The Complete List of Customer Success Metrics

When it comes to measuring how satisfied your customers really are, you have a range of customer success metrics at your disposal.

These metrics provide valuable insights and help in evaluating the effectiveness of customer success efforts.

Here are some common customer success metrics that businesses can use to track their progress:

Customer Retention Rate (CRR)
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)
Churn Rate
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Customer Effort Score (CES)
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)
Upsell and Cross-Sell Rate
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)
Time to Value (TTV)
Expansion MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)
First Contact Resolution (FCR)
Customer Engagement Score (CES)
Referral Rate
Revenue Churn Rate
Customer Health Score (CHS)
Product Usage Score (PUS)
Ticket Volume

By tracking these customer success metrics, companies can gain valuable insights into the health of their customer base, the effectiveness of their strategies, and make data-driven decisions to drive customer loyalty and business growth.

Customer Retention Rate (CRR)

Customer Retention Rate definition

Measures the proportion of customers a company is able to retain over a certain period of time.

Customer retention rate formula

CRR = ((E – N) / S) * 100

How to calculate customer retention rate

Subtract the number of new customers (N) from the number of customers at the end of the period (E), then divide by the number of customers at the start of the period (S). Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

Tips for improvement

Provide excellent customer service, understand customer needs, and work on customer engagement.

Poor performance signs

A low percentage or a decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

A high percentage or an increasing trend over time.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Net Promoter Score definition

Measures customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Formula

NPS = % of Promoters – % of Detractors

How to calculate Net Promoter Score

Determine the percentage of customers who are promoters (score 9-10) and detractors (score 0-6). Subtract the percentage of detractors from promoters.

Tips for improvement

Improve product quality, customer service, and ask for feedback to identify areas of improvement.

Poor performance signs

Negative scores or low positive scores.

Good performance signs

High positive scores.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)

Customer Lifetime Value definition

Predicts the net profit attributed to the entire future relationship with a customer.

Customer Lifetime Value formula

CLTV = Average Purchase Value x Purchase Frequency x Customer Lifespan

How to calculate Customer Lifetime Value

Multiply the average purchase value by the purchase frequency to get the customer value. Then, multiply this by the average customer lifespan.

Tips for improvement

Encourage repeat purchases, increase customer satisfaction, upsell and cross-sell.

Poor performance signs

Low CLTV value.

Good performance signs

High CLTV value.

Churn Rate

Churn rate definition

The rate at which customers stop doing business with an entity in a given period.

Churn rate formula

Churn Rate = (Number of Customers Lost During a Given Period / Number at the Start of the Period) * 100

How to calculate churn rate

Divide the number of customers lost during a period by the number of customers at the start of that period. Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

Tips for improvement

Improve customer service, implement customer retention strategies.

Poor performance signs

High percentage or increasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

Low percentage or decreasing trend over time.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Customer Acquisition Cost definition

The cost associated in convincing a customer to buy a product/service.

Customer Acquisition Cost formula

CAC = Total Cost of Sales and Marketing / Number of Customers Acquired

How to calculate Customer Acquisition Cost

Divide the total cost of sales and marketing by the number of customers acquired during the same period.

Tips for improvement

Optimize marketing strategies, improve conversion rates, utilize cheaper marketing channels.

Poor performance signs

High CAC or increasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

Low CAC or decreasing trend over time.

Customer Effort Score (CES)

Customer Effort Score definition

Measures the ease of experience for a customer with your product or service.

Customer Effort Score formula

CES = Total Score from Survey Responses / Number of Respondents

How to calculate Customer Effort Score

Divide the total score from the CES survey responses by the number of respondents. The survey typically asks: “On a scale of 1-7, how much effort did you personally have to put forth to handle your request?”

Tips for improvement

Simplify processes, improve customer service, reduce customer effort.

Poor performance signs

High score (indicating high effort).

Good performance signs

Low score (indicating low effort).

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

Monthly Recurring Revenue definition

The amount of revenue a subscription-based business can expect to receive on a monthly basis.

Monthly Recurring Revenue formula

MRR = Sum of Monthly Subscription Fee of Each Customer

How to calculate Monthly Recurring Revenue

Add up the monthly subscription fees from all your customers.

Tips for improvement

Increase customer base, reduce churn, upsell or cross-sell.

Poor performance signs

Low MRR or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High MRR or increasing trend over time.

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

Annual Recurring Revenue definition

The amount of revenue a subscription-based business can expect to receive on an annual basis.

Annual Recurring Revenue formula

Formula: ARR = Sum of Annual Subscription Fee of Each Customer

How to calculate Annual Recurring Revenue

Add up the annual subscription fees from all your customers.

Tips for improvement

Increase customer base, reduce churn, upsell or cross-sell.

Poor performance signs

Low ARR or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High ARR or increasing trend over time.

Upsell and Cross-Sell Rate

Upsell and cross-sell rate definition

The rate at which you are able to sell more to existing customers.

Upsell and cross-sell rate formula

Upsell and Cross-Sell Rate = Revenue from Upsell and Cross-Sell / Total Revenue

How to calculate upsell and cross-sell rate

Divide the revenue from upselling and cross-selling by the total revenue.

Tips for improvement

Identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling, train sales team on effective upselling and cross-selling techniques.

Poor performance signs

Low rate or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High rate or increasing trend over time

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

Customer Satisfaction Score definition

A basic measure of a customer’s satisfaction with a brand’s product and/or services.

Customer Satisfaction Score formula

CSAT = (Number of Satisfied Customers (those providing a positive rating) / Total Number of Customers Surveyed) * 100

How to calculate Customer Satisfaction Score

Divide the number of satisfied customers (those providing a positive rating) by the total number of customers surveyed. Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

Tips for improvement

Improve product or service quality, customer service, and handle complaints effectively.

Poor performance signs

Low percentage or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High percentage or increasing trend over time.

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

Average Revenue Per User definition

Measures the revenue generated per user or unit.

Average Revenue Per User formula

ARPU = Total Revenue / Number of Users

How to calculate Average Revenue Per User

Divide the total revenue by the number of users.

Tips for improvement

Increase user spending, upsell or cross-sell, increase prices.

Poor performance signs

Low ARPU or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High ARPU or increasing trend over time.

Time to Value (TTV)

Time to Value definition

The period of time from when a customer purchases a product until they realize its value.

Time to Value formula

This is generally a time period and not calculated by a mathematical formula.

How to calculate Time to Value

Record the period of time from when a customer purchases a product until they realize its value. Of course, you’ll have to figure out how to determine when they realize value!

It might sound stupid, but one way to do this is to simply ask them. Keeping in close communication with your customers, you will also probably realize when they are seeing true value, because you should understand what kind of goals they are trying to achieve with your product.

Tips for improvement

Improve onboarding processes, provide clear instructions, and ensure the product or service meets customer needs.

Poor performance signs

Long TTV.

Good performance signs

Short TTV.

Expansion MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)

Expansion MRR definition

The additional recurring revenue earned from existing customers through expansions, upsells and cross-sells.

Expansion MRR formula

Expansion MRR = Sum of Additional Monthly Fees from Existing Customers

How to calculate Expansion MRR

Add up the additional monthly fees earned from existing customers through upselling, cross-selling, or price increases.

Tips for improvement

Identify upsell or cross-sell opportunities, maintain customer satisfaction, and provide value-added services.

Poor performance signs

Low expansion MRR or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High expansion MRR or increasing trend over time.

First Contact Resolution (FCR)

First Contact Resolution definition

The percentage of customer inquiries that are resolved in the first contact.

First Contact Resolution formula

FCR = (Number of Tickets Resolved on First Contact / Total Number of Tickets) * 100

How to calculate First Contact Resolution

Divide the number of tickets resolved on first contact by the total number of tickets. Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

Tips for improvement

Train support team, provide necessary resources and tools, and improve knowledge base.

Poor performance signs

Low percentage or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High percentage or increasing trend over time.

Customer Engagement Score (CES)

Customer Engagement Score definition

A measure of a customer’s engagement level with a product, brand, or service. This is often unique to the company and calculated based on a variety of customer actions like usage frequency, features used, etc.

Customer Engagement Score formula

There’s no standard formula for this. It’s often a combination of factors that you will have to decide based on how you serve your customers, and which touch points are most important to you.

How to calculate Customer Engagement Score

It’s often unique to the company and calculated based on a variety of customer actions like usage frequency, features used, etc.

Tips for improvement

Encourage customer interactions, provide engaging content, and improve product usability.

Poor performance signs

Low score or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High score or increasing trend over time.

Referral Rate

Referral Rate definition

The rate at which existing customers refer new customers.

Referral Rate formula

Referral Rate = (Number of New Customers from Referrals / Total Number of New Customers) * 100

How to calculate Referral Rate

Divide the number of new customers that came from referrals by the total number of new customers. Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

Tips for improvement

Encourage referrals, provide incentives, and ensure customer satisfaction.

Poor performance signs

Low percentage or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High percentage or increasing trend over time.

Revenue Churn Rate

Revenue Churn Rate definition

The rate at which revenue is lost from existing customers.

Revenue Churn Rate formula

Revenue Churn Rate = ((MRR at the Start of the Period – MRR at the End of the Period) / MRR at the Start of the Period) * 100

How to calculate Revenue Churn Rate

Subtract the MRR at the end of the period from the MRR at the start of the period. Then, divide by the MRR at the start of the period. Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

Tips for improvement

Retain customers, improve product or service quality, and handle complaints effectively.

Poor performance signs

High percentage or increasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

Low percentage or decreasing trend over time.

Customer Health Score (CHS)

Customer Health Score definition

Predicts the long-term success for a customer’s subscription.

Customer Health Score formula

There’s no standard formula for this. You’ll have to figure this out based on metrics that are important to customer success, like feature usage, engagement, feedback, and satisfaction scores.

How to calculate Customer Health Score

It’s often unique to the company and calculated based on a variety of customer actions like usage frequency, features used, etc.

Tips for improvement

Monitor customer usage and interactions, ensure customer satisfaction, and provide necessary support.

Poor performance signs

Low score or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High score or increasing trend over time.

Product Usage Score (PUS)

Product Usage Score definition

Measures the extent to which a customer uses a product.

Product Usage Score formula

This is often unique to the company and calculated based on a variety of customer actions like usage frequency, features used, etc.

How to calculate Product Usage Score

You would start by first understanding how often you might expect a typical customer (or customer profile) to use a feature, for how long, and which features are being used.

You can estimate this based on how you expect users to behave or you can track actual usage metrics and create an average to then score new user behavior against.

Tips for improvement

Improve product features, ensure product usability, and provide necessary training.

Poor performance signs

Low score or decreasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

High score or increasing trend over time.

Ticket Volume

Ticket Volume definition

Measures the number of support tickets customers are submitting.

Ticket Volume formula

Ticket Volume = Total Number of Support Tickets Submitted

How to calculate ticket volume

Calculate the total number of support tickets submitted by customers.

Tips for improvement

Improve product or service quality, provide self-service resources, and handle complaints effectively.

Poor performance signs

High volume or increasing trend over time.

Good performance signs

Low volume or decreasing trend over time.

The Importance of Customer Success Metrics

Customer success metrics play a crucial role in measuring and tracking the success of a customer success program. Here are key points highlighting their importance:

1. Measuring Customer Health: Customer success metrics provide insights into the overall health of customers, helping to identify potential risks and areas needing improvement.

2. Tracking Customer Satisfaction: Metrics such as customer satisfaction scores and net promoter scores (NPS) gauge customer sentiment and help in understanding their level of loyalty and likelihood to recommend the product or service.

3. Reducing Churn: By analyzing customer churn rates and implementing proactive measures, customer success teams can identify at-risk customers and take appropriate action to retain them, resulting in higher renewal rates.

4. Improving Customer Engagement: Metrics like customer engagement and customer effort scores help to measure the effectiveness of customer success efforts in increasing adoption, reducing customer effort, and driving positive experiences.

5. Maximizing Customer Lifetime Value: By tracking average revenue per user, revenue per customer, and customer lifetime value, businesses can analyze the financial impact of customer success efforts and focus on strategies that increase customer value over time.

Customer success metrics enable businesses to assess their customer success program’s effectiveness, align goals with desired business outcomes, and prioritize areas for improvement. By leveraging these metrics, companies can enhance renewal rates, reduce churn, and improve their net promoter score, ultimately driving business growth and customer satisfaction.

Tips and Strategies for Improving Your Customer Success Metrics

Achieving and maintaining strong customer success metrics is essential for businesses looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. By effectively measuring and optimizing key performance indicators, companies can ensure that their customers are satisfied, engaged, and loyal. Here are some tips and strategies to help improve your customer success metrics:

1. Focus on customer health score: Implement a customer health score system to assess the overall well-being of your customers. This metric takes into account various factors such as usage patterns, product adoption, and engagement levels. By tracking and analyzing customer health scores, you can proactively address potential issues, identify upselling opportunities, and prioritize your customer success efforts.

2. Enhance customer engagement: Actively engage with your customers to build strong relationships and maximize their satisfaction. Leverage various communication channels, such as personalized emails, targeted in-app messages, and customer success touchpoints, to effectively communicate with your customers. Regularly monitor their engagement levels and provide tailored support, resources, and recommendations to improve their experience.

3. Optimize customer onboarding: Streamline and enhance your customer onboarding process to set the foundation for long-term success. Provide clear and comprehensive guidance to help customers get started with your product or service. Offer training materials, tutorials, and live demonstrations to ensure that customers fully understand and utilize the features and functionalities available to them.

4. Implement proactive customer support: Adopt a proactive approach to customer support by actively monitoring customer feedback and addressing issues before they escalate. Regularly collect and analyze customer feedback through surveys, support tickets, and customer success managers. Use this feedback to identify pain points, improve product offerings, and provide quick and effective resolutions to enhance customer satisfaction.

5. Foster ongoing customer success partnerships: Cultivate strategic relationships with your customers, positioning your business as a valued partner and trusted advisor. Take a proactive approach by regularly scheduling check-ins, providing relevant industry insights, and offering personalized recommendations to help customers achieve their specific goals. This partnership approach will foster loyalty, increase customer lifetime value, and drive mutual success.

By implementing these tips and strategies, businesses can enhance their customer success metrics, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction, retention, and revenue. Continuously monitor and adjust your customer success efforts to ensure ongoing success and consistently meet and exceed customer expectations.

Increase Engagement Through Communication & Relationship Building

Increasing engagement through communication and relationship building is crucial for improving customer success metrics. By effectively engaging with customers, businesses can ensure their satisfaction, loyalty, and overall success. Here are some strategies to enhance customer engagement:

1. Personalized communication channels: Utilize various communication channels, like personalized emails, targeted in-app messages, and social media interactions, to connect with customers on a more personal level. Customize messages based on their preferences, behaviors, and needs to make them feel valued and understood.

2. Proactive outreach: Instead of waiting for customers to reach out with questions or concerns, take a proactive approach by reaching out to them. Regularly check in with customers, offer assistance, provide relevant resources, and address any potential issues before they arise. This shows that you genuinely care about their success and builds trust and engagement.

3. Build strong relationships: Foster strong relationships with customers by going beyond transactional interactions. Take the time to understand their unique goals, challenges, and needs. Provide personalized recommendations, industry insights, and actionable advice to help them achieve their desired outcomes. By positioning yourself as a trusted advisor and partner, you can build long-lasting relationships and increase customer engagement.

Effective communication and relationship building are key drivers of customer success. By utilizing personalized communication channels, implementing proactive outreach, and building strong relationships, businesses can enhance customer engagement, leading to improved customer success metrics.

Automate Processes to Improve Efficiency & Save Time

Automating processes in customer success has numerous benefits that can greatly improve efficiency and save time for customer success teams. By implementing automation strategies, organizations can streamline repetitive tasks, improve accuracy, and free up valuable resources to focus on more valuable activities.

One key benefit of automation is the ability to streamline repetitive tasks. Many customer success activities, such as sending onboarding emails, follow-up messages, or scheduling meetings, are often time-consuming and can be automated. By automating these processes, customer success teams can save significant amounts of time and ensure consistent and timely communication with customers.

In addition, automation improves accuracy by reducing the chances of human error. Manual data entry or manual reporting can often lead to mistakes or discrepancies. By automating these processes, organizations can minimize errors and rely on accurate data to make informed decisions.

Moreover, automation allows customer success teams to focus on more valuable activities that require human expertise and interaction. Instead of spending time on repetitive administrative tasks, customer success professionals can dedicate their energy to building relationships with customers, identifying growth opportunities, and solving complex problems.

To implement automation effectively, organizations can utilize customer success software tools and platforms. These tools offer features such as workflow automation, email automation, and task management, enabling teams to automate processes and track metrics more efficiently. By leveraging these tools, organizations can save time, improve efficiency, and provide a better customer experience.

In conclusion, automating processes in customer success can have significant benefits such as improving efficiency and saving time for customer success teams. Through the use of automation strategies and customer success software tools, organizations can streamline repetitive tasks, improve accuracy, and allow customer success teams to focus on more valuable activities.

Benefits of tracking customer success metrics

Tracking customer success metrics offers a multitude of benefits for businesses. By closely monitoring these metrics, companies gain valuable insights into what exactly their customers love about their product or service. This information allows businesses to prioritize features and enhancements that are highly valued by their customer base, leading to a more customer-centered approach to product development.

Moreover, tracking customer success metrics empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions. By analyzing customer data, companies can identify trends, patterns, and opportunities for improvement. This valuable information enables businesses to align all teams around customer success, ensuring that every department is working towards the same goal of delivering an exceptional customer experience.

Furthermore, leveraging customer data for explosive growth becomes possible when tracking customer success metrics. By understanding customer behavior, preferences, and needs, businesses can target their marketing efforts and sales strategies more effectively, resulting in improved customer acquisition and retention rates. This data-driven approach not only enhances business performance but also contributes to increased revenue per customer and overall business growth.

In conclusion, tracking customer success metrics provides businesses with the necessary tools to understand customer preferences, prioritize features, and align all teams around customer success. Through data-driven decision-making, companies can leverage customer data to drive explosive growth and ultimately achieve their business goals.