#2-The CS Lifecycle
Table Of Content
1. Introduction
Remember how we talked about CS being all about keeping customers around by helping them win? Great. Now let's get into the "how" – because having a noble goal is nice, but having a plan to get there is what pays the bills.
And speaking of wisdom that's stood the test of time, here's Sun Tzu dropping some truth bombs about strategy and tactics:
"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat."
Now, I'm not suggesting running your CS team like an ancient army (though sometimes dealing with angry customers might feel like warfare). But the old general has a point – you need both the big picture AND the nitty-gritty details.
So what does this mean for you? It means getting crystal clear about what happens after someone hands over their credit card. You need to map out:
Their journey from "I just bought this thing" to "I can't live without this thing"
The actual stuff they need to do to succeed (not just your wishful thinking)
When and how you're going to show up to help
Enter the Customer Success Lifecycle – and before you roll your eyes at another business buzzword, stick with me here.
Sure, you've probably heard about marketing or sales customer lifecycles. You know, that whole awareness-interest-purchase dance. But here's where it gets interesting: while sales and marketing high-five each other after the purchase, we're just getting started. That's not the finish line – it's the starting block.
Why bother with all this? Two big reasons:
It gives your CS team a GPS for customer interactions. No more guessing when to reach out or what to say. Plus, you can automate the simple stuff and focus on the conversations that really matter.
It creates a consistent experience that you can actually measure and improve. Think of it as your customer happiness playbook – one that gets better every time you use it.
Look, I know process talk can be about as exciting as watching paint dry. But trust me on this one – getting this right is the difference between hoping customers stick around and knowing they will.
Think of your customer success lifecycle as a first draft, not a masterpiece - it's meant to evolve as you learn. Just like a GPS route gets smarter with real traffic data, your lifecycle will get better as you gather real customer insights and discover which touchpoints actually matter. Make it a habit to review and refine it every quarter, using what you've learned to make it more effective.
2. Stages
First things first - you need to map out the key stages of your customer's journey. Think of these stages as chapters in your customer's story, each with its own focus and challenges. Sure, depending on your product, you might need to add a few extra chapters, but there are three that show up in pretty much every customer success story.
Picture it like teaching someone to drive:
Onboarding: This is your "please don't crash the car" phase. Your customers are complete beginners, and they need all the help they can get. Like a good driving instructor, you're there to guide them through every basic move until they build confidence. No question is too simple, and hand-holding isn't just okay – it's essential.
Adoption: Now they've got the basics down, it's time to teach them how to parallel park. They're comfortable with the fundamentals but ready to level up. Think of it as moving from "How do I start this thing?" to "Show me what this baby can really do." Your job is to help them discover and master the features that'll make them look like pros.
Renewal: Here's where you have your "was it worth it?" conversation. Like a driving instructor watching their student ace their test, you need to assess whether they've actually achieved what they set out to do. The million-euro question isn't about whether they can use your product – it's about whether your product helped them reach their goals.
At this point, your Customer Success Lifecycle should look like this:
I recommend starting with just 3 stages. While you can always add more stages later, remember that each new one multiplies your workload and risks bombarding customers with too many touchpoints. Keep it lean to avoid turning your helpful outreach into spam.
3. Milestones
Alright, you've got your stages mapped out. Now you need to know when customers are ready to graduate from one stage to the next. Enter milestones – think of them as those "You are here" markers on your customer's journey.
Here's the deal: Milestones come in two flavors – what customers do (action-based) and when they do it (time-based). Like tracking whether your teenager has mastered parallel parking versus just waiting until they've had their permit for six months. Both matter, but what they actually DO is usually more important than how long they've been at it.
Let me show you how this worked in the real world. At Phantombuster (where we helped people automate their data collection), we kept it super simple:
Onboarding Milestone: Customer launches their first automation and collects 5 entries (Translation: They've figured out how to make the thing work)
Adoption Milestone: Customer has 3 live automations with more than 5 entries each, and they're growing (Translation: They're not just dabbling anymore – they're actually using this thing)
Renewal Milestone: Customer says "Damn right, we're staying!" (Translation: They love us, they really love us)
Side note: we noticed customers were hitting the adoption milestones early on. So we added a time-based criterion: 3 months before renewal. In another words, 3 months before the end of the end of the subscription, we would check if customers had 3 live automations. If so, we would consider they had successfully adopted the platform.
Pro tip: Think of time-based milestones as your safety net, not your main strategy. They're there to catch the edge cases and give you a heads-up when something might be off track.
With the Milestone layer, your CS lifecycle should now look like this:
4. Touchpoints
Let's Talk About Touchpoints (AKA When to Show Up and How)
Alright, we've reached the final piece of the CS lifecycle puzzle – and it's a big one. We're talking about touchpoints: every single interaction between your team and your customers.
From quick "hey, how's it going?" emails to full-blown quarterly business reviews, these are your moments to shine.
Think of touchpoints as your game plan for staying connected. But here's the thing – it's not about following a rigid script. Sometimes what works perfectly for one customer would annoy the heck out of another. That's where your CSM's judgment comes in clutch.
1. Criteria
Let's break down what makes a touchpoint:
What it's about: Could be anything from "welcome aboard" to "let's talk numbers"
How you do it: Email, phone call, Zoom, carrier pigeon (okay, maybe not that last one)
What format: Demo, check-in, deep-dive review
Who you're talking to: The everyday user or the C-suite decision maker
What kind of customer: Are they enterprise-level or just starting out?
2. Most Frequent Touchpoints
Now, while every company puts their own spin on these, there are five greatest hits that pretty much everyone uses:
The kickoff (aka the "let's get this party started" meeting)
Onboarding checkup
Product updates
Business review
The renewal chat
Pro tip: Some of these touchpoints are actually mini-sequences. Take that kickoff meeting – you've got the invite, the actual meeting, and the follow-up. Breaking them down like this makes it easier to figure out which parts you can automate and which need that human touch.
3. Low-Touch vs High-Touch
You've got two flavors of touchpoints – high-touch and low-touch. Let me break this down in a way that'll actually make sense (and won't put you to sleep).
Think of customer engagement like throwing a party. A high-touch approach is like having a personal party planner who's constantly checking in, coordinating every detail, and making sure everything's perfect. A low-touch approach? It's more like putting together a great self-serve buffet with clear labels and letting guests help themselves.
For example, that kickoff meeting? Definitely high-touch – you need to be there, asking questions, taking notes, building rapport. But that monthly product update email? That can be automated (low-touch) as long as it's helpful and clear.
The trick is knowing when to roll out the red carpet and when to let your systems do the talking.
Adding the final touch(point) to our Customer Success Lifecycle, here’s what it looks like:
Pro-tip: team up with marketing and product folks to orchestrate your customer communications like a well-rehearsed band, not a bunch of soloists playing different tunes. Too many uncoordinated touchpoints can overwhelm your clients and sabotage the very relationships you're trying to build. A unified approach across teams ensures your customers feel supported, not spammed.
5. Conclusion
Your Customer Success lifecycle isn't just some fancy flowchart – it's your game plan for ensuring customers reach their goals and (let's be honest) keep paying for your services.
Think of it as a GPS: you've got your major destination (stages), checkpoints (milestones), and planned pit stops (touchpoints). Start with three basic stages, add clear milestones that actually mean something and mix high-touch and low-touch interactions.
Remember though, this isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of deal. Your lifecycle should evolve as you learn more about what makes your customers tick. Review it quarterly, adjust your touchpoints, and don't be afraid to ditch what isn't working.
The secret? Balance. You want enough structure to be consistent but enough flexibility to treat customers like actual humans, not just entries in a spreadsheet.
End of the day, your Customer Success lifecycle is like a good recipe – start with the basics, adjust to taste, and keep refining until it's just right. Your customers (and your renewal rates) will thank you.
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