Tag Archives: Customer Experience

How Founders Can Reduce SaaS Churn in the First 12 Months

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Churn is the silent killer of early-stage SaaS. You can win new customers, but if they leave quickly, growth stalls before it even begins. In the first twelve months, reducing churn is the single biggest lever for sustainable growth.

Here are three practical ways founders can make an immediate impact.

(1) Onboarding is everything:

The first experience sets the tone. If customers don’t see value quickly, they drift away. Onboarding should be more than product walkthroughs – it’s about proving outcomes. Make the first 30 days a success story, with clear milestones and check-ins.

(2) Measure adoption, not just logins:

Too many founders track vanity metrics like account sign-ups. What really matters is adoption – are users actually achieving what they came for? Define success behaviours in your product and measure against them. Low adoption early on is the clearest warning signal for churn.

(3) Talk to customers before it’s too late:

Silence doesn’t mean satisfaction. Set up feedback loops and proactive check-ins, especially in the first 90 days. Health scores, NPS and customer calls give you the insight to fix issues before they become cancellations.

Reducing churn isn’t glamorous, but it’s the foundation of growth. If you’re a founder struggling to keep customers, I can help.

But the bigger picture is clear – most SaaS startups fail not from lack of customers, but from lack of retention.

How to Become Truly Customer-Centric

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Plenty of companies say they’re customer-centric. Far fewer actually are.

Here’s the truth: you can’t train your way into customer centricity. You have to lead it, design for it and measure it.

Start at the Top

Leaders set the tone. If the board and exec team aren’t focused on customers, no one else will be. The shift happens when leaders:

  • Ask customer-focused questions every day

  • Set expectations for cross-team collaboration

  • Celebrate stories of real customer impact

Fix the Gaps Between Teams

Most customer pain comes from silos – not individual teams. Think about handovers. To customers, these are often moments where context is lost, ownership is unclear and trust takes a hit. The fix?

  • Overlap responsibilities between sales, onboarding, customer success and support

  • Share goals and metrics that link directly to customer outcomes

  • Make accountability visible, not assumed

Measure What Matters

If your KPIs don’t reflect customer outcomes, they’re the wrong KPIs. Move beyond:

  • Renewal rates that ignore delivered value

  • CSAT scores disconnected from adoption and impact

  • Sales targets with no link to long-term success

Instead, align your metrics with mutual success and value for the customer and growth for you.

Make Feedback Actionable

Collecting feedback isn’t enough. Customers want to see it acted on. Close the loop:

  • Share what you’ve learned

  • Show what you’re changing

  • Demonstrate the difference it’s made

Commit to the Hard Work

Being customer-centric costs more upfront. It takes more time, more coordination and more alignment. But it pays back in loyalty, advocacy and growth.

Customer Centricity in Action

Customer Centricity in Action

Customer centricity isn’t a phase or a department – it’s a way of running your business. Get it right, and you don’t just win customers. You keep them.

Why Customer Centricity Matters More Than Ever

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Today’s customers have changed – dramatically. They’re always on, always connected and always expecting more. They’re comparing you to the best experience they’ve ever had anywhere, not just to your closest competitor. That’s a very high bar.

Customer Centricity

Customer Centricity

The businesses that will thrive now aren’t necessarily the biggest, the cheapest or the flashiest. They’re the ones that truly put the customer at the heart of their strategy.

Customer Centricity Isn’t a Buzzword

It’s not a slogan you stick on a wall. It’s a way of working. That means:

  • Talking about customers in every team meeting, not just the quarterly review.

  • Replacing “what’s easiest for us?“ with “what’s right for the customer?“

  • Measuring success by outcomes achieved, not just internal activity completed.

The Stakes Are Higher

Customers have more choice than ever before. Switching is easy and loyalty is fragile. If you’re not showing value in every interaction, someone else will.

Technology Isn’t the Shortcut

AI, automation and analytics can help – but only if they’re aligned to what your customers actually need. Automating a bad process doesn’t make it customer-centric. Predictive insights are useless if you’re not acting on them.

The Real Payoff

Customer-centric organisations:

  • Build trust and credibility faster

  • See higher retention and growth

  • Adapt quicker because they understand changing needs

This isn’t about being nice to customers. It’s about building a sustainable business in a world where expectations keep climbing.

Why it's important

Why it’s important

Customer centricity used to be a differentiator. Now, it’s the entry ticket.

Customer-Led Growth Isn’t a Project – It’s a Mindset Shift

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Everyone wants to grow. But not everyone is willing to change how they work to make that growth sustainable.

Customer-led growth isn’t a campaign. It’s not a box to tick. It’s not something you hand off to your customer success team while the rest of the business carries on as usual.

It’s a permanent shift – in thinking, in decision-making, and in execution.

It’s Not a Project. It’s the Way You Operate.

Too many organisations treat customer feedback as an activity, not an asset. They run a survey, hold a few workshops, tweak a process or two, and expect to see long-term results.

But customer-led growth doesn’t come from one-off actions. It comes from a culture where:

  • Products are built based on real customer outcomes – not internal assumptions or legacy ideas

  • Success is measured through customer achievement – not just revenue, renewal or NPS

  • Roadmaps, strategies and priorities are shaped by customer insight = not convenience

If your decisions aren’t linked back to what your customers truly need and value, then you’re not customer-led. You’re customer-adjacent. And that’s a dangerous place to be.

Customer-Led Companies Win

The companies thriving today – and those that will lead tomorrow – are the ones willing to rethink how they work.

They understand that being customer-first isn’t a slogan. It’s a decision they make every day, in every department.

They don’t just collect feedback. They act on it.
They don’t just support customers. They partner with them.
They don’t just chase metrics. They deliver outcomes.

This shift is uncomfortable. It forces teams to collaborate in new ways. It challenges long-held assumptions. But it’s also the only way to create long-term value – for customers and for your business.

The Real Question

If you’re serious about growth, ask yourself this:

Who’s really leading it – you or your customers?

Because if it’s not your customers, don’t expect them to stick around for the long term.

What does it really mean to be customer centric today?

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This is something I talk about a lot. Customer centricity isn’t just a nice idea – it’s a strategic necessity in today’s “Age of the Customer.“ A truly customer centric business delivers consistent, growing value for customers – and that’s easier said than done.

Over the last 20 years or so, we’ve been very technology led – and for the right reasons – but in many instances we’ve lost sight of what the customers need and want and it’s time to re-focus on the customer.

It’s not enough to just say we’re customer centric. Real customer centricity requires buy-in across the organisation – from product to finance to sales to leadership and beyond. It means focusing on outcomes that matter to customers, not just features or transactions. This shift is more critical than ever as customers expect far more personalised, service-driven experiences than just products.

But here’s the reality check – while many companies aim for customer centricity, few fully achieve it. According to recent polls, less than 15% of customer leaders feel their organisations are genuinely customer centric, and only 10% believe their customers would agree. To close this gap, businesses need leadership that truly champions the customer perspective at the executive level, such as a Chief Customer Officer. This leader’s role isn’t just about retaining customers – it’s about actively shaping strategies that drive customer success.

Real customer centricity requires breaking down silos and creating a unified approach to customer feedback. This includes giving teams the empowerment to act on customer insights, addressing the challenges they face, and ensuring every decision aligns with delivering real value.

If we want to succeed, our mission needs to be customer-focused at its core. How customer-centric do you feel your organisation really is?

What does it really mean to be customer centric?

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Being customer centric is not just about setting the right goals – it’s about creating a culture where every team member, no matter what team they’re in, is empowered to put the customer first and to focus on delivering results for the customer.

Here are some practical steps for leaders:

(1) Set the example: As leaders, we need to champion customer-centric behaviours and decisions in everything we do.

(2) Foster a unified vision: Align every department and team around a shared understanding of customer value (and how to measure it), ensuring consistency in the customer experience and journey.

(3) Empower teams: Give your teams the tools, autonomy and insights they need to solve customer problems proactively.

(4) Continuous learning: Encourage ongoing learning from customer feedback and market trends to stay ahead of evolving needs.

(5) Recognise and reward: Celebrate and reward employees who demonstrate customer centric actions and decisions, fostering a culture of putting the customer first.

Think of it as a continuous journey not a one off project or initiative with leadership as the driving force behind it. By creating the right environment, we ensure both our customers and teams thrive together.

Building a Winning Customer Success Strategy

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A successful customer success strategy goes beyond solving problems, it’s about ensuring customers achieve their desired outcomes and feel supported throughout their journey with your product or service.

Here are the key components for a working strategy:

(1) Understanding customer needs: Develop detailed buyer personas and map the customer journey to understand goals, challenges, and preferences.

(2) Clear communication: Maintain open, transparent communication to address queries promptly and ensure customers feel valued.

(3) Proactive engagement: Regularly engage with your customers, not just when problems arise. Proactive outreach (with value each time) demonstrates your commitment to their success.

(4) Structured onboarding: Guide new customers with a well planned onboarding process that includes training, tutorials and resources for smooth adoption.

(5) Leverage technology: Use customer success tools and CRMs to centralise data, track interactions and automate tasks, allowing teams to focus on building relationships (that grow).

(6)Measuring success: Set KPIs to assess satisfaction and retention, reviewing metrics regularly to refine and adapt your approach.

(7) Ongoing support: Provide continuous support across various channels, ensuring customers have access to help whenever they need it.

(8) Continuous improvement: Regularly evaluate and enhance your strategy based on customer feedback and evolving needs.

(9) Cross-departmental collaboration: Align sales, marketing, engineering, product and support teams to create a seamless, unified approach to customer success.

By focusing on these components, companies can foster customer satisfaction, retention and long-term loyalty.

Evolving Customer Success: The Path Ahead In 2024

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The feedback on my last post about the changing landscape of Customer Success was so good to see and it’s clear we’re going through a transformation now. The insights from the community have been invaluable. We’re in a period of some big and need changes for our industry and it’s going to be an exciting 12 months ahead.

A recap on the big insights and changes coming…

1️⃣ : It’s crucial to differentiate between what matters to the economic buyer vs. other stakeholders at our customers. A happy user base is great, but if we’re not hitting the metrics that matter to those who make the renewal decisions, we’re missing the mark.

2️⃣ 2024′ : Focusing on core values and specific metrics is more critical than ever. As we streamline Customer Success roles, we need to redefine our expectations to combat burnout. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

3️⃣ : The conversation has shifted to identifying and improving the outcomes that matter most and providing value there. This is where we can truly demonstrate our value and impact, without overwhelming our teams.

4️⃣ : There’s a growing realisation that being a great CSM isn’t just about technical expertise or sales prowess. It’s about understanding, listening, and responding to customer needs. The role of the CSM is evolving beyond traditional boundaries.

5️⃣ . : In our haste to solve problems, are we losing sight of the customer’s voice? It’s time to refocus on what really matters – understanding and addressing customer needs, not just showcasing our expertise.

Let’s keep this conversation going. How are you planning to navigate these changes in your organisation? What strategies are you adopting to align with the evolving role of Customer Success?

Explain what customer success is to a 10 year old – care of ChatGPT…

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“Alright, let’s break down what customer success is in a simple way:

Helping Customers: Imagine you’ve bought a new video game. Customer success is like having a friend who helps you understand how to play the game, so you can enjoy it more.

Listening to Problems: If you have trouble with the game, this friend listens to your problems and finds ways to solve them.

Making Things Better: They also suggest new games or updates that can make your gaming experience even more fun.

Keeping in Touch: This friend keeps checking in with you to make sure you’re still having a good time with your game.

Happy Customers: The goal is to make sure you’re really happy with your game and help you get the most out of it.

So, in a job, customer success is about making sure people who use a company’s products or services are happy and getting the most out of them.”

Then asked if it was really about keeping customers happy and…

“Customer success is more than just keeping customers happy. Here are a few key points:

Achieving Goals: It’s about understanding what customers want to achieve with the product and helping them reach those goals.

Building Relationships: Developing a strong, trusting relationship with customers is crucial. It’s not just a one-time interaction but an ongoing partnership.

Feedback and Improvement: Listening to customer feedback and using it to improve products and services is a big part of customer success.

Proactive Support: It involves anticipating customer needs and problems before they even arise and addressing them proactively.

Customer Retention: Keeping customers using the product for a long time is important. It’s not just about making them happy once, but ensuring they continue to find value.

Educating Customers: Teaching customers how to use the product effectively so they can get the most benefit from it.”

Not too bad a start – one mention of value and none of outcomes. Now to test it out with a 10 year old – or one of the “not so little” Nobles.

Unlocking Customer Lifetime Value: The Key to Long-term Success

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Introduction:

Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) holds the key to long-term success in business. Unraveling the potential of CLTV is crucial for building lasting relationships and driving sustained revenue growth.

Understanding CLTV:

Customer Lifetime Value is not solely about revenue but about fostering enduring value for customers. It is a vital metric for gauging an organization’s growth and prosperity. For instance, consider a subscription-based service like Netflix, where a loyal customer who subscribes for years contributes substantially to the company’s CLTV.

Viewing Value from Different Angles:

CLTV is more than just revenue; it encompasses different perspectives of value. Identifying and aligning with the customer’s definition of value is crucial. An example could be a luxury car brand that offers exceptional customer service, providing value that extends beyond the purchase.

Applying CLTV in Practice:

Measuring CLTV beyond revenue involves assessing advocacy, referrals, and recommendations, which are immensely valuable. Forecasting CLTV requires a careful consideration of customer segments and past profiles. For example, a software company may analyze user adoption metrics to predict long-term value.