Customer success isn’t about heroics. It’s about consistency—doing the right things at the right times, for every customer, not just the loudest ones. If you’re tired of chasing spreadsheets, sticky notes, and scattered follow-ups, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through how to automate customer success workflows using Totango, so your team can focus less on remembering what to do, and more on actually helping customers.
No fluff, no empty promises—just the real steps, what works, what to skip, and a few pitfalls to watch out for.
1. Get Your Data in Shape
Before you touch a single automation, make sure your data isn’t a mess. Automation just makes bad data go wrong, faster.
Do this: - Connect your customer data sources (CRM, product usage logs, support tools) to Totango. - Clean up duplicates and fill in missing fields—especially things like renewal dates, lifecycle stage, and account owner. - Map custom fields you actually use. Skip vanity fields that sound nice but don’t drive action.
Pro Tip:
If you’re not confident about your data, don’t automate yet. You’ll just end up following up with the wrong people at the wrong time.
2. Define What “Success” Means (For Real)
Automations are only as good as the signals they follow. Get specific about what counts as a customer risk, opportunity, or milestone.
Ask yourself: - What triggers do you care about? (e.g., “Hasn’t logged in for 14 days,” “Renewal in 30 days,” “NPS below 7”) - What should happen when those triggers fire? (Email? Task for CSM? Escalation?) - Who owns each action?
Write this down. Don’t assume your team is on the same page—most aren’t.
What not to do:
Don’t try to automate everything. Start with your top 2-3 high-impact scenarios. More complexity = more stuff breaking.
3. Build a Simple SuccessPlay
Totango calls its automations “SuccessPlays.” They’re basically templates for handling repeatable situations.
To create a SuccessPlay:
- Go to SuccessPlays in the left sidebar.
- Click “Create SuccessPlay.”
- Name it clearly. (“QBR Reminder,” not “Play 1.”)
- Set the trigger conditions—these are the “ifs” (e.g., “If NPS is less than 7, and account is Active…”).
- Choose the target segment—which customers this applies to.
- Define the tasks and owners—what needs to happen, who does it, and when. Totango can assign tasks, send emails, or update fields.
Quick wins to automate first: - Onboarding check-ins at set intervals after kickoff. - “At-risk” customer alerts (low usage, missed meeting, support tickets piling up). - Renewal reminders 90/60/30 days out.
What works:
Automating follow-ups and reminders. You’ll never miss a QBR again.
What doesn’t:
Heavy, multi-step “journeys” with a dozen branches. They look impressive, but break easily and are a pain to debug.
4. Test (Don’t Assume It Works)
It’s tempting to hit “activate” and walk away. Don’t. Test each SuccessPlay:
- Use a test segment or dummy accounts.
- Trigger the automation yourself (e.g., lower a test account’s NPS score).
- Make sure tasks are assigned, emails go out, and nothing is missed.
Check: - Are customers being enrolled that shouldn’t be? - Are tasks going to the right people? - Are notifications clear, or are people ignoring them?
Pro Tip:
Ask your team to walk through the process and give feedback. If they’re confused, customers will be too.
5. Set Up Alerts and Notifications
Automation is pointless if no one pays attention. Totango can notify you in-app, by email, or even via Slack.
- Set up alerts for critical events (“High-risk customer flagged,” “Renewal in 7 days with no activity”).
- Keep notifications actionable—don’t flood people with noise.
- Make sure each alert has an owner who actually does something about it.
What to ignore:
Automated dashboards that no one checks. If it’s not in someone’s face (inbox or Slack), it’ll get missed.
6. Review and Tweak Regularly
Customer success is not “set it and forget it.” Automations drift out of sync as your business changes.
- Review SuccessPlays monthly or quarterly.
- Look at completion rates—are tasks being done on time? If not, why?
- Are automations creating busywork, or actually solving problems?
- Update triggers if you spot false positives/negatives.
What works:
Start small, measure, and course-correct. The best workflows are simple and evolve with feedback.
7. A Few Honest Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
1. Over-automation:
Don’t try to automate human relationships. Use automations for reminders, handoffs, and tracking—not for every email or touchpoint.
2. Garbage in, garbage out:
If your data isn’t accurate, you’ll chase the wrong customers. Fix data first.
3. Notification fatigue:
Too many pings and people start ignoring everything. Be ruthless about what really matters.
4. Ignoring the human side:
Automations are for consistency, not replacing judgment. Give your team room to personalize.
8. Pro Tips for Real-World Teams
- Document everything. Keep a shared doc for what each SuccessPlay does and why. It’ll save you when someone leaves or changes roles.
- Start with onboarding and renewals. These are make-or-break moments.
- Ask your team what slows them down. Automate that first.
- Keep it boring. If your automations are “exciting,” they’re probably too complicated.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Don’t let perfect get in the way of better. Start with a few high-value automations in Totango, see how they work, and improve from there. Most teams spend too long trying to build the “ultimate” workflow and never finish. Save the heroics for your customers—let your workflows be quietly effective.
Keep it simple. Review what’s working. Tweak as you go. That’s how you actually move the needle.