Customer Success Strategy Checklist Template

What the Customer Success Strategy Checklist Covers

1. 1
   Phase 1

   Customer Segmentation & Ideal Customer Profile

   10 tasks

   Segmentation is the foundation of everything else in CS. Without it, every customer gets the same treatment regardless of value, risk, or need — and your CSMs cannot prioritise their time effectively.

   • Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) — the characteristics of customers who get the most value from the product and are most likely to retain, expand, and advocate
   • Document your customer segments — typically by ARR tier, company size, use case, or product plan
   • Define the CS engagement model for each segment — High Touch (dedicated CSM, regular calls), Mid Touch (pooled CSM, structured cadence), Low Touch (automated, minimal human intervention)
   • Set CSM-to-account ratios for each segment — confirm ratios are achievable with current headcount and planned growth
   • Identify your most valuable accounts — define what qualifies as a strategic account and what additional attention those accounts receive
   • Identify your highest-risk segment — small accounts with low engagement typically churn at the highest rates and require different strategies to retain
   • Confirm segment definitions are documented and shared with the full CS team
   • Confirm segments are reviewed at least annually — customer mix changes as the business grows and segments should evolve accordingly
   • Map customer segments to the sales handoff process — confirm the CS engagement model for each segment is communicated to sales before close
   • Confirm CRM fields and tagging reflect customer segments accurately
2. 2
   Phase 2

   Customer Health Scoring

   10 tasks

   • Define the components of your customer health score — typically a weighted combination of product usage, engagement, support ticket volume, NPS/CSAT, and financial signals
   • Confirm health score inputs are measurable and automatically tracked — avoid inputs that require manual CSM judgement to be reliable at scale
   • Assign weights to each health score component — confirm the weighting reflects what actually predicts retention in your customer base
   • Define health score thresholds — green (healthy), yellow (at risk), red (critical) — and document what action each threshold triggers
   • Confirm health scores are visible to all CSMs and CS leadership in the CS platform or CRM
   • Define the response playbook for each health score threshold — what happens when a customer moves from green to yellow? From yellow to red?
   • Confirm health scores are reviewed in team meetings at a defined frequency — a health score that nobody looks at is not a health score
   • Validate health score accuracy against churn data — do customers who churned show health score deterioration before they left?
   • Refine health score weighting based on validation findings — health scoring is a model that should improve over time
   • Confirm health scores are incorporated into CSM performance reviews and team OKRs
3. 3
   Phase 3

   CS Playbooks

   10 tasks

   A playbook is a documented, repeatable sequence of actions for a defined situation. Without playbooks, every CSM handles every situation differently — and your best CSM’s expertise stays with them when they leave.

   • Document the onboarding playbook — the structured process for taking a new customer from signed to live and achieving first value
   • Document the adoption playbook — the actions CSMs take at 30, 60, and 90 days to drive product adoption and habit formation
   • Document the at-risk playbook — the specific sequence of actions triggered when a customer moves to yellow or red health score
   • Document the renewal playbook — when renewal conversations start, who leads them, what is reviewed, and how risk is handled
   • Document the expansion playbook — how CSMs identify, qualify, and develop expansion opportunities within their book of business
   • Document the escalation playbook — what triggers an executive escalation, who is involved, and what the resolution process looks like
   • Document the churn save playbook — the specific actions and incentives available when a customer notifies you of intent to cancel
   • Document the advocacy playbook — how CSMs identify happy customers and convert them to case studies, references, and testimonials
   • Confirm all playbooks are accessible to the full CS team in a shared, searchable location
   • Confirm playbooks are reviewed and updated at least quarterly — a playbook that does not evolve becomes outdated faster than expected
4. 4
   Phase 4

   QBR & Executive Business Review Cadence

   10 tasks

   • Define which accounts receive formal Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) — typically high-touch accounts above a defined ARR threshold
   • Define the QBR format — agenda template, success metrics reviewed, data sources, and required attendees on both sides
   • Confirm QBRs are scheduled proactively — not reactively when the customer requests one
   • Define the preparation checklist for each QBR — what the CSM reviews before the call and what materials are prepared
   • Confirm QBR outputs are documented — action items, risks identified, expansion opportunities, and follow-up commitments
   • Define the Executive Business Review (EBR) format for strategic accounts — a more senior, strategic conversation typically held annually or bi-annually
   • Confirm executive sponsor engagement for strategic accounts — is there a regular executive-to-executive relationship beyond the CSM level?
   • Confirm check-in cadence for mid-touch and low-touch accounts — automated health check emails, product newsletters, and periodic human touchpoints
   • Track QBR completion rates by CSM and segment — confirm QBRs are actually happening on schedule
   • Gather and act on QBR feedback — what are customers consistently raising that requires a product or process response?
5. 5
   Phase 5

   Renewal & Expansion Process

   10 tasks

   • Confirm renewal conversations begin at least 90 days before contract end — not 30 days
   • Build a renewal tracking dashboard — every renewal due in the next 180 days should be visible to CS leadership with current health score and risk level
   • Define renewal risk categories — confirmed renewal, at risk, churn likely — and the action plan for each
   • Confirm the renewal process involves finance and legal where required — confirm ownership of commercial negotiations is clear
   • Document the expansion trigger framework — what signals indicate a customer is ready for an expansion conversation (usage thresholds, team growth, new use case identification)
   • Confirm expansion opportunities are tracked in the CRM with a defined pipeline stage and owner
   • Define the hand-off process between CS and Sales for expansion deals above a defined ARR threshold
   • Set NRR and GRR targets by segment — confirm CS team OKRs reflect revenue retention and expansion goals
   • Track and report NRR, GRR, and expansion ARR monthly — confirm these metrics are visible to CS leadership and the wider business
   • Conduct a quarterly renewal retrospective — which renewals were lost, what were the signals, and what earlier intervention could have changed the outcome?
6. 6
   Phase 6

   Churn Prevention & At-Risk Account Management

   10 tasks

   • Confirm at-risk accounts are formally identified and tracked — not just known informally by individual CSMs
   • Confirm the at-risk playbook is being executed consistently — review a sample of red health score accounts to confirm the playbook is being followed
   • Define the escalation threshold — at what point does an at-risk account require CS leadership or executive involvement?
   • Conduct regular at-risk account reviews in CS team meetings — confirm every at-risk account has an active owner and a documented recovery plan
   • Track churn by segment, cohort, and reason — confirm churn data is captured at the account level and rolled up for analysis
   • Conduct exit interviews or churn surveys for every churned account above a defined ARR threshold
   • Classify churn as regrettable or non-regrettable — and confirm the distinction is reflected in reporting
   • Identify the most common regrettable churn reasons — prioritise product, process, or support improvements based on churn root causes
   • Confirm win-back sequences exist for churned accounts that may be re-engaged — not all churn is permanent
   • Report churn root cause analysis to product and leadership quarterly — CS is the voice of the customer inside the business
7. 7
   Phase 7

   Voice of the Customer Programme

   10 tasks

   • Implement a regular NPS or CSAT programme — confirm the survey cadence, distribution method, and response rate targets
   • Define the response process for detractors and passives — who follows up, within what timeframe, and with what objective?
   • Implement a close-the-loop process for all survey responses — confirm no feedback goes unacknowledged
   • Track NPS and CSAT trends over time by segment and cohort — not just the overall score
   • Create a formal channel for CSMs to submit product feedback from customer conversations — confirm it reaches the product team
   • Hold regular CS-to-Product feedback sessions — ensure customer insight is systematically incorporated into the product roadmap
   • Identify and develop customer advocates — customers with high NPS and strong results who are willing to provide references, case studies, or testimonials
   • Build a formal reference programme — confirm there is a process for managing reference requests from the sales team
   • Track customer health score alongside NPS — confirm the two metrics are consistent and investigate any divergence
   • Report voice of the customer insights to the full leadership team quarterly — not just to CS
8. 8
   Phase 8

   CS Team Structure & Operations

   10 tasks

   • Define CS team roles and levels — CSM, Senior CSM, CS Manager, VP CS, CS Operations — confirm responsibilities and promotion criteria for each level
   • Confirm CSM book of business sizes are sustainable — too many accounts per CSM results in reactive firefighting regardless of strategy
   • Define CSM performance metrics — NRR, GRR, health score improvement, QBR completion, expansion pipeline — and confirm they are tracked and used in performance reviews
   • Build a CS onboarding programme for new CSMs — confirm new hires understand the product, the playbooks, the tools, and the customer base before taking on accounts
   • Confirm CS tooling is adequate — CS platform or CRM, health scoring, email automation, and project tracking
   • Define the CS team meeting cadence — weekly team standups, at-risk reviews, pipeline reviews, and retrospectives
   • Confirm the escalation path from CSM to CS leadership is clear and used consistently
   • Build a CS operations function or assign CS Ops responsibilities — data quality, tooling, reporting, and playbook maintenance should not fall on CSMs
   • Conduct quarterly CS team retrospectives — what is working, what is not, and what the team needs to improve
   • Review and update the CS strategy annually — confirm the strategy reflects the current product, customer mix, and business goals