A Customer Success Manager (CSM) helps customers get the most out of their product so they achieve better results and are more likely to keep the product. Through thorough analysis and exceptional problem-solving abilities, the Customer Success Manager helps the customer gain more value from the product. This leads to higher customer satisfaction, retention, and in-product spending, which in turn benefits the company.
As such, the person filling this position can prove an immensely valuable asset to your business. That’s why you want to ensure that you hire the right candidate for the job. To do so, you need to start by asking the right Customer Success Manager interview questions as early on in the hiring process as possible. Your questions need to reveal whether the candidate has the right skills and experience to fill the position.
Examples of qualities and skills to look for when interviewing an applicant for the Customer Success Manager position include:
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to audit customer accounts and find areas for improvement.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to quickly and effectively build rapport with customers.
- Proactive self-starter who doesn’t just follow orders but who independently finds and suggests ways to improve.
Interviewing a Customer Success Manager
As soon as you’ve written and multiposted your job ad across platforms the applications from qualified candidates will (hopefully) come streaming in. Congratulations!
Now it’s time to invite the first few applicants to an initial interview. Since the lucky person to join your team will have such a large impact on your business it’s of vital importance that you ask them the right Customer Success Manager interview questions. That’s why you need to ensure that you go into the interview prepared with great questions.
Below you can find a list of helpful interview questions (and the sort of answers you’re looking for). These questions are tailored to the Customer Success Manager role and help you determine whether the candidates possess the right skills and character traits.
Bear in mind, though, that these questions are suggestions for earlier stages of the interview process and for candidates with average work experience. Depending on the level of experience you’re after these questions might be a little general.
How to open the Customer Success Manager job interview
Most candidates will be nervous about the interview. This is completely normal, but it does mean that going into the interview too hard straight away might throw them off for the remainder of the interview. Instead, we always advise you to start the interview with a few positive opening questions.
These questions don’t require any specific knowledge or preparation on the part of the interviewee, which means they should always be able to answer them. You want these interview questions to be interesting, fun, and informal. You should also try to make them open-ended so they encourage conversation.
