What do Customer Success Engineers actually do at IBM?
Hi everyone,
I recently accepted an offer to join IBM as a Customer Success Engineer, and I’m really excited to get started.
I had a few questions about the role and what CSEs typically do day-to-day. I originally interviewed for the position when it was still called “Brand Technical Specialist,” and from what I’ve heard, IBM merged the BTS and Customer Success Manager roles into the CSE role starting in 2026. My understanding is that CSEs now help manage the technical side of the entire sales cycle from demos and proofs of concept to success planning, deployment, and adoption.
That said, I’ve noticed some recent job postings for varying teams seem like they are more tailored to either working much more post-sales responsibilities than pre-sales and vice versa.
For anyone currently in the role, I’d love to hear your perspective on:
- What your day-to-day work actually looks like
- How technical the role is in practice
- How much of the role is pre-sales vs. post-sales
- What new hires should expect coming into the position
Would really appreciate any insight y'all have, thanks!