Top 10 Questions to Ask in Your Customer Success Manager Interview
- Shane Ketterman
- Feb 15
- 4 min read
Landing a Customer Success Manager (CSM) role isn’t just about answering questions—it’s also about asking the right ones.
Great candidates don’t just want the job; they want to understand how they’ll fit within the company, contribute to success, and grow in their careers. Asking the right questions shows confidence, curiosity, and a strong grasp of the CS field. I have seen so many posts in various forums related to job burnout as well as people looking for new roles because they picked the wrong company.
In this post, we’ll break down 10 key questions to ask in a CSM interview—why they matter and what insights they reveal.
1. What does success look like for this role in the first 90 days?
Why ask this?This question helps you understand the company’s immediate expectations and how they measure short-term success.
✅ What you’ll learn:
Whether they prioritize onboarding customers, renewals, or expansion efforts.
How structured their CSM ramp-up plan is.
If expectations are realistic and achievable.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they struggle to define success, it may indicate lack of alignment or unclear performance metrics and this could be a yellow/red flag.
2. What are the key challenges the Customer Success team is currently facing?
Why ask this? Every CS team has pain points—this question shows you proactively want to solve them.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If customers struggle with adoption, engagement, or churn.
Whether the company is scaling quickly or facing retention issues.
If leadership is transparent about internal obstacles.
💡 Bonus Tip: Listen carefully—if they mention frequent customer escalations, lack of support, or unrealistic workloads, it could be a red flag.
3. What tools and technologies does the CS team use daily?
Why ask this?Modern CSMs rely on data-driven platforms—this question helps you understand their tech stack.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If they use industry-standard tools like Gainsight, Totango, ChurnZero, or Salesforce.
How data-driven their CS team is (tracking customer health scores, churn indicators).
If you need to upskill in specific platforms before joining.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they don’t use automation or customer health tools, expect a more manual, high-touch CS role.
4. How does the CS team collaborate with Sales, Support, and Product teams?
Why ask this?A CSM’s success depends on cross-functional collaboration. This question helps you gauge inter-team dynamics.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If CS is treated as a strategic function or an afterthought.
How much influence the CS team has on product decisions, feature requests, and customer retention.
If Sales dumps difficult customers on CS or if they work together on retention.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they mention misalignment or lack of support, be prepared for internal challenges.
5. What are the key performance metrics (KPIs) for CSMs?
Why ask this?You need to know how your performance will be measured—and whether it’s realistic.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If success is based on customer retention, product adoption, or revenue expansion.
Whether CSMs own renewals, upsells, or simply engagement.
If the company focuses on short-term results or long-term value.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they only track Net Promoter Score (NPS) without deeper engagement metrics, their customer insights may be shallow.
6. Can you describe the customer lifecycle and touchpoints CSMs are responsible for?
Why ask this?This question clarifies how involved you’ll be across the customer journey.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If the company follows a high-touch or low-touch CS model.
Whether you’ll handle onboarding, engagement, renewals, or escalations.
How structured their customer success processes are.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they don’t have a clear customer lifecycle, expect less structured processes.
7. How does the company handle churn prevention and risk management?
Why ask this?Customer churn is a critical CS metric—you need to know their proactive vs. reactive approach.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If they track early warning signs like decreasing engagement or usage.
How CS and Sales work together to save at-risk customers.
Whether they have a defined playbook for churn prevention.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they don’t have a churn prevention strategy, it may signal reactive leadership.
8. What is the renewal and expansion process like?
Why ask this?Some CS teams own renewals, while others work with Sales—this question clarifies your role.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If CSMs carry revenue targets or simply influence renewals.
Whether there’s a smooth handoff between CS and Sales.
How the company drives expansion (upsells/cross-sells).
💡 Bonus Tip: If renewals are last-minute fire drills, it could indicate poor account planning.
9. How does the company invest in CSM career growth and development?
Why ask this?You don’t just want a job—you want a long-term career path.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If they have mentorship, training, or leadership pathways.
How CSMs transition into Senior, Strategic, or Leadership roles.
Whether company culture prioritizes learning and development.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they struggle to answer, growth opportunities may be limited.
10. What excites you most about working here?
Why ask this?Turning the interview around lets you assess company culture & leadership.
✅ What you’ll learn:
If leaders are passionate about their mission.
Whether the company has a positive, motivating culture.
If employees feel valued and excited about their work.
💡 Bonus Tip: If they hesitate or give a generic answer, it may signal low team morale.
🔥 Final Thoughts: Stand Out in Your CSM Interview
Your interview isn’t just about answering questions—it’s about finding the right fit for you.
By asking these 10 smart questions, you’ll:
✅ Show strategic thinking & business acumen
✅ Learn key insights about the company & culture
✅ Position yourself as a proactive, high-value hire
🚀 Want structured training & interview prep to land your first CSM role? Our Customer Success Training Program gives you hands-on experience, mock interviews, and expert coaching to help you break into CS with confidence.
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