SMB CSM Team Lead

Description

FranConnect is the leading franchise and multi-unit management software provider. For 20 years, the FranConnect platform has served as the sales, operations, and marketing backbone for over 1500 brands worldwide. Nine of the Franchise Times Top 10 Fastest-Growing franchise businesses rely on FranConnect to drive growth, improve profitability, and streamline operational performance. FranConnect customers span all sizes, growth phases, and industries and they grow 44% faster on average than the broader franchising market. Backed by private-equity investor Serent Capital, FranConnect is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, with global offices in Australia, India, Colombia and Canada. For more information on FranConnect, visit www.franconnect.com.

Why Join Us

At FranConnect, we believe that great companies are built on great cultures. Our team is passionate, collaborative, and driven by a shared mission: to empower franchise and multi-location businesses with the tools they need to thrive. We foster an environment where innovation, transparency, and continuous learning are at the core of everything we do. Employee growth and well-being matter to us, and we take pride in cultivating a workplace where every voice is heard, ideas are valued, and contributions make a real impact.

Joining FranConnect means being part of a company that not only values its people but also plays a crucial role in shaping the future of franchising and multi-location businesses. If you're looking for a place where you can grow, contribute meaningfully, and be part of something bigger, we'd love to have you on our team!

This is a very exciting inflection point as we scale our Customer Success function to meet the evolving needs of our growing customer base. As we expand into new markets, introduce new product capabilities, and really hone in on the evolution of AI, we are reimagining how we engage, support and deliver value to our customer base. The goal - elevate our customer experience, drive retention/reduce churn, and unlock growth opportunities.

Job Overview

This role is part of a newly evolved team structure designed to elevate our customer experience, drive retention, and unlock growth opportunities. You'll have the unique opportunity to help shape this next chapter-bringing fresh ideas, building scalable processes, and influencing how we deliver success at scale.

We're looking for a strategic, hands-on SMB Customer Success Team Lead to serve as a player-coach. We want someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, embraces change, and is eager to roll up their sleeves as we build for the future. You will lead by example and drive success across a high-performing team. In this hybrid role, you'll manage a book of accounts, while also leading a small team comprised of SMB CSM's.

Key Responsibilities

Player Responsibilities (Individual Contributor)

• Serve as the trusted advisor for a portfolio of current customers, understanding their business objectives and aligning our solutions to their needs.
• Drive usage, value, and overall product adoption by guiding users through best practices and product functionality.
• Leverage customer insights and data analytics to proactively identify account health risks (low engagement, adoption issues, churn signals) and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Lead value-driven QBR's and renewal conversations.
• Identify upsell opportunities and develop expansion strategies in collaboration with account management to drive growth.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders, including decision-makers, influencers, and day-to-day users.
• Maintain an ongoing understanding of FranConnect products, the franchising industry, and key market trends.
• Maintain accurate customer health scores, usage reports, and engagement tracking in Salesforce and ChrunZero.
• Up to 40% travel time to conferences, client sites for in-person meetings or QBR, etc.

Team Lead Responsibilities (Team Leadership)

• Manage a small team of CSMs, providing feedback, coaching, and best practices.
• Support the professional development and performance of team members.
• Partner with leadership to evolve CS processes, playbooks, and success metrics.
• Act as an escalation point for customer issues within your team.
• Act as the voice of the customer, providing internal teams (Product, Sales, and Marketing) with feedback to improve the platform.
• Facilitate cross-functional team collaboration to streamline customer workflows and experiences.

Requirements

What You'll Need (Qualifications)

This role requires you to be in the office 3 days per week (Tuesday - Thursday) and travel to client sites for strategic meetings and attend conferences. If not are not local to the Herndon, VA HQ and/or can't commit to the travel requirements, this is not the role for you.

• 5+ years of experience in customer success or account management in a B2B SaaS environment.
• 2+ years of leadership experience, including prior management or player-coach experience.
• Proven ability to manage a portfolio of customers (30-50 accounts) using prioritization and time management skills.
• Familiarity with customer success methodologies (CSM playbooks, health scoring, QBRs) to manage retention and churn.
• Strong consultative and problem-solving skills with the ability to align technology solutions to customer needs.
• Excellent communication & presentation skills to engage with executive and operational stakeholders.
• Experience with CRM & Customer Success Platforms (Salesforce, Gainsight, ChurnZero, etc.).
• Ability to work cross-functionally with all functions in the business.
• Naturally curious with the ability to learn and adapt quickly in an ever-evolving environment.
• Bachelor's degree: Business and Technical Degrees preferred
• Willing to travel up to 40% to client sites, conferences, and HQ, etc.
• Experience in franchising or with franchise management software is a plus.