How can CSMs improve customer utilization without tons of hand holding?

Interactive walkthroughs: Use tooltips, embedded videos, or guided tours that teach by doing.
Progressive disclosure: Don’t overwhelm users—reveal features as they become relevant.
Self-serve knowledge base: Make FAQs, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides easily searchable.

My favorite CSMs from companies held bi-weekly meetings with us, where they sent an agenda, and then talked through ideas and observations.  They sent out meeting notes, not all the action items were theirs.

We're investing heavily in self-service experience so that our CSMs can focus on understanding what will drive customer value.  Once the CSM has a good idea of what the customer is trying to do, the self-service assets (including Video, Use Case Guides, KBs, Getting Started Guides) can help the customer.   Then the CSM can step back and provide assistance as needed, rather than needing to be there every step of the way.  

CSMs can boost customer utilization by offering clear resources like guides and short training sessions, helping them explore the platform on their own. Instead of constant support, regular check-ins to review progress and share updates can keep them engaged and confident. It’s all about empowering customers to use the product independently.

Customers are more likely to engage if they see a direct benefit, such as benchmarking their usage against competitors. Highlighting how other companies in their region or size are using additional features can motivate them to explore more of the product's capabilities. This approach shifts the focus from routine check-ins to meaningful discussions about improving their business outcomes. It's about selling the value of the meeting, not just the meeting itself. CSMs need to understand and communicate the value of these interactions to encourage customer participation.