Build a Customer Success Case Study

Build a health score model and visual case study for a CS portfolio.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Every customer success hiring manager asks the same question: can you actually work with account data and tell a compelling story about customer outcomes? Talking about it in interviews is one thing. Showing a real portfolio piece is another.

In this project, you will build a customer health score model in Google Sheets and design a visual case study in Canva that tells the story of a customer's success journey using real metrics.

What You'll Build

A complete customer success portfolio piece with a weighted health score spreadsheet and a polished visual case study following the industry-standard Challenge-Solution-Result framework.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

  • A customer health score model in Google Sheets with weighted metrics, automatic scoring formulas, and color-coded risk segmentation.
  • A visual case study in Canva that tells one customer's success story with before/after metrics and data visualizations.
  • A clear understanding of how to tell data-backed customer success stories that prove your analytical and communication skills to hiring managers.
  • Secret Mission: Add a 90-day action plan that outlines specific interventions for at-risk accounts in your portfolio.

Are there any prerequisites?

You should be comfortable with basic spreadsheet tasks like entering formulas and sorting data. Familiarity with customer success metrics like NPS, churn rate, and feature adoption is helpful but not required.

Before We Start

Before We Start...

Set Up Your Workspace

Before you can score customer health or tell a compelling story, you need raw data to work with. In a real CS role, this data would come from your CRM or product analytics tool.

In this step, you'll create a Google Sheets spreadsheet and populate it with 15 sample B2B SaaS customer accounts. This dataset will be the foundation for everything you build in this project.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Create a new spreadsheet named "Customer Health Score Model".
  • Set up columns for tracking customer health metrics.
  • Enter 15 sample accounts representing a realistic mix of healthy, at-risk, and churned customers.
Create your spreadsheet

Every health score model starts with a clean, well-structured spreadsheet. You need a dedicated place to store and analyze your customer data.

  • Open your browser and go to sheets.google.com.
  • Sign in with your Google account if prompted.
  • Click the Blank spreadsheet option (the large + icon) to create a new spreadsheet.
  • Click the default title in the top left corner (it says "Untitled spreadsheet").
  • Type Customer Health Score Model and press Enter.
  • At the bottom of the spreadsheet, double-click the tab labeled Sheet1.
  • Rename it to Raw Data and press Enter.

You should now see your spreadsheet titled "Customer Health Score Model" with a single tab called "Raw Data" at the bottom.

Don't see the rename option?

If double-clicking the tab doesn't work, right-click the tab name instead and select Rename from the dropdown menu.

help me rename a tab in Google Sheets

Set up your column headers

Your column headers define what data you track for each customer. These eight metrics capture the key signals that predict customer health in a B2B SaaS business.

  • Click cell A1 in your Raw Data tab.
  • Enter the following headers across row 1, one per cell from A1 to H1:
A1: Company Name
B1: Industry
C1: Contract Value
D1: Login Frequency (days/month)
E1: Features Used (out of 7)
F1: NPS Score
G1: Support Tickets (last 30 days)
H1: Months as Customer

What do these columns measure?

  • Login Frequency tracks how often the customer uses your product (out of ~20 working days per month).
  • Features Used measures breadth of adoption across 7 core features.
  • NPS Score captures customer sentiment on a 0-10 scale.
  • Support Tickets indicates friction. More tickets often signal frustration or confusion.
  • After entering all 8 headers, select the entire row 1 by clicking the row number 1 on the left.
  • Click Format in the top menu, then click Bold to make your headers stand out.

Your header row should now show 8 bold column labels stretching from A1 to H1.

Enter your sample customer data

Now you need realistic data to analyze. These 15 accounts represent a typical CS portfolio with a mix of thriving customers, ones showing warning signs, and accounts in serious trouble.

  • Click cell A2 to start entering data in the first row below your headers.
  • Enter the following 15 accounts, one per row. Use the reference below to fill in each cell:
Row 2:  Meridian Tech        | Technology     | 85000  | 18 | 6 | 9  | 1  | 24
Row 3:  Cascade Health       | Healthcare     | 120000 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 0  | 36
Row 4:  Summit Retail        | Retail         | 45000  | 15 | 5 | 8  | 2  | 18
Row 5:  Apex Financial       | Finance        | 150000 | 19 | 6 | 9  | 1  | 30
Row 6:  Brightpath Education | Education      | 35000  | 14 | 5 | 8  | 2  | 14
Row 7:  Vantage Media        | Technology     | 65000  | 10 | 4 | 7  | 3  | 15
Row 8:  Horizon Logistics    | Logistics      | 90000  | 12 | 5 | 6  | 4  | 20
Row 9:  Clearview Analytics  | Finance        | 55000  | 8  | 4 | 7  | 3  | 9
Row 10: Nimbus Cloud         | Technology     | 70000  | 11 | 3 | 7  | 4  | 14
Row 11: Redwood Manufacturing| Manufacturing  | 40000  | 5  | 2 | 5  | 6  | 8
Row 12: Coastal Commerce     | Retail         | 30000  | 4  | 2 | 4  | 7  | 6
Row 13: Atlas Group          | Finance        | 110000 | 6  | 3 | 5  | 5  | 11
Row 14: Pioneer Labs         | Technology     | 50000  | 3  | 2 | 4  | 8  | 5
Row 15: Falcon Industries    | Manufacturing  | 25000  | 1  | 1 | 2  | 9  | 4
Row 16: Drift Digital        | Marketing      | 20000  | 2  | 1 | 3  | 10 | 3

What patterns are in this data?

This dataset is designed with intentional patterns that you will uncover in the next step.

  • The first 5 accounts (Meridian through Brightpath) are high-usage, high-satisfaction customers.
  • The middle 4 accounts (Vantage through Nimbus) show mixed signals. Some metrics are decent, others are slipping.
  • The last 6 accounts (Redwood through Drift) show clear warning signs: low logins, few features adopted, high support tickets.

Speed up your data entry

Press Tab to move to the next cell in a row. Press Enter at the end of a row to jump to the start of the next row.

  • After entering all 15 rows, verify that your last entry (Drift Digital) is in row 16.
  • Check that column C (Contract Value) contains only numbers with no dollar signs or commas. You will need clean numbers for formulas later.

Data doesn't look right?

If Google Sheets auto-formatted your Contract Value numbers with commas or currency symbols, select the column, click Format in the menu, then Number, then Plain text. Re-enter the values as plain numbers.

If you accidentally entered data in the wrong cell, click the cell and press Delete to clear it. Then re-enter the correct value.

help me fix formatting issues in my Google Sheets data

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Great. Double check that you have 15 data rows (rows 2-16), 8 columns (A-H), and bold headers in row 1. Google Sheets auto-saves, so your work is already safe.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full data

Here is the complete dataset for reference. Compare it against your spreadsheet cell by cell:

| Company Name          | Industry       | Contract Value | Login Freq | Features | NPS | Tickets | Months |
|-----------------------|----------------|----------------|------------|----------|-----|---------|--------|
| Meridian Tech         | Technology     | 85000          | 18         | 6        | 9   | 1       | 24     |
| Cascade Health        | Healthcare     | 120000         | 16         | 7        | 10  | 0       | 36     |
| Summit Retail         | Retail         | 45000          | 15         | 5        | 8   | 2       | 18     |
| Apex Financial        | Finance        | 150000         | 19         | 6        | 9   | 1       | 30     |
| Brightpath Education  | Education      | 35000          | 14         | 5        | 8   | 2       | 14     |
| Vantage Media         | Technology     | 65000          | 10         | 4        | 7   | 3       | 15     |
| Horizon Logistics     | Logistics      | 90000          | 12         | 5        | 6   | 4       | 20     |
| Clearview Analytics   | Finance        | 55000          | 8          | 4        | 7   | 3       | 9      |
| Nimbus Cloud          | Technology     | 70000          | 11         | 3        | 7   | 4       | 14     |
| Redwood Manufacturing | Manufacturing  | 40000          | 5          | 2        | 5   | 6       | 8      |
| Coastal Commerce      | Retail         | 30000          | 4          | 2        | 4   | 7       | 6      |
| Atlas Group           | Finance        | 110000         | 6          | 3        | 5   | 5       | 11     |
| Pioneer Labs          | Technology     | 50000          | 3          | 2        | 4   | 8       | 5      |
| Falcon Industries     | Manufacturing  | 25000          | 1          | 1        | 2   | 9       | 4      |
| Drift Digital         | Marketing      | 20000          | 2          | 1        | 3   | 10      | 3      |

Your raw data is ready. Next up, you'll build a weighted health score formula that turns these numbers into a single score for each account, making it instantly clear which customers need attention.

Build Your Health Score Model

Your raw data is in place. Now it's time to turn those numbers into something meaningful.

A customer health score combines multiple signals into a single number that tells you how likely a customer is to renew or churn. In this step, you'll build a scoring model that normalizes each metric to a 0-100 scale, weights them by importance, and segments accounts into risk bands.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Normalize raw metrics into comparable 0-100 scores.
  • Apply a weighted formula that combines four health signals.
  • Color-code accounts by risk level using conditional formatting.
Create the Health Score tab and normalize your metrics

Each metric in your raw data uses a different scale. Login frequency is measured in days per month, features used is out of 7, and NPS is out of 10. You can't compare them directly until they're all on the same 0-100 scale.

  • Click the + icon next to your Raw Data tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet to create a new tab.
  • Double-click the new tab name and rename it to Health Score.
  • In cell A1 through G1, type the following column headers:
Company Name | Usage Score | Feature Adoption Score | NPS Score | Support Score | Health Score | Risk Segment

What do these columns represent?

Each column will hold a normalized (0-100) version of one raw metric. Normalizing makes every signal comparable so you can combine them fairly into one composite score.

Now you'll add formulas that pull data from the Raw Data tab and convert each metric to the 0-100 scale.

  • In cell A2, enter this formula to reference the company name from your Raw Data tab:
='Raw Data'!A2
  • In cell B2, enter the Usage Score formula that normalizes login frequency (column D in Raw Data) to a 0-100 scale:
='Raw Data'!D2/20*100
  • In cell C2, enter the Feature Adoption Score formula that normalizes features used (column E in Raw Data) to a 0-100 scale:
='Raw Data'!E2/7*100
  • In cell D2, enter the NPS Score formula that normalizes the NPS value (column F in Raw Data) to a 0-100 scale:
='Raw Data'!F2/10*100
  • In cell E2, enter the Support Score formula. This one is inverted because more support tickets means worse health:
=(10-'Raw Data'!G2)/10*100

Why is the support score inverted?

For login frequency, features, and NPS, higher numbers are better. But for support tickets, higher means the customer is struggling more. The (10 - value) formula flips the scale so that fewer tickets produces a higher health score.

  • Select cells A2 through E2.
  • Drag the blue fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right corner of the selection) down to row 16 to copy all formulas for your 15 accounts.

You should see normalized scores populated for all 15 companies. Each value is between 0 and 100.

Seeing a #REF! error?

Make sure your Raw Data tab is named exactly Raw Data (with a space). If you named it differently, update the formula references to match.

Also check that your raw data starts in row 2 (row 1 being headers) and that columns D through G contain the numeric metrics.

Help me fix a #REF! error in my Health Score formulas.

Calculate the weighted health score

Not all signals matter equally. Product usage is the strongest predictor of retention, so it gets the highest weight. Your formula will combine the four sub-scores using industry-standard weightings.

  • In cell F2, enter the weighted health score formula:
=(B2*0.35)+(C2*0.25)+(D2*0.20)+(E2*0.20)

What do these weights mean?

Usage Score gets 35% because login frequency is the strongest signal of engagement. Feature Adoption gets 25% because breadth of product use indicates stickiness. NPS and Support each get 20% as sentiment and effort indicators.

These weights align with industry recommendations from Gainsight, Velaris, and other CS platforms that place product usage at 35-40% of overall health.

  • Drag the fill handle on cell F2 down to row 16 to calculate health scores for all accounts.

You should now see a single composite score for each company. Scores closer to 100 indicate healthy accounts. Scores below 40 indicate critical risk.

Add risk segments with conditional formatting

A raw number is useful, but a labeled risk segment makes patterns jump off the screen. You'll add an automatic label and color-code the results so anyone can spot at-risk accounts instantly.

  • In cell G2, enter this nested IF formula that assigns a risk segment based on the health score:
=IF(F2>=80,"Healthy",IF(F2>=60,"Monitor",IF(F2>=40,"At-Risk","Critical")))

What do the risk bands mean?

  • Healthy (80-100): Strong engagement across all signals. Low churn risk.
  • Monitor (60-79): Generally fine but showing early warning signs in one area.
  • At-Risk (40-59): Multiple weak signals. Needs proactive outreach.
  • Critical (0-39): High churn probability. Immediate intervention needed.
  • Drag the fill handle on cell G2 down to row 16.

Every account now has a risk label. Next, you'll add color to make these segments visually scannable.

  • Select the entire Health Score column (cells F2:F16).
  • Click Format in the top menu bar.
  • Click Conditional formatting.

A panel opens on the right side. You'll create four rules, one for each risk band.

  • In the conditional format rules panel, set Format cells if to Greater than or equal to.
  • Enter 80 as the value.
  • Set the Formatting style fill color to green.
  • Click Done.
  • Click Add another rule to create the second formatting rule.
  • Set Format cells if to Is between.
  • Enter 60 and 79 as the values.
  • Set the fill color to yellow.
  • Click Done.
  • Click Add another rule again.
  • Set Format cells if to Is between.
  • Enter 40 and 59 as the values.
  • Set the fill color to orange.
  • Click Done.
  • Click Add another rule one more time.
  • Set Format cells if to Less than.
  • Enter 40 as the value.
  • Set the fill color to red.
  • Click Done.
  • Repeat the same four conditional formatting rules for the Risk Segment column (cells G2:G16). Select the range, open Format > Conditional formatting, and use Text contains instead. Set: Healthy = green, Monitor = yellow, At-Risk = orange, Critical = red.

Your Health Score tab should now light up with color. Green rows are your success stories. Red rows need immediate attention.

Colors not showing up?

Check that your conditional formatting rules apply to the correct range (F2:F16 for Health Score, G2:G16 for Risk Segment). Also make sure you click Done after each rule to save it.

Help me troubleshoot conditional formatting in Google Sheets.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Great. Double check that all 15 rows have color-coded health scores and matching risk labels.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full setup

Here is a summary of every formula in your Health Score tab. Compare your sheet against this reference:

  • A2: ='Raw Data'!A2
  • B2: ='Raw Data'!D2/20*100
  • C2: ='Raw Data'!E2/7*100
  • D2: ='Raw Data'!F2/10*100
  • E2: =(10-'Raw Data'!G2)/10*100
  • F2: =(B2*0.35)+(C2*0.25)+(D2*0.20)+(E2*0.20)
  • G2: =IF(F2>=80,"Healthy",IF(F2>=60,"Monitor",IF(F2>=40,"At-Risk","Critical")))

All formulas in rows 3-16 follow the same pattern. Conditional formatting: Green (>=80), Yellow (60-79), Orange (40-59), Red (<40) applied to columns F and G.

You now have a working health score model that turns raw account data into actionable risk segments. Next up, you'll dig into this data to find a compelling customer story worth telling.

Identify Your Hero Customer Story

Your health score model can now segment every account by risk level. Numbers alone don't land in interviews, though.

Hiring managers want to see that you can pick one customer's data and turn it into a compelling story. In this step, you'll find a "hero customer" in your dataset and draft a narrative arc that shows how they went from struggling to thriving.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Sort and analyze your accounts to identify a hero customer with a clear improvement arc.
  • Document before-and-after metrics that quantify the hero customer's journey.
  • Draft a narrative using the Challenge-Solution-Result framework.
Sort and analyze your accounts to find a hero customer

A hero customer is an account whose data tells a story of clear improvement. You're looking for someone who moved from At-Risk (or worse) to Healthy over their tenure as a customer.

  • Open your Health Score tab in the Customer Health Score Model spreadsheet.
  • Click the Health Score column header to select the entire column.
  • Click Data in the top menu bar.
  • Select Sort sheet, then Sort sheet by column (A to Z) to sort from lowest health score to highest.

Your accounts are now sorted from Critical at the top to Healthy at the bottom.

  • Scan through the sorted list and look for an account that has a high Months as Customer value AND a Healthy or high-Monitor health score.
  • This combination suggests a customer who has been around long enough to have experienced struggles early on, then improved over time.
  • Pick one account as your hero customer. Write down their company name.

What makes a good hero customer?

The best hero customer is one where you can imagine a plausible "before" state. Look for a long-tenured account (12+ months) with strong current metrics. Their longevity implies they went through an early period where things could have gone wrong.

If your sample data includes an account with high feature adoption and strong NPS but many months as a customer, that's your candidate. Early in their journey, they likely had lower usage and fewer features adopted.

No perfect match in your data?

Your sample data is a snapshot at one point in time, so you won't see a literal before-and-after in the spreadsheet. That's fine. Choose a Healthy account with a long tenure and imagine what their metrics looked like 6 months into their contract. You'll construct the "before" state based on what realistic early-stage metrics would have been.

Document before-and-after metrics for your hero customer

A compelling case study needs specific numbers. You'll now document what your hero customer's metrics looked like when they were struggling compared to where they are today.

  • Open a new document, note, or blank area in your spreadsheet to capture your hero customer notes.
  • Write down your hero customer's current ("after") metrics from the Health Score tab: their Health Score, Usage Score, Feature Adoption Score, NPS Score, and Support Score.
  • Now construct their "before" state. Based on your hero customer's current data and tenure, estimate what their metrics looked like when they were At-Risk.

How do I estimate "before" metrics?

Look at the At-Risk or Critical accounts in your spreadsheet for realistic "before" numbers. If your hero customer currently uses 6 out of 7 features, a realistic before state might be 2 out of 7. If their current NPS is 9, their before might have been 4 or 5.

Use your At-Risk accounts as reference points for what struggling looks like in this dataset. The before-state should feel realistic, not exaggerated.

  • Write down your estimated "before" metrics: Health Score, Usage Score, Feature Adoption Score, NPS Score, and Support Score.
  • Calculate the difference between before and after for each metric. These deltas become the proof points in your case study.

Your notes should now have two clear columns of numbers: the before state (At-Risk period) and the after state (current Healthy period).

Why specific numbers matter

Case studies with specific metrics are far more persuasive than qualitative praise alone. "Feature adoption increased from 29% to 86%" is more compelling than "the customer started using more features." Every metric you document now becomes a data callout in your visual case study.

Draft your narrative using the Challenge-Solution-Result framework

The Challenge-Solution-Result framework is the industry standard for B2B SaaS case studies. It gives your story a clear arc that hiring managers and stakeholders instantly recognize.

  • In your notes, create three sections: Challenge, Solution, and Result.

For each section, write 2-3 sentences that answer a specific question:

  • Challenge: What was the customer's primary risk signal? Was it low usage, poor NPS, high support tickets, or a combination? Write this from the customer's perspective. For example: "Six months into their contract, [Company] was logging in only 4 days per month and had adopted just 2 of 7 core features."
  • Solution: What actions drove the change? Think about realistic CS interventions. Did the team schedule product training sessions? Assign a dedicated CSM? Launch a feature adoption campaign? Roll out a QBR program? Write specific actions, not vague descriptions.
  • Result: What measurable outcomes did the customer achieve? Use the before-and-after metrics you documented. Include the health score improvement and at least 2 individual metric changes. For example: "Health score improved from 38 to 84. Feature adoption rose from 29% to 86%."

What makes a strong Solution section?

Focus on actions, not features. "Scheduled bi-weekly product training sessions focused on the 3 unused features" is stronger than "showed them the product." The Solution section proves you think like a CS professional who takes initiative and designs interventions.

  • Review your draft and make sure each section includes at least one specific number from your before-and-after metrics.
  • Write a one-sentence headline that summarizes the entire story. For example: "How [Company] went from At-Risk to a 84 Health Score in 6 months."

Stuck on what to write?

If you're finding it hard to draft the narrative, start with the Result section first. Write down the numbers, then work backwards. What would have caused those numbers to improve? That's your Solution. What did the numbers look like before? That's your Challenge.

Help me draft a Challenge-Solution-Result narrative for my hero customer

You now have the raw material for a professional case study: a hero customer, quantified before-and-after metrics, and a structured narrative. Next, you'll bring this story to life as a polished visual case study in Canva.

Design Your Case Study in Canva

You have a hero customer story with real numbers and a clear narrative arc. Now it's time to turn that data into a visual case study that a hiring manager can scan in under a minute.

Canva's free tier gives you access to thousands of case study templates with built-in chart tools. You'll use these to create a polished presentation that follows the Challenge-Solution-Result framework you drafted in the last step.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Select a professional case study template in Canva.
  • Build slides covering your hero customer's Challenge, Solution, and Results.
  • Add a data visualization chart and export your case study as a PDF.
Select a case study template

Canva has roughly 20,000 case study templates available on the free tier. You'll pick one with a clean, professional layout that lets your data do the talking.

  • Open your browser and navigate to canva.com.
  • Sign in to your free Canva account.
  • Click the search bar at the top of the homepage.
  • Type case study and press Enter.

You should see a grid of template options. Many will have placeholder text and images already arranged in a professional layout.

  • Filter results by clicking Presentations in the category filters near the top.
  • Browse the templates and select one with a clean, minimal design. Look for templates that have clear sections and space for data.
  • Click Customize this template to open it in the editor.

Choosing the right template

Look for templates with sections already labeled "Challenge", "Solution", and "Results" or similar headings. These save you time because the structure already matches your framework.

Avoid templates with heavy graphics or stock photos that distract from data. Your numbers are the star here.

Build your case study slides

Your case study needs four slides that walk the reader through your hero customer's journey. Each slide has a specific job in the narrative.

Title slide

The title slide is the first thing a hiring manager sees. It should communicate the headline result immediately.

  • Click on the title text placeholder on your first slide.
  • Replace it with your hero customer's company name.
  • Add a subtitle with the headline result. Use a specific number, such as "Health Score improved from 35 to 87 in 6 months."

Why lead with a number?

Case studies with specific metrics are far more compelling than vague qualitative praise. Leading with a concrete result hooks the reader immediately and sets the expectation for a data-driven story.

Challenge slide

This slide sets the scene by showing where your hero customer was struggling. Pull directly from the before-state metrics you documented in the previous step.

  • Navigate to the second slide in your template (or add a new slide by clicking the + button at the bottom of the slide panel).
  • Add a heading that says "The Challenge" or similar.
  • Include your hero customer's before-state health score and risk level (e.g., "Health Score: 35/100. Risk Segment: Critical").
  • Add the individual sub-score metrics that were driving the risk. List specific numbers for login frequency, feature adoption, NPS, and support tickets.
  • Write 1-2 sentences describing the customer's pain in plain language. Focus on what the business impact was, not just the metric values.
Solution slide

The solution slide explains what actions drove the transformation. Focus on interventions and features adopted, not generic product descriptions.

  • Navigate to your third slide.
  • Add a heading that says "The Solution" or similar.
  • List the specific CS interventions from your narrative draft. For example: onboarding refresh, executive business review, product training sessions, or feature enablement.
  • Mention which product features the customer adopted as a result of those interventions.
  • Keep the focus on actions taken, not feature descriptions. Hiring managers want to see what you did, not a product datasheet.
Results slide

This is the payoff. Show the measurable improvement with a clear before-and-after comparison.

  • Navigate to your fourth slide.
  • Add a heading that says "The Results" or similar.
  • Create a before/after comparison. Place the before-state metrics on the left and after-state metrics on the right, or use a two-column layout.
  • Include the final health score, the new risk segment (e.g., "Healthy"), and the specific sub-scores that improved most.
  • Add a short summary sentence quantifying the overall improvement (e.g., "52-point health score increase over 6 months").

What makes a strong Results slide?

The best Results slides use specific numbers, not percentages alone. "Health Score rose from 35 to 87" is more concrete than "149% improvement." Use both if you have space, but lead with the absolute numbers.

Add a data visualization and export as PDF

A chart showing the health score improvement over time makes your results tangible at a glance. Canva's free tier includes chart tools you can access through the Elements tab.

  • Add a fifth slide to your presentation for the data visualization.
  • Click Elements in the left sidebar.
  • Scroll down to the Charts section, or type chart in the Elements search bar.
  • Select a bar chart or line chart. Either works well for showing improvement over time.

Once the chart appears on your slide, you can edit its data directly.

  • Click on the chart to select it.
  • Click Edit in the toolbar that appears above the chart (or double-click the chart).
  • Replace the placeholder data with your hero customer's health score at key time points. For example, use monthly intervals showing the score progressing from the at-risk value to the healthy value.
  • Update the chart labels to reflect months or time periods (e.g., "Month 1", "Month 3", "Month 6").
  • Adjust colors to match your template's design if needed.

Keep the chart simple

You only need 3-5 data points to show a clear upward trend. Don't overcomplicate it with too many time intervals. The goal is to show directional improvement at a glance.

Your case study is complete. Now export it as a PDF so you have a portable file to share in interviews or attach to applications.

  • Click Share in the top right corner of the Canva editor.
  • Click Download.
  • Select PDF Standard as the file type.
  • Click Download to save the file to your computer.

Your PDF should download with all five slides. Open it to confirm your title, challenge, solution, results, and chart all appear correctly.

Chart not showing in the PDF?

Make sure you clicked off the chart editing mode before exporting. If the chart editor is still open, close it first by clicking anywhere outside the chart, then try exporting again.

Help me troubleshoot my Canva PDF export

Secret mission

Build a 90-Day Action Plan

Your case study shows what success looks like. Now show you can create it proactively. Add a 90-day action plan slide to your case study that outlines specific interventions for at-risk accounts in your portfolio.

Clean Up Your Resources

Clean Up Your Resources

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely. This project uses Google Sheets and Canva's Free tier, so there are no ongoing costs.

Resources you used:

  • Google Sheets spreadsheet ("Customer Health Score Model").
  • Canva case study design (presentation and exported PDF).

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you plan to refine your health score model or update your case study for upcoming interviews.

  • Your Google Sheets spreadsheet stays in your Google Drive at no cost.
  • Your Canva design stays in your Canva account using a small portion of your 5GB free storage.
  • Your exported PDF stays wherever you saved it on your computer.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Since both tools are free, there is nothing to pause. Your files stay saved in Google Drive and Canva with no cost to you.

  • Bookmark your Google Sheets spreadsheet URL so you can find it quickly later.
  • Star your Canva design by clicking the star icon on the project thumbnail. This moves it to your Starred folder for easy access.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project files from your cloud accounts and local machine.

  • Delete your Google Sheets spreadsheet: open Google Drive, right-click the file named "Customer Health Score Model", and select Move to trash.
  • Delete your Canva design: open Canva, find your case study project on the home page, click the three-dot menu on the thumbnail, and select Move to trash.
  • Delete any exported PDF files from your computer's Downloads folder or wherever you saved them.

Nice Work!

Nice Work!

You just built a complete customer success portfolio piece from scratch. You now have two tangible artifacts that prove you can do the core work of a Customer Success Manager: understand data, spot risk, and tell compelling stories about customer outcomes.

Here's what you accomplished:

  • Built a weighted customer health score model in Google Sheets that segments accounts by risk level using normalized metrics and conditional formatting.
  • Analyzed a customer portfolio to identify patterns and crafted a data-backed hero customer story with quantified before-and-after metrics.
  • Designed a polished visual case study in Canva using the industry-standard Challenge-Solution-Result framework with data visualizations and a compelling narrative.
  • Secret Mission: Created a proactive 90-day action plan that turns health score insights into specific interventions for at-risk accounts.

Ready to quiz yourself?