Customer Support v.s. Customer Success

It's often easy to mix up Customer Support with Customer Success. A Customer Support or customer service role is reactive. When a customer calls in with an issue, the goal of the representative is to resolve the issue quickly and accurately to the customer’s satisfaction. The customer support team uses metrics such as Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to monitor the amount of time it takes to resolve the issue. This feeds into the customer satisfaction (CSAT) score that measures the overall experience of the customer’s interaction. Since this is a transactional role, efficiency in remedying the problem is key.

In Customer Success, it’s about anticipating the needs of the client before they arise. When you are proactive, you work on Success initiatives with the client to help them plan for the year’s goals and to help the client consistently see the value of using your product or service. This is a relationship management role that builds on the trust of the customer with the dedicated CSM over time.

Customer Support	Customer Success
​Reactive	Proactive
Transactional	Relationship Management
No Assigned Representative	Dedicated Customer Success Manager
Issue Resolution	Long term goals
Measured on Time to Respond SLAs	Measured on desired outcomes or retention