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Arrow Payments · Success Profile

Client Success
Manager Study Guide

Last updated 3/1/2026 · Mike Thompson
Job Mission

Support the Solutions Advisor role by proactively relieving client pains and ensuring a world-class customer experience. Collaborate with the Solutions Advisor to stay current on casework, projects, implementations, switchovers, and steady-state support — depending on which phase of engagement clients are in. This role passionately seeks to solve problems daily, eagerly receives feedback, and maintains a constant state of curiosity about how to improve client experiences.

The CSM's Place in the Org

Relationship to Solutions Advisor

Support Role

The CSM supports the Solutions Advisor — not the other way around. The Solutions Advisor leads client engagements strategically. The CSM develops intentional relationships across departments, provides anticipatory customer service, and keeps casework moving forward daily.

Cross-Campus Relationship Building

Enterprise Focus

CSMs establish contact and create meaningful relationships across departments — not just with the primary contact. For universities, this means becoming a trusted face at every level of the institution, facilitated through the university itself.

Client Types

Enterprise

Primary Portfolio

Universities, Colleges, Healthcare Institutions across the U.S. High level of support. CSMs are responsible for Enterprise clients across both Support-Only and Support & Processing service types.

Legacy

Ad Hoc Support

SMBs in healthcare, government, non-profit, e-commerce, manufacturing, tech, retail, restaurants. Low level of support. CSMs assist with Legacy client issues on an ad hoc basis only.

Core Values
❤️
Love
Care for clients, respect everyone, watch over ourselves. Lead with love in every interaction.
📈
Growth
Never stop evolving personally, professionally, and as an organization.
🤝
Collaboration
Create win-win-win situations internally, with partners, and with clients.
🎯
Authenticity
Payments shouldn't be complicated. Communicate clearly with purposeful honesty.
👂
Listening
Common ground solutions come from understanding all sides. Listening is the foundation.
💰
Value
Deliver positive results across all financial situations we're responsible for.
Key Competencies
  • Customer Focus — Establish and maintain effective relationships. Gain trust and respect.
  • Priority Setting — Identify what's mission-critical vs. nice-to-have. Spend time where it matters most.
  • Patience — Approach every request with enthusiasm and positivity — whether first time or the 100th.
  • Listening — Active, attentive. Probing, clarifying, and confirmation questions. Acknowledge others' points even when you disagree.
  • Excellent Communication — Proactively communicate status. Escalate without letting issues boil over.
  • Integrity & Trust — Follow through. Direct, truthful, widely trusted.
  • Technical & Functional Skills — Develop understanding of complex payment terminology and solutions over time.
  • Alignment & Compliance — Embody Arrow Payments' culture and encourage others to do the same.
Three Phases of Client Engagements
Phase 1 Initial Client Setup & New Client Onboarding

Client Setup

For Assigned Clients
  • Assist with creation of all account management documents organized in Google Drive
  • Assist with Salesforce account setup (contacts, cases, merged emails, etc.)
  • Participate in Internal Strategy Meeting — case organization and communicating updates effectively

New Client Onboarding

Schedule & Coordinate
  • Assist Solutions Advisor in scheduling the engagement: weekly status meetings, internal strategy meetings, quarterly check-ins with reports, annual partnership reviews with key stakeholders
  • Assist with Discovery: surveys, department meetings, documentation, collaboration with leadership

Learning Solution Design

Develop Skills
  • Uncover pain — focus on overarching University goals AND Departmental goals
  • Show the complexity of pain — lead with strategic recommendations
  • Demonstrate credibility
  • Develop solution presentation materials with leadership
Phase 2 Procedure Switchovers & Implementations

Discovery & Audit

Understand the Landscape
  • Understand organizational structure of the university
  • Organize details regarding different technologies, solutions, vendors, and systems

Strategy & Switchover Execution

Execute
  • Partner with Solutions Advisor to define strategy & implementation plan
  • Identify areas of opportunity for improvement; determine timeline and action items
  • Switchover process: meet with departments → recommend solutions → order solutions → train users → test transactions → complete compliance
  • Partner with Solutions Advisor to ensure successful switch to all new recommended solutions
Phase 3 Steady-State Client Support

Ongoing Responsibilities

Daily & Ongoing
  • Status Meetings — Review, update, maintain knowledge/next steps/status on all support cases
  • Vendor & Department Coordination — Partner with Solutions Advisor to conduct vendor reviews
  • Deploy Solutions — Installation, training, efficiency optimization, ongoing meetings
  • Support Solutions — Address questions, provide resolutions, address equipment issues
  • PCI Compliance — Ensure department PCI compliance, support SAQ completion, track staff PCI training, track device tamper logs, review/track payment procedures, ensure vendor PCI compliance, collect vendor AOCs, coordinate vulnerability scanning as needed
Response Time — Communication Sequence
TimeframeRequired Action
4 Business HoursConfirm receipt of incoming case
24 HoursAction response — who / where / when / how
3 DaysTake action on all cases. Note: AOCs are an explicit exception — they don't require action every 3 days.
DailyEnsure every case has a next step. Review of tasks past due (closed loop). Weekly review of all cases with Solutions Advisor.
Client Satisfaction KPIs

Managed in partnership with COO and Solutions Advisor.

Referrals / Recommendations
1/yr
Per client, per year.
Testimonials
1/yr
Per client, per year.
Case Studies
1/yr
1 case study per year total across your portfolio.
Client NPS Score
8+
Average NPS score across portfolio.
Salesforce Cadence
  • Case or Opportunity created for every client interaction that needs a resolution
  • Task created for every step of the Case/Opportunity to close/resolve
  • Daily: Ensure every Case has the next step documented
  • Daily: Review of Tasks past due (with closed loop)
  • Weekly: Review of all cases with Solutions Advisor to ensure quality of delivery and efficient response times
Culture & Time Tracking
  • DeskTime: Update every week by EOD Friday
  • Appreciations: Share 2 per week with the team
  • Channels: Monitor Slack, email, and Salesforce daily. Respond to team inquiries daily. Address time-sensitive questions ASAP.
⚠️ Important Exception: AOCs

AOCs (Attestations of Compliance) are explicitly called out as an exception to the 3-day action rule. These vendor compliance documents are managed on a longer cadence — but still require a specific revisit date to be set on the case.

Cultural Alignment
  • Lead with love and embody Arrow Payments' culture in every interaction
  • Understand and follow Arrow's standards in interactions with clients, vendors, and colleagues
  • Receive feedback with the intention of learning — assume good intent, don't take things personally
  • Listen, clearly communicate, and collaborate
Process Documentation & SOPs

Partner with your dedicated Solutions Advisor to ensure that process documentation is accurate and kept up to date for all clients. Maintain organized case records in Salesforce and Google Drive.

Account Management
  • Work with Solutions Advisor to understand clients' long-term goals and objectives
  • Learn to identify root causes vs. symptoms of problems — with the goal of educating clients on best practices
  • Dedicate time to continuous learning about payment solution capabilities
  • Support Solutions Advisor in preparing for annual client reviews, with additional support and direction from leadership
Relationship Management
  • Develop trust and rapport with key stakeholders — friendly, kind, positive experiences at all times
  • Establish contact and create meaningful relationships across departments (cross-campus for universities)
  • Take note of "client love" and share with the team and leadership for visibility
PCI Compliance
  • Partner with Solutions Advisor to ensure client PCI compliance
  • Conduct and organize annual reviews of Enterprise PCI policies and training
  • Execute annual PCI Plan for PCI, AOCs, QSA & SAQs on time
  • Learn to identify non-compliant practices or vulnerabilities in university systems and processes
  • Track staff PCI training completion
  • Track device tamper logs
  • Review and track payment procedures
  • Collect vendor AOCs to ensure vendor PCI compliance
  • Coordinate vulnerability scanning, as needed
Strategic Partnerships & Solutions
  • Strategize internally with team and leadership to determine the best partner/solution for each client
  • Educate clients on the pain, challenges, and costly results of RFPs (Requests for Proposals)
  • Stay current on industry trends and competitor activity
  • Invest time in learning about gateway connections, integrations, and API connections
Quality Assurance
  • Ensure all cases are managed with proactive communication and timely responses
  • Track client cases, review details, and guide to completion
  • Ensure team questions related to your portfolio are responded to in a timely manner across internal platforms
  • Appropriate escalation of issues/challenges to Solutions Advisor and leadership
Flashcards

Tap any card to flip it.

Payments & Role Glossary

CSM Knowledge Test

50 questions covering the CSM role, responsibilities, PCI compliance, KPIs, process phases, relationship management, and Arrow Payments culture. Questions are randomized each attempt.

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Arrow Payments · Client Success Manager · Study Guide