that I think you'll find helpful. They cover what to include, best practices, success factors, checklists, and much more. 

CSM Practice, Irit is a thought leader to follow.  GREAT content and free downloads https://www.csmpractice.com/slides-success-plans-value-realization/ (button isn't working but emailed Irit to get it).  This was my post on it https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6724350607139987456/?updateEntityUrn=urn:li:fs_feedUpdate:(V2,urn:li:activity:6724350607139987456)

THIS YOU WANT TO LOOK AT: Another CSM Practice asset (swear I don't work for them! lol) https://csmpractice.lpages.co/the-executives-guide-to-cs-initiatives-ebook/

This is one the government did...made me happy they care to bother lol!  https://playbook.cio.gov/#plays_index_anchor

Github has an amazing process with lots of details https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/customer-success/vision/#lifecycle-stages

Engagio Playbook example https://ignitium.lookbookhq.com/c/the-engagio-playbook?x=YD8eI4

This is pretty basic but still helpful https://1drv.ms/w/s!AuAd5TEIS0AMgf4FamXsjLtj3itT-A?e=QVHjG1

Here's a GREAT asset https://www.gainsight.com/pulse-everywhere/managing-uncertainty-how-glint-delivers-a-wow-experience-at-scale-via-a-non-csm-managed-model/

Hope that's helpful?

Thanks,
Dana Soza

Wayne McCulloch

I agree @Laura Lakhwara - this is only the framework to organize how you will communicate the function to your customers, employees, leaders and the board via the "playbooks" created to do that.

Once you have the framework built out, you can start to fill it out with Doc, Slides etc. 
- For example, when you talk about "T2 Playbooks", you can articulate what a playbook is, how it's structured via a template, where to find them, and when they are deployed (Triggers - see attached for an example).

Once you build out all the details for each of the tools and how to apply them during through the customer journey pillars, you have a playbook on how you've operationalized your customer success business.

The best way to communicate this internally (I've found) is a micro site that has the high-level frame work with links to each piece (Tools and Pillars).  Those pages contain the assets (or links to) so that people can easily find and leverage in a consistent way (even outside CS).

Obviously there is a lot more to this and I'm happy to go into depth if needed.  

Good luck on this ambitious project!

Laura Lakhwara

@Wayne McCulloch - this is gold. Thank you!

Jon Johnson

Wayne! Love this thought (and stoked for your book) We are utilizing a tool called "guru" to give our CSM's immediate access to "playbooks" throughout the lifecycle of a contract. 

I love the simplicity of your framework. I've got about a 50 page document that I've created over the years with a ton of "plays" that i've incorporated over the years, but it's a beast and I'm always looking for ways to hone it down.

Good work!

Wayne McCulloch

Hey thanks @Jon Johnson!

Like you, it seems like we've spent a lot of time capturing and building out assets. When you have enough, it will be time to write a book! Maybe you could write a book now called The Playbook of Customer Success Playbooks :-)

As for Guru - Yes!  We loved that product at Looker.  The ability to know where to find assets (like playbooks), know its trusted, and that the content was up to date was an awesome capability to have (for multiple teams like CS, Support, Sales etc).

Cheers!