Martech is a team sport, and no one wins it alone. Success depends on coordination across internal teams and external partners.
A customer success manager, or CSM, is one of the most important — and often underutilized — partners for marketing technology practitioners. They play a critical role in shaping the vendor-client relationship and long-term success.
The value of customer success managers
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendors typically assign CSMs to customers for larger products and contracts. CSMs aim to help customers effectively use their product or platform so they succeed. They play a key role in ensuring customers renew, which is ideally a win-win.
They help customers work through challenges, enable users, explain product updates, integrate the product or platform with other systems, find new use cases, help with the renewal process (and explain contract items), determine return on investment (ROI) and so on.
There are several ways that CSMs can assist martech practitioners.
Partnerships
Martech stack components rarely function alone. They’re typically integrated with other systems. Sometimes, one stack component essentially determines another. For instance, the main component may have only one native integration in a category of supporting solutions (e.g., content management systems and website accessibility compliance monitoring). That integration is maintained through a partnership.
A CSM can play a key role in informing martech practitioners about how the integration evolves, making the renewal process more transparent. They can also help address confusion, as the supporting vendor has a strong incentive to maintain the broader relationship to remain a preferred partner.
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Proactive support
CSMs only succeed when their customers are happy and performant with the product or service. That gives them plenty of incentive to support their customers proactively.
As product specialists, CSMs should monitor product usage, performance and KPI metrics. Ideally, they identify issues and troubling trends before they become problems. They’re also well-positioned to notice signals customers may not realize are worth attention.
For any martech practitioner, it’s better to resolve an issue before a senior executive notices and starts asking questions. CSMs should help avoid those situations. Discussing proactive support topics should occur during regularly scheduled customer calls.
Product roadmaps
Martech platforms and products are rarely static. In fact, they need to evolve to meet new technology, trends and patterns in consumer behavior.
CSMs are valuable resources for martech practitioners to stay up to date on how a product or platform is evolving. This includes product updates as they’re rolling out and those coming in the future.
This can help an organization plan for these product updates. That may include adjusting integrations, updating terms and conditions and other public disclosures, training power users and related activities.
From the vendor’s perspective, this is critical for identifying upselling opportunities.
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Renewal preparation
In addition to accounting for product updates from a technical and operational perspective, product updates are also part of how vendors justify price increases during the renewal process.
Ideally, by keeping customers informed about product updates, CSMs help them understand the additional value the vendor is adding. When it’s time to work with account executives to renew, that work can help explain any price changes.
Granted, product updates vary in value. However, CSMs can help preempt unnecessary drama during renewals. This also gives martech practitioners time to assess whether product updates truly justify price increases, enabling them to negotiate more effectively.
Product usage
Martech tools are easy to buy but harder to use effectively. CSMs can help ensure organizations get sufficient bang for their buck.
It isn’t uncommon for organizations — and people, too — to pay for features they don’t use. There are a variety of reasons for this, including inadequate user enablement, dependencies on integrations and simple unawareness.
One of the main goals of CSMs is to ensure customer satisfaction. A critical tactic for achieving that is helping customers understand how to fully use the product or platform. Martech practitioners are obvious counterparts in this effort, and working collaboratively toward that goal is a win-win for both vendor and customer.
Customer advocate
CSMs can also serve as customer advocates. This is particularly helpful under several different circumstances.
When a customer is a minor player in the broader customer base, they may have specific needs but lack the clout to effectively advocate for them. A CSM can help explain to their employer why a seemingly small customer deserves attention.
As with any relationship, misunderstandings sometimes arise between vendor and client. Ideally, a CSM has worked closely with the customer, and when other vendor stakeholders express concerns, the CSM can help contextualize the situation. While the CSM’s allegiance is to the vendor, they can still help the customer in these cases.
CSMs with productive customer relationships may promote those customers as candidates for beta testing features. Getting early access to new features and helping shape them can offer meaningful benefits.
When a customer project involves multiple vendors, CSMs can back up the customer’s perspective with other vendors. Multiple competing vendors can’t all have their way, but their relative importance varies by circumstance. Enlisting a CSM for the central product to help persuade other vendors can be helpful.
CSMs can identify opportunities to showcase the customer. For example, they may help secure a case study in exchange for a discount or other benefits. They can also help position a customer as a leader in a particular space. CSMs can certainly make strong advocates.
Dig deeper: Customer engagement: Moving from value creation to value expansion
Turning CSMs into strategic partners
CSMs often become trusted allies who help smooth issues, advocate internally and protect long-term relationships. While their primary responsibility is to the vendor, that doesn’t stop them from supporting customer needs along the way. When martech practitioners work closely with CSMs, both sides are likely to get real, lasting value from the partnership.
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