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As the modern economy continues to evolve, many companies are refocusing their efforts on ensuring customer engagement and satisfaction. Customer Success Managers play a vital role in that effort, working directly with clients to ensure that their needs are being met. If you’ve chosen a career in this field, then you’ll need a resume that highlights your key skills, experiences, and potential value to an employer.
We’ve created this Customer Success Manager resume guide to help you create the type of resume that’s sure to catch any hiring manager’s attention. In this guide, you’ll find the key tips and customer success manager resume examples you’ll need to get started on your resume. We’ll also provide critical insight to help you better understand what employers are looking for when they review your resume.
How to write a resume
Customer Success Managers provide guidance and support for customers, building positive relationships that ensure customer loyalty, repeat purchases, and referrals that bring in new business. To do that, you need to be able to focus on each customer’s needs and present solutions that satisfy their expectations. The good news is that the same skills you use to help customers find success and satisfaction can also play a critical role in the creation of a compelling resume.
Your resume needs to be focused on the employer’s needs, demonstrating that you have the requisite qualifications and proven track record they need to add real value to their organization. Remember, companies are not just interested in what you can do; they want to know what you can do for them. If you can keep that in mind as you organize and craft your resume, you’ll be better able to convey the value they’re looking for – and that can increase your odds of landing an interview.
To create that value-driven resume, you need to focus on the fundamentals, including using the right format and structure, focusing on achievements rather than responsibilities, and tailoring your resume to each specific job you’re seeking. If you can successfully accomplish those goals, you should be able to create a resume that speaks directly to each employer’s needs.
Choose your resume format wisely
It’s vital to choose the right resume format. Fortunately, there are only three main formats used by today’s job seekers: the functional, reverse-chronological, and combination formats. Each one organizes your resume information in a different way, so it’s important to pick the best option for your job search needs. Let’s consider each of these formats:
Functional resume: The functional resume format is often used to focus attention on a job seeker’s skills when they lack the required experience for a position. It can also be used to gloss over significant gaps in a candidate’s work history. If you choose this option, you will typically list your skills and education closer to the top of your resume while placing your work history last.
Reverse-chronological resume: This is the most common resume format and is preferred by most job seekers and employers. It is ideal for anyone who has at least a couple of years of relevant work experience and no significant employment gaps. The key to using this format is to list your job roles in reverse order – starting with the most recent position you’ve held – and place that information right between your skills and education sections.
Combination resume: The combination format is a hybrid option that combines features of the first two formats. This format is a great option for job seekers with experience who are trying to change careers. It uses the same basic structure as the functional resume, focusing attention on the skills that the employer wants to see. The work experience section, formatted in reverse-chronological order, serves to highlight relevant achievements that demonstrate the type of value you can provide for the employer.
We typically recommend that most job seekers rely on the reverse-chronological resume format. As noted, employers prefer it. Unfortunately, many hiring managers are skeptical of functional resumes, and the last thing you want to do is use a format that could get your resume rejected before it’s given serious consideration.
Select a solid structure
After you’ve decided which format you’re going to use, the next step is to outline your resume’s structure. The best resumes rely on simple structures that hiring managers can scan in just a few seconds – and make no mistake; employers will skim your resume rather than read it. In fact, most employers only spend an average of roughly six seconds on any given resume before deciding whether they want to review it in more detail.
Knowing that, your goal should be to create an outline that separates distinct types of information into sections. By doing this, you will make it easier for any employer to quickly locate the details they want to see, skimming over everything else. If that information intrigues them, then they’ll be more likely to spend time reading the rest of the document.
If you’ve chosen the reverse-chronological resume format, then we recommend the following structure:
Contact information
Resume headline
Resume summary
Skills or core competencies
Professional experience
Education
Optional sections
Contact information
The contact information section should be the first thing employers see when they grab your resume and needs to include everything a hiring manager will need to know if they want to contact you for an interview or job offer. Always include vital information like:
First and last name. This should be in bold text and formatted in a slightly larger font than the rest of your contact details, to make sure that it stands out.
Phone number. This can be a cell number of landline. Just make sure that it’s a working number that people can use to reach you.
Location. Most job seekers who include location information simply list their city and state. There is no need to include your street address.
Email address. Many employers prefer to use email during the hiring process, so always include a professional email address. Don’t use silly addresses or anything controversial. It’s also not a good idea to use your current work email address – especially if your current boss doesn’t know that you’re applying for a new job.
LinkedIn URL or professional website. If you maintain a LinkedIn profile or a website that highlights your professional project, include that information here.
Resume headline
While many job seekers have traditionally included their job title in the contact information section, we recommend using a resume headline instead. This one-line headline can be a great way to capture an employer’s attention early in your resume. It also provides an excellent way for you to quickly separate yourself from rival candidates by highlighting your job title and specialties in a simple way.
To create your resume headline, start with the job title that you’re seeking and simply add some descriptive language that highlights your capabilities. For example, if you’re seeking a role as a Customer Success Manager, don’t just list that title. Dress it up with a few words that demonstrate your unique abilities as a professional:
Dynamic Customer Success Manager Focused on Client Advocacy, Satisfaction, and Long-Term Retention
An employer who reads that headline will be intrigued enough to spend a few more minutes examining the rest of your resume. Your bold declaration will leave them with questions that they’ll need to answer by reviewing your skills and work history to see how you’ve successfully built customer relationships, provided a world-class experience, and developed the kind of brand loyalty that endures over time.
Resume summary
Salespeople have long used a tool known as the “elevator pitch” – a brief sales pitch that they can use to capture a customer’s attention and spark a longer conversation about their product or service’s potential benefits. The resume summary is your resume’s elevator pitch and serves as your introduction to the employer. It’s typically three to five sentences in length and details your job title, experience, skills, and a notable achievement or two.
It's usually wise to write this section after you’ve completed the rest of your resume since it is a summarization of your qualifications designed to show your potential value as an employee. If you wait until you’ve written those other sections, you’ll have an easier time figuring out how to best summarize what you’ve written. Consider the following Customer Success Manager resume summary example to get a better idea of how this section achieves its goals:
Customer Success Manager with seven years of experience in driving excellent customer experiences and increased client retention. Highly skilled at developing brand loyalty that results in continued business opportunities. Experienced team leader specializing in the development and implementation of large-scale service and support processes that produce tangible results. Revitalized customer management process at ABC Corp., resulting in 47% boost in repeat business and 24% increase in annual revenues.
Skills or core competencies
The skills section in your resume is the first section that you’ll label. You can use a simple headline label like “Skills” or “Core Competencies” to ensure that hiring managers can quickly locate this information. As the name suggests, this section should include all the relevant skills that show you’re qualified for the position. We’ll cover the important skills you need to include in a later section of the guide. Right now, we just want to focus on the way you present this information.
Your skills section should present those key abilities using a simple and straightforward list of relevant competencies. Don’t add any lengthy descriptions or other distracting language. Just list the skills in bullet point format. Once you’ve done that, you should consider formatting the entire section into two or three columns as well. That will help to optimize your resume space and make the list easier for employers to skim.
Finally, don’t forget to include all the skills listed in the job posting’s role and requirement descriptions. Those skills will most likely be used as keywords for any applicant tracking system screening process, so you’ll need those exact words in your resume if you want to pass that ATS. To learn more about the ATS and how to pass the screening, read ATS Resume Test: Free ATS Checker & Formatting Examples (2024).
Professional experience
Your professional experience section is where you’ll list your work history. Here, you’ll want to list each job role that you’ve held over the last ten years in reverse chronological order. For each position, list the job title, company name, company location, and the years of your employment. Then, add four to six bullet point achievements that highlight quantifiable results that benefited your employers. Use real numbers to demonstrate the value that you can offer as an employee. For example:
Developed customer onboarding processes that reduced onboarding times by 32%
Managed team that boosted customer retention by 32% through increased troubleshooting support and consistent client engagement
Earned 99% customer satisfaction rating for three years running while being recognized for excellent customer engagement, problem-solving, and advocacy
Education
This is where you highlight your educational credentials. Include the degree you earned, the name of the school, your graduation date, and any relevant coursework that you want the employer to consider. You can also include certifications, continuing education, and other training that you’ve received.
Optional sections
If you need to bolster your qualifications, you may want to consider additional sections for things like professional associations, notable projects, or awards. Generally, you will only need to include any of these optional sections if you believe that they add to your overall qualifications. Otherwise, stick to the main sections we’ve outlined.
Customer Success Manager resume example
If you’ve read through all those tips and are chomping at the bit to see how they translate into resume success, now’s your chance. We’ve included this Customer Success Manager resume example for you to review to see how these different resume sections form a cohesive and winning narrative. You can use this as a guide for your own resume – or just use it like a template and replace the example text with your own information.
Name
Title
City, State or Country if international
Phone | Email
LinkedIn URL
CUSTOMER SUCCESS MANAGER PROFESSIONAL
Talented Customer Success Manager highly regarded for improving team performance on customer service metrics and SLA delivery. Able to motivate teams and coach underperforming individuals into management potential. Proactive, energetic and a master troubleshooter with a sharp focus on developing and implementing process improvements to drive company growth and technical innovation. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, a strong work ethic and the ability to effectively handle pressure without compromising quality service.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Customer Service
De-escalations
Performance Management
Technical Expertise
Crisis Resolution
Sales
Team Leader
Team Collaboration
Training
User Training
Coaching
Leadership
Relationship Building
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Customer Success Manager
Company | Location | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Managed 4 Customer Service Account Managers and 20+ Customer Service Reps.
Handled daily customer service calls and all escalated issues.
Assigned and Monitored weekly/monthly income quotas.
Developed training materials and implemented training schedules.
Analyzed and reported departmental income, business trends and employee statistics on a weekly basis.
Screened and hired all new employees for the department.
Worked closely with other departments within the company to ensure proper handling of customer service issues
Customer Service Manager
Company | Location | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Lead team of 32 customer service and solutions representatives
Achieved "Best in Quest" recognition for all corporate metrics including First Call Resolution, Average Speed of Answer, Call Quality, Capture Rate and Service Factor
Established individual productivity and quality metrics to compliment corporate-specific metrics
Created and implemented competitive customer service program (Fantasy Customer Service) which resulted in improved employee engagement and customer satisfaction scores
Successfully integrated dispatch into customer service from logistics
Successfully collaborated with the sales department for client on-boarding and training in-services for clients, resulting in more effective and efficient on-boarding and improved client satisfaction and loyalty
Customer Service Manager
Company | Location | Year to Year
Responsibilities
Develop an integrated Customer Service team that includes all aspects of the customer experience from initial application to customer billing.
Responsible for the development of Customer Service Programs with a focus on Revenue Protection and System Losses.
Developed a Collections Program where our team consistently collected 99% of all receivables
Develop a Customer Service Training Program to address current customer service deficiencies.
EDUCATION
Complete School Name, City, St/Country: List Graduation Years If Within the Last Ten Years
Complete Degree Name (Candidate) – Major (GPA: List if over 3.3)
Relevant Coursework: List coursework taken (even include those you are planning on taking)
Awards/Honors: List any awards, honors or big achievements
Clubs/Activities: List clubs and activities in which you participated
Relevant Projects: List 2-3 projects you have worked on
Key hard & soft skills for a Customer Success Manager
Earlier, we promised to cover your skill section in more detail. This section needs to include both hard and soft skills to ensure that employers understand your full range of qualifications. Hard skills include all those measurable abilities you use to complete your duties, while soft skills typically involve abilities that enable you to work with others. We’ve provided some examples below.
Vital hard skills for a Customer Success Manager
Customer support
Project management
Data analysis/integration
Onboarding management
CRM tools
Service process expertise
Technical problem-solving
Relevant soft skills for a Customer Success Manager
Communication
Active listening
Empathy
Time management
Organization
Attention to detail
Collaboration
Summary & last words
If you’ve ever hesitated to write your own resume, you’re not alone. The good news is that crafting a compelling resume doesn’t have to be difficult. By relying on sound tips and a great Customer Success Manager resume example for guidance, you can create a resume that can get the interview attention you deserve. If you follow the recommendations and steps in this guide, you should be well on your way to success.
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Resume writing service for Customer Success Managers: Let us write your resume
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