A 30-Day Checklist for Success in a Senior SaaS Role

Taking on a senior role in the SaaS industry involves understanding and integrating into the company's existing framework while becoming the voice of the customer. Here’s a comprehensive checklist to guide you through the first 30 days:

Disclaimer:

Focus on observation rather than immediate action. Make notes, attend meetings, and understand the status quo before implementing changes.

Checklist:

1. Understand the Customers’ Intention & Journey

• Objective: Grasp why customers choose your SaaS product and how it fits into their business needs.
• Actions:
  • Study customer behavior during onboarding, implementation, and success stages.
  • Shadow three types of accounts: a new account, an old account with a good health score, and an old account with a questionable health score.

2. Review the Current Org Structure

• Objective: Understand the reporting and functional structure of the organization to forecast better.
• Actions:
  • Identify vertical and horizontal pods, especially those with customer interfaces.
  • Observe pod functionalities, daily routines, documentation formats, and escalation methods.
  • Draft the current org structure from a utility standpoint, noting who owns critical pieces of Customer Success (CS) and who can make decisions in a crisis.

3. Map the CS-Customer Information Inflow

• Objective: Track the customer journey post-signing.
• Actions:
  • Observe key milestones: kickoff, team assignments, project plans, implementation phases, escalation matrices, Scope of Work (SoW) for each module, policy solutions, product requests, support delegation, health reviews, renewal negotiations, upsell opportunities, churn management, offboarding, and collectables.
  • Review tools, dashboards, sheets, and charters that capture these milestones.

4. Look at Your Teams’ Allocation Logic

• Objective: Understand how work allocation is managed within teams.
• Actions:
  • Observe team cadences to see allocation methods (e.g., team size, location, customer segment, revenue, potential, relationships, project complexity).
  • Evaluate the logic behind these methods and suggest changes only if the current logic is ineffective.

5. Align on the CS Metrics That Matter

• Objective: Identify and align key metrics for Customer Success.
• Actions:
  • Focus on metrics like NPS, CSAT, average duration, resolution TATs, upsells, renewal rates, churn, ticket volume, and escalations.
  • Create an executive summary of these key metrics and analyze them as an outsider.

6. Review All Collateral That the Customer Sees/Uses

• Objective: Ensure accuracy and ease of access for all customer-facing materials.
• Actions:
  • Review every piece of customer documentation, from welcome emails to tool tabs.
  • Subscribe to receive all customer communication triggers and read them from the customer’s perspective.

7. Review All Collateral That the Internal Team Works With

• Objective: Ensure internal tools and documents are efficient and integrated.
• Actions:
  • Review primary tools for data, communication, and archival used by different functions.
  • Check the health of integrations between these tools to prevent context creep.

8. Shadow a New Account from Sign-Up to Handover

• Objective: Observe the entire customer journey in action.
• Actions:
  • Actively participate in calls, introduce yourself, support your team, and assure seamless delivery to customers.

9. Meet Customers — In-Person and Online

• Objective: Understand the different customer personas and their motivations.
• Actions:
  • Meet admin users, end users, decision makers, influencers, and champions.
  • Ask why they chose your product and what their success metrics are.

10. Meet the CS Collaborators: Your Company’s CXOs and Their -1s

• Objective: Build relationships with key internal stakeholders.
• Actions:
  • Discuss your intentions and set the groundwork for collaboration.
  • Review previous Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to understand each function's problems and opportunities.

Conclusion

By following these steps with a rational outlook and the curiosity of a learner, you’ll be well-prepared to solve problems and drive success in your new role. Good luck!

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