Customer Success Managers (CSMs) have always played a key role in helping customers get the most out of a product. But lately, startups are realizing that product expertise isn’t just for engineers and support teams, it’s now essential for CSMs, too.

But why is this shift happening, and how can startups use it to their advantage? This post will cover why startups are making CSMs product experts and how this shift boosts customer success, retention, and revenue growth

The Changing Role of CSMs in Startups

Previously, customer success managers focused on onboarding, relationship management, and renewals. Those things still matter, but startups are finding that when CSMs truly understand the product, they can:

• Answer customer questions more quickly and accurately.
• Spot ways customers could be using more of the product.
• Solve issues without always needing help from support or engineering.
• Educate customers on features they may not even realize they need.

At the end of the day, making CSMs product experts helps customers more which in turn drives growth and revenue, too.

Why Startups Need Product-Savvy Customer Success Managers

In addition to the reasons highlighted above, here are some of the benefits of having a customer success team that has developed product expertise.

1. Helping customers see value faster

Startups move quickly, and customers expect results just as fast. Delays in onboarding or adoption can lead to frustration and churn. A CSM who truly knows the product can:

• Solve common setup issues on the spot.
• Walk customers through advanced configurations without needing backup.
• Offer alternative solutions when customers hit roadblocks.

The result? A smoother onboarding experience and a faster path to renewals.

2. Making teams work more efficiently

When CSMs have to lean heavily on support or product teams for answers, it slows everything down. A product-savvy CSM can:

• Handle most technical questions without waiting for an engineer.
• Translate customer feedback into useful insights for the product team.
• Guide customers through feature updates without added hand-holding.

This means fewer bottlenecks and more time for teams to focus on building and improving the product.

3. Creating more expansion opportunities

Expanding revenue from existing customers is one of the biggest growth levers for startups. CSMs who understand the product can:

• Recognize gaps in usage and suggest new features (upsells and cross-sells)
• Run training sessions to showcase more advanced functionality.
• Guide customers through integrations that make the product more indispensable.

When upsells happen naturally through value-based conversations, they feel less like a sales pitch and more like a helpful recommendation.

4. Building customer trust and loyalty

Customers appreciate working with experts. When CSMs can confidently answer questions and troubleshoot issues, they build stronger relationships. This leads to:

• Higher trust and engagement.
• Lower churn rates.
• More customer referrals and advocacy.

Customer success currently drives about 50% of total business growth. However, by positioning CSMs as go-to product experts, startups can strengthen customer loyalty and long-term retention.

How Startups Can Turn Customer Success Managers Into Product Experts

If all this sounds appealing, it’s time to start thinking about how you can equip your CS team for success. Here are some ways you can do this;

1. Make technical training part of onboarding

Most CSM training focuses on communication and account management. While those are important, technical knowledge needs to be part of the equation, too. Effective onboarding should include:

• Hands-on product training using real-world scenarios.
• Shadowing technical teams to learn troubleshooting skills.
• Interactive problem-solving exercises based on customer challenges.

The goal is to ensure CSMs can navigate the product inside and out from day one.

2. Create a product certification program

A structured certification process helps standardize product knowledge across the team. Key components could include:

• Tests on product features, integrations, and troubleshooting.
• Hands-on assessments where CSMs solve real customer problems.
• Ongoing refresher courses to keep up with product updates.

When CSMs are certified, customers (and internal teams) know they’re getting reliable expertise. Plus, it adds an extra badge of confidence both internally and externally.

3. Encourage total alignment between teams

CSMs shouldn’t operate in a silos. The more they interact with product and support teams, the better they’ll understand the product. Encourage collaboration through:

• Dedicated Slack channels for knowledge sharing.
• Bi-weekly syncs with engineers and product managers.
• Cross-functional training sessions to discuss real customer use cases.
• Shared goals and metrics using the Stellafai platform

The more exposure CSMs get to sales and product discussions, the better they can guide customers.

4. Use customer data to sharpen expertise

Data can help CSMs make smarter, more proactive recommendations. In fact 30% of companies adjust their health score based on changing business conditions. So make sure your customer success teams have access to:

• Product usage analytics to identify trends.
• AI-driven alerts for accounts at risk of churn.
• Case studies and success stories to guide customer conversations.

The better CSMs understand how customers actually use the product, the more effectively they can support them.

5. Make learning an ongoing habit

Startups evolve quickly, and product knowledge can become outdated fast. Encourage continuous learning by:

• Hosting monthly deep-dive sessions on product changes.
• Offering stipends for technical training courses.
• Creating a culture of peer-led knowledge sharing.

When CSMs keep learning, they stay ahead of customer needs and industry trends.

How Stellafai Helps Startups Track and Improve CSM Product Expertise

Startups need a way to make sure CSMs are actually building and maintaining their product knowledge. Whether it's having a knowledge base or ensuring that they are actually in alignment with cross-functional teams like Sales and Product. 

With Stellafai, you can better:

• Track skills & monitor progress: Identify gaps in CSMs’ technical knowledge and track improvements over time with clear objectives and key results.
• Stay aligned with other teams: With shared metrics and goals, you can ensure all teams are aligned and working together towards the same goal
  

• Get real-time performance insights: Use the Stellafai OKR dashboard and connected outcomes to visualize how product expertise impacts retention and revenue.
• Build learning paths: Create proper onboarding journeys asynchronously with coaching videos and a personalized library.
  

With Stellafai, startups can take a structured, outcome-driven approach to making CSMs true product experts, helping both customers and the business succeed. 

If you’re not sure where to start, you can also get hands-on training through a specialized workshop or time with a coach. Book a free discovery call here to see how it works. 

Wrapping up

Customer Success is no longer just about managing relationships, it’s about making sure customers get real value from the product. By turning CSMs into product experts, startups can speed up onboarding, reduce support costs, increase retention, and drive more expansion revenue. 

This is why startups that are looking to scale efficiently invest in product-savvy customer success managers, and why you should too.