Get the job you want: 5 ways to nail your Customer Success Manager interview
When preparing for a Customer Success Manager (CSM) interview, knowing what to expect and being ready to demonstrate your skills and experience effectively is vital. You might have the perfect experience under your belt, but if you don’t present this correctly to your interviewer, it could cost you the job!
As a CSM, your primary responsibility will be to ensure customer satisfaction and build lasting relationships, which requires a mix of technical, interpersonal, and problem-solving abilities. Here are some essential tips for your Customer Success Manager interview preparation.
1. Understand the company and its products or services
Before going for the interview, it goes without saying to research the company and its products or services thoroughly. If you do not know basic facts about the company you’re interviewing with, it’s not a great look. Try understanding the company's mission, values, target audience, and key offerings.
This knowledge will allow you to tailor your answers to the company's needs and showcase your enthusiasm and dedication to the role. Check out their website, read about the use cases, read about the story of the founding team, and check out Crunchbase or LinkedIn to learn more about the stage of the company, whether it is a start-up or post-IPO (initial public offering).
2. Familiarize yourself with typical CSM responsibilities
A CSM's duties may vary depending on the company and industry, but some common responsibilities include the following:
Onboarding new customers
Training customers on products or services
Identifying opportunities for upselling or cross-selling
Monitoring customer usage and satisfaction
Addressing customer concerns and solving problems
Managing renewals
Be ready to speak about your experience and skills related to these tasks. Every organization has a slightly different approach to CS, depending on the stage of the company, the product, and the nature of the business model.
Here’s how you can validate whether an opportunity is right for your skillset or what you seek next. 👇
Pre-seed stage startups
Companies in this stage are likely to need CSMs who are good at acting as the extension of the product, meaning the product isn’t mature yet and is still in the development phase. So be ready to get creative! In a pre-seed startup stage, you might be the person to bridge the gap in the product. This could be an excellent opportunity if you come from a solutions or technical support background.
Before an IPO/Series B+
CSMs can guide clients toward value when a product is mature and typically provide strategic advice due to their strong communication skills and executive presence. CSMs can benefit from this as they are thought leaders in the industry, advising customers on the best way to use your products.
You might have to act as a trusted advisor and commercial point of contact for your customers at this stage, as your CS function does not necessarily have renewals and enablement functions. These CS roles appeal to you if you enjoy negotiation and objection handling.
Post IPO
In this stage of maturity, companies tend to divide account management from customer success. Therefore, CSMs can spend more time preparing customers for expansion and working with them to leverage more services, such as adding more business units.
3. Prepare to discuss relevant metrics and KPIs
This is one of the parts I see so many CSMs fail.
Ensure you are ready to provide more information about your impact in previous roles. What was your ARR retention rate? What was the rate of upsells? How much have you grown your accounts year/quarter over quarter?
As a CSM, you'll likely need to track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs). Familiarize yourself with KPIs such as customer churn rate, lifetime value, and net promoter score. Be prepared to discuss how you've used these or similar metrics to drive success in your previous roles.
Highlight your interpersonal skills
CSMs interact with customers daily, so showcasing your ability to communicate effectively, empathize with clients, and manage difficult situations is essential. Be prepared to share examples of when you've demonstrated these skills and your ability to collaborate with team members and stakeholders.
The most crucial interpersonal skills for any CSM or CS leader include the following:
Communication
Empathy
Relationship building
Active listening
Customer service
Time management
Problem-solving
Decision-making
Prepare for behavioural questions
Interviewers often ask behavioural questions to understand how you would handle specific situations. Think about instances where you've solved complex customer issues, mitigated customer churn, or turned a dissatisfied customer into a happy one. Practice explaining these situations using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses.
Some of the customer success interview questions to prepare for:
⭐ "Tell me about a challenge or conflict you faced at your past/current job. How did you handle it?"
At my previous job, one of the major challenges I faced was when a client was unhappy with implementing a software solution, citing issues with its usability and integration with their existing systems.
To address the situation, I initiated a meeting with the client to discuss their concerns in detail. I then collaborated with our development team to prioritize and address those concerns. By maintaining open communication with the client throughout the process, we delivered a more satisfactory solution, ultimately leading to a more robust, long-lasting relationship.
⭐ "Tell me about a time you had to change."
I had to adapt when our company introduced a new customer relationship management (CRM) system.
Initially, I found it challenging to transition from the old system to the new one, as it required learning a new interface and adjusting to a different way of tracking customer interactions. However, I recognized the potential benefits of the new system and dedicated time to attending training sessions and seeking help from colleagues.
Ultimately, I became proficient in the new CRM, which allowed me to manage customer relationships more effectively.
⭐ "Tell me about a time when you had to come up with a creative solution to solve a problem."
Once, a client faced a tight deadline to launch a new product, but they were having difficulties with the onboarding process.
I proposed a tailored, accelerated onboarding program by focusing on the most critical elements of the process and delivering personalized support through video conferencing and chat. This creative approach enabled the client to meet their deadline and ensured a smooth launch.
⭐ "Tell me about a time you created something from nothing."
In my previous role, I noticed that our team needed a structured process for tracking and evaluating customer feedback. I took the initiative to create a comprehensive feedback management system from scratch.
This included developing a feedback form, establishing a process for gathering and analyzing the data, and setting up regular team meetings to discuss insights and improvements. This system helped us identify areas for improvement and resulted in higher customer satisfaction.
⭐ "Tell me about your most significant achievements in your past work."
One of my most significant achievements was when I managed a high-profile client's onboarding process. They had complex requirements and a tight timeline, but I could coordinate resources, communicate effectively with the client, and ensure a successful implementation. As a result, the client became a major advocate for our company, leading to several referrals and a substantial increase in revenue.
⭐ "Tell me about the last time you failed and what happened."
During a software rollout for a client, I underestimated the training and support required for their team. As a result, the client's staff needed help with the new system, which led to delays and frustration. I took responsibility for the oversight and immediately arranged additional training and support resources. This experience taught me the importance of thoroughly assessing a client's needs and tailoring our approach to meet them.
⭐ "Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a coworker. How did you resolve it?"
I had a disagreement with a colleague regarding the prioritization of support requests from our clients. My coworker believed that all requests should be treated equally, while I believed in prioritizing based on urgency and potential impact. To resolve the conflict, we had an open and respectful discussion to understand each other's perspectives.
We ultimately agreed on a hybrid approach that combined our ideas, resulting in a more efficient and effective support process.
Check out LinkedIn interview preparation services, where they curated example answers from different roles, including customer success, to draft up your answers when preparing for your interviews.
4. Be ready to answer technical questions.
As a Customer Success Manager (CSM), your role will often involve technical and non-technical aspects. During an interview, you can expect to be asked technical questions to gauge your understanding of the company's products, technologies, and ability to troubleshoot issues. Some common technical questions that you might encounter include:
Can you describe the technology stack our company uses, and how it contributes to the success of our customers?
How would you explain our product or service to a non-technical customer in simple terms?
Can you walk us through troubleshooting a common technical issue our customers might face, step-by-step?
What's your experience with CRM platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot? How have you used these platforms to track customer success metrics?
How would you handle a situation where a customer is facing a technical issue that needs to be documented in the knowledge base?
Can you describe a time when you had to work with a technical team to resolve a customer issue? How did you collaborate with them, and what was the outcome?
How do you stay current on updates to our products or services? How do you ensure customers know these updates and can utilize them effectively?
Can you explain the difference between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS and how these concepts relate to our company's offerings?
How familiar are you with APIs, and how might you assist a customer in integrating our API into their system?
What strategies would you use to identify and prioritize product enhancements based on customer feedback?
Can you tell me about a time when you used data points to tell a story to your customer about a potential upsell or expansion opportunity?
Although you may not be expected to have a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the product or service, having a solid foundation in the relevant technologies will allow you to communicate effectively with customers and collaborate with other teams to ensure customer success.
5. Ask thoughtful questions
At the end of the interview, you'll likely have the opportunity to ask questions. Prepare a list of insightful queries demonstrating your company knowledge and interest in the role. Here are the top three Customer Success Manager questions to ask the interviewer:
What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire?
What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
What challenges do CSMs commonly face, and how can they be overcome?
All in all
Preparing for a CSM interview involves understanding the company and its offerings, showcasing your interpersonal and problem-solving skills, and being ready to discuss relevant metrics and experiences. By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to acing your Customer Success Manager interview and confidently starting your new role.
Helpful resources to check out:
How to Answer Customer Success Manager Interview Questions (with examples!)
20 Customer Success Interview Questions to Ask Your Next Candidate
Do you have questions and want to learn more about how to prepare for your interviews in customer success management? Feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin.