820-605 CSM – Customer Success Manager
The Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist (820-605 CSM) exam validates a candidate’s knowledge and proficiency for the development and integration of solutions, recognizing the adoption barriers and steps to resolve them, implementing adoption frameworks and interpreting customer usage data. This certification provides a solid framework and a core set of skills to assist the candidates in delivering immediate value to his/her relationship with his/her customers.
Target Audience
The examination is targeted at individuals who have gained experience working with customers to determine, measure, and deliver business outcomes through the implementation of technology. It must be undertaken by the individuals who are preparing for the Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist certification.
Recommended Knowledge
This certification particularly demands no formal prerequisites. However, to get this certification one must pass the exam: 820-605 CSM. It tests a candidate’s knowledge in fields like discovery, benchmarking and application, analysis and evaluation, and enablement. The important topics are the Customer Success Industry, Success Plan Creation, Barrier Management, Customer Success Management, Expand Opportunities, and Renewal.
Exam Policies
We shall now discuss the policies and guidelines given for taking the exam.
Exam Result
Right after completing your exam, you will receive your score report which will be imprinted with your digital photo, captured during admission. The result will also contain a section-wise score breakout along with the passing score. You will have the option to share this photo-imprinted score reports with employers. You can also decide to provide them with preferred online access, for verification purposes, at the Authenticate score report. You can confirm the online photo and exam score results on the Pearson VUE candidate tracking webpage. This is an official method.
Exam Retake Policy
If you fail in the exam of Associate, Professional, Specialist, or CCDE level, then you must wait for a period of five (5) calendar days, before becoming eligible for taking a re-attempt. Once you have passed the exam, you must wait for a minimum of 180 days before becoming eligible to take the same exam, with an identical exam number. Candidates failing in an Online / Un-Proctored Cisco (700-xxx series) exam will have to wait for forty-eight hours (48hrs) before retesting the same exam.
Re-certification
Your Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist (820-605 CSM) certification will be valid only for a period of three years. After three years you will have to re-certify yourself to gain desired benefits. You can re-certify yourself by completing education activities, by taking exams, or by a combination of both. These are the ways available for re-certification.
- Take an exam
- Attend Cisco Live training sessions
- Author content
- Complete online training courses
- Complete instructor-led training
- Three-year re-certification requirement
For More Details See – Cisco 820-605 CSM FAQ
Exam Details
| Exam Name Cisco Customer Success Manager | Exam Code 820-605 CSM |
| Exam Duration 90 mins | Exam Format Multiple Choice |
| Exam type Specialist | Number of Questions 55-65 Questions |
| Validity 2 Years | Exam Fee $250 USD |
| Exam Language English | Pass Score 0 |
Exam Topics
The Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist (820-605 CSM) Exam covers the following topics –
Exam Topic 1 – Customer Success Industry
- Explain the key drivers creating the need for Customer Success (Cisco Documentation: Customer Experience Specialization)
- Define customer success (expected and unexpected value)
- Explain the customer lifecycle journey (Cisco Documentation: Customer Adoption and Lifecycle Management)
- Compare customer success, customer support, and sales (Cisco Reference: Cisco Customer Success Manager)
- Explain the value proposition for customer success (Cisco Reference: Customer Success Manager (CSM) Success Playbook)
- Explain different IT purchasing and consumption, models (Cisco Documentation: Flexible consumption)
- Identify the key metrics for customer success (Cisco Documentation: Customer Success Metrics)
- Explain the financial implication of the following metrics
- Describe customer engagement models based on customer segmentation
- Describe the objectives of the Customer Success Manager (Cisco Documentation: Cisco Customer Success Manager)
Exam Topic 2 – Success Plan Creation
- Identify the product or solution purchased
- Identify key stakeholder roles (Cisco Documentation: Stakeholder management)
- Validate the desired business outcome based on information obtained from key stakeholders
- Identify critical success factors to connect to business outcomes (Cisco Reference: 3 Key Success Factors for Multi-sourcing)
- Analyze the account baseline to identify gaps (Cisco Documentation: Baseline Process)
- Analyze a customer health score (Cisco Documentation: Health Scores)
- Describe the common elements of a customer success plan
- Explain the purpose of targeted use cases (Cisco Documentation: Use Cases)
- Identify the individuals and responsibilities within a RACI
- Explain how outcomes, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and metrics contribute to customer value achievement (Cisco Documentation: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs))
Exam Topic 3 – Barrier Management
- Identify types of customer barriers (Cisco Documentation: Barriers to Real-time Operation)
- Describe sources used to identify customer barriers
- Identify customer barriers
- Identify actions that impact time to value for common customer barriers
Exam Topic 4 – Customer Success Management
- Explain the elements of customer onboarding (Cisco Documentation: Onboarding Process)
- Explain the purpose of essential customer management activities (Cisco Documentation: Service Description)
- Explain the communication needs of stakeholders (Cisco Documentation: Unified Communications Optimization Service)
- Describe the Quarterly Success Review process
- Identify outcomes from a Quarterly Success Review
- Identify opportunities for customers to act as advocates
Exam Topic 5 – Expand Opportunities and Renewal
- Describe types of expand opportunities
- Identify potential expansion opportunities across the customer lifecycle from a customer success plan (Cisco Documentation: Customer Success Managers (CSMs))
- Create an adoption campaign to identify expand opportunities
- Update customer success plan with expand opportunities
- Explain the elements of a renewal risk analysis (Cisco Reference: Security Strategy, Risk, and Compliance Services)
- Create mitigation plans that address risk factors
Preparation Guide for 820-605 CSM Cisco Customer Success Manager Specialist
Classroom Training
Cisco Customer Success Manager (CSM)
This course provides the learners suffice confidence and competence so that they can fulfill the Customer Success Manager (CSM) role successfully, assisting the customers to know the value from their solutions and to attain their business outcomes. This course is established on the basis of the customer lifecycle and optimizing that journey, giving a boost to the value realized by the customer and constantly increase the candidate`s aptitude to maintain their loyalty and renew or broaden their opportunities in the business. The course helps to practice and gain the confidence to fulfill important tasks using best practice tools and methodologies while receiving feedback from the facilitator. After completion of the course, you’ll gain the following skills –
- You’ll gain skills and knowledge in the CSM role, driving organizational and business outcomes from technology solutions in customer engagements
- You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the key concepts and terminologies related to the CSM role
E-learning
Cisco Customer Success Manager (CSM) v2.1
This self-paced training enables candidates to carry out the Customer Success Manager role, helps him/her realize the value from their solutions and to attain the desired outcomes in the business. Through practical exercises which are base on real-life situations and case studies, the course offers experiential learning. The course is fully equipped with best-practice tools to help a candidate prepare for the 820-605 Cisco Customer Success Manager exam. Undertaking this course any learner will be able to describe then the tools used by CSM to make sure of customer experience, lifecycle approach to experiences of the customer, and the duties and responsibilities of the CMS. After completion of the course, you’ll gain knowledge in the following fields –
- Role of the Customer Success Manager
- Tools that the Customer Success Manager uses to ensure the customer experience
- The Lifecycle approach to customer experience
Join Cisco Community
Online discussion forums facilitate a healthy discussion, which is very beneficial. Not only will you get discuss your issues, but will also get to how your competitors are going for the exam. This way, you’ll be able to know your stand in the exam. These forums also provide a wider range of discussion. This will surely prove beneficial in training you.
Evaluate with Practice Exam
Practice tests/mock tests help a lot in limiting your mistakes. Mistakes made in practice tests can be easily avoided in the actual exam. Solving the Cisco 820-605 CSM Practice Tests helps training your brain, which is very essential from the exam point of view. This will not only make you familiar with the real exam environment. But will also build your confidence, which is much needed to crack a professional level exam, in one go.
