How I’d Approach My First 90 Days as VP of Customer Success
The first 90 days in any executive role are mission-critical—but in Customer Success, they’re make-or-break. As a new VP of CS, your impact begins before your signature hits a dashboard. Here’s exactly how I would approach my first 90 days leading Customer Success at a modern SaaS unicorn like Nimbus, a hypothetical AI-powered productivity platform growing rapidly in the Series C stage.
Phase 1: Listen, Learn, and Map (Days 1–30)
🧠 Objectives:
Build internal trust across CS, Sales, Product, Support, and RevOps
Meet customers across segments to gather first-hand feedback
Audit team structure, processes, metrics, and handoffs
🔧 Tactical Steps:
Conduct 1:1s with every CSM, CS leader, and cross-functional counterpart
Identify current pain points in the customer lifecycle
Review health scoring, segmentation logic, churn narratives, and NRR trends
Join 10+ customer calls (SMB + enterprise) to hear the voice of the customer
📄 Deliverables:
CS SWOT Analysis (internal + customer-sourced)
Stakeholder Insights Brief
Executive alignment on CS priorities for next 60 days
Phase 2: Design and Align (Days 31–60)
🧠 Objectives:
Design a future-state Customer Journey by segment
Develop operational improvements to reduce churn and accelerate expansion
Align teams around success outcomes (internally and with customers)
🔧 Tactical Steps:
Draft journey maps for SMB and Enterprise customers
Create new health scoring model aligned with leading indicators of growth
Work with Sales and Product to establish better feedback loops
📄 Deliverables:
Future-State Customer Journey (SMB vs Enterprise)
Onboarding Optimization Framework
CS Metrics Redesign Brief (Health, Adoption, Expansion)
Phase 3: Pilot and Prove (Days 61–90)
🧠 Objectives:
Pilot new processes with select customer segments
Gather data to validate direction and iterate
Establish CS as a strategic growth partner, not just a retention function
🔧 Tactical Steps:
Launch onboarding pilot with 5 new accounts
Roll out success planning playbooks to top 20 accounts
Launch a new QBR template that ties usage to measurable business outcomes — a practice grounded in outcome-driven engagement.
Introduce internal CS enablement program
📄 Deliverables:
Pilot Performance Dashboard
CS-led Expansion Pipeline Report
Executive Summary + Q3 OKRs
The Big Picture:
By day 90, the CS team is aligned, accountable, and structured to drive both retention and expansion. Customers experience measurable value faster, and internal partners see CS as a force multiplier. Whether at Nimbus or any other fast-scaling tech company, this 90-day approach turns vision into traction.
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