The Art of Consulting in Customer Success

Customer Success (CS) professionals play a vital role in today's SaaS landscape, where product adoption and value realization are core to customer retention. Yet, the role is increasingly consultative. It's not just about managing the customer lifecycle; it’s about partnering with customers, understanding their unique challenges, and guiding them to achieve their strategic goals.

Traditionally, CSMs were expected to be experts in their product’s features and functionalities. However, as customer expectations have evolved, so has the role of the CSM. Today, customers seek value beyond features; they want to understand how a product can drive their specific objectives and solve their unique business problems. As CSMs, we must transition from “feature experts” to “business partners.”

This means helping customers see your solution as a means to advance their long-term strategies, not just as a tool to solve immediate issues. The shift in mindset from “product expert” to “business partner” is key to consultative customer success.

Creating a consultative culture within a CS team requires training, collaboration, and the right tools. Encourage CSMs to engage in peer learning, share insights from client interactions, and collectively brainstorm on complex customer challenges. By equipping teams with templates for consultative questions, case studies, and industry insights, you enable them to approach each customer relationship with confidence and a consulting mindset. Additionally, establishing knowledge-sharing sessions across teams—such as CS Ops, Product, and Sales—can empower CSMs to build a holistic understanding of both customer needs and internal resources, resulting in richer, more insightful customer interactions.

Building the Consultative Mindset: Key Principles

1. Curiosity Over Assumptions Enter each customer conversation with an open mind. Avoid assuming you know the customer’s pain points solely based on industry standards or previous clients. Begin with open-ended questions, listen actively, and reflect their goals to show alignment.
2. Outcome-Oriented Discussions Successful consulting in CS pivots from product-centric to outcome-centric conversations. Rather than saying, “Our platform offers X feature,” ask, “What outcome would make this partnership a success for you?” Reframing your role as a facilitator of outcomes rather than a provider of features positions you as a long-term partner.
3. Empathy and Strategic Alignment Understand the customer’s larger organizational vision and connect it with how your product can serve as a strategic asset. Share relevant examples from other clients (with permission) to illustrate how similar pain points were resolved through targeted use of your solution.

Navigating Difficult Conversations with a Consultative Approach

When addressing difficult topics, consider framing the conversation around shared goals: “While this feature is currently unavailable, let’s explore alternative ways to meet your objective in the interim.” By reframing the issue and collaborating on a solution, you strengthen trust and demonstrate a commitment to shared success—even in the face of obstacles.

Aligning Consultative Success with Customer Success KPIs

The effectiveness of a consultative approach is ultimately reflected in customer success metrics, such as Net Revenue Retention (NRR), Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT). A consultative CSM focuses on building relationships and driving results that contribute to these KPIs.

The Role of Technology in Enabling Consultative Success

Customer success platforms, analytics tools, and automation solutions can reveal usage patterns, highlight potential churn signals, and provide benchmarking data that CSMs can use in discussions. By leveraging these insights, CSMs can proactively address gaps in customer satisfaction, anticipate needs, and offer recommendations that directly align with the customer’s evolving business objectives.

The art of consulting in Customer Success is about moving from a reactive approach to a proactive, consultative partnership. By listening actively, asking the right questions, and focusing on co-created value, Customer Success Managers can transform into trusted advisors, empowering customers to achieve more than they initially imagined. Embracing this consultative role not only drives customer satisfaction and retention but also ensures that CSMs remain indispensable in an ever-evolving SaaS ecosystem.