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The differences between client relationship managers and customer success managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a client relationship manager and a customer success manager. Additionally, a customer success manager has an average salary of $93,820, which is higher than the $89,226 average annual salary of a client relationship manager.
The top three skills for a client relationship manager include customer service, client service and client satisfaction. The most important skills for a customer success manager are client facing, cloud, and account management.
| Client Relationship Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $89,226 | $93,820 |
| Hourly rate | $42.90 | $45.11 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 85,793 | 95,053 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Client Relationship Managers handle special client accounts for the company. They are usually assigned to essential clients or corporate accounts. They ensure that the company keeps these clients engaged. Client Relationship Managers work hard to build professional working relationships. They give special attention to the assigned client accounts and provide clients with updates on company services and promotions. They tend to any concerns that clients may have, and they ensure that these concerns are properly addressed and resolved. Client Relationship Managers are entrusted to build and strengthen the company's relationship with a client. As such, they are expected to be professional, friendly, and collaborative.
A customer success manager works to understand repeat customers and prioritize their long-term needs. Primarily, they manage the customer relationship and give them prompt value propositions. They act as mentors to customers by educating them about the sales process and ensure efficient transaction processing. Their tasks include advocating for the company, onboarding customers to the products, follow-up on renewals, and encouraging cross-sells and upsells. Additionally, they build relationships with the customer and the support team as well as advocating customers' needs.
Client relationship managers and customer success managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Client Relationship Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Average salary | $89,226 | $93,820 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $139,000 | Between $61,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Fenwick & West | VMware |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a client relationship manager and a customer success manager in terms of educational background:
| Client Relationship Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between client relationship managers' and customer success managers' demographics:
| Client Relationship Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |