customer-success-plan

Customer Success Plan Skill

This skill produces a joint customer success plan — a living document shared between the CSM and the customer that aligns on outcomes, milestones, and mutual commitments. Output is ready to co-author with the customer in a kickoff call or QBR.

Required Inputs

Ask the user for these if not provided:

• Account name and industry
• Product / plan purchased
• Key stakeholders — customer champion and economic buyer
• Customer's stated business goals — why did they buy? What problem are they solving?
• Contract term and renewal date
• Current onboarding stage (new customer / expanding / post-QBR / pre-renewal)
• Seats / licenses / usage purchased
• Any known risks — adoption gaps, champion uncertainty, competing priorities

Output Structure

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Customer Success Plan: [Account Name]

Product: [Product name / plan tier]

Contract term: [Start date → Renewal date]

CSM: [Name]

Customer champion: [Name, Title]

Customer executive sponsor: [Name, Title — if known]

Last updated: [Date]

Status: [Active / Under review / Completed]

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1. Partnership Objectives

> What does success look like for [Account Name] at contract end?

[Write 2–3 sentences describing the customer's core objective in plain English — what they are trying to achieve in their business, not what features they are using.]

Primary business goal: [e.g. Reduce time-to-hire by 30% across engineering teams]

Secondary goal: [e.g. Consolidate three legacy tools into one platform, saving £X/year]

Success statement (customer's words): "[Direct quote from champion about what success looks like — ask for this in kickoff]"

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2. Success Metrics

Define how both parties will measure success. Agreed in the kickoff call and tracked in QBRs.

| Metric | Baseline (today) | Target | By when | Data source |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| [e.g. Seat utilisation] | [X%] | [≥ 80%] | [Month 3] | [Product analytics] |

| [e.g. Time to hire] | [X days] | [< Y days] | [Month 6] | [Customer's ATS] |

| [e.g. Reports produced/month] | [X] | [≥ Y] | [Month 3] | [Product analytics] |

| [e.g. NPS] | [X] | [≥ 8] | [Month 6] | [Quarterly survey] |

Leading indicators (early signs the plan is on track):

• [e.g. 5+ users log in within the first 2 weeks]
• [e.g. First workflow automated within 30 days]
• [e.g. Champion presents the tool to their team by end of Month 1]

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3. Milestone Roadmap

Break the success journey into phases with clear milestones and owners:

Phase 1: Onboard (Month 1)

| Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status |

|---|---|---|---|

| Admin setup complete (SSO, permissions, data integration) | [IT contact] | [Date] | [ ] |

| All purchased seats activated and users invited | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] |

| Core workflow [X] configured and tested | [CSM + Champion] | [Date] | [ ] |

| First training session delivered (all teams) | [CSM] | [Date] | [ ] |

| Kickoff call completed and success plan co-signed | [CSM + Champion] | [Date] | [ ] |

Phase 2: Adopt (Months 2–3)

| Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status |

|---|---|---|---|

| [Core feature] in active daily use by ≥ X users | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] |

| First business outcome achieved and documented | [Champion + CSM] | [Date] | [ ] |

| 30-day check-in completed | [CSM] | [Date] | [ ] |

| [Power user workflow] enabled for advanced users | [CSM] | [Date] | [ ] |

Phase 3: Value (Months 4–6)

| Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status |

|---|---|---|---|

| QBR 1 delivered — ROI evidence presented | [CSM + AE] | [Date] | [ ] |

| Success metric [X] hit target | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] |

| Expansion use case identified and introduced | [AE] | [Date] | [ ] |

| Reference call or case study agreed | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] |

Phase 4: Renew & Expand (Months 7–12)

| Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status |

|---|---|---|---|

| QBR 2 delivered — renewal conversation started | [CSM + AE] | [Date] | [ ] |

| Renewal proposal sent | [AE] | [Date] | [ ] |

| Expansion or flat renewal signed | [AE] | [Date] | [ ] |

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4. Mutual Commitments

Success plans work when both parties commit. Document what each side will do:

[Vendor] commits to:

• Dedicated CSM available [X days/week / by email within 24 hours]
• Monthly [call / check-in / async update] with champion
• QBR every [90 days] with executive summary and ROI report
• Priority support for [Account] — response SLA of [X hours] for P1 issues
• Roadmap preview for relevant upcoming features
• [Any other specific commitment made in sales cycle]

[Account Name] commits to:

• Champion available for [30-min monthly] check-in
• Users complete onboarding training by [date]
• Feedback on product experience shared monthly (async or sync)
• Executive sponsor participates in QBR 1 and renewal discussion
• Provide outcome data to CSM quarterly for ROI tracking

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5. Stakeholder Engagement Plan

| Stakeholder | Role | Engagement frequency | Format | Owner |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| [Champion] | Day-to-day owner | Weekly (async) + Monthly (call) | Slack / Email + Zoom | CSM |

| [Economic buyer] | Budget holder | Quarterly | QBR (in-person or video) | CSM + AE |

| [IT contact] | Integration owner | As needed | Email | CSM |

| [End users] | Active users | Training only | Group session | CSM |

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6. Risk & Mitigation

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation plan |

|---|---|---|---|

| Low adoption in first 30 days | [M] | [H] | CSM hosts live onboarding; champion sends internal comms day 1 |

| Champion changes role | [L] | [H] | Multi-thread: introduce CSM to 2 additional stakeholders by Month 2 |

| Budget pressure at renewal | [M] | [H] | Build ROI case monthly; document value continuously |

| Competing priorities delay rollout | [H] | [M] | Agree minimum viable adoption path with champion; don't require perfection to declare value |

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7. Communication Plan

| Communication | Audience | Frequency | Format | Owner |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| Health update | Champion | Monthly | Email summary (3 bullets: what's good, what needs attention, one ask) | CSM |

| QBR | Champion + Exec | Quarterly | 45-min video call with slide deck | CSM + AE |

| Product updates | Champion | As released | Release notes email | CSM |

| Support status | Champion | When open tickets exist | Email / Slack | Support + CSM |

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8. Escalation Path

If the success plan falls off track:

| Trigger | Action | Owner | Timeline |

|---|---|---|---|

| Health drops to Amber | Internal review + champion call within 5 days | CSM | Immediate |

| Health drops to Red | CS leadership + AE looped in; escalation brief drafted | CS Manager | Within 24 hours |

| Champion is unresponsive for >10 days | AE attempts exec sponsor contact | AE | After CSM attempt fails |

| Adoption <40% at Month 3 | Emergency enablement session + revised milestone plan | CSM | Within 1 week of flag |

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Scoring Rubric (0–40)

Score any output of this skill before handing it over; 32+ is ship-quality.

| Dimension | 0 | 5 | 10 |

|---|---|---|---|

| Outcome orientation | All metrics are vendor-controlled product-usage numbers | Customer business metrics present but missing baselines, targets, or data sources | Customer business outcomes with baseline, target, date, and data source — plus leading indicators |

| Ownership & dates | Owners blank, "CS team", or dates left TBD | Owners named on the vendor side only; customer-side milestones unowned | Every milestone has a named owner on the correct side of the table and a confirmed date |

| Mutuality | Reads as the vendor's internal to-do list | Customer commitments listed but vague or clearly not agreed | Both sides carry concrete commitments; executive sponsor has a named engagement role; shareable as written |

| Risk realism | No risk register | Generic risks; champion departure and low adoption missing | Includes champion departure and low adoption with mitigations, owners, and escalation triggers |

Quality Checks

• [ ] Success metrics are the customer's metrics — not just product usage metrics
• [ ] Milestones have specific owners and due dates — not "TBD"
• [ ] Mutual commitments section is genuinely mutual — not just what the vendor will do
• [ ] Risk register includes champion departure and low adoption
• [ ] Plan is written to be shared with the customer — no internal-only commentary in this document
• [ ] Executive sponsor is identified and has an engagement role

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not define success metrics that the vendor controls — metrics must reflect the customer's business outcomes
• [ ] Do not set milestone dates without customer confirmation — unilateral timelines undermine joint ownership
• [ ] Do not create a plan the customer hasn't agreed to — it must be mutual, not a CSM's internal plan
• [ ] Do not leave ownership fields blank or assigned to "CS team" — every action needs a named owner
• [ ] Do not confuse product adoption milestones with customer business outcomes — both are needed but are not the same

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Build a success plan for [Account Name] who just signed"
• "Create a joint success plan for our new enterprise customer"
• "Write a 6-month customer success roadmap for [Company]"
• "I need a mutual action plan for our QBR with [Account]"
• "Generate a customer success plan for an at-risk account"