The 121 engagement of a CSM is highly led by the skills and personality of the CSM undertaking the relationship and taking the lead to drive success.This is fine, as long as you have the processes in place to give support to the relationship management techniques used by each CSM.

In my view, the processes and structure provide enormous support to a CSM to be themselves in the customer relationship. They have boundaries and they can use them to assist them, giving much more power to drive successful outcomes. The relationship of a CSM with a customer needs to be clear. The CSM is the advocate for the customer internally, there to fight their corner, do what’s needed (within those boundaries) to help the customer. The boundaries provide assistance to the CSM to have more weight behind them from the company.  

The art of that relationship management too can be honed and trained to a degree. Focusing training on specific skills that the CSM can use to improve engagements can be highly effective.

I have found that when building teams it has been really beneficial to take stock of the skill set and personality types you have and what you lack. It makes recruitment more focused and priority training topics more obvious.