The area of the Success Plan that the Renewal Manager is responsible for is Solution Renewal. The Success Plan is a document that captures the account team’s strategy and actions to achieve customer success. It defines the customer’s desired outcomes, identifies the potential barriers and risks, outlines the key milestones and deliverables, and assigns roles and responsibilities to the account team members. The Solution Renewal area of the Success Plan covers the activities related to renewing the customer’s contract, such as reviewing the current solution, assessing the customer’s satisfaction and value realization, proposing any improvements or enhancements, negotiating the terms and conditions, and executing the renewal agreement. The Renewal Manager is in charge of leading and managing the Solution Renewal area of the Success Plan, as well as collaborating with other account team members, such as Customer Success Managers, Account Executives, or Sales Engineers.

Smart License is the future state goal of licensing at Cisco, which aims to:

Simplify and streamline license management across Cisco products and solutions

Provide customers with a flexible and transparent way to consume Cisco software

Enable customers to view and manage their licenses through a single portal (Cisco Smart Software Manager)

Reduce operational costs and complexity for customers and partners

References: 3: Cisco Smart Licensing - Cisco

The primary customer value of the Cisco Services Portfolio is that it offers services packages tailored to specific customer needs. The Cisco Services Portfolio is a comprehensive set of services that help customers achieve their IT vision and strategy, optimize their IT operations, and accelerate their business outcomes. The Cisco Services Portfolio includes four types of services: Support, Advisory, Optimization, and Training. Each type of service provides different levels of value and benefits to customers, depending on their needs and goals. Customers can choose the services that best suit their situation, budget, and expectations, and customize them to their specific use cases and scenarios. The Cisco Services Portfolio enables customers to get the most out of their Cisco products and solutions, as well as address their challenges and opportunities in a flexible and effective way.

The primary measurement of success for a Renewals Manager is the renewal success rate, which is the percentage of customers who renew their contracts with Cisco at the end of their term. The renewal success rate reflects the Renewals Manager’s ability to retain customers and revenue, as well as to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. The renewal success rate is calculated by dividing the number of customers who renew by the number of customers who are eligible to renew in a given period. The renewal success rate is different from other metrics such as upsell percentage, percentage of contracts closed, or iARR rate, which are not directly related to the Renewals Manager’s role or performance.

Two factors that drive subscription value for customers are up to date security protection and continuous access to innovation. These factors reflect the benefits that customers can gain from subscribing to Cisco products and services, such as:

Up to date security protection: Customers can enjoy the peace of mind that their networks, devices, and data are always protected from the latest threats and vulnerabilities. Cisco provides regular security updates, patches, and enhancements to its products and services, as well as proactive threat intelligence and prevention. Customers can also leverage Cisco’s security portfolio, which covers the entire network from edge to cloud, and provides integrated solutions for identity, endpoint, cloud, email, web, and network security.

Continuous access to innovation: Customers can access the latest features and functionalities that Cisco delivers through its products and services, without having to purchase new hardware or software licenses. Cisco provides frequent software updates, upgrades, and releases that introduce new capabilities, improve performance, and optimize user experience. Customers can also take advantage of Cisco’s innovation ecosystem, which includes partners, developers, researchers, and customers who collaborate to create cutting-edge solutions for various industries and use cases.

The statement that is invalid regarding which tools can be added as value to customer and partners is B. help manage Discounts for Quoting. This is because discounts are not a tool, but a pricing strategy that can be used to attract or retain customers, increase sales volume, or clear inventory. Discounts are not something that can be added as value to customer and partners, but rather something that can reduce the value or profit margin of the seller. Tools that can be added as value to customer and partners are those that can help them solve their problems, improve their performance, or enhance their experience. For example, some of the tools that Cisco offers to its customers and partners are:

Adopt on Scores: This tool provides insight into how well customers are utilizing service and software they purchase from Cisco. It helps customers measure their adoption progress, identify gaps and opportunities, and optimize their outcomes.

Trusted Data Source: This tool provides hardware refresh and software renewal insights for customers and partners. It helps them plan ahead, stay current, and reduce risks.

Business Insights: This tool provides data-driven insights into new and unique business prospects for customers and partners. It helps them discover new markets, segments, or opportunities, and expand their sales potential.

 CCW-R stands for Cisco Commerce Software Subscriptions and Services, which is a tool that allows customers and partners to quote, order, and manage their service contracts and software subscriptions from one place. CCW-R enables users to create new or renew technical services and software subscription quotes, submit approved orders, and manage their contracts. CCW-R also provides features such as co-terming, contract alignment, service level changes, and deal discounts. CCW-R is designed to simplify the renewal process and enhance the customer experience

The architecture that addresses customer needs for voice, video, and data is C. Collaboration. Collaboration is one of the four main architectures that Cisco offers to its customers and partners, along with Security, Data Center, and Enterprise Networking. Collaboration is the architecture that enables people to communicate and work together effectively across different locations, devices, and applications. It includes solutions for voice over IP (VoIP), video conferencing, unified communications, contact center, webex meetings, and more. Collaboration helps customers and partners improve productivity, efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

 According to the Cisco website1, RMs work with account managers to drive ongoing revenue risk assessments and plays, which include:

Identifying and prioritizing renewal opportunities

Developing and executing renewal strategies

Negotiating and closing renewal deals

Collaborating with other Cisco teams and partners to ensure customer satisfaction and retention

References: 1: Cisco Renewals Manager - Cisco