When it comes to running a successful business, there are few things more important than keeping your customers happy. After all, without satisfied customers, you'll struggle to grow and thrive. But how do you measure customer success? What metrics should you be tracking to ensure that you're meeting your customer's needs and expectations?

In this blog, we'll explore some of the key metrics that you should be tracking to measure customer success. These metrics will help you understand how your customers feel about your product or service, how likely they are to continue doing business with you, and how much value they bring to your company over the long term. By understanding these key metrics, you'll be in a much better position to make informed decisions about how to improve the customer experience and drive long-term growth.

Customer Success Metrics

When answering the question "how do you measure customer success?", the first step is to establish the KPIs you will use. There are a number of different metrics that you can track to measure customer success. Some of the most important include:

Customer Health Score: Customer Health Score is a metric that measures how likely a customer is to continue doing business with a company in the future. It can be calculated using a variety of factors, such as customer satisfaction, usage of the company's product or service, and the overall value that the customer derives from the offering. By tracking Customer Health Score, companies can identify which customers are at risk of churning and take action to address their concerns and needs.

Net Promoter Score (NPS): NPS is a widely used metric that measures how likely a customer is to recommend your product or service to others. It's calculated by asking customers to rate their likelihood of recommending your offering on a scale from 0 to 10. Customers who score 9 or 10 are considered "promoters," while those who score 7 or 8 are "passives," and those who score 0-6 are "detractors." By tracking your NPS, you'll be able to identify areas for improvement and increase customer loyalty.

Qualitative Customer Feedback: While quantitative metrics like NPS are important, they don't always give you the full picture of how your customers feel about your product or service. That's why it's also important to gather qualitative feedback from your customers, such as open-ended comments and reviews. This can help you better understand the specific needs and concerns of your customers and identify opportunities to improve the customer experience.

Customer Churn Rate: Churn rate is a measure of how many customers are leaving your business over a given period of time. This is obviously important because as businesses leave, your revenue shrinks. When there is a mass exodus, there is usually something causing it, and a high churn rate means it’s time to investigate.

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR): MRR is a metric that measures the revenue generated from recurring payments on a monthly basis. It's often used by companies that offer subscription-based products or services, as it provides a reliable and predictable source of income. By tracking MRR, companies can identify trends and opportunities for growth, and make informed decisions about pricing and product development.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): CLV is a measure of the total value that a customer brings to your business over their lifetime. It's calculated by multiplying the average value of a customer's purchases by the number of purchases they make over their lifetime.

Customer Retention Cost (CRC): CRC is a measure of how much it costs a company to retain an existing customer. It takes into account a variety of costs, including marketing and customer service expenses, as well as the cost of lost opportunities if a customer churns. By tracking CRC, companies can better understand the true cost of customer retention and make informed decisions about how to allocate their resources.

Customer Satisfaction Score: A customer satisfaction score is a measure of how happy and satisfied a customer is with a company's products or services. It is typically calculated by surveying customers and asking them to rate their level of satisfaction on a scale, such as from 1 to 10. A high customer satisfaction score indicates that the company is meeting or exceeding customer expectations, while a low score may indicate that the company needs to improve its products or services.

How to track Customer Success metrics

Now that we have established which metrics matter, it's important to track a range of key metrics. These metrics can help you understand how your customers feel about your product or service, how likely they are to continue doing business with you, and how much value they bring to your company over the long term. Let's explore how to track these important customer success metrics.

Customer Health Score: To track your customer health score, you'll need to gather data on a range of factors that influence a customer's likelihood of continuing to do business with you. These factors may include customer satisfaction, usage of your product or service, and the overall value that the customer derives from your offering. You can gather this data through surveys, customer interviews, and other forms of feedback. Once you have the data, you can calculate your customer health score by assigning weights to each of the factors and aggregating the scores.

Net Promoter Score (NPS): To track your NPS, you'll need to ask your customers to rate their likelihood of recommending your product or service to others on a scale from 0 to 10. You can do this through surveys, email campaigns, or other forms of customer feedback. Once you have collected the data, the formula to apply is:

NPS = % Promoters - % Detractors

"Promoters" are customers who score 9 or 10 on a scale of 0 to 10 when asked about their likelihood of recommending the company's product or service to others. "Detractors" are customers who score 0 to 6 on this scale. To calculate NPS, you first need to determine the percentage of promoters and detractors among your customer base. Then, you subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters to arrive at your NPS score.

Qualitative Customer Feedback: To gather qualitative customer feedback, you can use a variety of methods, such as open-ended surveys, customer interviews, or online reviews. It's important to keep an open mind when collecting this type of feedback and be willing to listen to both positive and negative comments. By actively seeking out and responding to customer feedback, you can gain valuable insights into the customer experience and identify areas for improvement.

Customer Churn Rate: To track your churn rate, you'll need to gather data on how many customers are leaving your business over a given period of time. You can do this by tracking customer churn on a monthly basis and comparing it to your total number of customers at the beginning of that period. By tracking your churn rate, you'll be able to identify trends and take action to reduce customer churn.

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR): If you offer a subscription-based product or service, it's important to track your MRR to understand your recurring revenue streams. You can do this by tracking the revenue generated from recurring payments on a monthly basis and comparing it to previous periods. By tracking your MRR, you'll be able to identify trends and opportunities for growth and make informed decisions about pricing and product development.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): To calculate your CLV, you'll need to gather data on the average value of a customer's purchases and the number of purchases they make over their lifetime. You can do this by tracking customer purchases and analyzing the data to understand patterns and trends. By tracking your CLV, you'll be able to identify your most valuable customers and focus on retaining and growing those relationships.

Customer Retention Cost (CRC): To calculate your CRC, you'll need to gather data on the cost of retaining an existing customer. This may include marketing and customer service expenses, as well as the cost of lost opportunities if a customer churns. You can calculate your CRC by dividing these costs by the number of customers retained over a given period of time. By tracking your CRC, you'll be able to understand the true cost of customer retention and make informed decisions about how to allocate your resources.

Customer Satisfaction Score: Start by determining the target audience for the survey. Next, develop a list of questions to ask in the survey. These should be designed to measure the customer's satisfaction with various aspects of the company's products or services, such as the quality, value, and performance. Calculate the average score by adding up all the responses and dividing by the number of responses

Tracking metrics is an important aspect of running a successful business or organization. By keeping track of key performance indicators and other important metrics, you can gain valuable insights into the performance of your operations and identify areas for improvement. Whether you are using manual tracking methods or utilizing specialized software, it is essential to regularly review and analyze your metrics in order to make informed decisions and drive growth. By staying on top of your metrics, you can ensure that you are making the most of your resources and maximizing your chances of success.