1. Customer Lifecycle Mapping

1. Ask the user about their current customer journey from sale to renewal—what touchpoints exist, who owns each stage, and where do customers struggle?
   • Example: "Map your customer journey: Sale → Onboarding → Adoption → Renewal. What happens at each stage, and where do customers get stuck or churned?"
2. Ask the user about success metrics—what does "successful customer" look like in terms of usage, outcomes, or satisfaction?
   • Example: "How do you define customer success—product adoption levels, business outcomes achieved, NPS score, or renewal likelihood?"
3. Ask the user about current support capacity—team size, support channels, response times, and volume handled.
   • Example: "What's your support setup—team size, email/chat/phone channels, current ticket volume, and average response time?"
4. Ask the user about common customer issues—why do customers need help, what causes confusion, and what drives churn?
   • Example: "What are your top 10 support issues, common onboarding stumbling blocks, and main reasons customers cancel or don't renew?"

2. Onboarding Workflow Design

Phase 1: Handoff from Sales (Day 0-1)

• Sales-to-CS handoff: Documented expectations, promised outcomes, special considerations
• Welcome email: Personal intro from CS manager, what to expect, next steps
• Account setup: Technical provisioning, access credentials, initial configuration
• Goal: Smooth transition, customer feels supported immediately

Phase 2: Quick Wins (Week 1)

• Kickoff call: Confirm goals, set expectations, timeline overview
• Initial configuration: Core setup tailored to their use case
• First value delivery: Achieve one small win quickly (activation milestone)
• Check-in: Ensure they're not blocked, answer initial questions
• Goal: Early momentum, prove value fast

Phase 3: Adoption (Weeks 2-4)

• Training sessions: Core features, best practices, advanced capabilities
• Use case implementation: Help apply product to their specific workflows
• Adoption tracking: Monitor usage, identify lagging engagement
• Proactive outreach: If usage drops, reach out before they disengage
• Goal: Daily active usage, integrated into workflows

Phase 4: Optimization (Months 2-3)

• Business review: Assess results achieved, ROI discussion
• Advanced features: Introduce power-user capabilities
• Expansion opportunity: Identify upsell fit (more seats, higher tier)
• Success planning: Define next 90-day goals
• Goal: Deep product mastery, measurable business impact

Phase 5: Advocacy (Month 4+)

• Case study/testimonial request: Document their success
• Referral program introduction: Turn them into advocates
• Community engagement: Connect with other customers
• Renewal prep: Early conversations about extending partnership
• Goal: Customer becomes champion and renews

3. Support Workflow Optimization

Tier 1 - Self-Service:

• Knowledge base: FAQs, how-to articles, video tutorials
• In-app guidance: Tooltips, walkthroughs, contextual help
• Community forum: Peer-to-peer support, crowdsourced answers
• Chatbot: Handle common questions, route complex issues
• Goal: Deflect 40-60% of tickets, instant answers

Tier 2 - Standard Support:

• Email/chat support: For issues requiring human help
• Response SLA: 24-hour response, 48-hour resolution target
• Ticket triaging: Route to right team member based on complexity
• Standard workflows: Playbooks for common issues
• Goal: Efficient resolution, scalable support

Tier 3 - High-Touch:

• Dedicated CSM: For high-value or complex customers
• Proactive monitoring: Catch issues before customer reports them
• Strategic planning: Regular business reviews, goal setting
• Priority support: Faster response, escalation path
• Goal: Retain and expand key accounts

Escalation Framework:

• When to escalate: Technical issues, at-risk customers, feature requests
• Who to escalate to: Product team, engineering, senior leadership
• How to track: Escalation log, resolution ownership, follow-up

4. Automation & Efficiency

Automated Workflows:

• Onboarding drip sequences: Timed emails guiding through setup
• Usage-triggered messages: "We noticed you haven't used X feature—here's how"
• Milestone celebrations: "You hit 100 widgets created—nice work!"
• Renewal reminders: Automated sequence starting 90 days before renewal
• Churn risk alerts: Flag accounts with declining usage or negative sentiment

Playbook Automation:

• Common issue resolutions: Templated responses, canned macros
• Configuration guides: Step-by-step checklists for setup tasks
• Training resources: Library of videos, docs, worksheets
• Health scoring: Automated customer health score based on usage + sentiment

Efficiency Tools:

• CRM/CS platform: Centralized customer data, communication history
• Screen sharing/co-browsing: For technical troubleshooting
• Analytics dashboard: Track customer health, adoption, engagement
• Feedback collection: NPS surveys, feature voting, feedback forms

5. Success Metrics & Monitoring

Customer Health Metrics:

• Product usage: Login frequency, feature adoption, active users
• Engagement: Support interactions, training attendance, community participation
• Satisfaction: NPS, CSAT scores, survey responses
• Business outcomes: ROI achieved, goals met, success milestones
• Overall health score: Composite of above metrics (Green/Yellow/Red)

CS Team Metrics:

• Onboarding completion rate and time-to-value
• Support response and resolution times
• Customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores
• Churn rate and retention rate
• Net revenue retention (expansion - churn)
• Customer lifetime value

Process Deliverables:

• Complete onboarding workflow documentation with timing, owners, and deliverables
• Support tier definitions and routing logic
• Playbook library for common scenarios
• Automation sequence setups (email drips, in-app messages, alerts)
• Health scoring model and monitoring dashboard requirements
• Team capacity planning based on customer volume projections

Present end-to-end customer success workflow with scalable processes, automation opportunities, and clear metrics for tracking effectiveness.