820-605 Sample Questions Answers

The sources used to identify barriers include people, process, and tools. People refer to the stakeholders involved, process refers to the workflows and procedures in place, and tools refer to the technologies and resources available to support the customer success efforts

Opportunities that can lead to customers becoming advocates include moments of success when the customer acknowledges progress and continuing results based on unexpected value. These instances demonstrate the tangible benefits of the solution and can inspire customers to share their positive experiences with others, leading to advocacy.

Monitoring a customer’s health is crucial because it allows the Customer Success Manager to proactively identify and address any changes in the customer’s experience or interactions with the solution. This proactive approach can lead to improved customer satisfaction, solution optimization, and ultimately, successful renewals. References: The concept of customer health monitoring is a fundamental aspect of Customer Success, enabling early intervention and continuous improvement to enhance the customer experience and support long-term success.

 In a RACI chart, which stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, the best practice is to have only one person accountable for each task to ensure clear ownership and avoid confusion. The image shows that three different stakeholders (Stakeholders 2, 4, and 6) are marked as accountable (‘A’) for Project Task 1, which is not recommended as it can lead to accountability issues and dilute the clarity of who is ultimately answerable for the task’s completion. References: Best practices in project management and RACI chart guidelines.

When communicating with executives, it’s critical to focus on the value achieved by the solution and how it aligns with executive priorities. Executives are interested in how the solution contributes to the company’s strategic goals and overall success. References: Executive communication guidelines that prioritize value demonstration and alignment with leadership objectives.

The type of KPI that is of most interest to Customer Success is A, business KPIs that define progress to the Business Outcome. These KPIs are crucial for tracking the effectiveness of customer success initiatives in achieving the desired business results for the customer

 A balanced scorecard covers perspectives on business process, customer, financial, and learning and growth to provide a comprehensive view of an organization’s performance. References: The Balanced Scorecard framework, which is widely used in strategic management to evaluate the overall performance of an organization across multiple dimensions.

 The Customer Success Manager identifies the solution purchased during the Purchase stage of the lifecycle. This is when the transaction is completed, and the details of the purchase are finalized, including the specific solutions that the customer has bought. References: The lifecycle stages of customer engagement typically include the Purchase stage as a key phase where the details of the transaction are recorded and acknowledged.

 Examples of expand opportunities include providing solution optimization services to enhance the customer’s use of the product and increasing the license count to accommodate more users or additional functionalities. 

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are directly associated with evaluating a customer outcome because they are quantifiable measures used to gauge the performance over time in terms of meeting strategic and operational goals. KPIs are crucial for assessing whether a company is on track to achieve its desired outcomes. References: Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation

A Customer Success Manager would work with a Technical Engineer to overcome a technical solution adoption barrier encountered by a customer. Technical Engineers have the expertise to address technical challenges and can provide the necessary support to resolve issues that hinder adoption5

When a customer’s usage is in decline, it is important to assess whether the solution still aligns with their desired outcomes and to review the implementation plan to ensure it is being executed effectively. This approach helps identify any gaps between the solution’s capabilities and the customer’s needs, as well as any issues in the implementation process that may be causing the decline in usage. References: Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation emphasizes the importance of aligning solutions with customer outcomes and regularly reviewing implementation plans to ensure success.

A decrease in subscription is a direct financial implication of churn, as it represents a loss of recurring revenue from customers who discontinue their service. 

A blue rectangular boxes with text Description automatically generated

When end-users have difficulties understanding the features and functionalities of the new solution, it is considered a technical barrier. This type of barrier relates to the complexity or usability of the solution itself, which can hinder users’ ability to effectively engage with it

To improve the health index of Company B, which has lower scores in Sentiment Score compared to its Health Index, the Customer Success Manager should focus on enhancing the customer’s experience and satisfaction with the product. Providing training and learning resources can help improve product knowledge and proficiency, which can positively impact the sentiment score. References: The Cisco Customer Success Manager’s role includes offering training and educational resources to improve customer satisfaction and product adoption, as indicated in the Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation.

Adopting a lifecycle approach with proactive reviews of service performance against predefined KPIs can help prevent disagreements over the value of delivered work. This approach ensures that both parties have a clear understanding of the expected outcomes and can address any issues before they escalate into significant disagreements. 

The goal of the Quarterly Success Review is to align priorities and outcomes while celebrating accomplishments. This review serves as a strategic session that ensures both the customer and the organization are on the same page regarding business objectives and the progress towards achieving them. It’s also an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the milestones and successes along the way, reinforcing the partnership and the value derived from the services or products provided.

References:

Cisco’s official page on Customer Success Manager certification2.

•Skilljar blog on scaling Customer Success with Quarterly Business Reviews3.

To gain commitment for additional use cases, it is effective to identify target outcomes that address known challenges and demonstrate how new use cases can help achieve them. Additionally, conducting a discovery session to uncover additional pain points can reveal opportunities for further use cases

Creating a success story drives advocacy with customer stakeholders. Success stories showcase the value delivered to the customer and can inspire and influence other stakeholders. 

Two common adoption barriers are a lack of resources and the loss of a project sponsor. Both can significantly impede the adoption process; lack of resources can prevent proper implementation and use, while the loss of a project sponsor can lead to a lack of support and momentum1.

The Customer Success Manager is responsible for confirming the use cases targeted in a Customer Success Plan. They work closely with the customer to understand their needs and ensure that the plan aligns with the customer’s goals and the capabilities of the solution1.

 During the first customer engagement, capturing the customer’s desired outcomes is essential. This information helps in understanding the customer’s expectations and goals, which guides the subsequent actions and strategies for customer success. References: Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation

The desired outcome for a Customer Success Manager (CSM) to achieve for a customer is removing barriers so the customer achieves the fastest time to value possible from the purchased solution. This aligns with the CSM’s role in ensuring that customers can quickly and effectively realize the value of their investment, which is critical in a subscription-based economy where ongoing customer satisfaction is essential for retention and continued revenue streams. The CSM’s focus is on facilitating customer adoption and usage, identifying and overcoming adoption barriers, and helping customers achieve their business outcomes efficiently.

References:

•Cisco’s official page on Customer Success Manager certification1.

•Cisco Learning Network’s article on Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist2.

Two examples of leveraging data to identify a customer barrier are evaluating feedback from the customer operations team and consulting the health index. Feedback from the operations team can provide insights into operational challenges, while the health index can indicate areas where the customer may be struggling with the solution

Employee satisfaction is critical when relocating to ensure talent retention during the transition. Cost efficiency is also essential as the relocation aims to reduce costs. Both outcomes support the company’s success during such a significant change. References: Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation1.

Operating expenses (OpEx) are the costs for the day-to-day operation of a business, such as rent, utilities, and payroll. Capital expenses (CapEx), on the other hand, are investments in assets that will benefit the business over a longer period, such as equipment or property2.

When noticing a decline in product usage, it’s important to re-assess the customer’s business process and ensure that the capabilities of the solution are well-aligned with their needs. This may involve identifying any changes in the customer’s operations or uncovering new challenges they are facing. References: Customer success strategies that focus on aligning product capabilities with evolving business processes.

 Identifying barriers to adoption is crucial for developing strategies to overcome them and ensure successful implementation of the solution. Tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) helps in measuring the success of the Customer Success planning and in making informed decisions3.

 The metric used to determine how much should be spent to acquire a customer is the Lifetime Value (LTV). LTV helps businesses understand the long-term value of a customer, which is crucial for determining the investment in customer acquisition. 

The concern for a Customer Success Manager within this task of the RACI matrix is that having too many people responsible can lead to confusion and a lack of clear leadership. In a RACI matrix, it is best practice to have only one person accountable for a task to ensure clear ownership and accountability. Multiple people marked as accountable could result in a diffusion of responsibility and inefficiency. References: The RACI matrix is a tool used to clarify roles and responsibilities in project management. It is important to have clear, singular accountability for each task to ensure effective execution and decision-making.

The main objective of customer success is to ensure that customers achieve the outcomes they are trying to reach with the product or service. This focus on outcomes ensures that the customer success initiatives are aligned with the customer’s goals and objectives

After learning that the customer’s team is evaluating a competitive solution, the Customer Success Manager should host a discovery session with stakeholders to understand their challenges and desired outcomes. This can help address any gaps in the current solution and prevent the customer from switching to a competitor. References: Customer Success strategies recommend engaging with customers to understand their needs and address any dissatisfaction proactively to prevent churn.

Lagging and leading elements are used to track and measure as key performance indicators (KPIs). Lagging indicators reflect past performance, while leading indicators predict future performance. Together, they provide a comprehensive view of an organization’s progress towards its goals34.

The most common components of a Customer Success Quarterly Success Review include the results from the prior quarter, agreed actions that have been completed, benchmarkingwith the market, and confirmation of goals for the next quarter. This approach ensures that the review is focused on measurable outcomes and continuous improvement, aligning with best practices in customer success management

 Communication with customer executives should focus on the return on investment and the time to value, as these objectives are typically top priorities for executive-level stakeholders. References: Executive communication guidelines that prioritize value demonstration and alignment with leadership objectives.

The objective of a Customer Success Manager is to solve customer problems to attain business outcomes. This involves understanding the customer’s business goals and ensuring that the solutions provided are effectively addressing their needs. 

The correct answer is C, which highlights the shift towards subscription models in IT and the role of the Customer Success Manager (CSM) in ensuring customers achieve their business outcomes and realize value from their subscriptions. This trend is a key driver for companies to invest in Customer Success practices and roles, as the ongoing satisfaction and perceived value are critical in a subscription economy where customers have the flexibility to cancel services that do not meet their expectations

A leading indicator of adoption in the health score is product quality. High-quality products are more likely to be adopted by users, which is reflected in the health score. References: Adoption metrics and health scores often include product quality as a key factor influencing customer satisfaction and adoption rates.

The sales and marketing team are primarily responsible for the Evaluation and Awareness stages in the customer lifecycle approach. These stages involve attracting potential customers and helping them assess the company’s offerings. References: The customer lifecycle approach as outlined in Cisco Customer Success Manager documentation, which assigns specific roles to the sales and marketing team in the early stages of the customer journey.

The exhibit shows that Product C is facing critical issues in the ‘Implement’ stage, as indicated by the red box, and at-risk conditions in the ‘Use’ stage, as shown by the orange box. These indicators suggest that there are significant barriers preventing the successful implementation and use of Product C. Therefore, the first priority must be to identify and document these barriers to develop a plan to overcome them and ensure the product’s success. References: Best practices in customer success management and product lifecycle management.

 The stakeholder responsible for ensuring that the customer realizes value from solutions coming up for renewal is the Customer Success Manager. Their role is to work closely with the customer to ensure they are achieving their desired outcomes with the solution and to address any concerns that may affect the renewal decision.

Two barriers to adoption within an organization are inadequate knowledge and skills, and organizational silos. Inadequate knowledge and skills refer to the lack of necessary training or expertise among employees to effectively use a new solution. Organizational silos occur when different departments or groups within an organization do not share information or collaborate effectively, which can hinder the adoption of new solutions across the organization

When a customer moves from the Implement to the Use stage in the lifecycle, it is crucial for a Customer Success Manager to provide training content that addresses both current and existing barriers. This action ensures that the customer’s team is equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively use the product, leading to better adoption and utilization1.