Top 5 focus areas as the first VP/Director of CS

Kev Robson

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the community but have been aware of GGR for a little while. 

I'm fortunate enough to be starting a new CS leadership role at an exciting SaaS start-up soon! I've obviously done lots of preparation ahead of joining, but I'm looking for some inspiration from the community, please.

CS is new to the organisation (they're already sold on the concept so there's no battle) but initially I'll be 'getting my hands dirty' as a CSM whilst simultaneously setting processes and hiring a small team. I wondered if the community could offer any hints/tips. I'll be putting in a 90-day plan, but I would love to learn from those of you that have set up processes/teams from scratch. 

I've figured there will be lots of listening and learning to do in the first instance, but ultimately the strategy will come after I collect data/information. 

What would be your top 5 focus areas as the first VP/Director of CS?

Thanks, guys!

Ashton Liu

I've seen new CS leadership come into my organization and spent some time researching to take on bigger roles in a CS org, and I have found this article Five Steps a VP of CS Needs to Get Started by Irene Lefton to be useful: https://customersuccessnetwork.com/five-steps-a-vp-of-cs-needs-to-get-started/. 

A lot of it is what you already pointed out - listening and learning, and it also emphasizes asking pointed questions to understand what works well/needs improvement as well as understanding the customer journey.

Kev Robson

Thanks, Ashton. I'll take a look.

Jordan Silverman

Congratulations!

Few things I would recommend doing:

• Talk to the people who service and support clients now (even if not in a CSM title) to understand roadblocks and successes
• Understand existing customer journey, talk to customers about what works and what does not
• Measure baseline metrics today (activation rate, churn rate, time to value, etc.)
• Ensure you understand what success for you as a CS leader means to the organization

Feel free to respond with any and all questions!

Melissa Flygare

Congratulations on your new role!  Here are a couple of resources that may be useful. 

• Building Your 100-Day Customer Success Leadership Plan - webinar with Emilia D'Anzica
• Check out Kristi Faltorusso's LinkedIn post on her First 30-days Leadership Checklist.  Side Note: If you're not already following Kristi on LinkedIn, do it right now! 
• Top Mistakes Leaders Make When Building a CS Org - article & download 
• Building a Successful CS Team - toolkit with several resources focused on how to build, scale & lead a successful CS team
• 5 Step Action Plan to Set CSMs Up For Success in Their First 90 Days - this article is more about the front-line CSM than leadership
  
  

I hope you'll find something helpful here.  Good luck! 

Kev Robson

Thanks, Jordan. The last point is very interesting.

Kev Robson

Thanks, Melissa. (I'll check Kristi out too).