Why startups are turning CSMs into product experts

Working in Customer Success at a startup is a whole different ball game. According to our State of Customer Success (CS) Report, only 13.5% of CS professionals work at startup companies.

With CS roles tending to be prioritized at the mid-growth stage, what do Customer Success Managers (CSMs) actually do during these earlier stages of growth? And how do their responsibilities differ from CSMs working at larger companies?

Well, for starters, startups are turning their CSMs into product experts—whether they like it or not. If a customer has a question, they expect their CSM to know the answer—not to get bounced around from team to team.

And who really wants to be the “I’ll get back to you on that” person?

But while this deep product knowledge helps drive adoption and retention, it also comes with challenges. Burnout is real, role confusion is common, and scaling this model can be a nightmare.

So, how can startups strike the right balance?

That’s exactly what we’re unpacking in this piece—why this shift is happening, what it means for CSMs, and how to make it work without overwhelming your team.

Why CSMs need to wear multiple hats

If you’ve ever worked in a startup, you know that job titles can be more of a suggestion than a strict job description. Customer Success Manager? Sure.

But in reality, you’re also part onboarding specialist, support rep, product educator, renewal manager, and sometimes even an honorary member of the sales team.

Unlike larger organizations that can afford dedicated support, training, and account management teams, startups rely on their CSMs to own the entire customer experience.

One moment you’re helping a new customer get set up, the next you’re debugging an issue, and before you know it, you’re talking renewals or upsells. It’s a lot—but it’s also what makes CS so impactful.

Understand the customer journey paths

To truly thrive in this kind of environment, deep product knowledge is essential. When you’re juggling multiple responsibilities, the ability to anticipate customer challenges and provide fast, accurate answers is what separates a great CSM from a frustrated, overwhelmed one.

As Joe Procopio puts it in his article, "Why do so many startups get customer success wrong?":

“Smart startups build the product, define the product’s path out to the market, and map another path from the customer back in.

To map these paths, you need to know the problem and the solution backward and forwards. I’m not just talking about the problem you’re trying to solve, but all the ancillary support for every variation of the problem.”

In other words, you can’t just know your product—you need to be an expert in how customers actually use it. And from that be able to anticipate the use cases, and be flexible in your approach to solving them.

Because when a customer runs into an issue, they’re not looking for a middleman. They want solutions. And when you understand both the problem and the solution inside out, you’re able to guide customers to value faster.

“When you’re an expert in the problem and the solution, you’ll be able to determine the optimum path to solve the problem.”

Be flexible in your CS approach

If there’s one universal truth about working in a startup, it’s that things change—constantly. New features roll out overnight, customer needs evolve rapidly, and internal processes shift as the company scales.

In this kind of environment, rigid playbooks don’t cut it. A startup CSM has to be agile, adaptable, and ready to pivot at a moment’s notice. Jenna Chau, Head of Customer Success at Invelo, perfectly captures this mindset:

"If you're super, super rigid, especially in early days with a startup, and there's no wiggle room, then I think you might be doing yourself a disservice when it comes to being a customer-led or customer-facing company."

Startups thrive on experimentation, and that means CSMs can’t afford to be stuck in a “this is how we’ve always done it” mindset. A process that worked yesterday might be obsolete today, and the best CSMs aren’t just comfortable with change—they embrace it.

A startup CSM needs to be willing to customize onboarding, tweak engagement strategies, and sometimes even build new workflows on the fly to meet customers where they are.

This requires a CEO mentality, as Chau puts it:

"The first thing we look for is someone who has a CEO mentality. I need creative thinkers. I need people who are not afraid to disrupt the process. They're not afraid to disagree with what we're doing if they see a better way forward or a better solution."

In other words, successful startup CSMs don’t just follow processes—they help create them. They think like founders, challenge the status quo, and adapt their approach to drive the best outcomes for both the customer and the business.

The need for subject matter expertise in customer success

Customers at any size company expect CSMs to know the product inside and out. For startups, where there’s no separate account management team to handle the tough product questions, that responsibility falls squarely on Customer Success.

This is where subject matter expertise becomes essential for CSMs. As Subash Srinivasan, Head of Global Delivery and Customer Success at Rockwood and Symphony for the Unified Cloud View, put it:

“Subject matter expertise is non-negotiable. I have seen customer success organizations that behave as postmen from product to the customer, which is wrong.

It’s very important to be subject matter experts in the product and the technology that you operate in…You’ve lost control the moment you have to look back at product or sales for help to solve a customer problem.”

Being the middleman between product and customers doesn’t work—it slows down adoption, erodes trust, and ultimately, weakens the customer experience.

If a CSM has to loop in another team every time a technical question comes up, the customer quickly starts wondering: Why am I talking to you at all?

Why product expertise is critical for customer retention

Product expertise is a retention superpower. A CSM who deeply understands the product can:

✅ Solve problems faster—reducing friction and frustration.

✅ Provide proactive guidance—helping customers avoid issues before they arise.

✅ Demonstrate value—connecting product features to real business outcomes.

Startups need to maximize customer value and minimize churn, and the best way to do that is by ensuring CSMs aren’t just relationship managers—they’re trusted product advisors.

When a CSM knows the product inside and out, they can go beyond troubleshooting and help customers unlock new use cases, drive adoption, and expand usage. That’s what turns a renewal conversation from “Should we keep this?” into “We can’t live without this.”

At the end of the day, customers stick around when they feel supported, understood, and confident in the product. CSMs who bring expert-level product knowledge to the table don’t just retain customers—they turn them into advocates.

How startups can support CSMs in becoming product experts—without overload

We’ve established that product expertise is critical for customer success—but let’s be real, expecting CSMs to absorb every technical detail while juggling onboarding, renewals, and advocacy is a recipe for burnout.

So how can startups strike the right balance? The key is structured learning, internal collaboration, and smart role specialization.

1. Invest in product training

Too often, startups rely on “learning by osmosis”—expecting CSMs to pick up product knowledge just by being in the room. That’s not enough. Dedicated product training should be part of onboarding, with regular refreshers to keep up with product updates.

Make training a priority, not an afterthought. Even if you begin simple, with a monthly internal workshop.

Your product and engineering teams are the key to this essential subject knowledge, so why not formalize that?

Set up CS <> Product syncs, lunch-and-learns, or even internal knowledge bases where CSMs can quickly find the latest product insights.

The more structured the process, the less CSMs have to scramble when customers come knocking with technical questions.

3. Give CSMs a seat at the product table

Too often, product teams build for customers without talking to customers. CSMs are the bridge between customer needs and product decisions—so bring them into the conversation.

Invite CSMs to product roadmap discussions, beta testing, and feedback loops. When CS and Product are truly aligned, everyone wins—especially the customers.

At the end of the day, CSMs can’t be product experts overnight, and they can’t do it alone. But with the right training, knowledge-sharing, and role clarity, startups can build a CS team that’s both highly skilled and sustainable—without overwhelming their people.

Conclusion

Startups are turning their CSMs into product experts because deep product knowledge is the key to driving adoption, reducing churn, and building trust with customers.

But, expecting CSMs to do it all without the right support leads to burnout and inefficiency. By investing in training, structured knowledge-sharing, smart specialization, and stronger CS-Product collaboration, startups can empower their CSMs to be true customer champions—without overwhelming them.

Ready to take your CS skills to the next level? If you want to sharpen your onboarding, churn management, and expansion strategies—while building the confidence to execute a standout CS strategy—then it’s time to get Customer Success Certified: Core.

This course gives you the tools to drive real impact, boost customer engagement, and set yourself apart as a CS pro. Enroll now and become the CSM your customers (and your boss) can’t ignore!

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Why startups are turning customer success managers into product experts