CS & SA Roles Overview
GitLab has several customer-facing roles that work together across the pre-sales and post-sales journey. This page provides a side-by-side comparison to clarify how each role differs in focus, engagement model, and technical depth.
For an overview of how these roles map to GitLab’s paid service tiers, see the Success Tiers page.
Role Comparison
| Role | Primary Focus | Typical Activities | Engagement Model | Hands-on vs. Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSM | Drive adoption, outcomes, and satisfaction; align, enable, and expand | Success Plans, onboarding, cadence calls, EBRs, risk management | Designated owner for Essentials tier accounts | Advisory — not hands-on keyboard |
| CSE | Technical product expertise at scale | Webinars, hands-on labs, pooled sessions, scaled enablement | Pooled / on-demand (Success On-Demand tier) | Technical advisory — not hands-on keyboard |
| CSA | Highest-rated technical experts; architecture guidance and Accelerator delivery | Strategic planning, maturity assessments, Accelerator design and delivery | Designated for Advanced and Signature tiers | Strategic and architectural advisory — PS handles implementation |
| PSE | Project-based implementation and migration | Installations, migrations, custom development, training under SOWs | Project-scoped, sold by PS Engagement Management | Explicitly hands-on — can be “hands on keyboard” |
| Renewals Manager (RM) | Own the renewal moment; customer retention | Renewal pipeline, contracts, playbooks, risk and expansion | Global Renewals Organization within CS | Commercial and deal-focused |
| Solutions Architect (SA) | Pre-sales technical win | Discovery, demos, POCs, pre-sales Success Plans | Aligned to AEs, engaged per opportunity | Advisory and demonstrative |
| ASE | Incident resolution for Signature tier customers | Support tickets, triage, coordination with product and engineering | Designated for Signature tier | Hands-on troubleshooting in support contexts |
Key Distinctions
1. The “Hands on Keyboard” Boundary
Customer Success roles (CSM, CSE, CSA) are advisory — they guide, enable, and recommend, but do not directly modify customer environments or write production code. If a customer needs GitLab to actively implement, configure, or develop a bespoke solution, that work is handled by Professional Services (PSE).
2. Engagement Model Spectrum
Engagement models range from pooled and on-demand to fully dedicated and project-scoped:
Pooled (CSE) → Named/Designated (CSM, CSA, ASE) → Project-scoped (PSE) → Opportunity-scoped (SA)
3. Pre-Sales to Post-Sales Handoff
The SA owns the technical relationship during the pre-sales phase, working alongside the Account Executive to win the deal. After the deal closes, the account transitions to a post-sales CS role:
- CSE for On-Demand customers
- CSM for Essentials tier customers
- CSA for Advanced and Signature tier customers
The SA may remain engaged for expansion opportunities or complex technical questions, but the CSM or CSA becomes the primary post-sales technical advisor.
Related Pages
- Success Tiers — how roles map to paid service tiers
- Customer Success Management — CSM handbook
- Customer Success Engineers — CSE handbook
- Customer Success Architects — CSA handbook
- Professional Services Engineering — PSE handbook
- Solutions Architects — SA handbook
704e93b7)
