Customer Success Manual vs Playbook
Expert 
I just had a great conversation about CS playbooks and wanted to share some thoughts with my GGR network.
First off, in my opinion, there is a difference between a manual and a playbook. A manual is the 200+ page book that most companies have yet nobody reads. A playbook is a compilation of processes outlined in concise, efficient steps. The foundation of any playbook should be to make the reader effective at the job they have.
I believe every Customer Success team should have a playbook that can be divided into two main categories:
1) The outline of the product/services and how they should operate to best serve the customer
2) The weekly and monthly expectations to be an effective CSM for the company
Playbooks are simple yet contain everything you need to know to excel at your job and manuals, while they do have important information, are usually long and ignored.
What's been your experience with playbooks and manuals?
First off, in my opinion, there is a difference between a manual and a playbook. A manual is the 200+ page book that most companies have yet nobody reads. A playbook is a compilation of processes outlined in concise, efficient steps. The foundation of any playbook should be to make the reader effective at the job they have.
I believe every Customer Success team should have a playbook that can be divided into two main categories:
1) The outline of the product/services and how they should operate to best serve the customer
2) The weekly and monthly expectations to be an effective CSM for the company
Playbooks are simple yet contain everything you need to know to excel at your job and manuals, while they do have important information, are usually long and ignored.
What's been your experience with playbooks and manuals?
Jared Orr
Customer Success Whisperer