Customer Success Manager, Blackboard

Anthology Inc is a company that delivers education and technology solutions to empower educators and institutions. The Customer Success Manager (CSM) will focus on ensuring customers derive value from their partnership with Anthology, primarily through the Blackboard LMS, by building relationships, executing strategic plans, and facilitating customer engagement.

Responsibilities:

• Developing strong relationships with customers centered on ensuring their success in meeting their business goals using Blackboard
• Developing and implementing account engagements to ensure business objectives are met, modernization is achieved, and customer sentiment is positive
• Executing prescriptive playbooks based on customer need
• Developing an understanding of and responding to customer questions on the full Anthology portfolio of products and services, including their value proposition, the challenges they solve, and how they are supported
• Conducting partnership reviews with customers to ensure progress on shared business objectives, including modernization
• Acting on customer sentiment information such as surveys, NPS responses, solicited and unsolicited customer feedback
• Promoting customer engagement in the online Anthology Community, as well as Anthology-hosted virtual and in-person events, facilitating client opportunities to network, share, and learn from their peers
• Working with Marketing to organize, plan, and deliver engaging webinars and on-campus events for Blackboard customers
• Connecting customers to best practice resources and/or recommendations; assisting customers in solving point-in-time challenges; connecting customers with opportunities for engagement in feedback sessions and with research projects as applicable; partnering with the customer to support the overall goal of increased satisfaction and adoption of Anthology solutions
• Assisting Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) and regional leadership with opportunities for cross-sell, upsell, and expanded services
• Assisting the RSM and CRM in the renewal process, contributing strategic insights to maximize value and positioning in renewal discussions
• Serving as an internal advocate for the customer, helping to drive support and change when necessary to help the customer achieve their business objectives
• Executing tailored plans both internally and externally, and proactively providing next-step support, including: External: managing the customer experience through appropriate channels, including outreach, meetings, providing recommendations, crafting of responses after internal alignment, executing customer outreach strategies Internal: escalation, identifying and engaging SMEs/Strategists/experts as needed, regular meetings with internal teams to resolve identified issues, providing direction and ensuring focus on customer as well as Anthology business needs
• Acting as an information conduit from Anthology and the industry to customers, ensuring customers are connected to the latest information on Anthology products and services, resources, and higher education industry trends
• Driving advocacy in the form of references and success stories
• Maintaining accurate records of key contacts, engagements, workflows, health scoring, and risk assessments within the company CSP
• Projecting a favorable public image of the company to promote its objectives and goals and enhance customer relationships
• Building and maintaining relationships across the customer's organization, including with C-suite institutional leadership
• Traveling as needed for onsite customer engagements and events, approximately 25% of the time

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• At least 5 years of related experience in Higher Education, Customer Experience, Customer Success, and/or Education Technology serving the higher education sector
• Strong customer-service focus and ability to communicate with empathy, sensitivity, and professionalism at all times
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; proactive and impactful communicator
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to work independently and to proactively identify and respond to emerging challenges and changing conditions
• Proven track record of successfully managing accounts and developing strong customer relationships with all levels of an organization
• Well-developed problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Ability to effectively create, gather, and analyze reports, ability to use data to inform decision-making and develop action plans
• Ability to multitask and consistently perform under the pressure of deadlines and other demands
• Highly organized, task-oriented
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented, collaborative environment
• Skilled in building deep relationships and connect with others authentically
• Proficiency with CRM and/or customer success software
• Ability to work with sales organizations in a matrix-model as new products are being introduced and sold in various regions, for various functions to business units within an institution of higher learning
• Experience managing a large-scale technology transition either at an educational institution or a company, from which applicable skills in project planning, stakeholder alignment, multi-team coordination, and executive progress communications were demonstrated
• 1+ years of experience working in the Blackboard LMS or with Blackboard customers
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Advanced degree
• Background in supporting higher education institutions, particularly HBCUs or other institutions serving underrepresented student populations
• Experience working in a Customer Experience or Customer Success role at a Software-as-a-Service technology company
• 2+ years of experience developing courses in Blackboard as an admin or faculty member