Customer Ops Specialist

Customer Operations Specialist

Overview

Manage customer operations across success, support, and revenue operations. This skill covers customer onboarding, health scoring, renewal management, ticket triage, SLA management, knowledge base development, billing operations, dunning, refunds, and customer metrics.

Features

• Customer onboarding playbook with milestone tracking
• Health score framework with leading indicators and risk signals
• Renewal management workflow with expansion opportunity identification
• Ticket triage and SLA management with escalation paths
• Billing operations: dunning sequences, refund processing, subscription changes
• Customer metrics: CSAT, NPS, NRR, GRR, churn rate, time-to-resolution

Usage

1. Identify the user's customer ops need (onboarding, support, billing, or metrics) 2. Follow the corresponding workflow below 3. Produce structured outputs: onboarding checklists, health scorecards, renewal playbooks, or billing SOPs

Examples

• User: "Design a customer onboarding flow"

Agent: Runs Customer Onboarding workflow, produces 30-60-90 day plan with milestones, success criteria, and handoff points

• User: "Set up a health score"

Agent: Runs Health Scoring workflow, defines leading indicators (product usage, support tickets, NPS), creates scoring model with risk thresholds

• User: "Handle a billing dispute"

Agent: Runs Billing Operations workflow, investigates charge, applies refund policy, documents resolution, updates customer record

When to Use

• Design or run customer onboarding, health scoring, and renewal playbooks
• Triage support tickets, SLAs, escalations, and knowledge-base updates
• Handle billing, dunning, refunds, and subscription change operations
• Review CSAT, churn, NRR, and other customer-facing operational metrics

When NOT to Use

• ASC 606 revenue recognition, deferred revenue, or audit-ready close → use senior-revenue-accountant
• Data pipeline incidents or warehouse platform operations → use data-system-ops-lead or data-manager
• Product requirements or process documentation for internal systems → use business-analyst
• Public API or developer documentation → use tech-writer-researcher
• Deal desk, order forms, signature routing, CRM close process → use deal-operations-administrator
• Employee HR onboarding, offboarding, HRIS → use people-operations-specialist
• Technical debugging, repro, engineering escalation → use support-engineer
• Product how-to, configuration help, support macros → use product-support-specialist

Core Workflows

1. Customer Onboarding & Success

Onboarding checklist:

1. Pre-engagement

• Welcome email with next steps
• Account setup and provisioning
• Introductory call scheduled
• Technical requirements confirmed

2. Activation (first 30 days)

• Core feature walkthrough
• Data migration/import completed
• Integrations configured
• First value milestone achieved

3. Adoption (30-90 days)

• Advanced feature training
• Use case expansion
• Regular check-in cadence established
• Success metrics baseline set

Health scoring:

2. Support & Issue Resolution

Ticket triage:

Resolution workflow: 1. Acknowledge and set expectations 2. Gather context (logs, screenshots, reproduction steps) 3. Reproduce internally 4. Resolve or escalate to engineering 5. Verify fix with customer 6. Document in knowledge base 7. Close with CSAT survey

3. Revenue Operations

Billing workflow:

• Invoice generation and delivery
• Payment processing and reconciliation
• Dunning (failed payment recovery)
• Refund and credit processing
• Subscription changes (upgrade/downgrade/cancel)

4. Metrics & Continuous Improvement

Weekly review:

• Ticket volume and trend
• First response time vs SLA
• Resolution time vs SLA
• CSAT score
• Top categories and emerging issues

Monthly review:

• Churn rate and reasons
• Expansion revenue
• NRR (Net Revenue Retention)
• Health score distribution
• Knowledge base article effectiveness

Customer Success

Onboarding Playbooks

SaaS Onboarding (30-60-90 Day)

Day 1-7: Setup & Foundation

• Welcome sequence (email + in-app)
• Account configuration wizard
• Team member invitations
• Data import / integration setup
• First login tutorial

Day 8-30: First Value

• Use case-specific walkthrough
• Configure first workflow/report
• Connect integrations
• Attend live training or watch recorded
• Complete "first success" milestone

Day 31-60: Adoption

• Advanced feature introduction
• Best practices session
• Peer/customer reference call
• Usage review and optimization
• Expand to additional teams (if applicable)

Day 61-90: Optimization

• Quarterly business review prep
• ROI documentation
• Renewal conversation (if annual)
• Advocate identification
• Expansion opportunity assessment

Onboarding Communication Templates

Welcome Email:

Subject: Welcome to [Product] — Let's get you set up

Hi [Name],

Welcome! Here's how to get started:
1. Complete your profile: [link]
2. Invite your team: [link]
3. Join our onboarding webinar: [link]

Your dedicated CSM: [Name] ([email])
Next steps call: [Calendly link]

Best,
[Company] Customer Success

First Value Check-in:

Subject: How's your first week with [Product]?

Hi [Name],

I wanted to check in after your first week.

Quick questions:
- Have you completed [core action]?
- Any blockers I can help with?
- Would a quick call be helpful?

[CSM Name]

Health Scoring

Quantitative Metrics

Qualitative Signals

• Champion changes jobs (risk)
• Champion promoted (opportunity)
• M&A activity (uncertainty)
• Budget freeze announced (risk)
• New competitive evaluation (risk)
• Positive social mentions (opportunity)

Score Calculation

Health Score = weighted_average(usage, adoption, sentiment, engagement)

Green (80-100): Expand and grow
Yellow (50-79): Monitor and intervene
Red (0-49): Escalate and save

Renewal Management

Renewal Timeline (Annual Contracts)

Risk Indicators

• Health score dropped to red
• No response to outreach (3+ attempts)
• Champion left company
• Usage declining for 60+ days
• Support tickets with negative sentiment
• Competitive mentions

Save Play

1. Executive business review with decision maker 2. Address specific pain points with roadmap 3. Offer temporary concession (discount, free services) 4. Escalate to leadership if strategic account 5. Document learnings for product/CS team

Expansion Playbooks

Land-and-Expand Triggers

• Usage approaching plan limits
• New team requesting access
• Multiple departments using informally
• Champion advocating internally
• Positive ROI demonstrated

Expansion Conversation

"Based on your usage, you've grown [X%] since onboarding.
You're currently on [Plan] with [Usage].

I see an opportunity to:
- [Specific expansion play 1]
- [Specific expansion play 2]

Would a brief call to explore make sense?"

Customer Advocacy

Advocate Program

• Identify promoters (NPS 9-10)
• Offer incentives: swag, event access, exclusive features
• Request: case study, reference call, testimonial, review
• Maintain relationship quarterly

Reference Program

• Track willingness to be a reference
• Match prospects to references by use case
• Compensate or recognize references
• Keep reference pool fresh (3-5 per segment)

Quarterly Business Review (QBR)

Agenda Template

# QBR — [Customer] — [Quarter]

## Attendees
- [Customer]: [Names, roles]
- [Our team]: [CSM, AE, Solutions]

## Usage Review
- Active users: X (vs Y last quarter)
- Feature adoption: [top features used]
- Key workflows: [most used]

## Value Realized
- [Metric 1]: [value]
- [Metric 2]: [value]
- ROI summary: [calculation]

## Feedback & Requests
- Top 3 product requests
- Support themes
- Competitive landscape

## Goals Next Quarter
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]

## Expansion/Renewal
- Current contract: [details]
- Upcoming changes: [if any]

Revenue Operations

Subscription Lifecycle

Subscription States

Trial → Active → At Risk → Past Due → Suspended → Cancelled
              ↓
         Renewed → Active
              ↓
         Upgraded → Active (new plan)
              ↓
         Downgraded → Active (new plan)

State Transitions

Billing Operations

Monthly Close Process

1. Invoice generation (1st of month)

• Pull active subscriptions
• Calculate prorations for mid-cycle changes
• Apply credits/promotions
• Generate PDF/email invoices

2. Payment processing (1st-5th)

• Charge cards on file
• Record successful payments
• Flag failed payments for dunning

3. Reconciliation (5th-10th)

• Match payments to invoices
• Record in accounting system
• Handle disputes/chargebacks

4. Reporting (10th)

• MRR/ARR report
• Churn report
• Dunning effectiveness
• Revenue recognition

Proration Calculation

Daily rate = Plan price / Days in billing period
Prorated charge = Daily rate × Remaining days

Example: Upgrade from $100/mo to $200/mo on day 15 of 30-day month
- Old plan used: $100 × (15/30) = $50
- New plan due: $200 × (15/30) = $100
- Charge: $100 - $50 = $50 (or $200 - $100 = $100 for full cycle)

Dunning Management

Dunning Sequence

Dunning Templates

Day 0 — Payment Failed:

Subject: Action needed: Update your payment method

Hi [Name],

We couldn't process your [Product] payment on file ending in [last4].

Update payment method: [link]

Your service continues uninterrupted. We'll retry in 24 hours.

Questions? Reply to this email.

Day 7 — Final Notice:

Subject: Final notice: Payment required to avoid interruption

Hi [Name],

We've attempted to charge your payment method multiple times without success.

To avoid service interruption, please update your payment method within 7 days:
[link]

If you're experiencing financial hardship, reply and we'll work with you.

Refunds & Credits

Refund Policy Framework

Credit Issuance

Credit reason: [outage / goodwill / error]
Amount: $[X]
Applied to: Next invoice / Immediate refund
Approval: [name]
Customer communication: [sent]

Subscription Changes

Upgrade Process

1. Customer requests or triggers upgrade 2. Confirm new plan features and pricing 3. Calculate proration (if mid-cycle) 4. Process charge or invoice 5. Provision new features/access 6. Send confirmation 7. CSM notified for expansion tracking

Downgrade Process

1. Customer requests downgrade 2. Confirm new limitations 3. Handle data/feature access (grandfather or restrict) 4. Apply at next billing cycle (or immediate if requested) 5. Send confirmation 6. CSM notified for churn risk tracking

Cancellation Process

1. Customer initiates cancellation 2. Conduct exit interview (if possible) 3. Offer save play (discount, pause, plan change) 4. If confirmed:

• Schedule end-of-term or immediate
• Export data (if applicable)
• Revoke access
• Send confirmation
• Mark churn reason

5. CSM notified for win-back campaign

Revenue Recognition

Principles

• Revenue recognized over subscription term (ratable)
• Implementation/services recognized as delivered
• Setup fees recognized over contract life or upfront (policy-dependent)
• Annual upfront payment = deferred revenue liability

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

MRR = Sum of all active subscription monthly values

MRR Changes:
+ New business (new customers)
+ Expansion (upgrades, add-ons)
- Contraction (downgrades)
- Churn (cancellations)
= Net MRR

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

ARR = MRR × 12

Common ARR metrics:
- Gross ARR churn: % lost to cancellations
- Net ARR retention: % retained including expansion
- Logo churn: % of customers lost

Collections

Collections Tiers

Collections Communication

• Professional but firm tone
• Document all communication
• Offer payment plans when appropriate
• Escalate to legal only as last resort
• Preserve customer relationship when possible

Support Operations

Ticket Lifecycle

Status Flow

New → Open → Pending (customer) → Resolved → Closed
          ↓
      Escalated → Engineering → Resolved

First Response Targets

Ticket Triage

Classification Framework

Category:

• Technical issue
• How-to question
• Feature request
• Billing inquiry
• Account access
• Bug report

Product Area:

• Authentication / SSO
• API / Integrations
• Reporting / Analytics
• Data Import / Export
• Billing / Subscription
• Performance

Triage Decision Tree

Is system down for multiple customers?
  Yes → P1, page on-call
  No → Continue

Is a major feature broken with no workaround?
  Yes → P2
  No → Continue

Is this a how-to or minor bug?
  Yes → P3
  No → P4 or close as duplicate

Issue Resolution

Communication Templates

Acknowledgment:

Hi [Name],

Thanks for reaching out. I've received your request about [issue].

Priority: [P2 - High]
Expected first response: Within 1 hour
Expected resolution: Within 24 hours

I'll update you within [timeframe] with next steps.

Ticket: #[number]

Update (Pending):

Hi [Name],

Update on ticket #[number]:

[Status update]

Next step: [action + owner]
Expected by: [time]

Let me know if you have questions.

Resolution:

Hi [Name],

Your issue has been resolved.

Solution: [what was done]
Root cause: [brief explanation]
Prevention: [what we're doing to prevent recurrence]

Please confirm this resolves your issue.

How was your support experience? [survey link]

Escalation Paths

Internal Escalation

Engineering Escalation Template

## Escalation to Engineering

**Ticket:** #[number]
**Customer:** [name, plan tier]
**Priority:** P2
**Business impact:** [description]

**Issue Summary:**
[2-3 sentences]

**Reproduction Steps:**
1. [step]
2. [step]

**Expected vs Actual:**
- Expected: [result]
- Actual: [result]

**Evidence:**
- Logs: [link]
- Screenshot: [link]
- Customer environment: [details]

**Customer impact:**
- Users affected: [number]
- Workaround available: Yes/No

Knowledge Base

Article Structure

# [Issue/Question Title]

## Symptoms
[What the user sees]

## Cause
[Why this happens]

## Resolution
### Option 1: [Primary fix]
1. Step 1
2. Step 2

### Option 2: [Alternative]
1. Step 1

## Prevention
[How to avoid in future]

## Related Articles
- [Link 1]
- [Link 2]

KB Maintenance

• Review top 20 articles quarterly for accuracy
• Update screenshots when UI changes
• Archive articles for deprecated features
• Monitor "not helpful" ratings
• Link from tickets to reduce future volume

Quality Assurance

Ticket Review Checklist

• [ ] Customer name used (not "hey there")
• [ ] Tone is empathetic, not robotic
• [ ] Technical explanation appropriate for audience
• [ ] Next steps clearly stated
• [ ] Follow-up scheduled if needed
• [ ] Categorized and tagged correctly
• [ ] Linked to relevant KB article
• [ ] Escalation documented

Calibration Sessions

• Weekly: Review 5 random tickets per agent
• Monthly: Score against rubric (empathy, accuracy, efficiency)
• Quarterly: Identify training needs

Self-Service Optimization

Deflection Strategies

• In-app contextual help
• Chatbot for common questions
• Automated password reset
• Status page for known issues
• Community forum

Deflection Metrics

• Self-service resolution rate
• KB article hit rate from tickets
• Chatbot containment rate
• First contact resolution (FCR)

Tools & Metrics

CRM Setup

Customer 360 View

CRM Data Hygiene

• Duplicate check on creation
• Enrich with Clearbit / ZoomInfo
• Validate email domain matches company
• Quarterly data audit (bounce rate, stale contacts)
• Standardize industry, company size fields

Helpdesk Tools

Helpdesk Configuration

• Custom fields: priority, category, product area, customer tier
• Automations: auto-assign by category, SLA alerts
• Macros: common responses, troubleshooting steps
• Views: my tickets, unassigned, escalated, P1
• Reports: volume, resolution time, CSAT, backlog

Customer Success Platforms

CSM Workflow in Platform

1. Health score automatically calculated 2. Alerts trigger playbook (risk, expansion) 3. Tasks generated (QBR prep, renewal call) 4. Usage data informs conversation 5. Outcomes logged for reporting

Billing & Subscription Management

Analytics & Reporting

Key Customer Metrics

Dashboard Layout

Executive Summary (Weekly)
├── NRR, GRR, ARR
├── Logo churn, net new
└── Top risks and wins

Operations (Daily)
├── Ticket volume and backlog
├── SLA compliance
├── P1/P2 status
└── Agent workload

Customer Success (Weekly)
├── Health score distribution
├── Renewal pipeline
├── Expansion opportunities
└── Onboarding progress

Revenue (Monthly)
├── MRR movement
├── Dunning effectiveness
├── Refund/credit volume
└── Revenue recognition

Automation & Workflows

Common Automations

Integration Architecture

CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce)
  ↔ Helpdesk (Zendesk/Intercom)
  ↔ Billing (Stripe/Chargebee)
  ↔ Product Analytics (Mixpanel/Amplitude)
  ↔ CS Platform (Gainsight/ChurnZero)
  ↔ Email (Customer.io/Iterable)
  ↔ BI (Looker/Tableau)

Voice of Customer (VoC)

Feedback Channels

• In-app surveys (micro-surveys after key actions)
• Post-support CSAT
• Quarterly NPS
• Product feedback portal (Canny, ProductBoard)
• Customer advisory board
• Support ticket theme analysis

Feedback Loop

1. Collect feedback from all channels 2. Categorize by product area and sentiment 3. Prioritize by frequency and business impact 4. Share with product team monthly 5. Close loop with customers ("You asked, we built")

Reporting Cadence