← All Playbooks
Crawl 2–3 weeks
Build Your First Customer Segmentation
Divide your customer base into 2–3 tiers so you can allocate CS resources where they drive the most impact.
Why This Matters
At the crawl stage, every customer gets the same treatment — which means high-value accounts are under-served and low-value accounts consume disproportionate time. Segmentation is the foundation of every scalable CS motion. Without it, you can't build differentiated playbooks, set appropriate touch models, or make rational hiring decisions.
Action Plan
- 01 Export your customer list with ARR/ACV, contract dates, and any available usage data
- 02 Rank customers by ARR and identify natural breakpoints for 2–3 tiers (e.g., Strategic, Core, Scale)
- 03 For each tier, define the engagement model: high-touch (named CSM), mid-touch (pooled), or tech-touch (digital)
- 04 Calculate CSM-to-account ratios for each tier — aim for 1:10–20 for high-touch, 1:30–50 for mid-touch
- 05 Document the expected touchpoint cadence for each tier (weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly)
- 06 Assign existing accounts to tiers and rebalance CSM portfolios accordingly
- 07 Review segmentation quarterly — customers grow and shrink, tiers should reflect current value
Metrics to Watch
Common Pitfalls
- Creating too many segments too early — start with 2–3, not 5–6
- Segmenting only by ARR without considering growth potential or strategic value
- Not actually changing behavior after segmentation — tiers without differentiated engagement are just labels