Helping companies build and optimize their service functions—whether that’s CS, support, or operations—is a big part of my advisory work. It’s a tricky discipline to get right.
Part of the reason is because the work itself is varied and often complex. But what really tends to bog these functions down is that they frequently end up absorbing dysfunction from the rest of the business. If Sales overcommits, it’s typically CS that has to deliver on the gap. If Product is missing functionality or rough around the edges, CS usually has to work around it. If hiring lags or budgets tighten, the cost centers are the first to feel the pinch.
In short, one of the main challenges CS teams face is that they end up compensating for issues that originated elsewhere. And because they do the day-to-day work, those compensations will invariably become the way things are done—idiosyncratic, manual, and hard to scale.
To help companies build, optimize, or fix their CS functions, I use a six-part framework that encompasses the range of factors they need to consider. I wanted to share these today with you. Within eact part of the framework there are key questions that must be answered. As you’re reading the list, think about how your organization might respond. You’ll notice as well that I see this framework as naturally building from one part to the next. Order matters. If you get ahead of yourself, you’ll end up solving for symptoms instead of structure.
My Six-Part CS Framework
1. Strategic
Given the company’s product or service, what’s the ideal customer profile? Embedded in that is a client’s way of working. Because if your way of working doesn’t match theirs, then you’re no longer selling your product—you’re selling a business transformation. So the key question here is: what’s the operating model you intend to run?
2. Functional
Once you understand how your client works, what functions do you need to perform to deliver value? In insights or data companies, it’s often one of three Ds: design (which includes things like questionnaire development or analytical frameworks), delivery (project setup, fieldwork, data handling), or diagnosis (the interpretation and “now what” advice to the client).
Why start with function? Because form must follow function. Start with the work that needs doing, then you define the process: what you do, for whom, how long it takes, and what it costs. That process should map directly to your product and your qualified client profile. One really important point to call out here is that, if you are trying to transform or optimize a team—meaning that maybe you’re considering a re-org—you should never start by looking at the people you have. You start with the work that needs to be done.
3. Client
Now that you understand what work you’re doing, you can ask: how and when do we interface with the client? This has two parts. The first is communication: does the team have the right skills to speak with clients? Second, and more important: what number do they own? Every CS team should have a number they own that reflects their performance. But what that number is is up for debate. If it’s revenue, then do they own it, or do they share it? If it’s something else, like usage or customer satisfaction, how is it measured?
4. Organization
Only now—once you know what work needs doing, how it maps to process, and where client responsibility sits—do you build an org chart. Every org chart is a statement of compromise. This is because every place where you draw a line represents a tradeoff which should be intentional. It may be a trade-off because of the type of work, which impacts efficiency and ability to hire. It may be one of central functions vs regional autonomy. But whatever lines you draw, you need to know how much work there is, and how many people it will take, and how you will balance specialization (which helps with hiring and efficiency) with span of control (which helps with accountability and coordination).
5. Hiring & Management
Once you have an org structure, can you actually hire the people you need? You shouldn’t need unicorns, whose unusual combination of skills make them really difficult to find. You should be able to find talent at the right level for the job. If you can’t, then go back one step and think about your organization. Only now do you look at your existing team and map them into roles. Done well, there shouldn’t be much change. But there are typically a few misfits. In the best of circumstances, these are the “Swiss Army knives” of the team who know everything and can do everything, but in keeping things going can inhibit scale. That doesn’t mean they should be out—but you need a plan.
6. Economic
Given the team size and structure, what’s the cost? What margin does that imply? Can you grow without eroding margin? Can you scale—meaning cost grows at a slower rate than revenue? If you don’t like the answers, you can’t just cut staff or downgrade talent. These outcomes are baked into the structure of your business. The functions you need to perform demand a certain level of skill and experience. Hire too junior, and you either lose clients or raise internal costs through rework and handholding. Cut service too far, and you risk falling out of your market’s buyable set.
I told you it was tricky.
If you want to go deeper on this, I’m doing two things:
First, I’m launching a new newsletter called The CS Architect that focuses on how Customer Success is evolving in the insights and data industry—especially in an AI-enabled world.
Second, I’m hosting a webinar on April 2 to dig deep into this six-part framework. I’ll share what I’ve seen go wrong over the last 20+ years and how to begin fixing it.
If you’re a founder, CS leader, or even just CS-curious, this one’s for you. You’ll walk away with practical takeaways you can apply immediately.
And because you’re already a subscriber, I want to sweeten the deal:
- Use the code CSWITHJD to register and you’ll get 50% off the price
- Get a free 30-minute 1-on-1 game plan session with me to talk through your specific CS challenges (normally a €300 value)
Register here: https://jddeitch.com/cs
With the discount, the webinar is just €149 (about £125 or $159). I’m biased, but for what you’ll take away, I think that’s a steal.
Hope to see you there.
— JD
PS: To subscribe to the CS Architect, follow me on LinkedIn.