CSM Final COPY

Question 1

o Which of the following is not one of the stages discussed in the customer lifecycle?
 Awareness
 Adoption
 Onboarding
 Expansion & Advocacy

Answer 1

Awareness

Question 2

o What is the initial Adoption phase about?
 Getting new users access to the product
 Getting new users to log in to the product for the first time
 Getting new users to start using the product in their regular workflow
 None of the above

Answer 2

Getting new users to start using the product in their regular workflow

Question 3

o During which phase does a customer reach “first value”?
 Success
 Adoption
 Expansion & Advocacy
 Onboarding

Answer 3

Success

Question 4

o Which of the following is an example of what can happen during the Expansion and Advocacy phase?
 Customer adds new licenses
 Customer purchases additional products
 Customer agrees to be featured in a case study or refer others to the company
 All of the above

Answer 4

All of the above

Question 5

o Why could a customer repeat phases of the Customer Lifecycle?
 There are features they haven’t utilized yet
 They launch new initiatives
 Their company decides to expand their use into new departments
 All of the above

Answer 5

All of the above

Question 6

o What does every great onboarding experience include?
 White glove service
 A plan
 Technical integration documents
 None of the above

Answer 6

A plan

Question 7

o The pain of what needs to be greater than the resistance to change?
 Implementation
 Losing out on new opportunities
 Status quo
 Migrating systems

Answer 7

Status quo

Question 8

o What are customers often afraid of when onboarding to a new system?
 Losing customer data
 Missing out on revenue if something goes wrong
 Disrupting their staff or their customers
 All of the above

Answer 8

All of the above

Question 9

o What is the scope of the CSM’s responsibility for the onboarding process?
 They are accountable for the overall success of onboarding, but not necessarily responsible for executing each step of the process
 They are responsible for executing each step of the process
 They are only responsible for running the kickoff call. Someone else will handle the rest.
 None of the above

Answer 9

They are accountable for the overall success of onboarding, but not necessarily responsible for executing each step of the process

Question 10

o A great onboarding experience
 Always sticks to the default plan
 Has a plan, but remains flexible to customer needs
 Follows whatever the customer wants to do
 None of the above

Answer 10

Has a plan, but remains flexible to customer needs

Question 11

o What is Amy’s motto around expectations?
 If you expect nothing, you’ll never be disappointed
 Set expectations early and often, together
 I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations
 None of the above

Answer 11

Set expectations early and often, together

Question 12

o If you believe a customer is likely to encounter a problem down the road, you should:
 Address it now
 Make note of it so you’re prepared to handle it when it comes up later
 Ignore it until it becomes a problem
 None of the above

Answer 12

Address it now

Question 13

o How should you handle situations where the customer was promised something by sales that’s unlikely to happen?
 Make sure the customer understands it was the sales rep’s fault, not yours
 Acknowledge their frustration, ask for more clarification on what they were told and communicate your commitment to get things on the right track
 Handle the objection by persuading the customer that it’s not a problem
 None of the above

Answer 13

Acknowledge their frustration, ask for more clarification on what they were told and communicate your commitment to get things on the right track

Question 14

o According to Amy, out of 100% of what you say, approximately how much do people actually hear?
 90%
 50%
 20%
 5%

Answer 14

5%

Question 15

o What are examples of topics around which you should be setting expectations with customers?
 What’s going to happen next
 When things are likely to happen
 What you need from the customer and what they should expect to get from you
 All of the above

Answer 15

All of the above

Question 16

o What does “first value” mean in the context of customer success?
 The first time the customer actually uses the product
 The first time the customer sees a return on their investment
 The first time the customer believes the product has delivered on its promise
 None of the above

Answer 16

The first time the customer believes the product has delivered on its promise

Question 17

o Software products are typically designed for:
 One specific type of customer with one specific use case
 Multiple types of customers with one specific use case
 Multiple types of customers with multiple use cases
 Any of the above can be true

Answer 17

Any of the above can be true

Question 18

o What is the #1 thing CSMs can do to maximize the chances of the customer reaching first value quickly?
 Understanding why the customer signed up in the first place and what they want to accomplish
 Getting the customer onboarded as quickly as possible
 Responding quickly to any questions from the customer
 None of the above

Answer 18

Understanding why the customer signed up in the first place and what they want to accomplish

Question 19

o How does value get delivered to customers?
 Through the product
 Through people who support the product
 Through the product and people
 None of the above

Answer 19

Through the product and people

Question 20

o A CSM can augment the value delivered through the product by:
 Helping fill the gap between the product’s current capabilities and additional capabilities desired by the customer
 Translating the value delivered by the product into a digestible format for the customer
 Consolidating customer feedback and communicating back to the rest of the company
 All of the above

Answer 20

All of the above

Question 21

o What is the top reason you should be reaching out to a customer as a CSM?
 To motivate them to take an action
 To ask if they are having a positive experience
 To ensure they renew their contract
 None of the above

Answer 21

To motivate them to take an action

Question 22

o The most effective customer outreach includes:
 A compelling story with supporting data
 Prescriptive next steps
 A reminder of why they signed up in the first place
 All of the above

Answer 22

All of the above

Question 23

o What is multi-threading?
 A term used by software engineers that refers to code stability
 Checking in with the customer multiple times per month
 Building relationships with multiple contacts within the company
 None of the above

Answer 23

Building relationships with multiple contacts within the company

Question 24

o When is asynchronous communication potentially more appropriate than asking for a meeting?
 When you need to deliver information
 When you need to reach a stakeholder that is unlikely to jump on a meeting
 When the customer indicates they would prefer this type of communication
 All of the above

Answer 24

All of the above

Question 25

o What is the first thing you should do when a customer ignores your outreach?
 Evaluate the potential reasons why your outreach is being ignored
 Assume they are going to cancel and alert your team
 Assume your contact is busy right now and try again later
 None of the above

Answer 25

Evaluate the potential reasons why your outreach is being ignored

Question 26

o Content produced or distributed by the Customer Success team to customers should be focused on:
 Product features and uses
 Industry insights
 Tips that help customers in their daily lives
 All of the above

Answer 26

All of the above

Question 27

o What does “scaled customer success” refer to?
 The process of expanding customer success beyond 1x1 interactions
 A customer success department that serves more than 100 customers
 Customer success resources that are exclusively available inside the product
 None of the above

Answer 27

The process of expanding customer success beyond 1x1 interactions

Question 28

o The customer success function was initially designed primarily to serve:
 Small business (SMB) customers
 Enterprise customers
 Both SMB and Enterprise customers
 None of the above

Answer 28

Enterprise customers

Question 29

o What’s the primary purpose of building a community?
 To build an audience that can be monetized
 To spread the word about your product or service to others
 To facilitate conversations between customers
 None of the above

Answer 29

To facilitate conversations between customers

Question 30

o What are some ways that CSMs can foster community without a defined “community strategy” at a company?
 Set up office hours on zoom
 Engage in discussions with customers on Linkedin
 Engage in customer events
 All of the above

Answer 30

All of the above

Question 31

o A company will have difficulty identifying at-risk customers if they don’t:
 Have a clear understanding of what a healthy customer looks like
 Use a customer success management software
 Call customers once per week
 All of the above

Answer 31

Have a clear understanding of what a healthy customer looks like

Question 32

o The best way to survive a crisis (site outage, etc) with your customers is:
 To ensure the customer understands that it’s not your fault
 To build a strong relationship with the customer beforehand
 To give a credit or other monetary incentive for the customer to stick around
 None of the above

Answer 32

To build a strong relationship with the customer beforehand

Question 33

o Which of the following are reasons a customer could become at-risk?
 Dissatisfaction with the product or service
 They become interested in a competitive solution
 Change in company priorities or economic conditions
 All of the above

Answer 33

All of the above

Question 34

o What’s a “give get”?
 A bargain between the company and the customer designed to get the customer to take some action
 An even exchange of value
 A refund given to an upset customer
 None of the above

Answer 34

A bargain between the company and the customer designed to get the customer to take some action

Question 35

o What’s the worst thing a CSM can do in the middle of a crisis?
 Speak up
 Shut down
 Get upset
 None of the above

Answer 35

Shut down

Question 36

o What drives the best behavior during a difficult conversation?
 Oversight from leadership
 When both sides are focused on reaching a positive outcome
 Pretending nothing is wrong
 None of the above

Answer 36

When both sides are focused on reaching a positive outcome

Question 37

o What is the best way to kick off a difficult conversation?
 Communicate your intention to get to a good place by the end of the conversation
 Ease in with some small talk
 Communicate why the other person did something wrong
 None of the above

Answer 37

Communicate your intention to get to a good place by the end of the conversation

Question 38

o If you approach someone to have a difficult conversation and they say no, you should:
 Drop it
 Communicate why it’s important and urge them to reconsider
 Ask if they’d be open to talking in a few days
 None of the above

Answer 38

Ask if they’d be open to talking in a few days

Question 39

o What is Christine’s advice to people who typically fear participating in a difficult conversation?
 Fear creates opportunity
 It’s rarely as bad you as you think it’s going to be
 Get it over with quickly
 All of the above

Answer 39

It’s rarely as bad you as you think it’s going to be

Question 40

o How do you reduce the tension between you and the other person during these conversations?
 Set expectations ahead of time so the other person understands what you’ll be discussing
 Humanize yourself. Let the other person know that it’s uncomfortable for you too.
 Communicate your desire to reach a positive outcome
 All of the above

Answer 40

All of the above

Question 41

o Which of the following is a scenario that can cause tension between sales and customer success?
 Onboarding takes a “long time”
 The CS team suggests that our solution is not a good fit for the customer, after they have already signed up
 The customer wants to cancel after interacting with the CS team
 All of the above

Answer 41

All of the above

Question 42

o What is a clawback?
 A period of time during which sales commission is taken away from the sales rep if the customer cancels
 When a customer who previously canceled comes back to purchase again
 A negative performance review
 None of the above

Answer 42

A period of time during which sales commission is taken away from the sales rep if the customer cancels

Question 43

o What is a best practice when interacting with sales?
 Assume positive intent
 Engage in conversation
 Lead with curiosity
 All of the above

Answer 43

All of the above

Question 44

o Which type of animal did Christine reference during this interview?
 A baby cow
 A puppy
 A baby chick
 None of the above

Answer 44

A baby chick

Question 45

o Why is it important to build a great relationship with sales?
 When done well, everybody wins
 It makes working at the company more enjoyable
 It helps customers achieve their outcomes
 All of the above

Answer 45

All of the above

Question 46

o What is the main point of conducting business reviews with customers?
 To ensure we understand and can help to accomplish the customer’s objectives
 To make our company look good
 To keep the customer updating on what’s happening
 All of the above

Answer 46

To ensure we understand and can help to accomplish the customer’s objectives

Question 47

o What does COR stand for?
 Customer Opportunity Review
 Customer Objectives Review
 Customer Offsite Review
 None of the above

Answer 47

Customer Objectives Review

Question 48

o How often should we run business reviews with customers?
 Quarterly
 Monthly
 Annually
 Whenever is best for the customer

Answer 48

o Answer – Whenever is best for the customer

Question 49

o What is the most common type of business review that companies do with their customers today?
 QBR
 EBR
 COR
 None of the above

Answer 49

QBR

Question 50

o Where do most companies fail when running QBRs or EBRs?
 They meet too frequently
 They spend too much time talking about themselves
 They don’t meet frequently enough
 None of the above

Answer 50

They spend too much time talking about themselves

Question 51

o When is typically the most opportune time to approach customers about potential expansion opportunities?
 Mid quarter
 During the second half of the year
 At the start or end of a quarter
 None of the above

Answer 51

At the start or end of a quarter

Question 52

o What is the best way for CSMs to surface potential expansion opportunities?
 Hunt for multiple business initiatives happening inside the company
 Keep tabs on new funding and hiring announcement
 Instruct customers to notify you at the start of each quarter whether or not they plan to add licenses or new products in the next quarter or two
 None of the above

Answer 52

Hunt for multiple business initiatives happening inside the company

Question 53

o What is the most common mistake CSMs and Account Managers make when pursuing a renewal?
 They focus on the future
 They focus on the past
 They wait too long to confirm the customer’s intent to renew
 None of the above

Answer 53

They focus on the past

Question 54

o What does “unknown, unknown” refer to?
 When customers don’t realize they have a problem and don’t know how to solve it
 When customers know they have a problem and know how to solve it
 When customers don’t know how to solve an important problem
 None of the above

Answer 54

When customers don’t realize they have a problem and don’t know how to solve it

Question 55

o What is the most common mistake CSMs and Account Managers make when pursuing expansion opportunities?
 They are too direct
 They aren’t direct enough
 They have a solution and are hunting for a problem
 None of the above

Answer 55

They have a solution and are hunting for a problem

Question 56

o According to the CSMs interviewed, every day as a CSM is:
 The same
 Different
 A struggle
 None of the above

Answer 56

Different

Question 57

o When things go wrong, either at the product level or the company level, a CSM should:
 Be ready to counter any customer objection or complaint
 Understand when to take responsibility and when to shift responsibility to someone else
 Own it, whether you did anything wrong or not
 None of the above

Answer 57

Own it, whether you did anything wrong or not

Question 58

o A great CSM
 Is curious and always searches for additional knowledge
 Knows everything there is to know about customer success
 Always has the answer
 All of the above

Answer 58

Is curious and always searches for additional knowledge

Question 59

o Which of the following are tech platforms you will likely need to know how to use as a CSM:
 A CRM (e.g. Hubspot, Salesforce)
 Office Suite (e.g. G Suite, Microsoft Office)
 Customer Success Platforms (e.g. Gainsight, ClientSuccess)
 All of the above

Answer 59

All of the above

Question 60

o According to the CSMs interviewed, the most difficult part of being a CSM can be:
 Keeping up with product development
 Working with people every day
 Getting a customer to change their perspective
 All of the above

Answer 60

All of the above

Question 61

o Which analogy does Elizabeth use to describe the CSM’s role in the customer journey?
 The captain
 The quarterback
 The point guard
 None of the above

Answer 61

The quarterback

Question 62

o What are the benefits of becoming an expert in your company’s product(s)?
 It instills confidence with your customers
 You become an asset for the rest of the company
 You will be better positioned to earn a promotion or compensation increase at the company
 All of the above

Answer 62

All of the above

Question 63

o Which of the following is not typically included in a customer health score?
 How much the customer is paying
 How frequently the customer calls into support
 How often the customer is logging into the product
 None of the above

Answer 63

How much the customer is paying

Question 64

o Top performing CSMs
 Are strategic thinkers
 Have empathy
 Are product-focused
 All of the above

Answer 64

All of the above

Question 65

o The primary job of the CSM is to bring all of the company’s resources to bear in order to:
 Prevent customers from canceling
 Encourage customers to spend more money with the company
 Deliver on the promises made to the customer during the sales process
 All of the above

Answer 65

Deliver on the promises made to the customer during the sales process

Question 66

o What’s the difference between customer support and customer success?
 Customer support is proactive, and customer success is reactive
 Customer support is reactive, and customer success is proactive
 Customer support roles typically pay more than customer success roles
 None of the above

Answer 66

Customer support is reactive, and customer success is proactive

Question 67

o A CSM’s job duties typically include:
 Providing training to customers
 Holding meetings with customers
 Guiding customers towards their strategic objectives
 All of the above

Answer 67

All of the above

Question 68

o Which of the following is a benefit of working inside an early-stage startup for your first customer success role?
 You are more likely to specialize in one piece of the customer journey and will learn to do it well
 You are more likely to gain exposure to the entire customer journey and learn which pieces of the customer journey you are most interested in supporting
 Your career will grow faster
 All of the above

Answer 68

You are more likely to gain exposure to the entire customer journey and learn which pieces of the customer journey you are most interested in supporting

Question 69

o What is the most underrated benefit of working in customer support?
 Support reps can identify trends and themes within the customer base due to the volume of conversations they are having with customers
 Fixed hours
 The pay is better than you think
 None of the above

Answer 69

Support reps can identify trends and themes within the customer base due to the volume of conversations they are having with customers

Question 70

o A CSM role can be a gateway to which of the following positions?
 Customer Success Team Lead
 Director / VP / Chief Customer Officer
 Chief Operating Officer or Chief Executive Officer
 All of the above

Answer 70

All of the above

Question 71

o What does LTV refer to?
 The total dollar amount a customer will spend with your company over time
 The length of time a customer will remain a customer
 The level of customer satisfaction
 None of the above

Answer 71

The total dollar amount a customer will spend with your company over time

Question 72

o What does churn mean?
 The company has lost a customer
 The company has lost some revenue from a customer
 The company has lost a customer or has lost some revenue from a customer
 None of the above

Answer 72

The company has lost a customer or has lost some revenue from a customer

Question 73

o What does MRR or ARR stand for?
 Monthly or Annual Recurring Revenue
 Monthly or Annual Revenue Results
 Monthly or Annual Revenue Recognition
 None of the above

Answer 73

Monthly or Annual Recurring Revenue

Question 74

o What is the typical relationship between MRR, churn and LTV?
 They aren’t related
 LTV = Average MRR * Churn %
 LTV = Average MRR / Churn %
 None of the above

Answer 74

LTV = Average MRR / Churn %

Question 75

o Why should CSMs care about SaaS metrics?
 Unhealthy SaaS metrics put your company at risk
 Unhealthy SaaS metrics put your job at risk
 Understanding SaaS metrics will help you have better conversations with company leaders and with your customers
 All of the above

Answer 75

All of the above