Not all customers are created equal when it comes to expansion. So why do most CS teams treat them like they are?
If you’re leading a Customer Success team, or even just managing a portfolio of accounts, it’s tempting to distribute your time evenly. After all, every customer matters, right?
But here’s the hard truth: your time and team capacity are limited.
And the highest-performing GTM orgs know something many CS teams haven’t fully embraced:
Not all customers are equal.
CROs do this instinctively. They’re constantly assessing which accounts are worth leaning into:
Who has expansion potential?
Where’s the executive engagement?
Is this customer even a good fit long-term?
It’s time for Customer Success to operate with the same level of strategic prioritization.
And that starts by scoring your accounts like a CRO.
The Problem: CS Time is Spread Too Thin
Most CS orgs rely on segmentation models (High Touch, Tech Touch, etc.) to assign CSMs based on ARR.
It’s a good start, but it misses the nuance. Two $100K accounts might look the same on paper, but:
One is growing 40% YoY, actively using your product, and expanding to new teams.
The other is stuck in neutral, with no exec buy-in and declining usage.
They shouldn’t get equal time and resources.
What you need is a dynamic account scoring model that reflects:
Real expansion potential
Strategic alignment
Product fit
Account health
And one that tells your CSMs exactly where to go deep—and where to stay light.
The Solution: Build an Account Scoring Model
Here’s how you can build a scoring model in 4 simple steps
Step 1: Choose Your Scoring Categories
Start with these five core categories (feel free to adapt for your org):
Category | What to Look For | Sample Inputs |
ARR & Revenue Tier + TAM | Bigger $ = higher impact | Annual Contract Value - also look for accounts that have a big Tam gap (i.e. did they buy 20 seats but have 120 people that could leverage your product) |
Growth Signals | Are they hiring? Scaling? Raising? | LinkedIn data, job postings, news alerts |
Product Fit | Are they using your core modules? | Feature usage, license utilization |
Engagement | Are they responsive and strategic? | QBR participation, Slack/chat activity |
Strategic Alignment | Are they in your ICP? Lighthouse logo? | Industry, geo, logo value |
Step 2: Assign Weighted Scores
Each category should be scored from 1–5 and weighted based on importance.
For example:
Category | Weight | Score (1-5) | Weighted Score |
ARR & Revenue Tier | 30% | 5 | 1.5 |
Growth Signals | 20% | 3 | 0.6 |
Product Fit | 20% | 4 | 0.8 |
Engagement | 15% | 5 | 0.75 |
Strategic Alignment | 15% | 4 | 0.6 |
Total | — | — | 4.25 |
The higher the score, the more valuable the account.
Set thresholds. For example, anything above a 4.0 = Tier 1 Priority Account.
Step 3: Use the Score to Prioritize Effort
Now that you’ve scored your accounts, use the data to guide where your team should invest:
Tier 1 (Score > 4.0): High-growth, high-fit. These get deep support, proactive QBRs, and executive alignment.
Tier 2 (3.0–4.0): Moderate potential. Deliver efficient, programmatic touchpoints and keep them warm.
Tier 3 (< 3.0): Low strategic value or fit. Serve them via digital touchpoints or consider sunsetting.
You don’t ignore customers,you just align effort to opportunity.
Step 4: Make It Actionable for Your Team
Here’s where most scoring models die: they sit in spreadsheets and never translate into action.
Avoid that by:
Reviewing scores monthly or quarterly
Baking them into CS tools (Vitally, Gainsight, ChurnZero, etc.)
Assigning plays to each tier (e.g., expansion motion for Tier 1, renewal automation for Tier 3)
Sharing the model with Sales to align on expansion strategy
As CS leaders, we’re wired to protect retention. But revenue teams think in expansion.
That’s why this model isn’t just about risk, it’s about where your company grows.
When CS knows which accounts matter most to the business, and acts on it, that’s how you shift from:
❌ Firefighting renewals
✅ Driving predictable revenue
You don’t need to be a CRO to think like one.
By using a structured, weighted approach to scoring your accounts, you unlock:
More focus
Less churn
Better expansion
Stronger team alignment
The future of CS is not just about happy customers.
It’s about being strategic with time, obsessed with business value, and proactive about revenue.
Let’s act like it.
