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Being prepared for an interview is important, no matter the position that you are interviewing for. To help you get ready for the position of customer success manager, we have put together 35 interview questions with 20 example answers.
Key Takeaways:
Candidates should highlight their leadership skills and come up with relevant work responsibilities that they have done in previous jobs.
Interviewers should have an understanding of the products and services the company offers to gauge how well the candidate knows the company.
Tell me about yourself
This is a common interview question typically asked at the start of an interview. It's asked to get to know you better. Your answer should highlight your relevant experiences, skills, and qualifications.
Example Answer:
“I have five years of experience in the tech industry working with both enterprise and SMB clients. In my current role, I work closely with customers to help them with their needs and provide solutions that align with their goals.
I am also responsible for creating and executing customer access programs and analyzing data to identify areas for improvement. I am also a strong communicator and problem-solver.”
Why should we hire you?
You should sell yourself and show the interviewer why you are the best candidate for the position. Be sure to highlight your work history and skills and why you would be the best person for the position.
Example Answer:
“I believe my experience and skills make me a qualified candidate for this position. I have a proven track record of building and maintaining long-term relationships with customers, and I understand the importance of customer satisfaction in driving business success.
My background in data analysis and reporting is strong and has allowed me to gain skills in analyzing customer data, identifying trends, and communicating insights to stakeholders.”
Why do you want to work here?
This is a common question asked by the interviewer to get an understanding of how much you know about the company. Your answer should reflect the research that you have done by aligning the company’s mission and values with your own.
Example Answer:
“I want to work here because I am drawn to the company’s mission and the impact that it is making in the industry. I’m impressed by the innovative products and solutions that have been developed.
I am also excited about how you have a customer-centric approach and an emphasis on delivering a satisfying customer experience. I believe it’s important to focus on customers and give them the best experience possible.”
Where do you see yourself in five years?
This question is often asked to get an understanding of what your goals and aspirations are. Talk about what your short-term and long-term goals are and how you plan to achieve them. Your answer should also show and emphasize your commitment to the company and the role that you are applying for.
Example Answer:
“In five years, I plan to be a seasoned customer success manager with an understanding of the industry and having a positive relationship with my customers. I hope to take on new opportunities to continue to expand my knowledge of the industry and any opportunities to stay up-to-date on emerging trends and best practices.”
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. You should relate your strengths back to the position. Your weakness should be something that you are working on and how you are turning it into a positive.
Example Answer:
“My biggest strength is my ability to build and maintain strong relationships with customers. I do this by taking a customer-centric approach to my work, and I am good at understanding what the customer needs and addressing their needs.
A weakness I have is my time management skills, and I can get overly invested in a project. To improve this, I use time management tools and techniques to help me stay on track and to prioritize my tasks. I will often break my tasks up into smaller projects to help me stay focused.”
How do you prioritize customer issues, and what metrics do you use to track success in resolving them?
When working as a customer success manager, customer issues are going to happen. The interviewer is looking to see how you handle this situation. Your answer should demonstrate your ability to effectively manage these issues. Use an example from your past experience to help you answer.
Example Answer:
“When addressing customer issues, I will take a data-driven approach that is focused on delivering the best possible customer experience while aligning the customer goals and objectives. I do this by first addressing the impact and the severity of the issue.
Once that is done, I set clear expectations and clearly communicated with the customer on the timeline for the resolution.
By tracking the metrics such as response time, resolution time, and customer satisfaction scores, I’m able to identify the trends and areas for improvement. My goal is to ensure that we are delivering a satisfying customer experience.”
Tell me about a time when you were able to turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied one.
The interviewer is looking to see if you are able to handle unhappy customers because there will always be at least one unhappy customer from time to time. Your answer should showcase your ability to listen to customers and work to find a solution that fits their needs.
Example Answer:
“I had a customer who was experiencing some technical issues with a product, and they were extremely frustrated. They have been trying to resolve the issues for a few days, and they were on the verge of canceling their membership. I started by listening to their concerns and assured them that we were taking their concerns seriously.
I worked closely with the technical support team to identify the root cause of the issue and to develop a plan to fix it. I made sure to communicate regularly with the customer to help keep them informed on the progress. Once we found the issue and resolved it, the customer was extremely satisfied with the outcome.”
How do you measure and improve customer satisfaction rates over time?
Being able to monitor and analyze customer feedback is an important task for a customer success manager. Your answer should show your ability to do this and identify areas of improvement as well as how you implement strategies to increase customer satisfaction.
Example Answer:
“I will take a multifaceted approach that involves both qualitative and quantitative data. To start, I will survey customers regularly to gather feedback on their experiences with the products. I will use data analytical tools to analyze customer feedback and identify trends and patterns.
After I analyze the data, I will set goals such as reducing response times and increasing resolution rates to help improve customer satisfaction rates. To help reach these goals, I work with cross-functional teams to develop strategies and initiatives to help improve satisfaction. I will then regularly measure the progress against the goals and make adjustments as needed.”
Describe a time when you demonstrated strong leadership.
Being in a manager position means needing strong leadership skills. Use an example from your past to show the interviewer your ability to motivate and lead a team towards a common goal.
Example Answer:
“When working with a team, I start by setting clear and achievable goals for a project which includes timelines and key milestones. I will empower team members to take ownership of their individual areas of responsibility, and I will provide them with the resources and support they need to succeed.
I encourage collaboration among the team so they can have strong and open communication. I monitor their progress against the goals that we have set and will provide regular updates to stakeholders about the progress. I believe that celebrating success with the team when there is a launch is an important part of being a leader.”
How do you ensure that customers are aware of new product features and updates?
The interviewer will ask this to get a sense of your customer relation skills and how you are able to communicate with them. Your answer should showcase your communication skills and how you keep them informed.
Example Answer:
“When we have new product features and updates, I ensure that customers are aware by using in-app messaging because it is one of the most effective ways of communicating with customers. I will also send targeted emails for larger updates or changes when more context is required.
I will also host webinars and create knowledge-based articles to help get them more detailed information. This is a great way to address any questions that customers have. Finally, I will gather feedback to ensure that we are doing everything we can to get the information to the customers.”
How do you handle escalations from customers and internal stakeholders?
This type of question is asked to get an understanding of your problem-solving skills and how you can handle difficult situations. Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to help you answer.
Example Answer:
“When handling escalations from customers and internal stakeholders, I will take a structured and collaborative approach. I will start by actively listening to the concerns of the customers or stakeholders and expressing empathy for their situation.
I will then gather information such as customer history, relevant support tickets, and internal feedback from other teams or stakeholders.
I will then work closely with other members of the customer access team and other relevant departments to find a solution to the problem. During the process, I am sure to communicate and keep everyone informed.
Once a solution has been implemented, I will follow up with the customer or stakeholder to ensure that they are satisfied and that the issue has been resolved.”
Tell me about a time that you leveraged customer feedback to improve a product or service
This is a behavioral interview question that is asked to see how you handled situations. Interviewers use these to get insight into how you’re likely to handle situations in the future. Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to help you answer.
Example Answer:
“In my last role, I received feedback from several customers that our product’s reporting feature was not meeting their needs. To help address this, I scheduled a meeting with the production team to review the feedback and find a solution. We came up with a plan to redesign the reporting feature and made it more flexible and user friendly.”
What resources do you use when it comes to customer training and education?
Your answer should demonstrate your knowledge of the different training and education opportunities that you have available. You should be able to show how you tailor them to the specific needs of the customers.
Example Answer:
“One resource I find helpful and effective for customers needing training and education is having an in-app tutorial and walkthroughs. These are able to be tailored to the specific features and functions that are most relevant to each customer.
I find that personalized training sessions are the most effective for customers who want more hands-on support.”
Tell me how you build and maintain long-term relationships with customers.
This is another behavioral interview question, so it’s important to show the interviewer your ability to build trust and communicate effectively with your customers. Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to help you answer.
Example Answer:
“I try to always have transparent and honest communication with customers, and I set clear expectations and follow through on my commitments. Communication is so important when building relationships with customers. I do this by being responsive to their needs and listening carefully to their feedback and concerns.
I also try to regularly review their needs and goals to help ensure that we are meeting their needs over time.”
What motivates you?
This is another common question asked to see how you stay motivated and on task. Be sure that you highlight the factors that drive you to excel and stay productive.
Example Answer:
“I stay motivated by building relationships with customers and helping them to achieve their goals. I find it rewarding to work closely with them to help find solutions for their issues. I am also motivated by the opportunity to find new ways to learn and grow within my role.”
How do you keep up-to-date with industry trends and customer needs, and what sources do you rely on for this information?
Continuing to learn and staying informed about trends is an important part of being a manager. The interviewer is looking to see if you plan on doing it and what ways you are planning on doing it.
Example Answer:
“To help stay up-to-date with industry trends, I often rely on industry publications and blogs and subscribe to newsletters and RSS feeds. I will also attend industry events and conferences to network with other customer success professionals.”
Tell me about a time when you handled difficult or demanding customers. What techniques have you found to be effective in that situation?
Dealing with difficult customers will happen occasionally, so it’s important to show your understanding of how to handle the situation. Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to help you answer.
Example Answer:
“I try to remain calm and empathetic in situations when dealing with difficult customers. I begin by apologizing for the inconvenience and frustrations, and I will ask questions to get a better understanding of the problem. Once I understand what is going on, I will try to propose solutions to address their needs.
I will communicate the steps of what will happen to resolve the issue. I will also make sure I follow up with them regularly to ensure that everything is going smoothly and the issue is resolved.”
What can you contribute to our company?
Your answer to this question should highlight your skills and qualifications and what makes you the best candidate for the position.
Example Answer:
“I bring a strong customer-centric mindset and ability to empathize with customers and understand their needs. This helps me build strong relationships with them. I also have experience working with cross-functional teams and collaboration with different departments to drive customer success.”
How do you manage customer expectations, and what methods do you use to communicate them?
Meeting customer expectations is important for the customer experience. Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) to help you answer this question.
Example Answer:
“I will first make sure that I understand the customer’s needs and goals. This helps me provide accurate and realistic expectations that are aligned with their goals. I am always sure that I communicate using simple terms that they will be able to understand.
I strive to be proactive in managing customer expectations by identifying any potential issues or challenges upfront and addressing them before they become problems.
How do you ensure a consistent customer experience across different channels and touchpoints?
It’s important to relay the same information to everyone. Be sure that you tell your interviewer what your plans are to do this. Use past experiences to help you answer this question.
Example Answer:
“I make sure that all customer-facing teams are aligned in terms of messaging and ebay practices so that they provide the same information to all customers. This means having regular cross-functional meetings, sharing of customer feedback and insights and a consistent tone of voice across all channels.”
How do you measure and report on customer health and success?
How do you collaborate with sales teams to ensure a smooth onboarding process for new customers?
Describe a time when you had to think outside the box to solve a customer issue.
How do you approach managing multiple accounts and prioritize competing demands?
How do you define success?
How do you ensure customer data is accurate, secure, and up-to-date?
How do you collaborate with cross-functional teams, such as product engineering, to solve customer issues?
How do you measure and report on the ROI of customers and success initiatives?
Can you describe how you handle customer churn and what methods you use to reduce it?
What have you done over the past year for professional development?
Can you provide an example of how you’ve used customer data to drive business decisions?
How do you handle customer objections or pushback on product or service offerings?
What do you bring to our organization that other candidates do not?
How do you approach identifying and addressing customer pain points, and what techniques do you use to gather feedback?
How do you collaborate with customer support teams, and what process do you have in place to ensure a seamless customer experience?
As a Candidate:
Highlight your leadership skills. Being a leader is important in a manager position. Think of times that you were a strong leader and how you were able to lead your team to success.
Come up with examples of previous responsibilities. Reread the job description for the type of responsibilities that are required for the position, and try to align your previous responsibilities with those that are required.
Research the company. Doing this will help you learn more about the company and the products and services they offer. It will also help you get a better understanding of their values and mission so you can align your own with them.
As an Interviewer:
Have an understanding of the company. Be sure that you have an understanding of the basic products and services that the company offers. This will help you evaluate how much the candidate knows about the position.
Create interview questions. The questions that you create should be customer success manager behavioral questions to evaluate how the candidate is in certain situations. You should also have some common interview questions to get to know them better.
Review the candidate's resume. Reviewing the resume will help you get refreshed on the candidate's qualifications and skills before the interview. It will also help you come up with resume-specific questions to ask.