3. Data-Driven Conversations: Analyzing Customer Health Metrics

Learning Objectives:

• Master daily dashboard review process to identify churn risks, expansion opportunities, and renewal readiness proactively
• Track four core health metric categories: Product usage, Support interactions, Customer sentiment, Account/financial metrics
• Apply dashboard insights to personalize customer conversations based on engagement patterns and health trends
• Use data-driven outreach strategies for three conversation types: Check-in calls, Renewal calls, Churn risk interventions
• Set up automated health score alerts to flag negative trends before manual review catches them
• Focus on month-over-month trends rather than single snapshots for accurate health assessment

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Introduction

CSMs must regularly review customer health metrics to identify risks, opportunities, and engagement trends before they escalate. A well-structured dashboard review ensures that every customer conversation is data-driven, proactive, and impactful rather than reactive or based on assumptions.

In an environment where 67% of churn results from relationship issues that could be prevented through early intervention, the ability to interpret health metrics and act on warning signals directly impacts retention, expansion, and customer lifetime value. Dashboard fluency transforms CSMs from reactive support contacts into proactive strategic advisors who anticipate problems and opportunities.

The Cost of Poor Dashboard Discipline

Without regular health metric review, CSMs may:

• Discover churn risks only when customer announces cancellation, missing months of warning signals
• Miss expansion opportunities with engaged customers because usage growth went unnoticed
• Enter renewal conversations unprepared without understanding customer's actual product experience
• Spend time on wrong accounts (maintaining already-healthy customers while ignoring at-risk ones)
• React to customer complaints that dashboard would have predicted weeks earlier
• Make decisions based on gut feeling rather than objective data, leading to inconsistent outcomes

The Benefits of Mastering Dashboard Analysis

Effective dashboard discipline enables you to:

• Identify churn risks early through declining usage patterns, support escalations, and sentiment drops
• Spot expansion opportunities systematically by tracking power users, feature adoption ceilings, and growth indicators
• Prepare for renewal conversations with comprehensive data showing value delivered and areas for improvement
• Allocate time efficiently by focusing on accounts needing intervention rather than equal attention across portfolio
• Engage customers proactively with relevant, personalized outreach based on their specific usage patterns
• Build credibility through data-backed insights that demonstrate you understand their business and product usage

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PART 1: WHY DASHBOARD REVIEWS ARE CRITICAL

Daily health metric analysis provides actionable intelligence for proactive customer engagement.

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The Four Benefits of Systematic Dashboard Reviews

1. Identify Churn Risks Early

What to detect:

• Declining login frequency or time in platform
• Feature adoption dropping month-over-month
• Increasing support tickets or unresolved issues
• Negative NPS/CSAT scores

Early detection advantage:

Why it matters: Churn doesn't happen overnight. Dashboard tracks the gradual disengagement, giving you time to intervene.

2. Spot Expansion Opportunities

What to detect:

• Power users maximizing current plan features
• Customers hitting usage limits (seats, API calls)
• High engagement with features that suggest need for premium tier
• Business growth indicators (adding users, departments expanding)

Expansion signals in dashboard:

• Feature adoption >80% → Customer ready for advanced capabilities
• User count approaching plan limit → Seat expansion opportunity
• API usage at 90% of limit → Usage-based pricing upgrade
• Multiple departments using platform → Enterprise tier conversation

3. Prepare for Renewal Conversations

What to analyze:

• Value delivered over contract period
• Adoption trajectory (improving or declining?)
• Support experience (mostly positive or frustrating?)
• Stakeholder engagement (active or disengaged?)

Renewal readiness assessment:

4. Improve Customer Engagement

What to determine:

• When to reach out proactively (declining engagement)
• Why to reach out specifically (feature underutilization, support issues)
• What to offer (training, strategic session, expansion discussion)

Data-driven outreach:

Instead of generic "just checking in," use dashboard insights:

• "I noticed Feature X adoption has grown 40% - let's discuss optimizing further"
• "Your team's usage has plateaued - would training on advanced capabilities help?"
• "Support tickets increased this month - let's address any friction proactively"

💡 Pro Tip: Set a non-negotiable 30-minute daily calendar block for dashboard review (Block 1). Treat it like a customer meeting you wouldn't cancel. CSMs who review dashboards daily vs. weekly catch risks 4x earlier and identify expansion opportunities 3x more frequently.

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Best Practices: Dashboard Review Discipline

• Review customer dashboards daily during Block 1 (Daily Prep) to stay ahead of issues and opportunities
• Set 30-minute dedicated time for review rather than "when I have time" approach
• Focus on trend analysis (month-over-month) rather than single-day snapshots
• Prioritize review by renewal date (closest renewals first) and health score (lowest scores first)
• Use filters to segment at-risk accounts, upcoming renewals, and expansion-ready customers
• Tag accounts for follow-up with specific action required (schedule call, send resources, escalate to Support)
• Update customer notes immediately after dashboard review to document insights and trends
• Set automated alerts to supplement manual review and ensure no critical changes are missed

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PART 2: KEY HEALTH METRICS TO TRACK

A CSM dashboard should highlight customer adoption, engagement, and sentiment using both quantitative and qualitative data.

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Metric Category 1: Product Usage Metrics

Question: Are they actively using the product?

Key Metrics to Track:

1. Login Frequency

What to measure:

• Daily active users (DAU)
• Weekly active users (WAU)
• Monthly active users (MAU)
• Trend: increasing, stable, or declining

Red flags:

• No logins in past 7 days (disengagement)
• 50%+ decrease in login frequency month-over-month
• Only 1-2 users logging in from entire account

Action triggers:

• If login frequency drops >30% → Schedule re-engagement call
• If no activity in 14 days → Proactive outreach to understand why

2. Feature Adoption Rate

What to measure:

• % of purchased features actively used
• Which specific features are used vs. ignored
• Depth of usage (basic vs. advanced capabilities)

Benchmarks:

• <40% adoption → At-risk (not seeing value)
• 40-70% adoption → Stable (room for growth)

• 70% adoption → Strong (expansion potential)

Action triggers:

• Low adoption → Offer training on underutilized features
• High adoption → Position advanced features or tier upgrade

3. Time Spent in Platform

What to measure:

• Average session duration
• Total time in platform monthly
• Trend over time

Red flags:

• Session duration declining (users finding less value)
• Total time decreasing month-over-month
• Only brief logins (not deep engagement)

4. User Growth Trends

What to measure:

• Number of active users over time
• New users added vs. users removed
• User role distribution (admins vs. end users)

Positive signals:

• User count growing → Business expanding, potential for seat upsells
• New departments adding users → Multi-team adoption, expansion opportunity

Negative signals:

• Users being removed → Team shrinking, downgrade risk
• Only admins active → End users disengaged

💡 Pro Tip: Create a simple "Usage Health Score" combining these four metrics. Example formula: (Login frequency × 0.3) + (Feature adoption × 0.4) + (Time in platform × 0.2) + (User growth × 0.1) = Score out of 100. This single number helps prioritize which accounts need attention while detailed metrics guide specific interventions.

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Metric Category 2: Support Interaction Metrics

Question: Are they facing frequent issues?

Key Metrics to Track:

1. Open Support Tickets

What to monitor:

• Number of currently unresolved tickets
• Age of oldest ticket
• Severity level of open issues

Red flags:

• Critical tickets open >48 hours
• Multiple high-priority issues unresolved
• Old tickets suggesting abandonment or frustration

Action triggers:

• Critical ticket >24 hours old → CSM escalation to Support leadership
• 5+ open tickets → Schedule call to address systematically

2. Escalation History

What to monitor:

• Tickets escalated to management
• Customer complaints about support quality
• Repeat issues not being resolved

Red flags:

• Same issue escalated multiple times
• Customer CC'ing executives on support tickets
• Threats to cancel due to support experience

3. Resolution Time

What to monitor:

• Average time to resolve customer issues
• Trend: improving or worsening
• Comparison to SLA commitments

Benchmarks:

• Meeting SLA consistently → Positive support experience
• Missing SLA frequently → Frustration building

When to Intervene:

Scenario 1: Critical Unresolved Ticket Dashboard shows: P1 ticket open 36 hours, no resolution yet

CSM action: "Hi Support team - Customer X has critical issue open 36 hours affecting their operations. This is renewal month for $200K account. Please escalate and I'll join troubleshooting call to manage customer relationship."

Scenario 2: Frequent Support Issues Dashboard shows: 8 tickets submitted in past 2 weeks (3x normal volume)

CSM action: Proactively reach out to customer: "I noticed you've submitted several support tickets recently. Let's schedule a call to address any underlying issues and ensure you're getting the support you need."

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Metric Category 3: Customer Sentiment Metrics

Question: Do they see value in the product?

Key Metrics to Track:

1. NPS (Net Promoter Score)

What it measures:

• Likelihood to recommend (0-10 scale)
• Promoters (9-10), Passives (7-8), Detractors (0-6)

Interpretation:

• Promoter → High satisfaction, expansion ready, reference potential
• Passive → Satisfied but not enthusiastic, vulnerable to competition
• Detractor → Dissatisfied, churn risk, needs immediate intervention

Action triggers:

• Detractor score → Schedule call within 24 hours to address concerns
• Passive score → Identify what would move them to Promoter
• Promoter score → Request testimonial, position expansion

2. CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)

What it measures:

• Satisfaction with specific interactions (support, onboarding)
• Usually 1-5 scale after touchpoints

Red flags:

• Multiple low CSAT scores
• Declining CSAT over time
• Low satisfaction with critical interactions (onboarding, renewal)

3. Engagement in Feedback Loops

What it measures:

• Do they respond to surveys?
• Do they provide product feedback?
• Do they attend customer advisory board?

Interpretation:

• High engagement → Invested in product success
• Low engagement → Potentially disengaged or too busy
• No engagement → Red flag for renewal risk

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Metric Category 4: Account & Financial Metrics

Question: Are they at risk or ready to expand?

Key Metrics to Track:

1. Renewal Date & Contract Value

What to monitor:

• Days until renewal (90, 60, 30-day milestones)
• Current contract ARR
• Historical renewal/expansion pattern

Action triggers:

• 90 days before renewal → Strategic value conversation
• 60 days before renewal → Formal renewal discussion
• 30 days before renewal → Finalize paperwork

2. Payment Status

What to monitor:

• Overdue invoices
• Payment delays or disputes
• Billing issues raised

Red flags:

• Invoice 30+ days overdue
• Multiple payment delays
• Customer questioning charges

Correlation to churn: Payment issues often signal broader dissatisfaction or budget constraints that impact renewal likelihood.

3. Expansion Opportunities

What to monitor:

• Usage approaching plan limits
• New departments requesting access
• Feature requests indicating tier upgrade need

Expansion indicators:

• User count at 90% of seat limit → Seat expansion
• API calls at 85% of limit → Usage-based upgrade
• Requesting features only in higher tier → Tier upgrade

💡 Pro Tip: Create a "Dashboard Priority View" showing only accounts meeting specific criteria: (1) Renewal in next 90 days, (2) Health score <70, OR (3) Usage growth >20% month-over-month. This filtered view surfaces exactly which accounts need attention today vs. reviewing entire book of business daily.

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Best Practices: Health Metrics Tracking

• Track four metric categories systematically: Product usage, Support interactions, Customer sentiment, Account financials
• Monitor login frequency, feature adoption, time in platform, and user growth for engagement assessment
• Review open support tickets, escalation history, and resolution times for frustration indicators
• Track NPS, CSAT, and feedback engagement for sentiment and satisfaction levels
• Monitor renewal dates, payment status, and expansion signals for revenue opportunities
• Use filters to create priority views showing accounts needing immediate attention
• Set up automated alerts for critical threshold breaches (health score drops below 60, critical ticket open >24 hours)
• Focus on trends over time rather than single data points for accurate health assessment

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PART 3: USING INSIGHTS IN CUSTOMER CONVERSATIONS

Apply dashboard data to personalize outreach and make conversations more relevant and impactful.

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Conversation Type 1: Check-In Call (No Renewal Discussion)

Dashboard Data:

• Customer usage declining over past 2 months
• Key features not being utilized
• No concerning support issues or negative sentiment

What this indicates: Engagement drop without dissatisfaction → Likely competing priorities or lack of awareness, not product problem

How to approach the call:

Email invitation: "Hi [First Name], I noticed your team's usage has dipped slightly over the past two months. I wanted to check in and see if there are any blockers preventing full adoption. We can also explore some best practices to help your team get more value out of [Product Name]. Would you be open to a quick 20-minute call this week? [Calendar Link]"

Call structure:

1. Acknowledge trend without accusation: "I noticed usage has decreased a bit recently"
2. Ask open-ended question: "Has something changed in your workflow or priorities?"
3. Offer solutions: "Many customers in similar situations find [training/feature] helps re-engage their teams"
4. Set follow-up: "Let's schedule another check-in in 30 days to see improvement"

Why this works:

• Non-threatening approach (checking in, not accusing)
• Focuses on helping, not selling
• Provides solutions to real problem
• Maintains relationship during temporary disengagement

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Conversation Type 2: Renewal Call

Dashboard Data:

• Customer usage strong and growing
• High feature adoption (75%+)
• Minimal support issues
• Renewal in 90 days

What this indicates: Healthy account likely to renew → Opportunity to showcase value and position expansion

How to approach the call:

Email invitation: "Hi [First Name], as your renewal approaches on [Date], I wanted to reach out proactively to discuss your experience this year and plans for next year.

I've put together a brief summary of value your team has achieved:

• Active users increased 30% (strong team engagement)
• Feature adoption at 78% (top quartile of customers)
• [Key Business Outcome]: [Specific improvement]

I'd love to schedule 30 minutes to review this together and discuss how we can maximize your success in the coming year. Does [Option 1] or [Option 2] work for you? [Calendar Link]"

Call structure:

1. Present value delivered: "Your team saved 1,200 hours through automation this year"
2. Show adoption data: "You're using 78% of features—top 25% of customers"
3. Discuss future goals: "What are your priorities for next year?"
4. Position expansion if appropriate: "Based on your growth, Enterprise tier might make sense"
5. Confirm renewal: "Should we proceed with renewal at current tier or explore expansion?"

Why this works:

• Data proves value delivered
• Positions CSM as strategic partner tracking their success
• Creates natural expansion conversation opportunity
• Reduces renewal risk through early proactive engagement

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Conversation Type 3: Churn Risk Call

Dashboard Data:

• Low engagement with declining usage trend
• Multiple support escalations unresolved
• Detractor NPS score submitted last month
• Renewal in 60 days

What this indicates: High churn risk requiring immediate intervention and authentic concern

How to approach the call:

Email invitation: "Hi [First Name], I wanted to reach out because I noticed your team has had some challenges recently, and I'd love to help. I saw your feedback on the NPS survey and want to make sure we address any pain points before they impact your experience further.

Let's set up a time to discuss how we can improve your experience with [Product Name]. This is important to me—I want to ensure we're delivering the value you expected. Would [Option 1] or [Option 2] work for a 30-minute call? [Calendar Link]"

Call structure:

1. Acknowledge issues directly: "I saw your NPS score and support tickets—I want to understand what's not working"
2. Listen without defensiveness: Let customer fully express frustrations
3. Take ownership: "This isn't the experience we want you to have. Let me understand how to make this right"
4. Create action plan: "Here's what I'll do in next 30 days to address these concerns"
5. Set follow-up: "Let's meet again in 2 weeks to review progress"

Why this works:

• Shows proactive concern rather than waiting for them to escalate
• Acknowledges reality without being defensive
• Focuses on solving problems, not saving renewal
• Demonstrates commitment through specific action plan

What NOT to do:

• Ignore negative signals hoping they'll improve on their own
• Defensive response: "Our product isn't the problem, you need more training"
• Wait until renewal conversation to address dissatisfaction
• Pitch expansion to at-risk account (solve current problems first)

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Best Practices: Data-Driven Conversations

• Use dashboard insights to personalize every customer outreach with specific, relevant observations
• For declining usage, approach with curiosity not accusation: "I noticed... can you help me understand what changed?"
• For strong performance, showcase specific data: "You've achieved X improvement, which puts you in top 25% of customers"
• For at-risk accounts, acknowledge issues directly and focus on solutions, not defenses
• Always quantify value in renewal conversations using customer's actual usage and outcome data
• Position expansion only with healthy accounts showing strong adoption—solve problems before selling more
• Follow up on action commitments made during data-driven conversations to demonstrate reliability
• Document conversation insights in CRM to track whether interventions improved dashboard metrics

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PART 4: DASHBOARD REVIEW BEST PRACTICES

Execute systematic review process efficiently to identify priority accounts and actions.

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The Daily Dashboard Review Process

Step 1: Check Dashboards at Start of Each Day (During Block 1)

Review order:

1. Alerts and notifications (new critical issues)
2. Renewals in next 90 days (sorted by date)
3. At-risk accounts (health score <60)
4. Expansion opportunities (high usage, hitting limits)
5. Recently disengaged (usage drop >30%)

Time allocation: 20-25 minutes of 30-minute prep block

Step 2: Use Filters to Identify At-Risk Accounts

Create saved filters:

• "Renewal Risk": Renewal <90 days AND health score <70
• "Expansion Ready": Health score >80 AND feature adoption >70%
• "Needs Attention": Usage declined >30% in past 30 days
• "High Value At-Risk": ARR >$50K AND health score <60

Why filters matter: Instead of reviewing all 50-100 accounts daily, filters surface the 5-10 requiring immediate attention.

Step 3: Tag Customers for Follow-Ups

Tagging system:

• 🔴 Red flag: Urgent intervention needed (call today)
• 🟡 Yellow flag: Monitor closely (schedule call this week)
• 🟢 Green flag: Healthy (maintain standard cadence)
• 🔵 Blue flag: Expansion opportunity (schedule strategic discussion)

Create tasks immediately: Don't just note mentally—create CRM task: "Call Customer X about declining usage - schedule by Friday"

Step 4: Update Customer Notes

Document insights:

• What changed in dashboard since last review?
• What trends are emerging?
• What action did you take or schedule?

Example note: "Dashboard review 11/27: Usage dropped 25% month-over-month. Feature X adoption declined from 60% to 35%. No support issues. Likely competing priorities. Created task to schedule re-engagement call discussing Feature X optimization. Monitor weekly for further decline."

Step 5: Focus on Trends, Not Just Snapshots

Poor analysis: "Customer logged in 5 times this week" → Single data point, limited insight

Strong analysis: "Customer averaged 15 logins weekly in Q2, dropped to 8 weekly in Q3, now at 5 weekly in November. 67% decline over 4 months. Feature X usage declined simultaneously. Support tickets unchanged. Likely disengagement, not technical issues. Intervention needed."

Why trends matter: One low week could be vacation or busy period. Sustained trend reveals real pattern requiring action.

💡 Pro Tip: Create a "Weekly Dashboard Trend Report" every Monday reviewing the past week's changes across your portfolio. Track: How many accounts improved health? How many declined? What patterns emerge (specific features underutilized, particular customer segments struggling)? This meta-analysis reveals systemic issues requiring broader solutions beyond individual account interventions.

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Setting Up Automated Alerts

Recommended Alert Configuration:

Alert 1: Health Score Drop

• Trigger: Health score decreases >15 points in 30 days
• Action: Create CSM task "Investigate health score drop for [Customer]"
• Frequency: Weekly check

Alert 2: Critical Support Ticket

• Trigger: P1/P2 ticket open >24 hours
• Action: Notify CSM via Slack and email
• Frequency: Real-time

Alert 3: Renewal Approaching

• Trigger: 90 days before renewal date
• Action: Create renewal preparation task
• Frequency: Daily check

Alert 4: Usage Decline

• Trigger: Login frequency drops >40% month-over-month
• Action: Create re-engagement task
• Frequency: Weekly check

Alert 5: Expansion Signal

• Trigger: User count reaches 90% of plan limit
• Action: Create expansion conversation task
• Frequency: Daily check

Tools for Automated Alerts:

• HubSpot: Workflow alerts based on property changes
• Gainsight: Rules engine for health score monitoring
• Salesforce: Process Builder for custom alerts
• Totango: SuccessBLOCs for proactive notifications

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Downloadable Resources

Dashboard Review Report Template

Purpose: Document key insights from dashboard reviews, track customer health trends, and define action items for proactive engagement.

[Download Dashboard Review Report Template]

Health Dashboard Interpretation & Action Plan

Purpose: Customer-by-customer breakdown based on dashboard data with key insights, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.

[Download Health Dashboard Interpretation & Action Plan]

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Best Practices: Dashboard Review Execution

• Review dashboards daily during Block 1 (first 30 minutes of day) to prioritize accounts needing attention
• Use saved filters to surface at-risk accounts, upcoming renewals, and expansion opportunities quickly
• Tag customers with priority flags (Red: urgent, Yellow: monitor, Green: healthy, Blue: expansion) for action tracking
• Create CRM tasks immediately during dashboard review rather than relying on memory
• Document insights and trends in customer notes to track patterns over time
• Focus on month-over-month trends rather than single-day snapshots for accurate health assessment
• Set up automated alerts for critical thresholds (health score drops, support ticket delays, renewal milestones)
• Review weekly dashboard trends across entire portfolio to identify systemic patterns requiring broader solutions

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KEY TAKEAWAYS: BEST PRACTICES RECAP

✓ Review customer dashboards daily during Block 1 to identify risks and opportunities before they escalate

✓ Track four core metric categories: Product usage, Support interactions, Customer sentiment, Account/financial metrics

✓ Use three-category triage for accounts: At-risk (declining metrics), Stable (consistent metrics), Expansion-ready (growing metrics)

✓ Personalize customer outreach based on specific dashboard insights rather than generic "checking in" messages

✓ For declining usage, approach with curiosity: "Help me understand what changed" vs. accusatory "You're not using the product"

✓ For renewal conversations, showcase specific value delivered using customer's actual usage and outcome data

✓ For at-risk accounts, acknowledge issues directly and focus on solutions, not defensive explanations

✓ Create saved filters for priority segments: Renewal risk, Expansion ready, Needs attention, High-value at-risk

✓ Tag customers with priority flags during review and create CRM tasks for follow-up actions immediately

✓ Focus on month-over-month trends rather than single snapshots to identify real patterns vs. temporary fluctuations

✓ Set up automated alerts for critical thresholds: Health score drops >15 points, P1 tickets open >24 hours, Renewals in 90 days

✓ Review weekly dashboard trends across portfolio to identify systemic issues requiring broader interventions beyond individual accounts