Cisco Data Analyst Case Interview: Telemetry‑Driven Renewal Risk and Customer Experience

Context: You are a Data Analyst on Cisco’s Secure, Agile Networks business partnering with Customer Success for Meraki and Catalyst wireless. A VP asks why renewal rates for EMEA enterprise accounts dipped last quarter and what actions will lift next‑quarter renewals. The case reflects Cisco’s collaborative, customer‑first culture and expects clear problem‑framing, practical SQL/Python thinking, and stakeholder storytelling rather than trick puzzles. Prompt the candidate with a packet (you can summarize verbally) containing simplified tables: - accounts(account_id, global_ultimate_id, segment, region, vertical, go_to_market[direct|partner]) - subscriptions(sub_id, account_id, product_family[Meraki|Catalyst|Security], start_date, end_date, arr_usd, status) - telemetry_daily(account_id, device_family[AP|Switch|MX], active_devices, client_count, uptime_pct, firmware_compliant_pct) - tac_cases(case_id, account_id, severity, opened_at, closed_at, root_cause_category) - licensing_util(account_id, license_type, assigned_licenses, used_licenses) - nps_survey(account_id, response_date, nps_score) Assume 12 months of history. What the interview covers at Cisco: 1) Clarify and align: Define renewal rate, churn, ARR at risk, expansion, and Cisco‑specific concepts like install base and attach rate. Confirm scope (EMEA enterprise), time window (e.g., renewals in the next 90 days), and segmentation (verticals, partner‑led vs. direct). Show ‘One Cisco’ behavior: ask which partners, offers, or success motions are in play. 2) Hypothesis and plan: Propose leading indicators tied to Cisco products—e.g., declining uptime_pct, low firmware_compliant_pct, high Sev‑1 TAC volume, license under‑utilization, or falling client_count on APs. Prioritize hypotheses that are actionable by Customer Success, Sales Ops, and PM. 3) Analytical approach (talk through queries; pseudo‑SQL encouraged): - Build a renewal cohort: accounts with end_date in next 90 days and compute trailing 30/60/90‑day deltas in telemetry and TAC metrics. - Join TAC severity and MTTR to quantify operational friction; compute cases per 100 active devices. - Create utilization flags (e.g., used_licenses/assigned_licenses < 70%) and compliance flags (firmware_compliant_pct < 80%). - Model a simple churn‑risk score (e.g., logistic regression outline or rule‑based score) and rank ARR at risk. Discuss bias/variance and calibration without over‑fitting. 4) Data quality and Cisco realities: Address duplicate devices due to RMA, account hierarchy mismatches (sold‑to vs. global_ultimate_id), and timezone normalization across EMEA. Call out privacy and least‑privilege access consistent with Cisco’s security‑first mindset. 5) Insights and actions: Present a crisp narrative: - Finding: Partner‑led accounts in Manufacturing show 12% lower firmware compliance and 1.6x TAC Sev‑1 rate; renewal risk +8ppt. - Root cause hypotheses: deferred upgrades; misconfigured SSIDs; license under‑deployment. - Actions: a) Pre‑renewal firmware upgrade motion via Success Tracks, b) targeted admin enablement, c) partner enablement for upgrade play, d) early‑warning alerts for uptime dips. 6) Visualization and communication: Sketch a one‑page executive view (Tableau/Power BI) with: Renewal funnel, ARR‑at‑risk heatmap by region/vertical, top drivers waterfall, and an account drill‑down showing telemetry trendlines, TAC history, and license utilization. Tailor the message for VP, CS lead, and Partner Manager—demonstrating Cisco’s ‘Conscious Culture’ by being data‑driven, respectful, and action‑oriented. 7) Measurement: Define success metrics post‑intervention—lift in renewal rate, reduction in Sev‑1 per 100 devices, improvement in firmware compliance, and utilization uplift. 8) Evaluation rubric (what interviewers look for): - Problem framing and clarifying questions (customer impact first). - Analytical rigor and SQL/Python fluency at the whiteboard. - Understanding of networking/telemetry and support operations (TAC). - Data hygiene/security awareness. - Executive‑level storytelling with concrete, cross‑functional actions. Deliverables during the interview: a) clear problem statement and metric definitions, b) a concise analysis plan with 2–3 sample queries or calculations, c) a ranked driver/insight list and action plan, d) a simple dashboard sketch. Timeboxing is enforced to mimic Cisco’s structured yet conversational style.