How Many Accounts Should a CSM Have?

As a customer success manager, determining the appropriate number of accounts to manage can be challenging, as it depends on various factors such as the size of the customers, complexity of deals, and industries.

To properly size up how many accounts a CSM should own, it's important to consider the resources and effort required to manage each account effectively. Large accounts that generate significant revenue require more attention and effort from the CSM, and the number of accounts you can manage will be lower for larger accounts than for smaller ones. Similarly, complex deals and industries with strict regulatory requirements may also require more time and resources from the CSM.

To simplify this decision-making process, we've come up with a cheat sheet for how many accounts a customer success manager should have based on the size of the customer's account.

The cheat sheet is as follows:

1. For customers worth less than $25k per year, a CSM can manage 150-200 accounts.
2. For customers worth between $25k and $100k per year, a CSM can manage 100-150 accounts.
3. For customers worth between $100k and $500k per year, a CSM can manage 50-100 accounts.
4. For customers worth more than $500k per year, a CSM can manage 20-50 accounts.

It's important to note that these numbers are simply guidelines and may vary depending on the complexity of the deals and industries in which the customers operate.

When deciding how many accounts to manage, CSMs should consider the amount of revenue generated by the account, the complexity of the deal, including the sales cycle, competition, and customer buying process, and the CSM's workload and other responsibilities, as well as the nature of the industry in which the customer operates.

In conclusion, determining how many accounts a CSM should manage is not an exact science, but by using the cheat sheet as a guideline, CSMs can make informed decisions about how many accounts to manage and allocate their time and resources accordingly.

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