820-605 Cisco Customer Success Manager Questions and Answers

 The best outcome a Customer Success Manager can achieve for a customer is removing barriers so the customer achieves the fastest time to value possible from the solution they purchased. This ensures that the customer quickly realizes the benefits of their investment, leading to higher satisfaction and the potential for further expansion

The primary goals when introducing the customer to Customer Success are B, the identification of customer business outcomes, and E, the alignment of key stakeholders. These outcomes ensure that the customer success efforts are aligned with the customer’s business objectives and that all relevant parties are engaged in the success plan1.

The term for the gap between the features and functions that customers purchase and the features and functions that they use is consumption gap. This gap can indicate areas where customers may need additional support or training to fully utilize their purchase. 

A lagging indicator is a metric that reflects the success or failure after an event has occurred. In the context of customer success, an increase in the net promoter score (NPS) is a lagging indicator because it measures customer sentiment after they have experienced the product or service. 

To address the customer’s concern about the lack of insights during quarterly business reviews, it is important to focus on actionable metrics. By agreeing on a set of relevant metrics and sharing the results along with trend lines, the Customer Success Manager can provide meaningful insights and recommendations that can lead to improvements in the customer’s business processes or solution utilization. References: The practice of using data-driven insights to inform business decisions is a key component of Customer Success, ensuring that reviews are not just data presentations but strategic discussions that drive value.

The exhibit shows that Product C is facing critical issues in the ‘Implement’ stage, as indicated by the red box, and at-risk conditions in the ‘Use’ stage, as shown by the orange box. These indicators suggest that there are significant barriers preventing the successful implementation and use of Product C. Therefore, the first priority must be to identify and document these barriers to develop a plan to overcome them and ensure the product’s success. References: Best practices in customer success management and product lifecycle management.

When faced with technical support cases that negatively impact customer health scores, the Customer Success Manager should prioritize resolving the underlying issues. Ensuring the escalation to technical specialists is a critical action that facilitates a focused approach to diagnosing and resolving the connectivity problems. Technical specialists have the expertise to delve into the specifics of the cases and work towards a timely and effective resolution. References: Best practices in customer success management emphasize the importance of addressing product quality issues promptly and efficiently, leveraging the expertise of technical specialists to restore customer confidence and sentiment.

The main objective of customer success is to ensure that customers achieve the outcomes they are trying to reach with the product or service. This focus on outcomes ensures that the customer success initiatives are aligned with the customer’s goals and objectives

The correct answer is C, which highlights the shift towards subscription models in IT and the role of the Customer Success Manager (CSM) in ensuring customers achieve their business outcomes and realize value from their subscriptions. This trend is a key driver for companies to invest in Customer Success practices and roles, as the ongoing satisfaction and perceived value are critical in a subscription economy where customers have the flexibility to cancel services that do not meet their expectations

The objective of a Customer Success Manager is to solve customer problems to attain business outcomes. This involves understanding the customer’s business goals and ensuring that the solutions provided are effectively addressing their needs. 

 The metric used to determine how much should be spent to acquire a customer is the Lifetime Value (LTV). LTV helps businesses understand the long-term value of a customer, which is crucial for determining the investment in customer acquisition. 

When new company leadership is considering a competitor’s solution, it is important to hold an executive briefing to evaluate the risks associated with the proposed solution. This action allows for a strategic discussion on the implications of switching solutions and ensures that the leadership is fully informed about the potential impact on the company’s operations and goals. References: Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation1.

Creating a success story drives advocacy with customer stakeholders. Success stories showcase the value delivered to the customer and can inspire and influence other stakeholders. 

Improving operational expenditure and reducing the CO2 footprint are directly related to sustainability and cost efficiency. Sustainability focuses on long-term environmental impact, while cost efficiency relates to reducing expenses, both of which are critical to the company’s success in this context. References: Sustainability and cost management literature that aligns with organizational goals for reducing operational costs and environmental impact.

The loss of a project sponsor can significantly delay time to value. A project sponsor provides the necessary support, resources, and advocacy for a project within an organization. Without a sponsor, projects can face delays due to lack of direction, resources, and organizational support

The key driver creating the need for customer success is B, the subscription economy. In a subscription-based business model, the ongoing satisfaction and retention of customers are paramount, necessitating a dedicated focus on customer success to ensure continuous value delivery and renewal

When a customer has technical questions at an onsite Quarterly Review meeting, the appropriate action for a Customer Success Manager (CSM) is to identify potential adoption challenges related to the technical questions and schedule a meeting to address these questions. This approach ensures that the customer’s concerns are acknowledged and that a dedicated session is arranged to provide thorough answers and solutions. It also allows the CSM to prepare adequately and involve the necessary technical resources to address the customer’s needs effectively.

The type of KPI that is of most interest to Customer Success is A, business KPIs that define progress to the Business Outcome. These KPIs are crucial for tracking the effectiveness of customer success initiatives in achieving the desired business results for the customer

A common indicator of customer health is the customer satisfaction metric. It reflects the level of satisfaction customers have with a product or service, which is a key indicator of their overall health and likelihood to continue using and recommending the solution4.

Adopting a lifecycle approach with proactive reviews of service performance against predefined KPIs can help prevent disagreements over the value of delivered work. This approach ensures that both parties have a clear understanding of the expected outcomes and can address any issues before they escalate into significant disagreements. 

The desired outcome for a Customer Success Manager (CSM) to achieve for a customer is removing barriers so the customer achieves the fastest time to value possible from the purchased solution. This aligns with the CSM’s role in ensuring that customers can quickly and effectively realize the value of their investment, which is critical in a subscription-based economy where ongoing customer satisfaction is essential for retention and continued revenue streams. The CSM’s focus is on facilitating customer adoption and usage, identifying and overcoming adoption barriers, and helping customers achieve their business outcomes efficiently.

References:

•Cisco’s official page on Customer Success Manager certification1.

•Cisco Learning Network’s article on Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist2.

Targeted use cases are specific scenarios that illustrate how a product or service can be used to achieve a particular goal or solve a specific problem. They help customers understand the practical application of a solution and how it can lead to the desired outcome1.

Opportunities that can lead to customers becoming advocates include moments of success when the customer acknowledges progress and continuing results based on unexpected value. These instances demonstrate the tangible benefits of the solution and can inspire customers to share their positive experiences with others, leading to advocacy.

Two examples of leveraging data to identify a customer barrier are evaluating feedback from the customer operations team and consulting the health index. Feedback from the operations team can provide insights into operational challenges, while the health index can indicate areas where the customer may be struggling with the solution

To mitigate the risk of lack of adoption with a new leadership team, the Customer Success Manager must schedule a Quarterly Business Review with the new leadership team and review the original business case to reassess desired outcomes with them. These activities ensure alignment on expectations and provide an opportunity to address any concerns the new leadership may have67.

The two critical actions when communicating with customer executives are targeting executive priorities and focusing on the value. When engaging with executives, it’s essential to align the conversation with their strategic priorities and demonstrate how the solutions or services can help achieve those priorities. Additionally, emphasizing the value that the services or products will bring to their business is crucial. This approach helps in establishing a connection with the executives’ business objectives and showcases the direct benefits of the offerings.

References:

•Cisco’s official page on Customer Success Manager certification1.

•Cisco Customer Success Manager (DTCSM) course details2.

•Cisco blog on breaking down silos to unlock the full potential of Customer Success3.

The first step in the mitigation plan should be to engage a specialist to identify a technical solution or workaround. This is because the problem is technical in nature, and a specialist would be best equipped to quickly find a solution that allows the call center agents to resume recording calls.

When the product utilization score is not improving, a Customer Success Manager should conduct customer interviews to understand the barriers to adoption and develop a plan to address them. References: Customer success strategies that focus on aligning product capabilities with evolving business processes.

A Customer Success Manager (CSM) identifies the products and solutions purchased by a customer by baselining them with the account team. This involves reviewing the account history, understanding the customer’s current product usage, and aligning with the sales and account team to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the customer’s portfolio1.

The sources used to identify barriers include people, process, and tools. People refer to the stakeholders involved, process refers to the workflows and procedures in place, and tools refer to the technologies and resources available to support the customer success efforts

Capturing moments of success with a customer serves to recognize and celebrate the value of the engagement, reinforcing the positive impact of the solution and strengthening the relationship. References: Best practices in customer success management emphasize the importance of recognizing and documenting key achievements and milestones in the customer journey.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are directly associated with evaluating a customer outcome because they are quantifiable measures used to gauge the performance over time in terms of meeting strategic and operational goals. KPIs are crucial for assessing whether a company is on track to achieve its desired outcomes. References: Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation

The customer is in the Advocate stage. After the adoption barriers were addressed and the customer’s business goals were fulfilled, the customer’s satisfaction led them to share their positive experience with the solution in blogs and social media, advocating for the product

The Customer Success Manager should focus on the product use case that will achieve the desired outcome. This involves understanding how the software solution can be applied to enable the customer’s specific business goals and providing guidance on how to leverage the product to meet those objectives

A leading indicator of adoption in the health score is product quality. High-quality products are more likely to be adopted by users, which is reflected in the health score. References: Adoption metrics and health scores often include product quality as a key factor influencing customer satisfaction and adoption rates.

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Using a combination of tailored surveys and IT tools-based metrics allows for a comprehensive assessment of the new IT solution’s impact. Surveys provide qualitative insights into user satisfaction, while metrics offer quantitative data on usage and performance.

Two common adoption barriers are a lack of resources and the loss of a project sponsor. Both can significantly impede the adoption process; lack of resources can prevent proper implementation and use, while the loss of a project sponsor can lead to a lack of support and momentum1.

 Identifying barriers to adoption is crucial for developing strategies to overcome them and ensure successful implementation of the solution. Tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) helps in measuring the success of the Customer Success planning and in making informed decisions3.

The Customer Success Manager initially validates stakeholders during the onboarding stage34. This is a critical phase where the CSM establishes relationships with key stakeholders, understands their expectations, and begins to align the product’s capabilities with the customer’s business objectives.

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A decrease in subscription is a direct financial implication of churn, as it represents a loss of recurring revenue from customers who discontinue their service. 

A Customer Success Manager would work with a Technical Engineer to overcome a technical solution adoption barrier encountered by a customer. Technical Engineers have the expertise to address technical challenges and can provide the necessary support to resolve issues that hinder adoption5