| name | customer-success |
| description | Customer Success operating system - segmented coverage model, health scoring, risk playbooks, value reviews, and expansion motions tied to net revenue retention. Use when: customer success strategy, CS operating model, health score, risk playbook, EBR / QBR design, churn prevention, net retention, NRR, GRR, success plan, value realization, customer journey post-sale. |
Customer Success (THRIVE Framework)
Design a Customer Success operating system that turns post-sale into a predictable revenue engine. The skill enforces explicit coverage tiering, a health score that actually predicts churn, named risk playbooks, value reviews that earn renewals, and expansion motions that move NRR - instead of a generic "we should do QBRs" plan.
Core Principle
Customer Success is a coverage and signal problem, not a relationship problem. Most CS teams over-invest in friendly check-ins with healthy accounts and under-invest in early risk signals and value proof. THRIVE forces tiered coverage, leading indicators, and renewal-defensible value evidence.
The THRIVE Framework
| Letter | Stage | The Question |
|---|
| T | Tier the Book | Which accounts get high-touch, tech-touch, or pooled coverage - and why? |
| H | Health Scoring | What 4-6 leading signals predict churn 90+ days out? |
| R | Risk Playbooks | When a signal trips, what named play runs in what timeframe? |
| I | Insight Reviews | What evidence of value gets shown at each review cadence? |
| V | Value Realization | How is realized ROI captured and quantified before renewal? |
| E | Expansion Motion | Which signals trigger which expansion play, and who owns the handoff? |
Coverage Tiering
| Tier | ARR Band | Coverage | Cadence | Primary Goal |
|---|
| High-touch | Top 10-20% of ARR | Named CSM, exec sponsor | Monthly check-in + quarterly EBR | NRR > 120% |
| Mid-touch | Mid 30-60% | Pooled CSM, named for risks | Quarterly value review | GRR > 92% |
| Tech-touch | Long tail | Digital programs, in-product nudges | Automated lifecycle | Self-serve renewal > 80% |
Health Score Design
A useful health score uses leading, not lagging, signals. Lagging scores (NPS, ticket volume, login count) confirm churn after it's already locked in.
| Signal Type | Example | Why It Leads |
|---|
| Adoption depth | % of paid seats active weekly on critical workflows | Predicts contract value justification |
| Outcome attainment | Customer-defined success metric progress | Predicts renewal defensibility |
| Stakeholder coverage | # of named champions + exec sponsor engaged in last 90 days | Predicts survivability of champion change |
| Support signal velocity | Critical-severity tickets trend (not count) | Predicts frustration cliff |
| Commercial signal | Procurement contact, contract questions, late payment | Predicts negotiation posture |
Risk Playbooks
Every health-score drop triggers a named play with an owner and a deadline:
| Trigger | Play | Owner | SLA |
|---|
| Champion leaves | "Land the new champion" - re-onboarding kit + exec re-intro within 14 days | CSM + AE | 14 days |
| Adoption drop > 20% MoM | Root-cause workshop + adoption sprint | CSM + Solutions | 21 days |
| Outcome miss flagged | Outcome reset + escalation to exec sponsor | CSM + VP CS | 30 days |
| Stakeholder ghosting > 30 days | Multi-thread re-engagement + alternative-stakeholder hunt | CSM + AE | 21 days |
Output
Save to outputs/customer-success-[motion]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
| Artifact | Description |
|---|
| Coverage Model | Tier definitions, account assignment rules, CSM ratios |
| Health Score Spec | 4-6 signals, weights, thresholds, decay rules |
| Risk Play Library | Named plays with owners, SLAs, success criteria |
| Review Cadence Calendar | EBR / QBR / value-review template by tier |
| Renewal Defense Pack | Value evidence pack template (ROI, adoption proof, outcome attainment) |
| Expansion Map | Signals → plays → handoff rules between CSM and AE |
| CS Operating Metrics | NRR, GRR, logo retention, time-to-value, expansion ARR |
Process
- Tier the book with explicit revenue and strategic-fit rationale; cut tiers that don't justify the coverage cost
- Define 4-6 health signals - at least 3 must be leading; document weights and decay
- Author named risk plays for the top 6-8 trigger conditions; every play has an owner + SLA
- Design the review cadence per tier with a fixed agenda; value evidence is non-negotiable
- Build the renewal defense pack template - what gets shown 90 days before renewal
- Map expansion signals to plays and codify the CSM → AE handoff
Tips
- Health scores must be defensible - every signal needs a "why this leads churn" rationale
- Coverage ratios are not industry benchmarks - they're a function of your motion's complexity
- EBR/QBR without value evidence is a relationship tax - make outcomes the agenda
- Don't conflate CS with support - support resolves issues, CS realizes outcomes
- Renewal forecasts come from the health score, not CSM optimism
Pairs With
- growth-loop - Retention and expansion strategy at the system level
- journey-architect - Post-sale journey gates the health signals attach to
- enablement-forge - Builds the EBR / value review templates
- revenue-analytics - NRR / GRR analysis the playbooks are scored against
