What are the tasks of a Customer Success Manager? Interview with Laurin

Hello Laurin! Thank you for taking the time today. Please introduce yourself briefly. 

Hi, I'm Laurin, 27 years old, I'm a native of Mainz and also live here. I studied in Mainz at the Johannes Gutenberg University and then at the Mainz University of Applied Sciences. Already during my studies I worked as a working student in sales at Local Brand X. After graduating with my master's degree in 2022, I joined the company full-time as a Customer Success Manager.

What does a Customer Success Manager actually mean?  

First and foremost, our Customer Success team is all about helping customers use the Local Marketing Platform. This starts in the onboarding phase, where the initial configuration is managed and the content of the individual platform is planned. Then, of course, there is the constant technical and content support and consulting during live use. So you could say that we in the Customer Success Team are the interface between the wishes and requirements of the customers and our internal developer and product management team.

You said that before you joined the Customer Success Team, you worked as a student trainee in Sales. How does your experience from the Sales Team help you now in the Customer Success Team? 

That's right, I started here in August 2021 as a working student in sales. During my time as a working student, I was definitely able to gain important experience in dealing with customers and external business partners*. Finding the right tone when dealing with contacts from other companies and developing a feeling for the wishes and requirements of customers are definitely challenges that the two areas of Sales and Customer Success have in common and also combine. So basically, the experience I gained in the sales team helped me to become a stronger communicator and to learn how to respond to customers in the right way and how to better moderate conversations.

When you started at Local Brand X, the pandemic forced a lot of home office work. Would you say that you generally prefer going to the office or working in a home office? 

If I had to choose on this question, I would definitely be team "office". I see myself as a social colleague who is always up for a chat and a bit of fun. So it can quickly get lonely and rather boring in the home office. Especially in our department, Customer Success, it's generally a lot about communication and quick agreements with colleagues. That can be done much more efficiently in the office. However, my weekly home office day is also sacred to me in a way, as I can work on tasks that require a certain amount of focus time there. My conclusion: The mixture of both is ideal.

That sounds great. What do you like best about Local Brand X in general? 

One of the things I like best about Local Brand X is the informal and open atmosphere with all my colleagues, i.e. the fact that we are such a dynamic team, that we all get along well and enjoy spending time together outside the office. Above all, I really appreciate the short lines of communication, agreements and eye-to-eye discussions with superiors. On the other hand, I also find the future-oriented industry in which Local Brand X operates very exciting. I enjoy supporting customers as they adapt to a digital future in marketing and sales and then accompanying them along the way.

And what do you like to do when you're not working? 

Basically, I wouldn't describe myself as a couch potato, but as a very enterprising person. I always like to be out and about, preferably with friends, my girlfriend or my family. For example, I love to play tennis or go to the stadium on weekends for home games of Mainz 05. I also try to travel as often as possible. Especially the annual skiing vacation in the Alps is very important to me. I like to organize it spontaneously, but it's definitely part of a good annual plan!

Thank you Laurin for the interview and have fun with Local Brand X!