I was speaking with a colleague sharing #SaaS platform experiences and she asked me an important question about support roles in relation to a customer service manager and sales.
It's an interesting question because the vantage of the respondent shapes the answer. CSMs are not customer support. However, if a SaaS client is in an environment that lacks a responsive escalation process to ensure customer workflow continuity, then the #csm is no longer the CSM but the unofficial escalation point.
Do CSMs need to be product experts?
My assertion is CSMs need to know the visionary philosophies of both the client and the product developer.
My thinking is that when it comes to the CSM role, it can be narrowed down to three simple questions.
1. Does the product provide the workflow that you need?
2. Does the product provide the workflow that you want?
3. Does the product provide the workflow you deserve?
A CSM should be capable of answering the first two questions. The last question is up to the customer with regard to the subscription level. With that in mind, I think it's important for CSMs to have a good understanding of the product they're working with as well as the client's particular vertical to understand the desired workflows.
The goal on both ends is better results.
CSMs do not need to be product experts. They should have enough understanding to speak to the product's capabilities in relation to support tools and #sales, as well as see where the product might fall short for any particular client. This is not always easy given the vastness and complexity of most SaaS platforms on the market.
Long gone are the days of persistent stability in the platforms used to generate revenue. Their lack of dynamic agility, not to forget their lack of modern security, led us to SaaS.
While their lack of agility worked well in command and control cultures, engaged leader cultures demand more agility for users and clients at all product levels.
Clients do not want to work with inflexible products, but they need a modicum of stability to ensure workflows are not interrupted.
Below is a draft infographic as part of my client journey map building attempting to illustrate the dynamic SaaS conundrum of pairing #trust with #expectationmanagement in a service delivery environment. #CX#UX
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