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Writer's pictureVineet puri

Customer Churn: 18 indicators & 15 KPIs to watch

Updated: Dec 20, 2023


In today's highly competitive business environment, customer churn is a significant concern for companies of all sizes. Customer churn, also known as customer attrition, refers to the process of customers discontinuing their use of a company's products or services. It is a critical metric that companies need to closely monitor to ensure the long-term success of their business. In this article, we will discuss 18 indicators and 15 key performance indicators (KPIs) that companies should watch to identify potential customer churn.

One of the most significant impacts of customer churn is the loss of revenue. When customers discontinue their use of a company's products or services, the company loses the revenue that those customers were generating. Additionally, it can also cost a company more money to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones. This is why it is essential for companies to closely monitor their customer churn rate and take action to reduce it.

To identify potential customer churn, companies should watch for 18 indicators. These indicators include a decrease in customer engagement, an increase in customer complaints, a lack of repeat purchases, and a decrease in customer loyalty. For example, if a company notices that their customer engagement metrics, such as website visits or social media engagement, are decreasing, it could be an indication that customers are becoming less interested in the company's products or services. Similarly, an increase in customer complaints may indicate that customers are dissatisfied with the company's products or services, which could lead to customer churn.

To effectively monitor customer churn, companies should also track 15 key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs include retention rate, net promoter score, customer lifetime value, churn rate, repeat purchase rate, average order value, customer acquisition cost, customer satisfaction score, customer engagement metrics, referral rate, upsell and cross-sell rate, revenue per customer, gross margin per customer, and customer lifetime duration. These KPIs provide a comprehensive view of the company's customer base and can help companies identify trends and patterns that could lead to customer churn.

For example, a low retention rate could indicate that a significant number of customers are discontinuing their use of the company's products or services. On the other hand, a high net promoter score could indicate that customers are highly satisfied with the company's products or services and are likely to continue using them. Additionally, monitoring customer lifetime value can help companies identify which customers are the most valuable and take steps to retain them.

In conclusion, customer churn is a significant concern for companies of all sizes. By closely monitoring 18 indicators and 15 key performance indicators, companies can identify potential customer churn and take action to reduce it. This can help companies retain valuable customers, reduce costs associated with acquiring new customers, and ultimately ensure the long-term success of their business.


1. Lack of engagement: Customers who are not actively using or engaging with your product are more likely to churn.


2. Negative feedback: Customers who provide negative feedback or express frustration with your product are more likely to churn.


3. Decreased usage: Customers who start using your product less frequently may be at risk of churning.


4. Missed payments: Customers who miss payments or struggle to pay for your product are more likely to churn.


5. Lack of communication: Customers who don't respond to outreach or communication from your business may be at risk of churning.


6. Lack of product adoption: Customers who are not adopting your product or are not using it effectively may be at risk of churning.


7. Lack of value: Customers who do not see value in your product may be at risk of churning.


8. Competition: Customers who start using a competing product may be at risk of churning.


9. Changing business needs: Customers whose business needs change may no longer have a use for your product and may be at risk of churning.


10. Poor customer support: Customers who are not satisfied with the support they receive from your business may be at risk of churning.


11. Lack of feature updates: Customers who do not see new features or updates being released for your product may be at risk of churning.


12. Lack of integrations: Customers who rely on integrations with other products and do not see those integrations being developed may be at risk of churning.


13. Lack of training or onboarding: Customers who do not receive adequate training or onboarding may struggle to use your product effectively and may be at risk of churning.


14. Difficult onboarding process: Customers who struggle to get started with your product due to a difficult onboarding process may be at risk of churning.


15. Complex pricing: Customers who find your pricing structure to be confusing or difficult to understand may be at risk of churning.


16. Poor product quality: Customers who experience issues or bugs with your product may be at risk of churning.


17. Lack of security: Customers who are concerned about the security of your product may be at risk of churning.


18. Difficult cancellation process: Customers who find it difficult to cancel their subscription or contract may be at risk of churning.



15 churn indicating customer success KPIs


Here are twenty customer success KPIs (key performance indicators) that may indicate a higher risk of churn for SaaS (Software as a Service) businesses:


1. Activation rate: A low activation rate may indicate that customers are struggling to adopt and use your product effectively, which may increase the risk of churn.


2. Retention rate: A low retention rate may indicate that customers are not finding value in your product and are churning at a higher rate.


3. Monthly recurring revenue (MRR): A decline in MRR may indicate that customers are churning and not being replaced by new customers at a sufficient rate.


4. Customer lifetime value (CLV): A decline in CLV may indicate that customers are not using your product as much or are not getting as much value from it, which may increase the risk of churn.


5. Net promoter score (NPS): A low NPS may indicate that customers are not satisfied with your product or service and are more likely to churn.


6. Customer effort score (CES): A high CES may indicate that customers are finding it difficult to use your product, which may increase the risk of churn.


7. Customer satisfaction (CSAT): A low CSAT may indicate that customers are not satisfied with your product or service and are more likely to churn.


8. Customer support resolution time: Long resolution times for customer support issues may indicate that customers are not receiving timely and effective support, which may increase the risk of churn.


9. Customer success team response time: Long response times for the customer success team may indicate that customers are not receiving timely and effective support, which may increase the risk of churn.


10. Feature usage: Low usage of key features may indicate that customers are not getting value from your product and may be at risk of churning.


11. Training and onboarding completion: Low completion rates for training and onboarding programs may indicate that customers are struggling to use your product effectively and may be at risk of churning.


12. Support ticket volume: A high volume of support tickets may indicate that customers are experiencing issues with your product and may be at risk of churning.


13. Upsell and cross-sell rate: A low upsell and cross-sell rate may indicate that customers are not seeing the value in additional products or services and may be at risk of churning.


14. Time Spent in App: A low average time spent in app per login may indicate that users are not finding value in your product and are not engaging with it for long periods of time. It is important to understand the reasons behind this low average time spent in app and address any issues that may be causing users to lose interest. This could include factors such as a lack of engaging features, difficulty in navigating the app, or a lack of value being provided to users.


15. Feature Adoption Rate: Feature adoption rate is a metric that measures the percentage of users who are actively using a particular feature within your product. A low feature adoption rate may indicate that users are not finding value in the feature or are having difficulty using it. This could potentially be a warning sign of churn, as users who do not find value in your product are more likely to churn.


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