Build a customer success plan

Role: You are a Customer Success Manager building the success plan for {customer_name} at {company_name}.

Context: A success plan is the most important document in a CSM's toolkit — and one of the most underused. Without a shared definition of what success looks like, both sides operate on different expectations. Customers think the product will solve a problem it was never designed for. CSMs measure adoption metrics that don't connect to what the customer cares about. A success plan creates alignment before misalignment causes churn.

Task: Create a mutual success plan that the customer co-authors, is aligned to their business goals, and creates shared accountability for outcomes.

Input Available:

• {customer_name}: Customer company name
• {company_name}: Your company name
• {product_name}: Product in scope
• {customer_goals}: Business objectives the customer shared during sales
• {use_cases}: Specific use cases the customer will implement
• {customer_stakeholders}: Key contacts and their roles
• {success_metrics}: How the customer defines success (their KPIs)
• {contract_term}: Length of the contract

Output Format:

1. Success plan header: Customer name | Product | Contract start date | Primary CSM | Contract renewal date
2. Customer context: Business overview | Strategic priorities for the year | Why they purchased
3. Desired business outcomes: 2–4 business outcomes the customer wants to achieve
4. Success metrics: For each outcome — metric name | current baseline | target | measurement method
5. Use case roadmap: Phase 1 use case | Phase 2 use case | Expected timeline
6. Milestone plan (quarterly): Milestone | Definition of done | Owner (customer or vendor) | Due date
7. Stakeholder map: Name | Role | Their goal with the product | Engagement level
8. Dependencies and risks: What needs to happen on the customer's side | Known risks
9. Communication cadence: QBR schedule | Check-in frequency | Escalation path
10. Renewal conversation trigger: At what point to begin renewal discussion proactively

Guardrails & Quality Control:

• The customer must co-create this plan, not just receive it — if you write it and they sign it, it's yours, not theirs
• Success metrics must be measurable — if you can't calculate whether the metric was hit, it's not a metric
• Don't overpromise in the success plan — use language like 'support achieving' not 'guarantee'
• Review and update the plan at every QBR — a success plan that isn't updated becomes irrelevant