The Customer Success Professional′s Handbook How to Thrive in One of the World's Fastest Growing Careers--While Driving Growth For Your Company

Praise for THE CUSTOMER SUCCESS PROFESSIONAL'S HANDBOOK

"In the Age of the Internet that ushered in this century, product was still king, and the product manager was the role around which everything else revolved. Today we are in the Age of the Customer, where the customer is king, and the role around which everything else must revolve is the customer success manager. This is a new role, and that makes The Customer Success Professional's Handbook a timely and welcome contribution across the globe. It is comprehensive, accurate, and incredibly well informed, making it a 'must-read' for anyone performing, managing, or entering the profession."
—Geoffrey A. Moore, Author, Crossing the Chasm and Zone to Win

"Ashvin and Ruben have created an all-in-one guidebook for creating customers for life. This is required reading for anyone in the customer success profession."
—Nick Mehta, CEO, Gainsight, Co-Author, Customer Success

"Ashvin and Ruben do an incredible job of taking you step-by-step to define and build a successful CS Organization. It is a must-read for any founder, CEO, executive, and customer success professional."
—Christina Kosmowski, VP, Global Head of Customer Success, Slack

"The Customer Success Professional's Handook teaches you how to scale Customer Success, drive up NPS and revenue retention, and get out ahead of the competition. Customer Success should be a science and not just an art. The Handbook helps you realize that."
—Jason M. Lemkin, SaaStr CEO and Founder

"This one-of-a-kind guide from leading experts. . . provides practitioners with actionable insights and advice to help them drive growth for their companies and succeed in their careers."
—Yamini Rangan, Chief Customer Officer, Dropbox

". . . the most comprehensive book that's ever been written on the critical steps for successfully implementing CS at scale. . . the Handbook not only communicates what needs to be done but how and why. . . a book that should be in the minds and on the desk of every CS professional."
—J.B. Wood, President and CEO, TSIA

"Business Success = Customer Success. When companies realize this truth, they'll want this handbook!"
—Therese Tucker, CEO and Founder, BlackLine

"This is a straight-up cookbook for one of the most important recipes in business growth today—the customer success organization."
—Jay Simons, President, Atlassian

The definitive “Customer Success Manager How-To-Guide” for the CSM profession from Gainsight, who brought you the market-leading Customer Success

The Customer Success Manager has become a critical asset to organizations across the business landscape. As the subscription model has spread from the cloud and SaaS to more sectors of the economy, that pivotal role will only grow in importance. That’s because if you want to compete and thrive in this new environment, you need to put the customer at the center of your strategy. You need to recognize you’re no longer selling just a product. You’re selling an outcome. Customer Success Managers (CSM) are committed to capturing and delivering those outcomes by listening to their customers, understanding their needs, and adapting products and services to drive success. Although several existing resources address the customer success imperative, there is no authoritative instruction manual for the CSM profession—until now.

The Customer Success Professional’s Handbook is the definitive reference book for CSMs and similar roles in the field. This practical, first-of-its-kind manual fills a significant gap in professional customer success literature, providing the knowledge every CSM needs to succeed—from the practitioner level all the way to senior leadership. The authors—acknowledged experts in building, training, and managing Customer Success teams—offer real-world guidance and practical advice for aspiring and experienced CSMs alike. The handbook is written by practioners for practioners. An indispensable resource for front-line Customer Success Managers, this much-needed book:

• Demonstrates how to build, implement, and manage a Customer Success team
• Helps new CSMs develop their skills and proficiency to be more employable and grow in their careers
• Provides clear guidance for managers on how to hire a stellar CSM
• Presents practical tactics needed to drive revenue growth during renewal, expansion, and customer advocacy opportunities
• Explains proven methods and strategies for mentoring CSMs throughout their careers
• Offers valuable insights from Gainsight, the Customer Success Company, and the broader customer success community with more than a dozen of the industry’s most respected leaders contributing their perspectives

Currently, with over 70,000 open positions, Customer Success Manager in one of the fastest-growing jobs in the world. The Customer Success Professional’s Handbook: How to Thrive in One of the World's Fastest Growing Careers—While Driving Growth For Your Company will prove to be your go-to manual throughout every stage of your CSM career.