Field note · 2026-08-03
What to send us before an account health briefing
A messy folder beats a rebuilt warehouse. Here is the short list that actually gets used in week one.
People delay briefings because they want the files to look tidy. Please do not wait. We would rather have last Thursday’s seat export, a renewal spreadsheet with gaps, and CSM notes in whatever system you use, than a six-week project to “get the data right.”
Send a named list of accounts in scope, even if the columns are inconsistent. Send dates you already trust: contract start, next renewal, last QBR, last time someone from your side visited or called. Send whatever you currently treat as a key action, with a one-line definition. If that definition is argued, send both definitions.
We also ask for two or three people who will sit for a conversation in week two. Not a panel. The person who does the work. If they need a manager in the room to speak freely, say so; we will adjust who sees the draft boards.
Do not send credentials to production systems. Do not send customer personal data we have not asked for. Anonymised workspace IDs are enough for cohort boards. Named accounts are needed for the watch-list; keep that file on your side until the briefing if you prefer, and we will work from a numbered list.
If you have nothing but screenshots, we can still run a mapping day. A three-week briefing needs at least one export that can be counted twice. That is the only gate.