As a customer success manager, you might struggle to concisely showcase your diverse range of customer engagement and problem-solving skills on your resume. Our guide is tailored to help you effectively highlight your expertise and achievements, ensuring your resume stands out to potential employers in the field.
- Find different customer success manager resume examples to serve as inspiration to your professional presentation.
- How to use the summary or objective to highlight your career achievements.
- How to create the experience section to tell your story.
- Must have certificates and what to include in the education section of your resume.
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The importance of format and layout in your customer success manager resume
Consider you're an HR professional at company X, evaluating two customer success manager candidate resumes. John Smith presents a simple, traditional, and easy-to-read resume. Edward Price, however, uses a non-conventional, often illegible format. Whose resume would you spend more time on to understand their experience? This scenario underscores the importance of your customer success manager resume’s design. It should be simply formatted and clearly communicate why you are the ideal candidate for the role.
Achieve this balance by:
- Listing your experience, beginning with the most recent and relevant, in reverse chronological order;
- Ensuring your header contains essential information, such as contact details, a headline, and a portfolio link. Include a professional photo in the customer success manager resume header if you have one;
- Including only the most important and relevant resume sections to showcase your expertise and stand out from other candidates;
- Editing your customer success manager resume to be no longer than two pages if you have extensive relevant experience. Use your limited resume space judiciously.
Also, remember that your customer success manager resume might initially be scanned by an Applicant Tracker System (ATS).
When it comes to ATS:
- Opt for simple and legible fonts like Raleway, Rubik, Lato, etc., making your experience easy for the ATS to scan;
- Use serif and sans-serif fonts, both of which are ATS-friendly;
- Avoid overused options like Arial and Times New Roman, which, while suitable, may lack personality.
Contrary to a common myth, our recent study shows that the ATS can effectively process both one-column and two-column resumes. Learn more about this in the ATS myths guide.
Finally, when submitting your customer success manager resume, always export it as a PDF to ensure all information remains intact, making the document easier to print, read, and scan.
Think about the location of your application – Canadian resumes, for instance, might follow a different structure.
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If you happen to have some basic certificates, don't invest too much of your customer success manager resume real estate in them. Instead, list them within the skills section or as part of your relevant experience. This way you'd ensure you meet all job requirements while dedicating your certificates to only the most in-demand certification across the industry.
Essential sections that should make up your customer success manager resume include:
- The header - with your contact details (e.g. email and telephone number), link to your portfolio, and headline
- The summary (or objective) - to spotlight the peaks of your professional career, so far
- The experience section - with up to six bullets per role to detail specific outcomes
- The skills list - to provide a healthy mix between your personal and professional talents
- The education and certification - showing your most relevant degrees and certificates to the customer success manager role
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proven track record in managing customer relationships and improving customer satisfaction
- Demonstrated experience in onboarding, educating, and retaining customers
- Strong analytical skills to interpret customer usage data and translate insights into actionable strategies
- Experience with Customer Success software and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills to effectively resolve customer issues and provide exceptional support
Advice for your customer success manager resume experience section - setting your application apart from other candidates
Your resume experience section needs to balance your tangible workplace achievements with job requirements.
The easiest way to sustain this balance between meeting candidate expectations, while standing out, is to:
- Select really impressive career highlights to detail under each experience and support those with your skills;
- Assess the job advert to define both the basic requirements (which you could answer with more junior roles) and the more advanced requirements - which could play a more prominent role through your experience section;
- Create a separate experience section, if you decide on listing irrelevant experience items. Always curate those via the people or technical skills you've attained that match the current job you're applying for;
- Don't list experience items from a decade ago - as they may no longer be relevant to the industry. That is, unless you're applying for a more senior role: where experience would go to demonstrate your character and ambitions;
- Define how your role has helped make the team, department, or company better. Support this with your skill set and the initial challenge you were able to solve.
Take a look at how real-life customer success manager professionals have presented their resume experience section - always aiming to demonstrate their success.
- Led the successful onboarding of over 200 new enterprise customers, improving customer retention rates by 25% within the first year.
- Developed and implemented a strategic plan to identify at-risk accounts, reducing churn by 15% and securing key accounts.
- Collaborated with the product team to deliver custom solutions for high-value clients, enhancing product adoption by 30%.
- Initiated a customer feedback loop with the marketing team, leading to a 40% increase in user engagement based on campaign adjustments.
- Managed a portfolio of 100+ SMB clients, ensuring a high level of service that resulted in a 95% customer satisfaction rating.
- Piloted a cross-sell strategy that amplified average revenue per user (ARPU) by 20% amongst the managed client segment.
- Conducted quarterly business reviews with top 10% of accounts, which facilitated an average increase in contract value by 30% annually.
- Implemented a customer success platform to track and analyze key account metrics, boosting productivity by 35%.
- Spearheaded a user training program for new software features, which was credited with a 50% reduction in support tickets.
- Orchestrated an international expansion strategy for priority accounts, breaking into 3 new markets and driving a 60% increase in annual contract value.
- Negotiated and renewed contracts with a 98% success rate, ensuring long-term partnerships and stable revenue growth.
- Initiated a proactive outreach program for clients at risk of non-renewal, achieving a 90% save rate on those accounts.
- Designed and executed a customer engagement strategy, which led to a 10-point NPS increase within a 12-month period.
- Oversaw a team of 10 Customer Success Associates, driving team performance to achieve a 20% increase in upsells and cross-sells.
- Launched a targeted educational webinar series, attracting over 5000 attendees, which decreased time to value for customers by 25%.
- Implemented a client-centric model which transformed the customer service approach, resulting in a 40% improvement in customer satisfaction scores.
- Conducted deep-dive analyses into customer usage data to inform product development, influencing three major feature rollouts adjusted to user needs.
- Championed the development of a mentorship program between new and existing customers, fostering a community that contributed to a 15% increase in client lifetime value.
- Crafted a tiered customer service model that differentiated support by client type, improving resolution times by 25% for premium customers.
- Leveraged data analytics to inform strategic upsell opportunities, achieving a 30% uptick in year-over-year growth from existing accounts.
- Collaborated with the sales and marketing teams to refine the customer journey, leading to a 20% increase in conversion from trial to paid subscriptions.
- Aligned customer success initiatives with business outcomes, delivering a consistent 10% annual rise in customer loyalty and repeat business.
- Executed personalized account growth strategies, resulting in a 60% retention rate for customers identified as high-churn risk.
- Partnered with the customer support team to revamp the onboarding process, reducing average onboarding time by 35% while increasing user competency.
The following content includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top responsibilities present on the task lists for customer success manager professionals.
Top Responsibilities for Customer Success Manager:
- Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems.
- Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.
- Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated complaints or disputes.
- Review records or reports pertaining to activities such as production, payroll, or shipping to verify details, monitor work activities, or evaluate performance.
- Discuss job performance problems with employees to identify causes and issues and to work on resolving problems.
- Prepare and issue work schedules, deadlines, and duty assignments for office or administrative staff.
- Recruit, interview, and select employees.
- Interpret and communicate work procedures and company policies to staff.
- Evaluate employees' job performance and conformance to regulations and recommend appropriate personnel action.
- Train or instruct employees in job duties or company policies or arrange for training to be provided.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Highlight the percentage increase in customer satisfaction scores due to your initiatives, demonstrating your commitment to customer excellence.
- Include the number of support tickets resolved, showcasing your efficiency in problem-solving for customer issues.
- Document the growth in customer retention rates that your strategies helped achieve, proving your effectiveness in maintaining a loyal customer base.
- Mention any upselling or cross-selling targets exceeded, evidence of your ability to drive additional revenue.
- Quantify the reduction in churn rate achieved under your management, highlighting your skill in customer retention.
- List the number of customer success stories or case studies you contributed to, underlining your role in promoting brand value.
- Note the scale of onboarding processes you’ve optimized or implemented, reflecting your organizational and planning capabilities.
- Specify the percentage of customer queries that were resolved within the first contact, indicating your dedication to efficient customer service.
Action verbs for your customer success manager resume
What can candidates do about their resume, if they have no experience
Job requirements can sometimes be answered by other elements you could make more prominent in your customer success manager resume.
Thus, you'd be substituting your lack of experience with your relevant:
- Education with details of skills you've obtained that align with the job
- Internships and short-term jobs that are once more dedicated to putting your expertise in the spotlight
- Skills section answering basic and - potentially - more specific job qualifications
- Strengths or accomplishments to show the unique value you present, even as a candidate with less or no professional experience in the industry.
Recommended reads:
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Bold the names of educational institutions and certifying bodies for emphasis.
Key hard skills and soft skills for your customer success manager resume
At the top of any recruiter customer success manager checklist, you'd discover a list of technical competencies, balanced with personal skills.
Hard or technical skills are your opportunity to show how you meet the essential responsibilities of the role. The ability to use a particular job-crucial technology or software would also hint to recruiters whether you'd need a prolonged period of on-the-job training - or you'd fit right in the job.
But to land your dream role, you'd also need to demonstrate a variety of soft or people resume skills . Employers care about soft skills as they show how each candidate would fit into the team and company culture.
Both types of skills are specific and to best curate them on your resume, you'd need to:
- Create a skill section within which you showcase your hard and soft skills and present how they help you succeed.
- List specific examples of projects, tasks, or competitions, within which your skill set has assisted your results.
- Soft skills are harder to measure, so think about situations in which they've helped you thrive. Describe those situations concisely, focusing on how the outcome has helped you grow as a professional.
- Metrics of success - like positive ROI or optimized workplace processes - are the best way to prove your technical and people skills.
Take a look at some of customer success manager industry leaders' favorite hard skills and soft skills, as listed on their resumes.
Top skills for your customer success manager resume:
CRM Software (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot)
Data Analysis Tools (e.g., Excel, Tableau)
Customer Feedback Tools (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics)
Project Management Software (e.g., Asana, Trello)
Email Marketing Platforms (e.g., Mailchimp, SendGrid)
Knowledge Base Software (e.g., Zendesk, Help Scout)
Customer Support Tools (e.g., Intercom, LiveChat)
SaaS Product Knowledge
Web Analytics Tools (e.g., Google Analytics)
Collaboration Tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams)
Communication Skills
Empathy
Problem-Solving
Time Management
Adaptability
Relationship Building
Conflict Resolution
Team Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Customer-Centric Mindset
Next, you will find information on the top technologies for customer success manager professonals from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Top technologies for Customer Success Manager’s resume:
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Oracle PeopleSoft
- Blackboard software
- Yardi software
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Sage 50 Accounting
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If you happen to have plenty of certificates, select the ones that are most applicable and sought-after across the industry. Organize them by relevance to the role you're applying for.
The customer success manager resume sections you may underestimate: certifications and education
Your education and certifications provide insight into both your technical capabilities and personal attributes, such as perseverance. When crafting your customer success manager resume, consider how you present these elements:
- For your higher education degrees, prioritize listing those most relevant to the job or indicative of your academic dedication;
- Include applicable coursework as a stand-in for relevant experience or if it might impress recruiters;
- Include incomplete higher education only if it's pertinent to meeting job requirements;
- If your degree is from a renowned university, mention how often you made the Dean's list to underline academic excellence.
Regarding certifications, it's not necessary to list all of them. Instead, match up to three of your most recent or significant certificates with the technical skills required in the job description.
Below, we've selected some of the top industry certifications that could be vital additions to your customer success manager resume.
The top 5 certifications for your customer success manager resume:
- Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) - Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA)
- Certified customer success manager (CCSM) - SuccessHACKER
- Customer Success Management Certification (CSMC) - The Success League
- Customer success manager Certification - CSM Academy International
- Customer Success Certification Program (CSCP) - Practical CSM
The content below includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top associations for customer success manager professionals.
Top US associations for a Customer Success Manager professional
- American Society of Administrative Professionals
- Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals
- International Association of Administrative Professionals
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List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.
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Practical guide to your customer success manager resume summary or objective
First off, should you include a summary or objective on your customer success manager resume?
We definitely recommend you choose the:
- Resume summary to match job requirements with most noteworthy accomplishments.
- Resume objective as a snapshot of career dreams
Both the resume summary and objective should set expectations for recruiters as to what your career highlights are.
These introductory paragraphs (that are no more than five sentences long) should help you answer why you're the best candidate for the job.
Industry-wide best practices pinpoint that the customer success manager resume summaries and objectives follow the structures of these samples:
Resume summaries for a customer success manager job
- With over 8 years of dedicated experience in customer success within the software industry, I have led a team of specialists to a 30% increase in customer retention rates. Proficient in CRM software and data analytics, my expertise includes designing and implementing customer success strategies that align with business goals.
- Seasoned professional transitioning from a 10-year marketing career to a customer success focus, bringing a track record of elevating customer engagement and conversion rates by 40%. Skilled in strategic communication, and adept at translating customer feedback into actionable insights.
- Bringing 15 years of robust experience in healthcare management to the customer success sector, I possess deep insights into customer lifecycle management and have facilitated a customer satisfaction improvement project that resulted in a 20% boost in patient retention.
- A former financial advisor with a decade of experience seeking to leverage extensive client relations and problem-solving skills within a customer success context. Proven ability to manage and grow client portfolios while maintaining a 95% satisfaction rate.
- Seeking to apply a fresh perspective to customer success management, armed with a strong desire to facilitate positive customer experiences and foster long-term loyalty. Eager to contribute to the development and implementation of transformative customer success initiatives.
- Aiming to embark on a career in customer success, I am keen to utilize my recent master’s degree in Business Administration and skills in interpersonal communication to enhance customer relations and drive strategic customer-centric programs for sustained growth.
Average salary info by state in the US for customer success manager professionals
Local salary info for Customer Success Manager.” Source: My Next Move, National Center for O*NET Development. Accessed 10/15/2024
| State | Average Salary (in USD) |
|---|---|
| US National Average | $63,450 |
| California (CA) | $71,300 |
| Texas (TX) | $61,730 |
| Florida (FL) | $61,200 |
| New York (NY) | $75,420 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | $61,850 |
| Illinois (IL) | $64,180 |
| Ohio (OH) | $61,130 |
| Georgia (GA) | $60,940 |
| North Carolina (NC) | $58,900 |
| Michigan (MI) | $62,060 |
Miscellaneous customer success manager resume sections for a more personalized approach
Your customer success manager resume can reflect even more upon your personality and best qualities - that is if you decide on including a couple of additional resume sections to support your application.
Some of the best-accepted industry-wide choices include the:
- Resume projects - getting into the outcomes of your most important work, so far;
- Languages on your resume - detailing your proficiency level;
- Special recognitions - dedicated to your most prominent industry awards;
- Hobbies and interests - defining how you spend your free time.
Key takeaways
We trust that this Enhancv guide has been informative and useful. To summarize the essential points:
- Opt for a simple and readable format, focusing more on your customer success manager achievements rather than just duties;
- Emphasize your accomplishments in the customer success manager experience section over mere responsibilities;
- If lacking relevant experience, utilize various resume sections like education and volunteering to demonstrate your suitable skill set;
- Never overlook the significance of pertinent higher education, training, and certifications;
- Incorporate diverse sections in your resume to highlight not just your skills expertise but also your personality.
