I recently read a LinkedIn post about 7 sources of churn with clients and I thought instead of presenting it as areas that upset clients, it could have been presented as an opportunity to showcase where clients find the most value. The listed issues can all be overcome with common sense ways a Customer Success Advocate and their team of Business Analysts, Designers, Developers, and Tech Support should work daily.
So, here are the 7 sources of churn based on this post, and the 7 ways we mitigate these issues.
-
The product does not help customers solve their problems or has major flaws
When a client comes to us with a project, our team of Business Analysts (BA) takes a step back and asks about the issue you are trying to solve. This means it might take a conversation with a few employees at your company to get to the root cause of the issue. The BA takes the time to collect all points of view to confirm that there isn’t a larger or unknown entity also contributing to your frustration. Your issue might be that your customer list is difficult to identify. However, after a few conversations with stakeholders, the BA may uncover that your customer list is fragmented across different software platforms and departments define a customer differently.How we mitigate this issue: Our Business Analysts tease out the customer problem they are trying to solve.
-
Customers fail to achieve their long-term desired outcomes
Your app or website investment is meant to last and be expanded on. An attentive BA will keep a list of future features to enhance the experience and should provide you with guidance on a roadmap. Our BAs often have the role of Product Manager and help our clients see the long term and can work with the dev team to find technology solutions that will last. For example, you might want to add a module for a new product later in the year. The BA can keep track of this and after MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is launched can bring it up again to understand the requirements.How we mitigate this issue: Our Business Analysts are often also in the role of Product Manager and help our clients see the long term.
-
The product has usability issues causing customers to leave before they get value
Related to the issue you are looking to solve is the usability component of the solution. BAs like to refer to this as the combination of UI & UX (User Interface & User Experience). After gathering the information about the issue, the BA will formulate a possible solution and provide you with a wireframe (a quick sketch or representation of a screen in your app or website). This wireframe is used to identify elements needed and basic functionality on a screen. The BA works closely with the Designer to present you with options so that you are involved every part of the way. For example, a BA might determine that your free download of a guide could have a better conversion rate if the order of fields is rearranged.How we mitigate this issue: Our Business Analysts work with design & dev to fix usability issues.
-
The onboarding does not deliver quick wins to get your customers’ buy-in for the long game
Projects come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes it is best to approach them in steps or phases where the MVP is clearly defined. Make sure your BA and you know which pieces are necessary for the MVP go-to-market. Your BA can help identify smaller features that can be implemented quickly that lead to revenue growth for you. A BA can also help to identify fancy bells and whistles that might not impact your revenue as quickly but could help to set the brand identity. A BA can also help to keep your feature set realistic so that your budget remains reasonable. A new feature to identify a site visitor based on their geographic location might sound excellent but it might also have a little ROI compared to another feature to allow for one-click checkout.</span >How we mitigate this issue: Our Business Analysts often look and go for the quick wins that the dev can start with.
-
Customers come with the wrong expectations and leave when they find out
Expectations are funny and can throw a whole relationship out of whack. From the initial point of contact, your expectations are set by the Sales & Marketing messaging. It is important for your development team to both set and meet expectations by being transparent and empathetic to your problems. As the financier of your app or website project, it is important to let your Customer Success Advocate (CSA) know so that they can speak up on your behalf to the internal team supporting your project. A way to keep you, the client, and the dev team happy is weekly calls to keep perceptions and expectations aligned.How we mitigate this issue: Our Sales team sets the expectations.
-
The customer and the product are not the right fit
It’s not any secret that developing an app or website is an investment. The team you hire to accomplish this needs to also feel that excitement and anticipation of the product. You should always feel comfortable and confident that you can reach out to your development team as needed. If you have difficulty reaching someone or are feeling unheard then that team might not be the right fit for you. I don’t expect my client to invite me to Sunday dinner but I want them to feel like they can share their weekend excitement with me on our Monday callsHow we mitigate this issue: Customer Success represents our product and the relationship with the client.
-
Customer support does not resolve customer issues swiftly causing them to leave before they get value
Your Customer Success Advocate is the liaison between you and the dev team and juggles dev priorities to keep you happy. If your CSA does not feel the same urgency as you do or if your CSA can’t help you understand the process then they’re not doing their job. For example, you might be anxious to see updates to your project but the CSA knows that development needs time before you can click and scroll and should explain that process to you.How we mitigate this issue: Customer Success is the liaison between the client and dev and juggles dev priorities to keep customers happy.
Make a Wise Choice
We would love to add you to our Portfolio but only if we understand your issue, map out the project, listen to your concerns, plan for the future, and are as excited about MVP as you are. Check out some of our success stories here.
