Top 13 Customer Success Certifications to Advance Your CS Career in 2026

Customer success looks very different today:

• 73% of customers say a single poor experience is enough to lose their trust
• More than 60% expect faster resolution times than they did just two years ago
• 80% of customers now judge a company as much on experience as on the product itself
• Companies that lead on customer experience consistently outperform competitors on retention and revenue growth

This shift has raised the bar for customer success teams. CSMs are no longer just relationship managers. They’re expected to drive adoption, reduce friction early, and show measurable impact on retention and expansion.

As the role becomes more defined and competitive, experience alone isn’t always enough to stand out. Customer success certifications have emerged as one way to demonstrate structured thinking, modern CS knowledge, and career intent.

The challenge is choosing the right one. This guide breaks down 13 customer success certifications that are worth your time, explains who each one is best for, and helps you decide which aligns with your career stage and goals.

What is a customer success certification?

A customer success certification is a structured credential that validates how you approach customer onboarding, adoption, retention, and expansion in a modern CS role. Unlike generic online courses, these programs focus on real CS frameworks, metrics, and workflows used by SaaS teams today.

Some certifications are vendor-neutral and emphasize strategy, while others are platform-specific and focus on execution inside tools like Gainsight or Salesforce. The right certification helps standardize your thinking, sharpen decision-making, and signal role readiness as customer success becomes more data-driven and AI-assisted.

Are customer success certifications worth it?

They can be, depending on your career stage.

Certifications are most useful when you’re entering customer success, moving into a more specialized role, or trying to keep up with how CS teams operate today. They help signal familiarity with modern frameworks and expectations, especially as AI-driven tools become more common.

They don’t replace real experience. Hiring managers still care most about outcomes and hands-on work. A good certification simply adds structure and credibility to your experience when it’s relevant and applied well.

How to choose the right customer success certification

Start by getting clear on what problem you’re trying to solve at this stage of your career. Not all certifications serve the same purpose.

Consider your career stage

• Early-career or new to CS: Look for certifications that cover onboarding, adoption, retention, and core CS frameworks.
• Mid-level CSMs: Prioritize programs focused on execution, tooling, or managing multiple accounts.
• CS leaders: Choose strategy-driven certifications that cover metrics, org design, and revenue alignment.

Factor in how your company operates

Product-led teams need different skills than high-touch, sales-led environments. Certifications tied to PLG, automation, or scale may be more relevant than relationship-heavy programs, depending on your context.

Focus on relevance over reputation

A certification should reflect how customer success actually works in your role today, not just look impressive on a resume.

13 Best customer success certifications in 2026 (Reviewed)

Below are the 13 customer success certifications that stand out in 2026. Each one is evaluated based on role relevance, practical value, and how well it reflects how CS teams actually operate today.

1. Certified Customer Success Manager (CCSM)

Best for foundational customer success skills

Overview

The Certified Customer Success Manager (CCSM) certification is designed to teach the core principles of customer success management. It focuses on how CSMs support customers after the sale, drive adoption, and manage ongoing relationships to achieve measurable outcomes. This certification is commonly used as an entry point into customer success roles, especially in SaaS.

Issued by

SuccessCOACHING

What you’ll learn

CCSM covers the fundamentals of customer success operations, including onboarding, success planning, and managing customer relationships over time. The curriculum emphasizes practical scenarios such as running business reviews, value-based selling, identifying disengaged customers, and using customer onboarding metrics to guide retention and renewal conversations.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced, with a final exam
• Prerequisites: No formal education or work experience required
• Cost: $99 to $529, depending on the package selected

Who this certification is for

CCSM is best suited for aspiring customer success managers, junior CSMs, and professionals transitioning from support, sales, or account management roles. It is less relevant for senior customer success leaders or CS operations professionals looking for advanced or specialized training.

Is it worth it?

CCSM is worth considering if you are early in your customer success career and want a structured introduction to core CS concepts. For experienced CSMs, it works better as a refresher than as a path to advanced skill development.

2. Gainsight Customer Success Certification

Best for platform-specific, hands-on customer success execution

Overview

The Gainsight Customer Success Certification is designed for customer success professionals working in SaaS environments where Gainsight is used to manage customer health, renewals, and expansion. Unlike foundational certifications, this program is highly practical and focuses on applying customer success concepts directly inside the Gainsight platform.

Issued by

Gainsight Academy

What you’ll learn

This certification focuses on how customer success strategies are operationalized using Gainsight. You learn how to configure health scores, track customer risk, manage renewals, and run scalable customer success programs using real product workflows rather than abstract frameworks.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced modules with assessments
• Prerequisites: Basic understanding of customer success concepts recommended
• Cost: Gainsight offers both free and paid certification options. Individual certifications are priced between $250 and $300 per level, with bundle options available at a discounted rate. A full annual subscription costs $900 and includes access to all certification levels. Team pricing is available on request.

Who this certification is for

This certification is best suited for customer success managers, CS operations professionals, and implementation specialists working at SaaS companies that already use Gainsight. It is less relevant for beginners who are still learning customer success fundamentals or teams not using the Gainsight platform.

Is it worth it?

If your company uses Gainsight, this certification is absolutely worth completing. It improves day-to-day execution and credibility within CS teams. If you do not work with Gainsight, the value is limited since the skills are platform-specific.

3. HubSpot Customer Success Certification

Best for understanding customer success in a product-led, SMB-focused environment

Overview

The HubSpot Customer Success Certification introduces customer success concepts through the lens of product adoption, retention, and long-term customer value. It is designed to show how customer success fits into a broader growth and lifecycle strategy, especially in companies serving small and mid-sized businesses.

Issued by

HubSpot Academy

What you’ll learn

This certification focuses on the role of customer success in driving adoption and retention. The curriculum covers onboarding fundamentals, customer lifecycle management, identifying churn risk, and aligning customer success efforts with business outcomes, all framed around real-world SaaS use cases.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced, with a final exam
• Prerequisites: No formal education or work experience required
• Cost: Free

Who this certification is for

This certification is best suited for beginners, career switchers, and early-stage CSMs who want an accessible introduction to customer success. It is particularly relevant for those working in product-led or SMB-focused SaaS companies. It may feel basic for experienced CSMs or CS leaders.

Is it worth it?

If you are new to customer success and want a free, low-commitment way to understand core concepts, this certification is worth completing. For experienced professionals, it works better as a refresher than as a path to advanced skill development.

4. Customer Success Leadership Professional (CSLP)

Best for senior CSMs and customer success leaders

Overview

The Customer Success Leadership Professional (CSLP) certification is designed for experienced customer success professionals who are responsible for building, scaling, or leading CS teams. Instead of focusing on day-to-day execution, it emphasizes strategy, organizational design, and leadership decisions that impact retention and growth.

Issued by

Practical CSM

What you’ll learn

This certification focuses on leadership-level customer success responsibilities. The curriculum covers designing customer success models, aligning CS with revenue goals, building playbooks and processes, and measuring success at a team and organizational level rather than at the individual account level.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced learning with assessments
• Prerequisites: Prior experience in customer success or people management recommended
• Cost: Paid certification, pricing varies by program and region

Who this certification is for

This certification is best suited for senior customer success managers, CS leaders, and heads of customer success who are responsible for strategy, team structure, and long-term outcomes. It is less relevant for entry-level CSMs or individual contributors focused primarily on account execution.

Is it worth it?

If you are moving into or already operating in a customer success leadership role, CSLP is worth considering for its strategic perspective. For individual contributors, a more execution-focused certification will deliver better immediate value.

5. Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP)

Best for customer success professionals focused on cross-functional experience strategy

Overview

The Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) certification is broader than a typical customer success credential. It focuses on customer experience strategy across the entire organization, including service, product, marketing, and operations. For customer success professionals, it provides a strong foundation in experience design and governance rather than account-level execution.

Issued by

Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA)

What you’ll learn

This certification covers customer experience principles such as user journey mapping, experience measurement, governance models, and organizational alignment. Instead of focusing on tools or playbooks, it emphasizes how companies design and manage customer experiences at scale.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Exam-based certification
• Prerequisites: Prior experience in customer experience or related roles required
• Cost: Paid certification, pricing varies by membership and region

Who this certification is for

CCXP is best suited for senior CSMs, CS leaders, and professionals working closely with CX, product, or operations teams. It is less relevant for entry-level CSMs or those looking for tactical, day-to-day customer success training.

Is it worth it?

If your role extends beyond account management into experience strategy and cross-functional leadership, CCXP is worth considering. For hands-on customer success execution, more role-specific certifications will deliver better practical value.

6. Customer Success Management 101: Fundamentals

Best for practical, entry-level customer success execution

Overview

Customer Success Management 101: Fundamentals is a beginner-focused Udemy course designed to introduce the day-to-day responsibilities of a Customer Success Manager. It focuses on how CSMs support onboarding, drive adoption, and manage ongoing customer relationships in SaaS environments.

Issued by

Udemy (Course by SuccessHACKER)

What you’ll learn

The course covers the core responsibilities of a CSM, including customer onboarding fundamentals, lifecycle management, proactive engagement, churn prevention, and renewal ownership. It also introduces key customer success metrics and common real-world scenarios faced by SaaS CS teams.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced video course
• Duration: ~2.5 hours of on-demand video
• Prerequisites: None
• Cost: Paid Udemy course, typically priced between $15–$30 depending on discounts

7. Salesforce Customer Success Learning Path (Trailhead)

Best for customer success roles in Salesforce-centric organizations

Overview

Salesforce does not offer a standalone “Customer Success Manager Certification” in the traditional sense. Instead, customer success professionals build Salesforce-specific CS skills through Trailhead learning paths, modules, and badges focused on adoption, value realization, and lifecycle support within the Salesforce ecosystem.

Issued by

Salesforce Trailhead

What you’ll learn

Relevant Trailhead modules cover Salesforce Success Cloud basics, customer health monitoring, adoption tracking, value alignment, and collaboration between sales, service, and customer success teams. The content is product-focused and shows how CS teams support customers using Salesforce workflows rather than abstract CS theory.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced modules with assessments
• Prerequisites: Basic familiarity with Salesforce recommended
• Cost: Free

Who this certification is for

This accreditation is best suited for CSMs, solution consultants, and account managers working at companies that sell, implement, or heavily rely on Salesforce.

Is it worth it?

If your role involves supporting customers on Salesforce products or implementations, this accreditation is worth completing. If Salesforce is not central to your work, the skills may not transfer as effectively to other environments.

8. Zendesk Customer Success Certification

Best for customer success teams working closely with support operations

Overview

Zendesk’s certification program validates hands-on expertise in managing and optimizing Zendesk for customer support and service workflows. Rather than a single customer success certification, Zendesk offers product-focused credentials that help CS and support teams improve customer experience through better system configuration, automation, and self-service.

Issued by

Zendesk Training

What you’ll learn

Zendesk certifications focus on practical skills such as configuring support workflows, managing help centers, building automation, and analyzing customer data. Popular tracks include Support Administrator, Guide Specialist, and Explore Analyst, all centered on improving efficiency, visibility, and customer experience within Zendesk.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, proctored certification exams
• Prerequisites: Hands-on experience with Zendesk recommended
• Cost: Approximately $350 USD per exam

Who this certification is for

This program is best suited for CSMs, support leaders, administrators, and CX analysts working in Zendesk-centric environments. It is less relevant for teams that do not use Zendesk as part of their customer experience stack.

Is it worth it?

If Zendesk plays a central role in how your team supports customers, these certifications are worth completing to strengthen platform expertise. For broader CS skill development, they work best alongside vendor-neutral customer success certifications.

9. Cisco Customer Success Manager (DTCSM) Certification

Best for customer success roles in enterprise and technology-led organizations

Overview

Cisco’s Customer Success Manager certification, officially titled Delivering Transformational Customer Success Manager (DTCSM), is designed for professionals supporting customers in complex, enterprise technology environments. It focuses on driving adoption, value realization, and renewals across Cisco solutions rather than generic CS theory.

Issued by

Cisco Learning Network

What you’ll learn

The DTCSM course covers customer lifecycle management, adoption planning, value realization frameworks, renewal strategies, and interpreting customer usage data. It also emphasizes stakeholder management and aligning customer outcomes with business objectives in large, multi-product accounts.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online instructor-led or self-paced training, with certification exam
• Prerequisites: Experience in customer-facing, account management, or technical roles recommended
• Cost: Paid certification; course and exam typically range from $750 to $1,000 depending on region and delivery format

Who this certification is for

This certification is best suited for CSMs, technical account managers, and solution consultants working with enterprise or technology-heavy customers, especially within Cisco ecosystems.

Is it worth it?

If you work in enterprise SaaS or technology services and support Cisco customers, this certification is worth completing for its strong focus on value realization and renewals. Outside of Cisco-centric roles, its applicability is limited.

10. Customer Success Foundations (Aspireship)

Best for newcomers transitioning into customer success

Overview

Aspireship’s Customer Success Foundations is a beginner-focused program designed for people looking to break into customer success or transition from adjacent roles like support, sales, or operations. It focuses on building practical CS fundamentals rather than theory, with an emphasis on how customer success teams operate in SaaS environments.

Issued by

Aspireship

What you’ll learn

The course covers core customer success concepts such as onboarding best practices, customer lifecycle management, proactive engagement, retention strategies, and handling common customer scenarios. It also includes applied exercises that simulate real CS workflows, helping learners understand how CSMs work day to day.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced program with assessments
• Prerequisites: None
• Cost: Approximately $180 for lifetime access

Who this certification is for

This program is best suited for career switchers, early-career professionals, or anyone new to customer success who wants structured, role-relevant training.

Is it worth it?

If you’re entering customer success and need a practical foundation, Aspireship’s program offers good value. For experienced CSMs, more advanced or platform-specific certifications will be a better fit.

11. Customer Success Foundations (LinkedIn Learning)

Best for beginners exploring customer success as a career

Overview

Customer Success Foundations is an introductory certification that explains what customer success is, why it matters, and how CSMs contribute to retention and growth. It is designed to give learners a clear mental model of the role rather than deep operational or platform-specific skills.

Issued by

LinkedIn Learning

What you’ll learn

This certification covers the basics of customer success, including the CSM role, customer lifecycle stages, onboarding fundamentals, and common success metrics. The content is high-level and focused on concepts rather than execution.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced video course
• Prerequisites: None
• Cost: Included with LinkedIn Learning subscription

Who this certification is for

This certification is best suited for students, career switchers, and professionals evaluating whether customer success is the right path for them. It is less relevant for active CSMs looking to improve execution or advance their careers.

Is it worth it?

If you are new to customer success and want a low-commitment introduction, this certification is worth completing. For hands-on skills or industry recognition, more specialized certifications will offer greater long-term value.

12. Product-Led Growth Certification

Best for customer success roles in product-led organizations

Overview

The Product-Led Growth Certification focuses on how companies drive acquisition, activation, and retention through the product itself. For customer success professionals, it helps bridge the gap between product usage data and customer outcomes, especially in self-serve and PLG SaaS models.

Issued by

Product-Led Alliance

What you’ll learn

This certification covers product-led growth principles such as activation metrics, user behavior analysis, onboarding flows, and expansion through product usage. It emphasizes how customer success teams collaborate with product and growth teams to reduce churn and increase lifetime value.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced learning with practical modules
• Prerequisites: Basic understanding of SaaS or customer success recommended
• Cost: Paid certification, pricing varies by plan

Who this certification is for

This certification is best suited for CSMs, onboarding specialists, and CS leaders working in product-led or hybrid SaaS organizations. It is less relevant for teams operating in high-touch, sales-led customer success models.

Is it worth it?

If your company follows a product-led or hybrid growth motion, this certification is worth considering to better align customer success with product adoption and expansion. For purely sales-led environments, the value may be more limited.

Read more on: Product-led vs. Sales-led growth

13. Mastering Customer Onboarding (Donna Weber)

Best for customer success teams focused on improving onboarding outcomes

Overview

Mastering Customer Onboarding is a practical, self-paced program built around Donna Weber’s Orchestrated Onboarding framework. It’s designed to help customer success teams reduce time to value, improve early adoption, and create consistent onboarding experiences that scale across customer segments.

Issued by

Donna Weber, customer onboarding strategist and author of Onboarding Matters

What you’ll learn

The course walks through a structured, end-to-end onboarding approach, covering onboarding design, value realization, success metrics, and how to operationalize onboarding across teams. It focuses heavily on repeatability and execution rather than theory, making it highly applicable to real CS workflows.

Format, prerequisites, and cost

• Format: Online, self-paced course with videos, templates, and exercises
• Prerequisites: None
• Cost: Starts at approximately $797 USD, with higher tiers offering coaching and additional support

Who this certification is for

This program is best suited for customer success managers, onboarding specialists, and implementation leads responsible for driving early customer outcomes.

Is it worth it?

If onboarding is a core lever for retention and expansion in your organization, this course offers a clear, execution-focused framework you can apply immediately.

Certification vs experience: what actually improves customer experience

Certifications help you understand how customer success should work. Experience determines whether customers actually feel it.

Most certifications cover solid frameworks for onboarding, adoption, and retention. The gap appears in execution. Industry research consistently shows that nearly 70% of customer churn is driven by poor onboarding and low early adoption, not product quality. Knowing the framework isn’t the problem. Applying it early and consistently is.

Where experience makes the biggest difference

• Guiding customers clearly through the product
• Reducing friction during onboarding and feature adoption
• Delivering a consistent experience across accounts

That consistency is harder than it sounds. Studies across SaaS CS teams suggest that only about 1 in 3 teams deliver a consistent onboarding experience across their customer base. As products evolve and expectations rise, even well-trained teams struggle to scale clarity.

This is where tooling becomes part of the equation. To close the gap between customer onboarding best practices and reality, CS teams invest in CX infrastructure. For example, teams use tools like Supademo to turn complex workflows into interactive, self-serve walkthroughs.

Here's an interactive demo of Supademo:

These are commonly used for onboarding flows, feature launches, and new use cases, helping customers reach value faster without relying entirely on live touchpoints.