When customer success efforts pay off, they leave you with an interesting problem: more customers to manage, and the need to grow your team accordingly. A hurdle that customer success teams face is that of scaling from a budget and business-model standpoint, while still providing a consistent customer experience. Adding headcount linearly doesn’t work, and there’s no secret CSM-to-customer ratio. To make sure you’re neither understaffed nor inefficient, there are, however, some strategies you can follow.

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How to Scale Your Customer Success Team

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4. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
• Cost of Customer Success
• Segmentation & Programs
• Calculating Headcount
• Customer Success Roles
• Hiring Right
• Onboarding Effectively
AGENDA

5. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
COST OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS
Early Stage Mature
20% 10%
Growing
15%
Considerations:
• Implementation
• Brand Promise
• Industry
• Competition
• Expansion Opportunity
Cost of Customer Success Team as a Percentage of ARR

6. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
Average Revenue Customer Behavior Brand Promise
High ARR
$50,000+
Typical ARR
$5000-$50,000
Low ARR
<$5000
Prestige Brand,
Market Leader
Strong Service,
Good Quality
Low-Cost Brand,
Crowded Market
High-Touch
1-50 Customers/CSM
Low-Touch
50-200 Customers/CSM
Tech-Touch
200+ Customers/Program
Relationship Critical,
Strong Opportunity
Regular Interactions
Benefit Customers
Low Interaction, Light
Relationship
SEGMENTATION & PROGRAMS

7. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
CALCULATING HEADCOUNT
Top-Down Analysis
TOP DOWN:
On average, a CSM should represent $250k-$2 million* in ARR.
THE MATH:
(Choose the Appropriate ARR per CSM) / Average ARR per Customer = #
Customers per CSM
* From CEO’s Guide to 2015 Budget Planning, Mehta

8. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
CALCULATING HEADCOUNT
Bottom-Up Analysis
BOTTOM UP:
On average, a CSM should accomplish 800 activities*/month
THE MATH:
(Choose the Appropriate Monthly Activities per CSM) / Monthly
Activities per Customer = # Customers per CSM
*The Success League’s rule of thumb. This is 40 activities/day or 5/hour and includes
meetings, calls, emails and projects. Adjust lower for high-touch programs and higher for
tech-touch programs as appropriate.

9. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
CUSTOMER SUCCESS ROLES
Hiring Rules of Thumb
• 40 Different Job Activities/Role
• New Manager – Maximum 6 Direct Reports
• Experienced Manager – Maximum 12 Direct Reports
• Higher Total ARR / CSM = More Budget for Supporting Roles
• Hire Ahead of Need
Startup
•New company
•First round of funding
•CS Leader
Growth
•2nd or 3rd round of funding
•Solid business model
•CSM
•Functional Specialists
•Team Leaders
•CS Operations Leader
Maturity
•Known in the market
•Growth has stabilized
•Customer Marketing
•CS Tool Specialists
•Analyst

10. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
HIRING RIGHT
Domain
Role-specific job or
technology
background
Experience
Time in profession or
working for specific
companies
Education
Degrees, courses,
certifications or
schools
Accomplishments
Awards, accolades,
contests won or goals
achieved
Leadership
Recruiting, coaching
and management
skills
Communication
Written, verbal,
presentation and
speaking skills
Judgement
Decision-making
skills, ethics and
values
Autonomy
Self-motivation,
direction and
improvement skills
Productivity
Planning,
organization and time
management skills
Culture
Personality traits and
alignment with
mission and vision
1. Determine the ideal model for each role
2. Write job description and responsibilities from model
3. Interview for match to the model
4. Be careful about interviewing for culture fit

11. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
EFFECTIVE ONBOARDING
1. Be Thorough
• Company history and culture
• Industry and market
• Products and services
• Role and Team
• Playbook and Tools
• Other Teams
2. Make it Agile
3. Accommodate Different Learning Styles
4. Use a Variety of Training Approaches
5. Leave Time for Reflection and Social
Engagement

12. How to Scale Your Customer Success Team
KRISTEN HAYER
Founder & CEO
Kristen@TheSuccessLeague.io
CS Leadership Program Classes Include:
• Planning a Team Structure
• Hiring Top Performers
• Onboarding New CSMs
The Success League also offers consulting
engagements to help organizations build and develop
top performing customer success teams.
GETTING IN TOUCH

13. Q & A
How to Scale Your Customer Success Team

14. THANK
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How to Scale Your Customer Success Team