As various industries continue to adopt cloud technology, a new era of software has emerged called Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). SaaS platforms allow businesses to access their big data, analytics and other applications online from anywhere in the world, without the need for a physical server since they are hosted in the cloud (saving large amounts of money on IT infrastructure costs). Best of all, most SaaS platforms are highly scalable so you only pay for what is needed.
Most SaaS platforms run off of a subscription-based model, where the company subscribing to the service usually pays a yearly (or sometimes monthly fee). Enterprise-level SaaS platforms can cost thousands of dollars per month - and while usually cheaper than running a self-hosted platform, they're still a rather large investment to consider.
This is where the Customer Success Manager comes in (also called a CSM). CSMs help manage the whole SaaS subscription process for businesses from marketing, to initial sale of the subscription, to renewal. But more importantly, CSMs play a huge role in helping to expand revenue, drive end user adoption, reduce churn rates and identify advocates for businesses using the SaaS platform.
As SaaS platforms continue to grow in popularity, so is the role of a CSM (in fact, nearly half of all organizations agree). Take a look at the infographic below, created by Bluenose and Glassdoor, highlighting the role of a Customer Success Manager for more insight.