Managing Expectations in Team Projects

You say you want a proactive CS team. But you celebrate reactive heroes. Here's what I see in every customer success org: CSM # 1 saves an at-risk account at the last minute. Works the weekend. Answers 47 Slack messages. Gets the renewal across the line. Monday morning: "Great save! You're a rock star!" CSM # 2 spots early warning signs three months out. Builds a re-engagement plan. Runs value workshops. Account never goes red. Monday morning: Crickets. We've created a culture that rewards chaos over prevention. The "hero" gets promoted. The strategist gets overlooked. This is backwards. And sure, your retention might be strong now, but you are slowly building a burnt-out team. It will eventually be time to pay the piper. Because firefighting doesn't scale. Strategy does. The behaviors you celebrate become the behaviors your team replicates. If you applaud the weekend warrior, you get more weekend warriors. If you reward early intervention, you get systematic prevention. They're listening to who gets the spotlight in meetings. They're noting who gets promoted. And they're adjusting their behavior accordingly. Stop rewarding the person who put out the fire. Start celebrating the person who installed the smoke detector. What behavior are you accidentally reinforcing on your CS team?

A few months ago, I spoke to a project manager who had just wrapped up a client project. Or rather, should have wrapped it up. The project was originally going to be for 8 weeks. Everyone agreed on the timeline upfront, shook hands, and dove in. But then the delays started: • The client needed more time to approve designs. • The vendor supplying key software missed their deadline. • Halfway through, a critical feature needed to be reworked. Suddenly, the "8-week" project stretched to 12 weeks. And the Contract? It had strict deadlines and no room for adjustments. This caused: • Frustration on both sides. • The client was unhappy about delays. • The project manager was penalized for missed deadlines. • The relationship? Completely soured. Deadlines look great in contracts. Because they are clear, concise, and seemingly immovable. But projects don’t exist in a vacuum. That's why things often go wrong: 1. Dependencies Get Overlooked Deadlines often rely on third parties - client approvals, vendor deliveries, or team availability. One missed milestone, and the entire timeline collapses. 2. No Cushion for the Unexpected Tech hiccups, team illness, or surprise feature requests can derail progress. Without a buffer, small issues snowball fast. 3. Rigid Timelines Create Tension When deadlines slip (and they almost always do), the blame game begins. Trust erodes, and disputes become inevitable. 4. The Risk of Penalties Missed deadlines can trigger financial penalties or harm your reputation - even when delays are beyond your control. 5. Misaligned Expectations Rigid deadlines assume everything will go perfectly - which rarely happens. Without clarity on flexibility, both sides end up frustrated. Let’s go back to that project manager’s situation. What if the contract had been different? Because a good contract would have: a) Buffer Periods Built Into the Timeline Adding a 1-2 week buffer to each milestone allows for delays without derailing the project. b) Clear Contingency Plans Specify how delays will be managed - who’s responsible, what adjustments are made, and how costs or timelines shift. c) Defined Flexibility Mention that deadlines may shift due to dependencies or unforeseen issues. d) Shared Accountability Be clear on mutual responsibility - clients delivering approvals on time, vendors meeting commitments, and the team staying on schedule. Imagine that same project manager with a flexible contract: • When the vendor delays delivery, the buffer period absorbs the impact. • When the client needs extra time, the contingency plan kicks in. • And when the project wraps at week 12 instead of week 8, no one is surprised. No penalties. No disputes. No burned bridges. Deadlines are important. But assuming they won’t change? Now you are asking for disaster. —— 📌 If you need my help with drafting flexible contracts for your high-ticket projects, then DM me "Contract". #Startups #Founders #Contract #Law #Business

We were killing it for our clients... right up until we nearly crashed the entire project. Here's why... 👉 Tailored software project? ✅ Tight deadline? ✅ Multiple clients at the same time? ✅ A hyper-focused "client comes first" mindset? 100%! Unfortunately, that focus was SO intense that we nearly created a major bottleneck with another key stakeholder nearing capacity, with deadlines missed on an existing task that was essential for our client's launch feature, almost throwing the entire project off track! Missed dependencies nearly blew the whole scope wide open! Realizing the potential scope impact, I swiftly conducted a stakeholder evaluation. The findings revealed the strain on our key contractor. Lesson learned - it's not just about customers; all stakeholders matter! I reshaped our strategy, incorporating key stakeholder constraints into the plan. Communication became key – sharing customer requirements and aligning with stakeholders transformed our approach. 👍 The result? Successful project delivery achieved within budget and on time, with the following three lessons learned to share: 1️⃣ Stakeholder identification isn't a "do it once" task. Ongoing evaluation catches hiccups BEFORE they become disasters. 2️⃣ "Client Satisfaction" tunnel vision is a real "bad" risk. It's stakeholders (Plural, internal and external!) - each has requirements that make or break our outcomes. 3️⃣ Project Management IS dynamic communication. Sharing how client changes impacted others gave us room to re-plan and hit even those aggressive goals. Have you ever been so client-focused that you risked the whole project? Share your lessons learned (we all have some!) below 👇

Over the past 20 years in market research, many project issues I've seen stem from mismanaging client expectations. Whether you work for a research firm, an agency, a consultancy, or any other business that involves regular client discussions, here are 4 pointers. 1️⃣ Communication—Regularly communicate, candidly ask the client how often they want updates, and never let a week go by without touching base, regardless of the project stage. Anticipate questions and answer them before they ask. A client sending an email asking, "What's the status of...?" is a failure on your end - within reason. Lack of responsiveness leads to mistrust, even more micromanagement, skepticism, and other issues that can be snuffed out by communicating openly. 2️⃣ Be Realistic—We all want to say "yes" to clients, but there are often ways to showcase your experience and expertise by being honest about what can be achieved with a given timeline and budget. The expectation could be a lack of understanding about the process or industry norms. Underpromise and overdeliver versus overpromise and underdeliver. Those honest conversations may appear inflexible, but they're often more about setting expectations and setting up both parties for long-term sustainable success. Saying "no" to this project could be a better long-term decision for the account than saying "yes" and failing with no second chance. 3️⃣ Understand Perspective—Take the time to actively listen to your client's needs, goals, and priorities. It goes beyond listening and includes asking smart (and sometimes bolder) questions to get a complete understanding. What drove the need for research? Why is receiving results within 2 weeks crucial? What happens if you don't receive results in 2 weeks? Understanding what's pushing the decisions behind the scenes can be a game changer. 4️⃣ Solutions Over Problems—Never present a problem or an issue to a client without a path forward. "This happened, but here are 3 things we can do to fix it." You need to be more than someone who relays information, you need to be a true consultant. Be able to justify each recommendation and explain the pros and cons of each path. -------------------------------------- Need MR advice? Message me. 📩 Visit @Drive Research 💻  1400+ articles to help you. ✏️ --------------------------------------

Most CS teams are winning the battle, but losing the war. (And it’s costing them everything that matters) I’ve seen it over and over: Customer Success Managers getting praised for “saving the day.” 🧯 Fighting fires from broken onboarding 🧯 Rebuilding trust after product gaps 🧯 Bending backwards for poor-fit customers 🧯 Softening the blow of misaligned expectations They’re hailed as heroes. But here’s the trap: When you keep saving the day… You protect the broken system that starts the fire. CS becomes the pressure release valve. The human buffer for deeper issues. It feels like success. But it’s a trap. The team gets stuck in reactive mode. Busy keeping customers alive… With no time to help them thrive. That’s how CS loses the war: • No time for proactive work • No energy for strategic growth • No bandwidth for scalable programs The fix? Stop being a hero. Start being an architect. 1️⃣ Reframe your mission: From “saving customers” → to “setting them up for success” 2️⃣ Ask this: “Why do these fires keep starting?” 3️⃣ Then fix the system: • Be clear about the value you deliver • Solve root churn causes in product • Surface risk and opportunities early • Build onboarding that drives value fast • Create digital touchpoints that scale value When you spend time on the right things, you start winning more sustainably. Less heroes. More success. 📩 If this hit a nerve, you’ll love my newsletter: *Unconventional Growth* → Bold ideas for CS leaders who want less firefighting, more momentum Subscribe below [link in comments] #customersuccess #cx #csm #revops #saas #churn

Ever had a project derailed by last-minute client changes? It’s frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be. Managing multiple client projects often means dealing with constant changes. It’s inevitable really. But when clients make layout changes mid-project, the entire team has to pivot, leading to delays and added stress. So instead of being underprepared, why not be ready for it? Here’s how we managed to adapt to evolving clients needs… We faced this when one of our projects had to pivot multiple times due to major changes. The issue? Lack of clear protocols for handling revisions. What gets measured gets managed. Our team was operating on gut feelings about project progress. We realized that clearer guidelines around revisions and change requests were essential to prevent these disruptions. Here’s what worked: - Setting clear communication channels - Establishing boundaries for client changes - Implementing stronger guardrails for project revisions We also didn’t have a systematic way of tracking client pushbacks and delays. So we built a dashboard that aggregates these metrics in a transparent way. With the new dashboard, we’ve developed a powerful tool to track pushbacks, project completion, and client timelines at a glance. This allows us to act quickly and efficiently when delays happen. Now, thanks to all these protocols and our new data-driven dashboards that track project progress, we're able to identify bottlenecks in real time and keep our projects running smoothly. The takeaway? Scope creep can be avoided with solid planning, communication, and clear boundaries. Success comes from preparation, tracking, and transparent communication.

SAP system downtime can be challenging, but it's possible to minimize disruptions and keep clients satisfied. Here’s how to manage client expectations effectively around SAP system downtime. 🤔👇 🔄 Setting expectations early helps clients understand the importance of necessary downtime for system updates and maintenance. This builds trust and reduces the likelihood of conflicts later in the project. Early discussions also give clients time to plan their internal communications and processes accordingly. 🛠️ Explain the technical reasons behind downtime in simple terms. Comparing system maintenance to infrastructure repairs can help clients see the necessity and long-term benefits. Providing this context helps clients appreciate the preventive measures being taken to avoid larger issues. 📝 Work with clients to document essential business processes that must continue during downtime. This ensures critical operations are minimally impacted. By mapping out these processes, you can develop effective contingency plans that maintain business continuity. ⏰ Provide clients with clear timelines that outline expected downtime. Include best- and worst-case scenarios to set clear expectations. Regular updates on the timeline help clients stay informed and adjust their plans as needed. 👥 Engage key stakeholders in project planning. Their insights help align the downtime strategy with the client's business needs, for smoother operations. Stakeholder involvement also encourages close collaboration, making it easier to address concerns and obtain buy-in. ⚠️ Identify risks and develop corresponding mitigation strategies. Planning for potential issues can prevent extended downtime and protect client operations. This includes having backup plans in place, such as data recovery protocols and alternative workflows. 🌙 Plan downtime to occur during periods of low business activity. Coordinating with the client to find the best time reduces operational disruptions. Choosing off-peak hours, like nights or weekends, can significantly minimize impact. 🚀 Consider phased rollouts and use automation tools. These strategies help maintain system functionality and minimize the duration of downtime. Automation speeds up the process and also reduces the risk of human error during critical updates. 💬 Offer immediate support after downtime and follow up with clients. Reviewing the process and outcomes helps improve future projects and reinforces client trust. This support ensures any issues are promptly resolved and provides valuable feedback for continuous improvement. Effective downtime management requires sophisticated technical execution, but it also means building trust and confidence early, and maintaining strong client relationships. 👉 How do you manage client expectations around downtime in your SAP projects? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below! ⬇️ #IgniteSAP #SAPConsulting #DowntimeManagement

Dear CSMs, Stop celebrating "Heroic" customer support. It means you failed before you even showed up. You love it when a customer sends that glowing email: "Thanks for stepping in! We were stuck, you made things so much easier." Or when a senior stakeholder praises you for saving the day on a critical issue that wasn't your responsibility in the 1st place. Like a billing concern/ support issue. Feels good, right? Now ask yourself: why was this even necessary in the 1st place? - if a customer is raving about how you helped them AFTER things went wrong, you're not winning - you’re just cleaning up a mess that should never have existed - if every support issue turns into a CSM intervention, your org. has a broken system, not an exceptional customer experience - if customers need a specific person to resolve issues instead of a smooth, self-service/ proactive process, then the org. is relying on individual heroics instead of operational excellence - if you are the person taking care of all escalations, then how are you positioned as the strategic partner? Aren't you the Support Mgr.? - STOP measuring success based on post-crisis gratitude - START measuring success by how FEW fires you have to put out What CSMs should actually be celebrating - when customers don’t have to reach out for help cause they already know how to solve/ whom to reach - when each team is playing it's role like a well-oiled machine; supporting each other behind the scenes - when support workflows actually work; so escalations aren’t needed - when self-service docs, in-app guidance & proactive engagement prevent frustration before it happens - when customers rave about predictable & measurable success' not last-minute saves So, next time a customer tells you, "Thank you for fixing this!" - don't pat yourself on the back. Instead ask yourself - why did they even need me? - how do I make sure this never happens again? - how do I support 'x' team/ 'y' process to enable them? - what systemic fix can I drive to eliminate this problem for ALL customers? If you’re always "NEEDED" for "EVERYTHING", you're doing it wrong. More you are needed for "things"- not "outcomes/ ROI/ revenue" - the more you’re wasting time. Multiple teams take care of the post-sale flow, each has a role - be it product/ support/ PS If CS is doing parts of their roles, who is doing the CS role? - who is driving long-term value? - who is ensuring customers hit their outcomes? - who is focusing on advocacy/ expansion/ revenue? If you’re stuck being backup HERO instead of CS strategist, you’re not a high-impact CSM - you’re just another stopgap in a broken system. It’s time to stop celebrating wrong goals. Be the reason customers succeed - not the reason they recover. Gratitude mails post firefighting is not a win - it's a gap that needs fixing. Learn how to drive "real" CS - block 1:1 with me https://lnkd.in/gjQxGq7f #CustomerSuccess #Support #Outcomes #CustomerSuccessManager #CSLeaders #Founders #B2BSaaS

Customer Success teams: stop focusing on retention. At least, stop focusing on it directly. Was that a little clickbaity? Maybe, but here's what I mean. The counterintuitive truth is that meaningfully improved retention in the long run isn't achieved by focusing directly on at-risk customers, de-escalating churn risk, and similar save plans. These are all necessary actions, but they're all defense. They are reactive to when customers have already gone off track and haven't achieved what they're looking to achieve. These defensive measures make a difference to your GRR, to be sure, but not the massive difference we're all looking to achieve. Instead of focusing purely on defense, focus on offense: Maintain a relentless, proactive obsession with architecting your whole strategy around successful customer outcomes: -Focus on what activities your CSMs can take to meaningfully improve customer outcomes proactively. -Work with your Product team to ensure that key needed functionality is available so customers can successfully achieve what they set out to do. -Partner with Sales to see how CS can get involved before a deal even closes to better tee customers up for what they need to do to achieve success with the product. -Level up your teams' technical acumen to be able to speak the language of the problems your customers are trying to solve. And rather than just looking at retention, look at all the other leading measures for the above actions. Those will more meaningfully help you achieve the increase in retention you actually want to see. Don't stop playing defense, but make sure you have a good offense strategy as well. What strategies are your teams deploying to improve customer outcomes proactively? How have you broken out of the cycle of constant firefighting and playing defense? #CustomerSuccess #SaaS #Leadership #Retention

Process is a huge differentiator. And more importantly, it can make the difference between a stellar client relationship and one that barely makes "meh" waves. You may not know that I cut my teeth in the creative business world as a traffic manager-slash-account manager-slash-other duties as assigned. That meant understanding the intersection of process and client communications to set and manage expectations and create an exceptional customer experience. When you communicate what's already happened, what's happening now, and what's coming next, clients don't spend time guessing...and you're not chasing your tail to manage seemingly wayward questions or challenges. It's why I build process-driven communciations into sales, onboarding, and offboarding **as well as** actual delivery. Here are some musts for every client-focused business **before you ever begin work**: ✅ Define the steps of your process before sending a proposal or naming a fee ✅ Break phases into the simplest possible terms ✅ Save the minutia for onboarding, but make sure proposals outline major project phases ✅ During onboarding, set expectations for project flow, timeline, communications, and client responsibility ✅ Create a clear-cut path for client updates and make sure they understand how to use it ✅ Reiterate process, current stage, and next steps in every communication ✅ Complex project management systems aren't necessary: simple Gdocs or templated email checklists also work On the other hand, here are some words of caution: 🚫 Never assume clients remember your process or timeline. They have a lot going on, so by reiterating current and next steps, you make it easy for them. 🚫 Never assume clients know what you're thinking. Be clear and make sure they understand. Better to over-communicate than under. 🚫 Never "let" them go dark mid-project. Things come up and it may slip their mind. Follow up regularly (and in those follow-ups share with them when you'll follow up again). 🚫 Never guess at what they want or understand. Practice good communication skills even in writing "What I'm hearing you say is...XYZ -- is that right?" 🚫 Never assume they read or remember your last email. Make sure the information they need is easy to access. 🚫 Never let them go off into the sunset without a debrief or check in. I'm thinking of offering a workshop for creative pros and entrepreneurs on client management. If you're interested in that, drop me a DM, and I'll make sure you get it! ***** I'm Erin Pennings, owner of CopySnacks. As a brand messaging strategist and copywriter, I draw on 20 years of marketing experience to help startups and scale-ups turn their brands into customer magnets with a blend of strategic insights and tactical delivery. For more tips like this, go to erinpennings .com/newsletter (remove the space)