Perks of Hiring a Logo Designing Firm

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Habits and Routines of CS Leaders and Strategists

Customer Success Series

Oftentimes we are concerned about our work-life balance. We want to perform our very best in the organisation we belong to but also being present at home, valuing our personal relationships. This seems rather challenging considering the fast-paced environment where we live, work and connect with others. How can we then balance these two worlds and bring harmony to ourselves and others?

One way of addressing this important factor of our lives is simply not separating work and personal life in such a rigid day. Instead, applying the same thought processes and systems to both areas in order to optimise the transition and maximise the positive effects they have on each other.

What does that actually mean? I sought out to discover the habits, hacks and routines of industry leaders and strategists in Customer Success, sharing with you what mechanics they apply to various areas of their lives — time management, productivity systems, personal development and last but not least some advice to the community. This stellar group is composed by:

1.What morning habits or routines are essential to you?

I’m a morning person, so I get up at 5:20 a.m. and cycle to the gym. I find I have more energy in my day when I exercise first thing in the morning. I’m home in time to get the kids ready for school, and most days drop them at school. When I get home I check my email and social media accounts and respond the most impactful ones. I try to have a to-do list written the evening before — so I work through that during the day!

2. Do you have a set of processes to manage your time effectively?

I try to keep my week as consistent as possible. With a family and two jobs, nothing is constant! I focus on the SWOOP role Monday to Wednesday and use the evenings to add new members and other smaller tasks from the CustomerSuccessNetwork.org, to keep the community working well. Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for Co-Founder meetings, meeting CSMs and other activities to keep growing the community.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important personal traits required to manage a team successfully?

The three traits I think are important for teams are:

5. Is there a book you believe should be in every CSM’s shelf?

6. Do you have any specific advice for new CSMs or to someone wanting to move into Customer Success?

When it comes to routines, I have been focusing lately in disconnecting from work when the time has come. Unless I have to handle any important matter, I simply stop checking emails and focus on what I am doing outside of the office. You gotta give your brain a break.

2. Do you have a set of processes to manage your time effectively?

When it comes to meetings, I always find it important to have an agenda and being able to set the tempo. Also, I try to be present as much as possible and not checking emails or getting distracted by unrelated topics.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important personal traits required to manage a team successfully?

To manage a team successfully I believe it is essential:

4. When investing in yourself, how do you go by it?

I always try to be on pair with the business press and blocking time to be investigative on what can be improved within the organisation. A personal coach is also an option of mine to work on specific areas, such as communication and leadership.

5. Is there a book you believe should be in every CSM’s shelf?

6. Do you have any specific advice for new CSMs or to someone wanting to move into Customer Success?

Definitely, don’t forget to improve your sales and analytical skills!

This might actually sound a bit ‘spiritual,’ but before I get out of bed, I think about three things I am grateful for — even if I am tired or stressed, this is a good morning pause to get me in the mood to take on the day. From there, I will go to the gym to get my mind active and in a competitive spirit — I’m very competitive and I love winning, so this is the best way to start! Once I get to the office, I do two things:

2. Do you have a set of processes to manage your time effectively?

I tend to review my calendar on the way to work, and then try to cancel two meetings. As an executive in a fast-growing startup, my calendar can get filled quickly, so I try to prioritize and see where I can — and cannot — provide value to those I work with. If I don’t need to be in a meeting, I’ll delete it. It’s also important to teach others to do the same in a diplomatic way. As the company grows, we have to continue to be lean and operationally efficient, and meetings are the public enemy #1 of efficiency.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important personal traits required to manage a team successfully?

Good question. On a personal level, likability and sense of humour are key for colleagues — makes the work environment a better place to be. Along the same lines, I like to hire people who care about others. On a professional CSM level, I look at a few key qualities:

4. When investing in yourself, how do you go by it?

For Customer Success and Sales, I network and discuss the industry with people I know and trust. I don’t read much, and I don’t attend too many conferences. For personal development, I tend to find outlets in my personal life: travel, soccer, fitness, wine, and family… that’s all I need for a good life.

5. Is there a book you believe should be in every CSM’s shelf?

The two books that I have taken the most from are:

6. Do you have any specific advice for new CSMs or to someone wanting to move into Customer Success?

I would say that the best way is to jump right in, or get some informational interviews in the works. Anyone from any professional background can apply their skills to Customer Success.

1. What morning habits or routines are essential to you?

At the start of each week I create a “To-Do” list and typically split this into three sections, “Must Do”, “Important” & “Non-Time Critical”. Items regularly shift between the different sections as new events unfold however the “Must Do’s” section is typically a much shorter list of high priority items (otherwise everything becomes “must do”) so that I can give them the relevant attention. I also find having my “To-Do” items hand-written on a whiteboard next to my desk a great visual aid to keep me on track and always get a sense of achievement when I remove an item (much more satisfying than simply electronically deleting a line or clicking a check-list).

I also find regular fresh air and exercise is incredibly valuable in helping me maintain high productivity levels. I try to work-out every day (I don’t always succeed!) and my two-year old Cockapoo, Poppy (who is wrapped around my feet as I type this) gets at least an one-hour walk/run every day — not much fun in the wind and rain but thankfully the sun is finally back shining in London!

2. Do you have a set of processes to manage your time effectively?

Effective time management is an absolutely critical skill that I have developed throughout my career, however you never master it, you need to continually work at it to avoid “spinning too many plates”, working out-of-hours, stress and eventual burn-out. Attending and participating in what can seem like an endless number of meetings has been one of my biggest challenges and can cause chaos to your schedule; here are some of the most effective lessons/tips that I have learned to help remain productive:

3. In your opinion, what are the most important personal traits required to manage a team successfully?

There are a multitude of answers to this question but I will focus on a small number fundamental traits that I consider to be the most important:

Once you have the right people on board, your role as a manager is a simple one:

4. Do you have any specific advice for new CSMs or to someone wanting to move into Customer Success?

When I look to bring new people onto a Customer Success team there are some raw attributes that I look for. Sure, relevant experience, skills and technical know-how are important but in many cases, this can be taught or improved over time. The key attribute (or “X-Factor”) in any Customer Success professional that I seek is something I cannot teach — giving a damn about the customer. This attribute sounds simple (and many claim to have it) but in my experience, is becoming increasingly elusive to find. I have interviewed hundreds of people during my career and some of my worst hiring mistakes are where I have ignored what my intuition is telling me and gone by experience and skill-set alone.

Once I believe I have the right mix of X-Factor and skill-set/experience, I ask potential team-members to showcase their communication skills. Being an effective business communicator (through verbal and written means) is vitally important in building credibility with customers and in the age of texts, tweets and status updates is becoming an ever increasingly rare talent. Candidates are asked to give a presentation on what they believe is important about Customer Success (so I can get a sense of their own beliefs) and provide examples of a project plan that they have created. This helps ensure that the key customer engagement messages will be effectively delivered!

Every morning it’s absolutely essential to have my juice at home. When I get to the office, I simply turn on my computer, pick up my favourite tea and walk around the office. This to greet everyone and get a feeling of what is going on.

2. Do you have a set of processes to manage your time effectively?

Absolutely! In regards to managing meetings and the calendar:

When it comes to communication, I prefer doing it personally. It’s difficult to do it with the satellite offices but in general helps me conveying better what I want to transmit. The different teams are aligned using Office 365 Planner as it helps to make progress on the cross-functional initiatives.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important personal traits required to manage a team successfully?

4. When investing in yourself, how do you go by it?

I regularly read credible newspapers and industry literature. On books, I usually dive into business and management books. Blogs and LinkedIn connections are also a great source for quality content. Being well connected internally helps me understand the status quo and learn from experienced people.

5. Is there a book you would recommend to a CSM or to any other professional?

6. Do you have any specific advice for new CSMs or to someone wanting to move into Customer Success?

Most of the time we are discussing problems, bugs, and failures with our teams. It is important we are able to handle negative situations and turn them into something positive. Being solution oriented but not over-promising. It’s better to recognise that you don’t know something but prevailing the idea to the customer that you are resourceful — in getting things done and retrieving the desired outcome in a timely manner — keep your word. Be authentic and a good listener. It’s important the customer can feel you are the right person to help them to become successful after the sale.

Strong coffee, a full breakfast and cold showers are essential to my morning routine. I also use positive self affirmations to prepare my mind for the challenges of the day. These things help me to get into a resourceful state.

2. Do you have a set of processes to manage your time effectively?

There are a number of processes that I return to regularly that have helped me manage my time.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important personal traits required to manage a team successfully?

4. When investing in yourself, how do you go by it?

I built an extensive bookmarks list of content related to success, management and SaaS in my browser. This includes content I discover myself as well as recommendations from colleagues and thought leaders.

At ChartMogul, we have a curated Slack channel that our director of content manages. It aggregates interesting industry articles and blog posts from various sources.

As it is hard to read longer pieces while on the job, I often like to pre-download content for when I am traveling to take advantage of the offline time.

Other than reading, I gain much value from interactions with CS leaders that I respect. Understanding their attitudes, habits and thinking processes enable me to model them in my own life to produce similar results.

5. Is there a book you believe should be in every CSM’s shelf?

In my opinion, many of the best reading resources for customer success are not books but rather blogs and online guides.

6. Do you have any specific advice for new CSMs or to someone wanting to move into Customer Success?

I would focus on getting any entry level job in customer service. This will help to build skills that are important for getting one’s first job in customer success. If you look at resumes of customer success professionals, you will find that most of them have transitioned from jobs that gave them enough related skills to be successful as a CSM. Some have a sales background, some worked in account management and some like myself have worked in technical customer support.

Further, I would recommend attending customer success meetups regularly to build a network. At such meetups, one can interact with thought leaders and also find a mentor that can provide guidance.

It’s very difficult to wrap up after such great insights, but a sure way to improve ourselves and create harmony in our life is simply becoming more self-aware and seeking a lifelong journey of learning.

All the best,

Vitor L.

Perks of Hiring a Logo Designing Firm

Habits and Routines of CS Leaders and Strategists

Customer Success Series

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