Customer Success Manager Interview Questions

Ok, I’ll admit it: I have a funky obsession with lurking Customer Success job ads. There … I said it. Acceptance is half the battle, right? But … There’s method to my madness: I’m watching the expansion of the Customer Success profession.

 

This time last year, I think that a search on LinkedIn for “Customer Success Management” roles rendered around 100 results. Today, I can perform the same search and find double the open requisitions. Opportunities are becoming abundant if you’re a job seeker; but I think that the larger question for the SaaS world is, how do you hire great Customer Success Managers? We previously covered the Customer Success Manager Job description, so let’s talk about vetting out your respondents.

 

Questions To Ask

 

We’ll skip the basics like “What do you know about the company?” and focus on interview questions. Don’t skip the standards though, as these baseline questions speak to the preparedness of the candidate. The best types of questions to ask are situational. You can derive a lot of detail around tenacity/drive, “bed side manner,” and experience level.

 

• Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer. What triggered the situation and what was the outcome?

 

Customer Success Managers are going to have to go the extra mile for customers and it’s not always going to be rewarded immediately. You’re not just looking for customer-facing experience; you want people that will go the extra mile to delight your customers.

 

• Tell me about a time when you have had to manage a particularly nasty escalation. What was the issue and the outcome? How did you manage the situation with your client?

 

Is this candidate a problem solver who handles issues with customers directly or more of an air-traffic controller that brings in the proper resources? Both are valuable skillsets but you may value one over the other based on what stage your company is in.

 

• Share a story with me about a time that one of your customers chewed you out. What did the customer say? Why? How did you respond? And what actions did you take after that?

 

Customer Success Managers have to be able to deal with adversity in a professional and productive manner. Not all situations with clients will have a happy ending. You don’t just want a punching bag. The actions they take to address this issue speaks volumes about how well they’d do in the Customer Success Manager role. It also speaks to the applicant’s ability to operate under pressure.

 

• What are the metrics you have owned in your past? Are your customers happy? How do you know this? What’s your average (Net Promoter®, customer satisfaction, etc.) score for your customers?

 

Customer Success has to own some kind of a number. This can include net churn, NPS®, customer satisfaction, upsells, revenue (or not), or a variety of other metrics. The candidate must be able to speak about what their metrics mean and how they positively drive their numbers.

 

• What’s the largest renewal (ARR) that you were involved in? What amount of time did it take? Who did you have to get involved?

 

Customer Success Managers need to understand the financial impact they have on the company and articulate their process. If they’re not responsible for revenue, Customer Success Managers must know how to properly coordinate the handoff for upsells and cross-sells.

 

• Do you know what a QBR is? If yes, what’s your process? If you haven’t performed one before can you give me an idea on, how would you approach performing a QBR?

 

Quarterly Business Reviews are critical because these convey the value your product is delivering back to the organization and set the stage for expansion. If you’ve been a Customer Success Manager, you should already have a process that you can explain. If you haven’t done this before, seeing how they would approach a QBR provides useful insight into the candidate’s mindset.

 

• Tell me a time when you realized there was a product mismatch? How did you handle this?

 

It’s very easy to love the customer to death when things are going right but how does the candidate react when there are serious problems? Customer Success often acts as the glue for relationships, even if there are problems with the product fit. An ideal candidate will take this dissatisfaction information and channel it back into their organization to get the customer to a good place. Not all product mismatches can be saved but ending the relationship amicably can set the stage for future business opportunities.

 

• Tell me about a time an Executive Sponsor left. What did you do?

 

This happens quite often and it can cut many relationships off at the knees unless proper actions are taken. Your ideal candidate should have an escalations process in mind for this scenario and understands the requirement for looping in the proper resources to make the save. Additionally, they’ll be continually building relationships with power users and other stakeholders in the company so that one person leaving won’t sever the relationship.

 

• What are your career ambitions? How does this role help you get there?

 

You’re not just hiring for the next month, quarter or year. You want Customer Success Managers who will be there for years and who can potentially evolve into leaders. Make sure the role aligns with the candidate’s professional ambitions.