--- name: customer-success-plan description: "Build a joint customer success plan for a specific account. Use when asked to create a success plan, joint success plan, mutual action plan, or customer onboarding plan. Produces a structured success plan with business goals, milestones, success metrics, ownership, and a 90-180 day roadmap." --- # Customer Success Plan Skill This skill produces a joint customer success plan — a living document shared between the CSM and the customer that aligns on outcomes, milestones, and mutual commitments. Output is ready to co-author with the customer in a kickoff call or QBR. ## Required Inputs Ask the user for these if not provided: - **Account name** and industry - **Product / plan purchased** - **Key stakeholders** — customer champion and economic buyer - **Customer's stated business goals** — why did they buy? What problem are they solving? - **Contract term and renewal date** - **Current onboarding stage** (new customer / expanding / post-QBR / pre-renewal) - **Seats / licenses / usage purchased** - **Any known risks** — adoption gaps, champion uncertainty, competing priorities ## Output Structure --- # Customer Success Plan: [Account Name] **Product:** [Product name / plan tier] **Contract term:** [Start date → Renewal date] **CSM:** [Name] **Customer champion:** [Name, Title] **Customer executive sponsor:** [Name, Title — if known] **Last updated:** [Date] **Status:** [Active / Under review / Completed] --- ## 1. Partnership Objectives > *What does success look like for [Account Name] at contract end?* [Write 2–3 sentences describing the customer's core objective in plain English — what they are trying to achieve in their business, not what features they are using.] **Primary business goal:** [e.g. Reduce time-to-hire by 30% across engineering teams] **Secondary goal:** [e.g. Consolidate three legacy tools into one platform, saving £X/year] **Success statement (customer's words):** "[Direct quote from champion about what success looks like — ask for this in kickoff]" --- ## 2. Success Metrics Define how both parties will measure success. Agreed in the kickoff call and tracked in QBRs. | Metric | Baseline (today) | Target | By when | Data source | |---|---|---|---|---| | [e.g. Seat utilisation] | [X%] | [≥ 80%] | [Month 3] | [Product analytics] | | [e.g. Time to hire] | [X days] | [< Y days] | [Month 6] | [Customer's ATS] | | [e.g. Reports produced/month] | [X] | [≥ Y] | [Month 3] | [Product analytics] | | [e.g. NPS] | [X] | [≥ 8] | [Month 6] | [Quarterly survey] | **Leading indicators** (early signs the plan is on track): - [e.g. 5+ users log in within the first 2 weeks] - [e.g. First workflow automated within 30 days] - [e.g. Champion presents the tool to their team by end of Month 1] --- ## 3. Milestone Roadmap Break the success journey into phases with clear milestones and owners: ### Phase 1: Onboard (Month 1) | Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status | |---|---|---|---| | Admin setup complete (SSO, permissions, data integration) | [IT contact] | [Date] | [ ] | | All purchased seats activated and users invited | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] | | Core workflow [X] configured and tested | [CSM + Champion] | [Date] | [ ] | | First training session delivered (all teams) | [CSM] | [Date] | [ ] | | Kickoff call completed and success plan co-signed | [CSM + Champion] | [Date] | [ ] | ### Phase 2: Adopt (Months 2–3) | Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status | |---|---|---|---| | [Core feature] in active daily use by ≥ X users | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] | | First business outcome achieved and documented | [Champion + CSM] | [Date] | [ ] | | 30-day check-in completed | [CSM] | [Date] | [ ] | | [Power user workflow] enabled for advanced users | [CSM] | [Date] | [ ] | ### Phase 3: Value (Months 4–6) | Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status | |---|---|---|---| | QBR 1 delivered — ROI evidence presented | [CSM + AE] | [Date] | [ ] | | Success metric [X] hit target | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] | | Expansion use case identified and introduced | [AE] | [Date] | [ ] | | Reference call or case study agreed | [Champion] | [Date] | [ ] | ### Phase 4: Renew & Expand (Months 7–12) | Milestone | Owner | Due date | Status | |---|---|---|---| | QBR 2 delivered — renewal conversation started | [CSM + AE] | [Date] | [ ] | | Renewal proposal sent | [AE] | [Date] | [ ] | | Expansion or flat renewal signed | [AE] | [Date] | [ ] | --- ## 4. Mutual Commitments Success plans work when both parties commit. Document what each side will do: **[Vendor] commits to:** - Dedicated CSM available [X days/week / by email within 24 hours] - Monthly [call / check-in / async update] with champion - QBR every [90 days] with executive summary and ROI report - Priority support for [Account] — response SLA of [X hours] for P1 issues - Roadmap preview for relevant upcoming features - [Any other specific commitment made in sales cycle] **[Account Name] commits to:** - Champion available for [30-min monthly] check-in - Users complete onboarding training by [date] - Feedback on product experience shared monthly (async or sync) - Executive sponsor participates in QBR 1 and renewal discussion - Provide outcome data to CSM quarterly for ROI tracking --- ## 5. Stakeholder Engagement Plan | Stakeholder | Role | Engagement frequency | Format | Owner | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Champion] | Day-to-day owner | Weekly (async) + Monthly (call) | Slack / Email + Zoom | CSM | | [Economic buyer] | Budget holder | Quarterly | QBR (in-person or video) | CSM + AE | | [IT contact] | Integration owner | As needed | Email | CSM | | [End users] | Active users | Training only | Group session | CSM | --- ## 6. Risk & Mitigation | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation plan | |---|---|---|---| | Low adoption in first 30 days | [M] | [H] | CSM hosts live onboarding; champion sends internal comms day 1 | | Champion changes role | [L] | [H] | Multi-thread: introduce CSM to 2 additional stakeholders by Month 2 | | Budget pressure at renewal | [M] | [H] | Build ROI case monthly; document value continuously | | Competing priorities delay rollout | [H] | [M] | Agree minimum viable adoption path with champion; don't require perfection to declare value | --- ## 7. Communication Plan | Communication | Audience | Frequency | Format | Owner | |---|---|---|---|---| | Health update | Champion | Monthly | Email summary (3 bullets: what's good, what needs attention, one ask) | CSM | | QBR | Champion + Exec | Quarterly | 45-min video call with slide deck | CSM + AE | | Product updates | Champion | As released | Release notes email | CSM | | Support status | Champion | When open tickets exist | Email / Slack | Support + CSM | --- ## 8. Escalation Path If the success plan falls off track: | Trigger | Action | Owner | Timeline | |---|---|---|---| | Health drops to Amber | Internal review + champion call within 5 days | CSM | Immediate | | Health drops to Red | CS leadership + AE looped in; escalation brief drafted | CS Manager | Within 24 hours | | Champion is unresponsive for >10 days | AE attempts exec sponsor contact | AE | After CSM attempt fails | | Adoption <40% at Month 3 | Emergency enablement session + revised milestone plan | CSM | Within 1 week of flag | --- ## Quality Checks - [ ] Success metrics are the customer's metrics — not just product usage metrics - [ ] Milestones have specific owners and due dates — not "TBD" - [ ] Mutual commitments section is genuinely mutual — not just what the vendor will do - [ ] Risk register includes champion departure and low adoption - [ ] Plan is written to be shared with the customer — no internal-only commentary in this document - [ ] Executive sponsor is identified and has an engagement role ## Example Trigger Phrases - "Build a success plan for [Account Name] who just signed" - "Create a joint success plan for our new enterprise customer" - "Write a 6-month customer success roadmap for [Company]" - "I need a mutual action plan for our QBR with [Account]" - "Generate a customer success plan for an at-risk account"