Francis Babanawo - The Honest CSM

The Honest CSM

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Francis Babanawo

I write on the real CS work, focusing on the signs that dashboards miss, yet these decide whether an account grows or stalls. My approach is rooted in understanding partner goals to co-create solutions that drive lasting business impact

Build a Success Plan customers actually use.

Build a Success Plan customers actually use.

Almost all CSMs have a success plan template, and most of them, if not all, have customers who have not opened it after the kick-off call. Ask any experienced Customer Success Manager (CSM) how many of their clients have actually looked at the success plan in the last thirty

You hired a Customer Success team. You got Operations Associates.

You hired a Customer Success team. You got Operations Associates.

Without anyone deciding to lose it, here is how Customer Success teams lose their commercial mandate. Customer Success Management (CSM) is crucial and central to any organization with this engine. No one deliberately decides to waste this function. With a job description stating all the right things and jargon, the

The recurring complaint and what changed when we finally listened.

The recurring complaint and what changed when we finally listened.

Weeks long investigation into a recurring operational issue. A small tightening in the operational gap after gathering all the facts. And the account that rose to top two in the portfolio because client's confidence in vendor commitment was strengthened. The account a glance Over 10 shipments with the

They bought from us. But why did they buy the rest of what we had elsewhere?

They bought from us. But why did they buy the rest of what we had elsewhere?

The opportunity followed from the observation. A perceived product gap was turned into a conversation to drive adoption and expansion. This increased revenue by 5x without displacing any competitor. The account at a glance before anything changed 5x YoY revenue growth $20k → $100k contract sum in 12 months One integration

The QBR is a negotiation.

The QBR is a negotiation.

In the conference rooms and over Zoom calls across many industries, a familiar ritual plays out every quarter. On schedule and without fail, a Customer Success Manager (CSM) shares the screen, the slides load with the logo prominently featured on the first page, a usage chart on the third, and

Churn is a delayed decision.

Churn is a delayed decision.

They didn't ghost you. They kept showing up but stopped talking about next year. By the time churn shows up in the reports, something has already gone downhill, not with the partner, but with the perception the vendor had created of them. The reality is, churn does not

Here’s how your customer health score may be lying to you.

Here’s how your customer health score may be lying to you.

The account shows green: eighty-nine out of one hundred, but you can still lose it anyway. A detailed investigation will show why you never saw it coming. Prominently featured at the top of most Customer Success Manager (CSM) dashboards is a number indicating whether a partner will continue the