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Customer Journey Tech

Manager​

A great SaaS CSM focuses on five core activities: creating and tracking customer health, running outcome‑driven projects, driving renewals and upsells, escalating customer value (testimonials, referrals, case studies), and serving as the internal “voice of the customer.”[1]

  1. Create a Health Score
  2. Run outcome‑focused projects
  3. Drive renewals and upsells
  4. Escalate customer value
  5. Be the voice of the customer

Create a health score​

A CSM should define and maintain a health score that captures activation, engagement, and usage patterns so each account can be classified as red, yellow, green, or even “purple” (highly referenceable). This lets the team quickly see which customers are at risk and trigger specific playbooks to rescue or grow them.[1]

Run outcome‑focused projects​

Instead of just reacting to tickets, the CSM treats each customer like a project with a clear desired business outcome, timelines, and milestones. This includes managing implementation and adoption, unblocking friction, and ensuring the product is configured around the customer’s specific goals.[1]

Drive renewals and upsells​

A key activity is owning a structured “land and expand” motion: preparing a renewal path (especially in the last 90 days of the term) and continually looking for expansion opportunities. The expectation is that smart CSM work generates a strong ROI by increasing retention and expansion revenue relative to the cost of the role.[1]

Escalate customer value​

The CSM should turn happy customers into assets by asking for testimonials, referrals, case studies, and participation in content such as webinars or conferences. Moving customers from simply “successful” to “purple” advocates amplifies sales efficiency and reduces the net impact of churn.[1]

Be the voice of the customer​

Finally, the CSM represents customer needs and friction points inside product and leadership discussions. By feeding structured feedback from deployments and day‑to‑day usage into the product roadmap, they help the company fix issues that limit adoption and unlock new value.[1]