Framework
The Kent & Co Customer Success Maturity Model
The Kent & Co Customer Success Maturity Model has five stages: Foundational, Defined, Outcome-led, Signal-driven and Strategic. It measures how reliably a company turns customer progress into measurable commercial value. A big CS team with plenty of tooling can still sit at Defined.
The Kent & Co Maturity Matrix
Customer Success matures in stages.
Each stage changes what the business can see, predict and influence.
Choose where you are today to see what needs to change next.
Where are you today?
Where are you today?
Ownership
Founder / Sales / Support
Next: Dedicated CS owner
Strategy
No clear direction
Next: CS goals defined
Outcomes
Success = onboarding
Next: Milestones tracked
Operating model
Ad hoc
Next: Repeatable
Intelligence
Memory & lagging data
Next: Basic health signals
Commercial
Churn discovered late
Next: Renewals tracked
AI & scale
Manual
Next: Documented
What changes as you mature
VisibilityConsistencyOutcomesPredictionCommercial advantage
What changes next · Foundational to Defined
Define how you serve customers.
You don't need a CS team to start. You need an owner, one core journey and a few basic signals.
If you stay here: Every customer is handled differently, and churn is discovered at renewal.
Start with
- Name one owner for customer success.
- Define the core journey and its milestones.
- Track renewals and basic health signals.
What are the five stages?
Stage 1
Foundational
We know who our customers are.
No formal CS function. Customers are looked after by the founder, sales or support, and churn is discovered late.
Stage 2
Defined
We know how we serve them.
A dedicated CS owner, a core journey and basic health signals. Renewals are tracked.
Stage 3
Outcome-led
We know what success means for them.
Customer objectives and outcomes are defined. Journeys are segmented and retention is a shared goal.
Stage 4
Signal-driven
We know what is changing before it becomes a problem.
Outcomes are measured continuously. Risk and expansion signals are seen early and forecast.
Stage 5
Strategic
We know how customer value translates into company growth.
CS shapes company strategy. Customer value drives retention, advocacy and growth.
What are the six dimensions?
- Ownership
- Who owns customer success?
- Strategy
- What is CS trying to achieve?
- Customer outcomes
- Can you prove customers are achieving value?
- Operating model
- How consistently does the company deliver that value?
- Signals & intelligence
- Can you identify risk and opportunity before the commercial event?
- Commercial impact
- Can CS demonstrate its effect on retention and growth?
Where does AI fit?
An enabler at every stage, not a stage of its own. AI speeds up whatever operating model you already have.
How is this different from other maturity models?
Most CS maturity models score activity and process: how many playbooks, how much tooling, how proactive the team is. This one scores outcomes. A company moves up a stage when it can show what customers achieved and what that was worth.
How do I find out which stage we're at?
Book the CS diagnostic. I review your function across the six dimensions and give you a prioritised roadmap. Or start with a free 30-minute consultation.
Get in touch
Tell me where your CS function stands today.
Bring one problem. That's enough to start. I'll reply within two working days.
What happens next
No long brief needed. Tell me what's happening and I'll take it from there.
- A reply within two working days
- Start with a free 30-minute consultation
- Based in Cape Town, South Africa
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