Part of: Customer Success

The 90-Day Plan for CS

A strategic framework for new CS leadersto build trust, diagnose challenges, and scale impact in the first three months.

The 90-Day Plan for CS

Three Phases to Organizational Credibility

Phase 1: Days 1-30 Listen & Learn

Build trust, understand the culture, uncover expectations, and baseline reality before taking action.

Phase 2: Days 31-60 Diagnose & Reposition

Turn insight into prioritized action. Create clarity around CS scope and identity within the organization.

Phase 3: Days 61-90 Align & Scale

Lock executive alignment, define a 12-month roadmap, and establish a sustainable execution rhythm.

PHASE 1

Days 1-30: Listen, Learn, Establish Credibility

Objective: Build trust, understand the culture, uncover expectations, and baseline reality before taking action.

Key Focus Areas

  • Expectation map across leadership
  • Team pain inventory
  • Data gap analysis
PHASE 1 Diagram

Phase 1 Key Actions

Leadership 1:1s

  • Meet C-suite and GTM leaders.
  • Topic: "What do you expect from CS?"
  • Topic: "What KPIs matter?"

Team 1:1s

  • Meet every team member.
  • Learn: "What stresses you out most?"
  • Build inventory of low-value work.

Product Immersion

  • Complete demos.
  • Onboard 2-3 customers yourself to prove you can do the job.

Systems Audit

  • Evaluate CRM health.
  • Check forecasting accuracy.
  • Map critical data gaps.

The first 30 days are about resisting the urge to fix everything immediately. A common pitfall for new CS leaders is diving into tactical firefighting before understanding the strategic landscape. Use this time to build social capital with Sales and Product, and let the data tell you where the real fires are.

PHASE 2

Days 31-60: Diagnose, Simplify, Reposition

Objective: Turn insight into prioritized action. Create clarity around CS scope and identity within the organization.

Key Focus Areas

  • Customer insights summary
  • Revised CS charter & KPIs
  • One operational fix shipped

Phase 2 Key Actions

Customer Deep Dive

  • Join ~20 calls.
  • Learn: "What's working?"
  • Learn: "What's broken?"
  • Ask: "What almost made you churn?"

Scope Protection

  • Identify one painful, low-value task task that doesn't belong in CS.
  • Execute its removal. Publicly.

Operational Fix

  • Solve one major, high-impact bottleneck end-to-end.

Charter Alignment

  • Draft a Customer Success Charter.
  • Pressure-test it with stakeholders for alignment.

Now that you have the data, you must make hard choices. The 'Proactive' phase is about subtracting, not just adding. You cannot support every legacy promise. By defining a clear CS Charter, you empower your CSMs to say 'no' to non-impactful work, freeing them up to drive value where it matters.

Phase 2 Diagram
PHASE 3

Days 61-90: Align, Commit, Scale

Objective: Lock executive alignment, define a 12-month roadmap, and establish a sustainable execution rhythm.

Key Focus Areas

  • Executive-approved roadmap
  • Defined operating rhythms
  • Cross-functional KPIs

Phase 3 Key Actions

12-Month Roadmap Presentation

  • Present prioritized roadmap to leadership.
  • Include projects, expected outcomes, and resource asks.

Cross-Functional Codification

  • Formalize Sales -> CS handoffs.
  • Formalize Product feedback loops.

Operating Rhythm

  • Define standard meeting cadence.
  • Define reporting formats.

Team Reset

  • Reiterate the new CS identity.
  • Clarify priorities.
  • Celebrate early operational wins.

Scale requires consistency. In this phase, you are no longer the hero solving individual problems; you are the architect of a system that solves them automatically. Your focus shifts from internal operations to external expansion, using the trust you've built to drive revenue through renewals and cross-sells.

Phase 3 Diagram

Deliverables by Phase

1

Days 1-30

  • Expectation map across leadership
  • Team pain inventory
  • Data gap analysis
2

Days 31-60

  • Customer insights summary
  • Revised CS charter & KPIs
  • One operational fix shipped
3

Days 61-90

  • Executive-approved Roadmap
  • Defined Operating Rhythms
  • Cross-Functional KPIs

90-Day Success: Where you want to land

Operational Win

One big operational issue is solved.

Protected Scope

The team is rebranded internally with clear boundaries.

Executive Alignment

Leadership is aligned on the 12-month roadmap and outcomes.

Customer Voice

You now can speak credibly from the customer's perspective.