Customer Success

Guide founders from reactive support to proactive customer success—from first customers through building a scalable CS organization.

Reference Files

• references/onboarding.md — Onboarding flows, email sequences, activation checklists
• references/churn-prevention.md — Churn analysis frameworks, intervention playbooks, exit surveys
• references/nps-csat.md — NPS/CSAT survey templates, follow-up workflows, benchmarks
• references/health-scoring.md — Health score models, risk indicators, early warning systems
• references/support-processes.md — Support ticketing, escalation paths, QBR templates

Workflow

1. Diagnose Stage & Need

Ask: "Where are you in your customer success journey?"

Primary Need Identification:

2. Onboarding

Transform new customers into successful, activated users. See references/onboarding.md for complete templates.

Onboarding Framework

The Goal: Deliver first value as fast as possible.

Signup → First Value Moment → Habit Formation → Expansion
         (Time-to-value)       (Stickiness)      (Growth)

Define Your Activation Moment:

Onboarding Stages

Stage-Appropriate Onboarding

Early-Stage (Manual, High-Touch):

• Personal welcome call for every customer
• White-glove setup assistance
• Direct founder/CEO communication
• Learn what customers actually need

Growth (Hybrid):

• Self-serve for SMB, high-touch for enterprise
• Automated email sequences with personal check-ins
• In-app guidance (tooltips, checklists)
• Segment by customer size/value

Scale (Automated with Exceptions):

• Fully automated self-serve onboarding
• Tech-touch for most, high-touch for strategic accounts
• CSM assignment based on ARR threshold
• Onboarding metrics dashboard

Onboarding Email Sequence

Onboarding Metrics

3. Churn Prevention

Stop customers before they leave. See references/churn-prevention.md for intervention playbooks.

Understanding Churn

Types of Churn:

Churn Timing Patterns:

Churn Analysis Framework

Step 1: Calculate Churn Rate

Monthly Logo Churn = Customers lost / Customers at start of month
Monthly Revenue Churn = MRR lost / MRR at start of month
Net Revenue Retention = (MRR at end + expansion - churn) / MRR at start

Step 2: Segment Churn

Analyze churn by:

• Customer segment (SMB/Mid/Enterprise)
• Tenure (first 90 days vs. established)
• Acquisition channel
• Plan type
• Use case / vertical

Step 3: Identify Patterns

Churn Intervention Playbook

Exit Survey

When customers churn, learn why:

Exit Survey Questions:

1. What was your primary reason for canceling? (Required, single select)
   • Found a better alternative
   • Too expensive
   • Missing features we needed
   • Didn't use it enough
   • Poor customer support
   • Company/budget changes
   • Other
2. What could we have done differently? (Optional, open text)
3. Would you consider us again in the future? (Required, Yes/No/Maybe)
4. How likely are you to recommend us to others? (NPS scale)

4. NPS & CSAT

Measure and improve customer satisfaction. See references/nps-csat.md for survey templates.

NPS (Net Promoter Score)

The Question:

"On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend [Product] to a friend or colleague?"

Scoring:

• Promoters (9-10): Loyal enthusiasts who refer others
• Passives (7-8): Satisfied but vulnerable to competition
• Detractors (0-6): Unhappy customers who can damage brand

NPS Calculation:

NPS = % Promoters - % Detractors
Range: -100 to +100

NPS Benchmarks:

B2B SaaS NPS Benchmarks:

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)

The Question:

"How satisfied are you with [specific interaction/product]?"

Scale: 1-5 or 1-7

CSAT Calculation:

CSAT = (Satisfied responses / Total responses) × 100
"Satisfied" = top 2 scores (4-5 on 5-point scale)

When to Use Each:

NPS Survey Implementation

Timing Strategy:

Follow-up Questions (by segment):

For Promoters (9-10):

"What do you love most about [Product]?" "Would you be open to leaving a review or being a reference?"

For Passives (7-8):

"What would make you rate us higher?" "What's one thing we could improve?"

For Detractors (0-6):

"We're sorry to hear that. What's the main reason for your score?" "What would it take to improve your experience?"

NPS Follow-up Workflow

5. Customer Health Scoring

Predict and prevent churn before it happens. See references/health-scoring.md for detailed models.

Health Score Components

Build a composite score from multiple signals:

Simple Health Score Model

For Early-Stage (Spreadsheet-Based):

Score Interpretation:

• 8-10: Healthy (Green)
• 5-7: Needs attention (Yellow)
• 0-4: At risk (Red)

Stage-Appropriate Health Scoring

Early-Stage (1-100 customers):

• Manual health check spreadsheet
• Gut feel + basic usage data
• Review weekly with founder
• Focus on learning patterns

Growth (100-500 customers):

• Simple scoring model in CRM
• Automated alerts for red accounts
• Weekly health review meeting
• Start documenting playbooks

Scale (500+ customers):

• Automated health scoring platform
• ML-based churn prediction
• Real-time dashboards
• Tiered response playbooks

Acting on Health Scores

6. Support Processes & QBRs

Build support systems that scale. See references/support-processes.md for templates.

Support Tier Structure

Support Metrics

QBR (Quarterly Business Review)

Purpose: Demonstrate value, align on goals, identify expansion.

QBR Agenda (60 min):

QBR Preparation Checklist:

• Usage data and trends pulled
• ROI/value metrics calculated
• Support ticket summary reviewed
• Renewal date confirmed
• Expansion opportunities identified
• Stakeholder list updated
• Previous QBR action items reviewed

When to Start QBRs

7. Building a CS Team

When to Hire First CSM:

• 50+ customers
• Founder can't personally manage all relationships
• Churn is becoming a problem
• Clear patterns in what makes customers successful

CSM-to-Account Ratios:

First CS Hire Profile:

• Previous startup experience at similar stage
• Can build process, not just follow it
• Strong communication + empathy
• Comfortable with ambiguity
• Technical enough to understand product

Deliverables

1. Onboarding Email Sequence

Create using docx skill:

• 6-8 email sequence with timing
• Subject lines and body copy
• Personalization placeholders
• Success metrics to track

2. Onboarding Checklist

Create using xlsx skill:

• Step-by-step activation checklist
• Owner assignments
• Timeline targets
• Completion tracking

3. Churn Analysis Framework

Create as markdown:

• Churn calculation formulas
• Segmentation dimensions
• Analysis template
• Intervention triggers

4. NPS Survey + Workflow

Create using docx skill:

• Survey questions
• Follow-up sequences by segment
• Response SLAs
• Reporting template

5. Customer Health Scorecard

Create using xlsx skill:

• Scoring dimensions and weights
• Red/yellow/green thresholds
• Account list with scores
• Action triggers

6. QBR Template

Create using pptx skill:

• 8-10 slide deck template
• Agenda and discussion guide
• Metrics dashboard slide
• Action plan format

7. Support Process Document

Create using docx skill:

• Tier definitions and escalation paths
• Response time SLAs
• Ticket categorization
• Metrics and reporting

Anti-Patterns

Onboarding Mistakes:

• No defined activation moment (unclear success)
• Same onboarding for all customers (one-size-fits-none)
• Too many emails too fast (overwhelm)
• No measurement (can't improve what you don't track)

Churn Prevention Mistakes:

• Reactive only (waiting for cancellation request)
• Not segmenting churn (treating all churn the same)
• No exit interviews (missing root causes)
• Focusing on save rate, not prevention

NPS Mistakes:

• Survey fatigue (too frequent)
• No follow-up on responses (especially detractors)
• Gaming the score (only surveying happy customers)
• NPS as only metric (missing context)

Health Score Mistakes:

• Too complex initially (analysis paralysis)
• Not acting on scores (dashboard without action)
• Static thresholds (not updating as you learn)
• Missing qualitative signals (relationship quality)

Support Mistakes:

• No SLAs defined (inconsistent experience)
• No escalation path (tickets stuck in limbo)
• Not connecting support to product (missing feedback loop)
• Measuring volume, not quality

Integration with Other Skills

• Use product skill for feature prioritization from CS feedback
• Use growth-analytics skill for retention metrics and cohort analysis
• Use sales skill for handoff process from sales to CS
• Use operations skill for CS team OKRs and hiring
• Use business-model skill for LTV/CAC and expansion revenue
• Use docx skill for process documentation and playbooks
• Use xlsx skill for health scorecards and metrics tracking
• Use pptx skill for QBR decks

Adapted from Linas Beliūnas's The One-Person Unicorn founder skill set.