Customer Success Manager course, training + certification (CCSMP)

The Customer Success certification that proves you can do the job

Applied training to run real accounts, from onboarding to renewal, ending in a certification that never expires. Created by Rick Adams, who wrote Cisco’s original Customer Success Manager certification.

Or start with Level 1 for US$89. Self-paced, 100% online, about 2 hours a week.

Framework published by Taylor & Francis Book rated 4.4/5 on Amazon 4.52/5 course rating on Udemy Certification never expires

Customer Success teams at these companies train with Practical CSM

Companies whose Customer Success teams use Practical CSM
Companies whose Customer Success teams use Practical CSM

Knowing the theory is not the same as doing the job

Most Customer Success training hands you definitions and frameworks, then leaves you alone with a real account that is about to churn. You finish knowing what a health score is. You still do not know what to do when the number turns red.

That gap is where careers stall and renewals slip away. It is also exactly what hiring managers probe in interviews.

Learn it, practice it, prove it

1. Learn the framework. The Practical CSM Framework breaks the whole customer engagement into seven phases: one map of the work, not scattered tips.
2. Practice the real work. Every module gives you the actual tool, shows an expert using it, and has you apply it to your own accounts while you study.
3. Prove it. A two-part final exam tests what you can do, not what you can recite, and ends in a verifiable certificate employers can check.

Who it is for

Breaking into Customer Success

Moving in from support, sales or account management? Build real Customer Success work as you learn, so you walk into interviews with proof you can do the job, not just a certificate. No prerequisites. Not sure yet? Start with Level 1 for US$89. It takes 4 to 6 hours, so you could hold your first certificate this weekend.

Already a CSM, leveling up

Master adoption, value realization, renewals and the difficult conversations that get CSMs promoted, and earn the certification that proves you can run them. Most people in your position take Scholar, all four levels, for US$487.

What you will be able to do on Monday morning

  • Plan and run onboarding so customers reach value faster
  • Map and manage the stakeholders across a customer account
  • Build an engagement and success plan tied to the customer’s outcomes
  • Drive adoption and catch an at-risk account before it churns
  • Lead value-based business reviews (QBRs and EBRs) that customers act on
  • Turn renewals and expansion into a repeatable process
  • Have the difficult conversation without losing the relationship
  • Prove your impact with KPIs, retention and reporting

The toolkit you keep: engagement roadmap, success plan, RACI matrix, stakeholder map, onboarding and adoption checklists, health scoring and reporting templates. DRM-free, yours for your whole career.

Watch a sample lesson

A real trainer on camera, studio-grade video, and the actual tool on screen. Not slides with a voiceover.

What is inside each level

Ten modules across Levels 1 to 4, built on the seven phases of the Practical CSM Framework. Every module has a test, tools, workbooks and exercises.

Level 1: Foundations of the CSM role (2 modules, 4 to 6 hours, included in Basic)

Module 1: Customer Success Fundamentals. What Customer Success is and why it matters, the CSM role, renewals, retention and churn, land-and-expand, Customer Lifetime Value, and the 14 Tenets of Customer Success.
Module 2: Business Fundamentals. Why businesses exist and create value, segmentation and value propositions, business capabilities, and the Business Motivation Model.

Module 3: Preparation. Defining the engagement, researching customer, solution and stakeholder information, and building an engagement strategy and roadmap.
Module 4: Commitment. The commitment process, the initial customer meeting, consultative questioning, the RACI matrix, stakeholder management, and the Customer Success Proposal.
Module 5: Onboarding. Onboarding models (generic, customized, bespoke), onboarding as a professional service, and managing the onboarding process.

Module 6: Adoption Planning. End-user change management, analyzing users’ knowledge, skills and attitude, the adoption requirements workshop, and the adoption plan.
Module 7: Adoption Implementation. Project management for adoption, managing people and tasks, measurement and reporting, and handling problems.
Module 8: Value Realization. Selecting KPIs, root cause analysis (the 5 Whys), maximizing renewals, upsell and cross-sell, and reporting financial returns.
Module 9: Engagement Evaluation. Reviewing CSM activity, the Executive Business Review, and the Customer Success Roadmap.
Module 10: Putting It All Together. The partnering approach (shared risks, shared rewards) and the seven most common CSM traps and pitfalls.

No new modules. Level 4 is where you prove it. Exam A tests your knowledge across all ten modules: 50 questions in 60 minutes, 75% to pass. Exam B tests real-world application with scenario questions: 8 questions in 40 minutes, 62% to pass. Pass both to become a Certified CSM Professional.

After Level 4 you keep growing with a library of CPD courses, from scaling Customer Success to leadership and power skills. Level 5 is earned, not bought: you log 40 CPD hours within 12 months of completing Level 4, then 40 hours each year to keep it current. The Full package includes a year of CPD all-access.

Download the full syllabus (PDF)

What our learners say

Craig Mosenson

“Thank you for all the advice and instruction you have provided. I went from zero to a fulfilling career as a CSM thanks to you.”

Craig Mosenson
Principal Customer Success Manager, Oracle

Karan Chaudhary

“A well thought out portal with detailed training content. I would definitely recommend it for all CS teams.”

Karan Chaudhary
Engagement Director, Aodigy

Gereint Collier

“The platform is very easy to navigate, and the style and format of the video lessons is highly engaging.”

Gereint Collier
Head of Client Success, ITGL

Rick Adams, author of the Practical CSM Framework

Learn the standard from the person who wrote it

Rick Adams wrote Cisco’s original certification for Customer Success Managers and the book Practical Customer Success Management (Taylor & Francis, 2018), the source the framework and the CCSMP are built on. Before that he built and sold a SaaS company. He has 25+ years in tech and has trained teams in 30+ countries.

Practical CSM is a dedicated Customer Success training company: training is everything we do. The CCSMP standard is overseen by an independent committee of Customer Success practitioners, not by marketing. And when you have a question, a real Customer Success specialist answers within one working day, not an AI bot.

Choose your CCSMP package

One-time prices, no subscription, no auto-renew. Every package includes 12 months of course access and a verifiable certificate that never expires.

Try it first: Basic

US$89

Level 1 certification

  • 2 modules, 2 tests, workbooks and exercises
  • Level 1 certificate and 2 shareable badges
  • 4 to 6 hours to complete
  • Continue later level by level (Level 2 US$138, Level 3 US$229, Level 4 US$94)

Most popular: Scholar

US$487

Levels 1 to 4: the complete certification

  • All 10 modules, 10 tests, tools, workbooks and exercises
  • Two-part final exam
  • Four certificates (Levels 1 to 4) and 10 shareable badges
  • 60 to 80 hours, about 6 to 8 months at 2 hours a week
  • Saves US$63 vs buying levels one by one

Add a year of CPD: Full

US$617

Everything in Scholar, plus Level 5 CPD

  • 12 months of CPD all-access to keep growing after Level 4
  • Counts toward the 40 CPD hours that earn Level 5
  • 100 to 120 hours of learning in total
  • Saves US$120 vs buying the four levels and a year of CPD separately

Refund within 14 days for individual purchases, provided Module 1 is not completed. See our Terms.   Prices in USD. VAT or GST is added at checkout where applicable.

Certifying 3 or more people, or need an invoice or purchase order? We offer team pricing, invoicing and purchase orders, and can add your VAT ID. Tell us how many people and your country, and a Customer Success specialist will reply within one working day.

Name(Required)

Why the CCSMP

Most Customer Success training teaches the theory. The CCSMP proves you can do the job.

Typical theory-only programs

  • Concepts and definitions
  • A few hours of slides with a voiceover
  • A multiple-choice quiz at the end
  • Generic or vendor-specific content
  • Internal or marketing-led standard
  • Access and materials end with the course
  • Often a recurring subscription

The CCSMP

  • Applied practice on your own accounts
  • 60 to 80 hours, 10 modules, a real trainer on camera
  • Two-part exam: knowledge plus real-world scenarios
  • Published framework (Taylor & Francis)
  • Syllabus validated by an independent committee
  • DRM-free tools you keep for your whole career
  • One-time price, no auto-renew, certification never expires

Questions before you enroll

Yes, it is built to be the professional standard for Customer Success. The CCSMP is based on the Practical CSM Framework, published by Taylor & Francis, and overseen by an independent committee of practitioners. Every certificate is verifiable online, so an employer can check it, and you get shareable badges for your profile. Customer Success teams at companies including Dell, CDW and Telstra train with Practical CSM.

Level 1 takes 4 to 6 hours. Levels 1 to 4 take 60 to 80 hours, which most people complete in 6 to 8 months at about 2 hours a week. Every package includes 12 months of course access.

No. There are no prerequisites. Level 1 starts with the foundations of the role, so it works for career changers from support, sales or account management, and it is rigorous enough for experienced CSMs.

No. Your Levels 1 to 4 certification never expires. Course access lasts 12 months. Level 5 is the optional ongoing CPD cycle, renewed by logging 40 CPD hours a year.

If you are new and want to try the training first, Basic (US$89) gets you Level 1 in 4 to 6 hours and you can continue level by level. If you already know you want the certification, Scholar (US$487) is the better value: all four levels for US$63 less than buying them separately.

Refund within 14 days for individual purchases, provided Module 1 is not completed. The full conditions are in our Terms and Conditions (opens in a new tab).

Yes. Many learners use a training budget. For an invoice, a purchase order or team pricing, email support@practicalcsm.com and we will reply within one working day.

Ready to prove you can do the job?

Get the complete Levels 1 to 4 certification for US$487, or start with Level 1 for US$89 and continue at your own pace.

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