Requesting a New Customer Success Manager Without Complaints

Mary Green · 2025-12-18T15:28:55.997Z

How do you request a new CSM with your vendor? Has anyone here ever done this? Is there a way to do it without formally complaining that the current CSM isn't working out?

Requesting a New Customer Success Manager Without Complaints | CMAweekly Customer Marketing and Advocacy Slack

12 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Kelly Brenneman
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Mary Green Do you have their manager's contact information? If yes, I would reach out to them and explain the situation. A good manager will help diffuse the issue and/or get you a new CSM without complaint.
💯2
Mary Green
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I like that, thank you Kelly Brenneman I just know the CEOs of vendors for our space, so for escalation, that's what I have. This isn't for me, thankfully, but it is something I think about for those who do struggle with their CSM for whatever reason.
❤️1
Mary Green
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Ciana Abdollahian Ari - Lighthouse GTM Kevin Lau Shannon Howard thoughts on asking for a new CSM without throwing your current one under the bus?
Abigail Benson
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I've done this before -- kept it as brief as possible, still praised the current CSM but I did not believe they were the best fit for my use case (stated some examples) and would love consideration to have a CSM that has close experience with my needs!
❤️6
Ciana Abdollahian
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I think Abigail Benson's advice is spot on and the best way to approach that scenario. I'd center it on the fact that you want to be successful with their solution and having a CSM who is more aligned with your needs as a client will help get you there!
❤️3
Ari - Lighthouse GTM
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I think this really depends on the specific situation as it is dynamic and hard to give a general rule of thumb on this. Personally, I always try and stay fully transparent to all parties so all can grow from it. But again, always depends on specific situation
Lauren Locke-Paddon
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Any customer success leader worth their salt will love this request and accommodate it instantly.
Lauren Locke-Paddon
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It means you're invested as a customer - a really great sign for the account
Mary Green
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TY all, I knew you'd have helpful info.
Evan Huck
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not sure how other CEOs feel (imagine probably the same if you're an earlier stage startup) - but for me at least we want to know. Customer experience (esp in this market) is absolutely the most critical pillar and differentiator for a young company, so a start-up CEO is going to be hyper-focused on it. And since most of us have often managed large teams and developed younger employees, we're nuanced enough to know how to handle it delicately and not make it a big blow to the CSM (unless its egregious of course and it needs to be more drastic action). You never know what folks are going through in their personal lives, so we always approach it with benefit-of-the-doubt first, and try to create productive coaching and learning moments from it. So don't feel bad like you're throwing someone under the bus - we'll be able to navigate it elegantly and productively. Also -sometimes you just get personality/working style misalignment between customer and CSM, and so switching in another CSM can be an easy win for everyone and it doesn't have to be interpreted by the employee personally as a dig/flaw. So it's always worth bringing it up to the CEO or VP of CS - we want to help and direct feedback is a really important channel when your team gets large enough where you can't be on every account.
Ari - Lighthouse GTM
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This ☝️
Kevin Lau
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+1 to this. From a business perspective, vendors understand that you purchased their product with the expectation of measurable impact. That includes both the technology and the service wrapped around it. If there’s a mismatch, transparency is usually the fastest path to a better outcome. You don’t need to frame it as a complaint. I’ve found QBRs to be a great forcing function to objectively highlight what’s missing from the partnership and what success should look like going forward. In some cases, that leads to a reset of expectations. In others, it leads to a change in support. Either way, it keeps the conversation grounded in outcomes, not personalities. You’re representing your company’s interests just as much as they’re representing theirs. At the end of the day, it’s a business relationship and both sides want to maximize value.

Kelly Brenneman
·
·
Mary Green Do you have their manager's contact information? If yes, I would reach out to them and explain the situation. A good manager will help diffuse the issue and/or get you a new CSM without complaint.
💯2
Mary Green
·
·
I like that, thank you Kelly Brenneman I just know the CEOs of vendors for our space, so for escalation, that's what I have. This isn't for me, thankfully, but it is something I think about for those who do struggle with their CSM for whatever reason.
❤️1
Mary Green
·
·
Ciana Abdollahian Ari - Lighthouse GTM Kevin Lau Shannon Howard thoughts on asking for a new CSM without throwing your current one under the bus?
Abigail Benson
·
·
I've done this before -- kept it as brief as possible, still praised the current CSM but I did not believe they were the best fit for my use case (stated some examples) and would love consideration to have a CSM that has close experience with my needs!
❤️6
Ciana Abdollahian
·
·
I think Abigail Benson's advice is spot on and the best way to approach that scenario. I'd center it on the fact that you want to be successful with their solution and having a CSM who is more aligned with your needs as a client will help get you there!
❤️3
Ari - Lighthouse GTM
·
·
I think this really depends on the specific situation as it is dynamic and hard to give a general rule of thumb on this. Personally, I always try and stay fully transparent to all parties so all can grow from it. But again, always depends on specific situation
Lauren Locke-Paddon
·
·
Any customer success leader worth their salt will love this request and accommodate it instantly.
Lauren Locke-Paddon
·
·
It means you're invested as a customer - a really great sign for the account
Mary Green
·
·
TY all, I knew you'd have helpful info.
Evan Huck
·
·
not sure how other CEOs feel (imagine probably the same if you're an earlier stage startup) - but for me at least we want to know. Customer experience (esp in this market) is absolutely the most critical pillar and differentiator for a young company, so a start-up CEO is going to be hyper-focused on it. And since most of us have often managed large teams and developed younger employees, we're nuanced enough to know how to handle it delicately and not make it a big blow to the CSM (unless its egregious of course and it needs to be more drastic action). You never know what folks are going through in their personal lives, so we always approach it with benefit-of-the-doubt first, and try to create productive coaching and learning moments from it. So don't feel bad like you're throwing someone under the bus - we'll be able to navigate it elegantly and productively. Also -sometimes you just get personality/working style misalignment between customer and CSM, and so switching in another CSM can be an easy win for everyone and it doesn't have to be interpreted by the employee personally as a dig/flaw. So it's always worth bringing it up to the CEO or VP of CS - we want to help and direct feedback is a really important channel when your team gets large enough where you can't be on every account.
Ari - Lighthouse GTM
·
·
This ☝️
Kevin Lau
·
·
+1 to this. From a business perspective, vendors understand that you purchased their product with the expectation of measurable impact. That includes both the technology and the service wrapped around it. If there’s a mismatch, transparency is usually the fastest path to a better outcome. You don’t need to frame it as a complaint. I’ve found QBRs to be a great forcing function to objectively highlight what’s missing from the partnership and what success should look like going forward. In some cases, that leads to a reset of expectations. In others, it leads to a change in support. Either way, it keeps the conversation grounded in outcomes, not personalities. You’re representing your company’s interests just as much as they’re representing theirs. At the end of the day, it’s a business relationship and both sides want to maximize value.