HR
1. Customer Data
Q: How can I access a customer profile and view their journey? A: Customer profiles can be accessed via Salesforce or Gainsight. Navigate to the "Accounts" tab and search by customer name. You'll find lifecycle stages (Onboarding, Active, Renewing), contact details, and usage stats. Each profile includes health scores, renewal dates, and internal notes.
Q: Where can I view customer product usage analytics? A: Usage dashboards are available in Mixpanel and Gainsight. Look for DAUs, feature adoption rates, and logins. A filtered view by customer segment or product module is also available.
Q: How can I see historical support tickets? A: Support ticket history is located in Zendesk. Access the "Tickets" tab within the customer record to review all open, closed, and pending tickets. Each entry includes timestamps and resolution notes.
2. Onboarding Process
Q: What are the steps in our customer onboarding process? A: The onboarding checklist includes: 1) Welcome call, 2) Account setup, 3) Training sessions, 4) First value achieved, and 5) Check-in after 30 days. Each step is tracked in Gainsight with auto-reminders.
Q: What tools do we use for onboarding? A: We use Zoom for live calls, a Learning Management System (LMS) for training videos, and Confluence for documentation. Kickoff decks are standardized and available in our internal CS playbook folder.
3. Churn Prevention
Q: What are early indicators of churn? A: Key indicators include: 1) Logins dropping by 50%+, 2) No product usage in 14+ days, 3) Negative NPS score, 4) Unattended support issues. These are flagged in our Gainsight alerts.
Q: How do we handle at-risk customers? A: CSMs receive automated alerts and follow a win-back playbook: schedule a check-in, re-demonstrate value, share new features, and offer re-training or product workshops.
4. Customer Feedback
Q: How is customer feedback collected and shared internally? A: Feedback is collected via NPS surveys, support tickets, and customer interviews. We tag each input (bug, feature request, etc.) in Intercom or Zendesk. Product and Engineering receive a monthly digest.
Q: What tools are used for collecting and analyzing feedback? A: We use SurveyMonkey for structured surveys, Intercom for in-app feedback, and Typeform for onboarding feedback. Common themes are tracked in our Feedback Tracker spreadsheet.
5. Renewal Strategies
Q: How do I prepare for an upcoming renewal? A: Start 90 days before renewal. Review usage metrics, past feedback, open support issues, and upsell potential. Use the Renewal Prep Checklist and schedule a renewal sync call. Confirm decision-maker involvement.
Q: How are upsell and cross-sell opportunities identified? A: Look for usage thresholds being met (e.g., API limit, seat limit), interest in beta features, or frequent support queries about advanced functionality. Log these in Salesforce and notify Sales.
6. CSM Playbooks
Q: What should I do when a customer escalates an issue? A: Use the escalation playbook: Acknowledge receipt, tag in Zendesk, notify the Support Lead, and log the issue in Gainsight. Communicate with the customer every 24 hours until resolved.
Q: Where can I find templates for customer communication? A: Email templates for onboarding check-ins, adoption nudges, and renewal reminders are in the Confluence "CSM Toolkit" section. Use the standard tone, personalize with customer name and value points.
7. Service Health Metrics
Q: How can I check if there’s an ongoing service incident? A: Visit our public Status Page or internal Status Dashboard (link in Slack #cs-notifications). Major incidents are posted in real-time and include estimated resolution time.
Q: How do we track support ticket SLAs? A: SLA metrics are tracked in Zendesk. Reports show average first response and resolution times per account and support tier. SLA breaches trigger alerts to the CS Manager.
8. Customer Satisfaction
Q: Where can I find the latest NPS or CSAT scores? A: Access the NPS Dashboard in Gainsight for scores segmented by industry and customer tier. CSAT results are available in Zendesk, updated weekly after support interactions.
Q: How is customer sentiment analyzed? A: Sentiment is scored using AI-powered analysis in Zendesk and Intercom. Ticket language and tone are processed to generate sentiment trends per account.
9. Quarterly Business Reviews (QBR)
Q: What is included in a QBR and how do I prepare? A: QBRs include usage stats, business goals alignment, ROI review, feedback themes, and roadmap previews. Use the QBR Slide Template and prepare 2 weeks in advance. Past QBRs are saved in each account's Confluence page.
Q: Where can I find follow-up tasks from previous QBRs? A: These are tracked in the "Action Items" section of the QBR deck and logged in Gainsight under the "Timeline" tab.
10. Training Resources
Q: How do I access internal CSM training material? A: Go to the CS LMS portal (link in Onboarding Checklist). Courses are categorized by role (CSM, onboarding, renewals) and feature deep dives, tool tutorials, and soft skills sessions.
Q: What training resources can I share with customers? A: Use the "Customer Training Toolkit" in Confluence, which includes PDF guides, video links, and onboarding decks. Share links directly via email or in-product.
11. Internal Tools & Access
Q: What tools do CSMs commonly use? A: Salesforce (CRM), Gainsight (health scores), Zendesk (support tickets), Confluence (docs), Slack (team comms), and Google Sheets (reporting).
Q: How do I request access to a tool? A: Submit a request via the IT Helpdesk Portal. Include your manager’s approval and specify the tool and permission level needed.
12. Cross-Functional Collaboration
Q: What’s the Sales-to-CS handoff process? A: Once a deal is closed, Sales fills out the "CS Handoff Form" with key details (stakeholders, goals, tech stack). A kickoff call is scheduled within 3 days, and notes are logged in Salesforce.
Q: How does CS escalate product bugs or roadmap feedback? A: CSMs tag feedback in Productboard or submit Jira tickets for bugs. Monthly syncs with Product prioritize high-impact issues. Customers with matching feedback are auto-subscribed to updates.