Reference · Anytime

Customer Success Playbook

Situational reference for every recurring customer scenario. Pick a situation on the left — get triggers, stakeholders, do's & don'ts, conversation starters, orchestration, and signals to watch.

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Phase · Strengthen

QBR Preparation

Trigger
Quarterly business review due. Account is stable or growing.
Objective
Move from system activity to business outcomes. Show value delivered, identify next moves.
Stakeholders to align
  • VP / SVP / Business Head
  • Product / IT Head
  • CS + Product leadership
Tools you'll use
  • QBR Dashboard
  • Maturity Model
  • Benchmark Library
  • QBR Template
  • AI Cost & Usage Report (for AI-platform accounts)
Do
  • Open with business outcomes — TAT improvement, disbursement volume, NPA flag reduction. For AI-platform accounts: tasks successfully automated, hours returned, deflection rate.
  • Use QBR dashboard to show QoQ movements with old and new numbers.
  • Present the maturity scorecard: where today, what the next 2–3 moves look like.
  • Bring one credible market insight — RBI, BCG, McKinsey, or for AI accounts a16z / Gartner AI / OpenAI enterprise benchmark.
  • For AI-platform accounts include a unit-economics section: tokens consumed, $/successful-outcome, model mix, top 5 tools/APIs, cost trend MoM — tied to value, not raw consumption.
  • Close with next actions — owned by both teams, with dates.
Don't
  • Do not lead with system uptime or ticket count — those are hygiene, not value.
  • Do not present a laundry list of CRs without connecting them to business impact.
  • Do not report raw token counts without tying them to outcomes — the customer's CFO will draw their own conclusion.
  • Do not leave without confirming the next QBR date.

Conversation starters

"Last quarter, disbursement TAT improved from 4.1 to 2.4 days. Let us look at what drove it and what the next move looks like."
"Based on your maturity profile, there are two moves that could take you to Level 4 in two quarters."
"For your AI workload: $/successful-task dropped 22% QoQ while volume grew 1.6x — here are the prompt and tool changes that drove it, and where the next 15% sits."

Orchestration timeline

  1. 1.T-7d: Compile QoQ metrics, prepare maturity slide, select benchmark insight
  2. 2.T-2d: Share QBR agenda with customer for input
  3. 3.T-0: Lead with outcomes, close with agreed actions and next QBR date
  4. 4.T+48h: Send QBR summary with agreed actions, owners, and dates
Positive signals
  • Customer VP brings own agenda items
  • Customer asks for roadmap input
  • CXO attends instead of delegating
Anti-signals
  • Customer reschedules QBR twice
  • QBR runs through without any questions from customer
Target outcome

Leadership sees measurable value. Roadmap discussion opened. Expansion seed planted naturally.

Cadence: Fixed date each quarter. Book next QBR before leaving the current one.