Managing Your Book of Business

In this episode of CSin15, hosts Chris and Jason break down the practical tactics CSMs can use to effectively manage their book of business. They explore how to handle account transitions, prioritize customers, and ensure time is spent on the right activities. The discussion includes personal experiences, hot takes, and real-world strategies to avoid burnout while keeping customers engaged.

Key Takeaways

• Reassess Your Priorities During Transitions

  • Step back and reprioritize your book when taking on new accounts instead of just adding them to your workload.

  • Adjust engagement levels based on customer needs—some may require high-touch, while others can be lower-touch.

• Set Clear Expectations With Transitioned Accounts

  • Establish expectations early to prevent misalignment later.

  • Have open conversations about past experiences to inform your approach.

• Know Your Capacity: How Many Accounts Is Too Many?

  • Chris' take: Anything over 30 strategic accounts leads to service breakdowns.

  • Jason’s take: The threshold depends on spend and segment, but anything over 50 makes it hard to maintain deep engagement.

• Prioritize Your Time Effectively

  • Renewals first: Customers with an upcoming renewal within a year should always be a top focus.

  • At-risk accounts: Low adoption, missing ROI, and disengagement signal accounts that need immediate attention.

  • Healthy accounts: Maintain relationships and look for growth opportunities, but don’t let them consume your bandwidth.

• Manage Squeaky Wheels Without Losing Focus

  • Set dedicated cadence meetings to keep communication structured.

  • Loop in Support and other teams to prevent unnecessary deep dives.

  • Provide self-service resources to minimize excessive hand-holding.

• Be Strategic With Training Requests

  • If training drives adoption and success, take ownership.

  • For lower-tier accounts, use a train-the-trainer approach to scale efforts.

Reassessing Priorities During Account Transitions

When new accounts transition into your book, take the opportunity to restructure your workload. Simply adding them to your existing workflow without adjusting priorities can lead to burnout. Instead:

• Categorize customers based on value, risk, and engagement level.

• Determine which customers need high-touch service and which can be optimized for self-service.

• Use data to make decisions—look at ARR, renewal dates, and product adoption trends.

Setting Expectations With Transitioned Accounts

Your first conversation with a newly transitioned account is critical. Approach it with a blank slate and ask:

• What has their experience been like so far?

• How do they define value from your product or service?

• What expectations do they have moving forward?

Being proactive in this conversation helps set the tone for a strong relationship.

Managing Squeaky Wheel Customers

Some customers will demand more time than others—sometimes more than they should. To manage this effectively:

• Set a cadence meeting (biweekly or monthly) to provide them with structured time.

• If they send excessive emails or questions, defer to the cadence meeting.

• Don’t be afraid to loop in Support or other resources when needed.

• Keep them engaged without letting them drain your time from higher-priority accounts.

Training: When Should a CSM Own It?

Training can be a significant time investment. Use this framework to determine if you should handle it:

• High-value accounts with expansion potential? Run the training yourself.

• Smaller accounts with repeat training needs? Use a train-the-trainer approach.

• No executive buy-in? Push back—training without leadership support often fails to drive adoption.

Final Thought

Managing a book of business is about working smarter, not harder. Prioritize effectively, set clear expectations, and ensure you’re focusing on the right accounts at the right time.