{"id":10829,"date":"2024-04-26T14:00:41","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T14:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-customer-success-guide-2022\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:35:11","slug":"saas-customer-success-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-customer-success-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to SaaS Customer Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Customer success is a core growth driver for any SaaS business. The SaaS market is crowded with tons of similar products and the best ones that stand out are those who delight their customers regularly.<\/p><p>Are you wondering how to retain your customers and make them love your product? No worries! We have created an ultimate guide that will serve as a blueprint for SaaS owners to maximize SaaS customer success.<\/p><p>From <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/solutions\/customer-retention-software\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer retention<\/a> to LTV: CAC ratios and customer stickiness, we\u2019ll go over everything you need to know. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p><h2><strong>What is customer success?<\/strong><\/h2><p>Customer success or customer success management is the practice of ensuring customers get their desired outcome when using your product or service. Customer success goals include increasing customer retention, revenue, loyalty, and overall <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-satisfaction-survey\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">satisfaction with the product<\/a> or service provided.<\/p><h2><strong>Why is customer success important for SaaS?<\/strong><\/h2><p>Customer success is a major aspect of any successful SaaS company. It\u2019s the main way to ensure that customer needs are prioritized and they get value out of your product or service \u2014 leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/improve-user-activation\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user activation<\/a>.<\/p><p>Having a good customer success team can ensure long-term, sustainable business growth while a bad one could wreck the reputation of a SaaS product. Think of them as the first line of defense when it comes to hearing out customer concerns, implementing new strategies, and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/reduce-churn-rate\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reducing churn<\/a>.<\/p><p>In fact, buyers are willing to pay more for a product if they have a better customer experience. This is a reminder that having the right customer success strategies is just as important for a company\u2019s bottom line as it is for users on their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-journey-analytics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer journey<\/a>.<\/p><p><!-- Customer Success in SaaS Lead Gen Quiz Container --><\/p><div id=\"cs-quiz-container\"><p><!-- Progress Bar --><\/p><div id=\"cs-progress-container\"><div id=\"cs-progress-bar\"><\/div><\/div><p><!-- Question 1 --><\/p><div id=\"question1\" class=\"cs-quiz-question active-question\"><h3>What is the primary goal of a customer success strategy?<\/h3><div class=\"cs-quiz-answers\"><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Increase retention and loyalty<\/button><br \/><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Provide frontline technical support<\/button><br \/><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Focus only on new customer acquisition<\/button><\/div><\/div><p><!-- Question 2 --><\/p><div id=\"question2\" class=\"cs-quiz-question\"><h3>Which of these is a key metric to measure customer success?<\/h3><div class=\"cs-quiz-answers\"><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Net Promoter Score (NPS)<\/button><br \/><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Daily Website Visitors<\/button><br \/><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Cost Per Lead<\/button><\/div><\/div><p><!-- Question 3 --><\/p><div id=\"question3\" class=\"cs-quiz-question\"><h3>What is an effective strategy to improve onboarding for better customer success in SaaS?<\/h3><div class=\"cs-quiz-answers\"><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">A long, linear product tour video<\/button><br \/><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Personalized interactive walkthroughs<\/button><br \/><button class=\"cs-answer-btn\">Sending users directly to a help doc<\/button><\/div><\/div><p><!-- Final CTA --><\/p><div id=\"finalCta\" class=\"cs-quiz-question\"><h3>Ready to master customer success in SaaS?<\/h3><p>See how <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/\">Userpilot<\/a> can help you reduce churn and increase customer loyalty without writing a single line of code.<\/p><div class=\"cs-quiz-answers\"><button id=\"cs-demo-btn\">Get a Demo<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><p><!-- End of Quiz Container --><\/p><p><!-- Link to the JavaScript file you will upload to your media library --><br \/><script defer src=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/saas-customer-success-guide.js\"><\/script><\/p><h2><strong>Customer success vs customer experience vs customer support<\/strong><\/h2><p>While the three terms are sometimes (erroneously) used interchangeably, customer success isn\u2019t the same thing as customer experience or customer support. All three are important aspects of any SaaS business but there are <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-success-vs-customer-support\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">key differences<\/a> between them.<\/p><p>Customer support could be likened to acute care in a hospital. It\u2019s a mechanism for dealing with short-term problems and assisting customers who have hit a sudden roadblock in their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/free-user-journey-template\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user journey<\/a>. Sticking to the analogy, customer success efforts can be thought of as long-term treatment plans<\/p><p>A solid customer success strategy understands the needs of your users in the big picture and helps them achieve their desired goals throughout the entire <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-lifecycle-marketing-guide\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer lifecycle<\/a> rather than at a single point. Finally, customer experience is the overall perception one has when interacting with your product.<\/p><h2><strong>How to measure customer success? Key metrics to track <\/strong><\/h2><p>While some SaaS companies may assume that users are getting what they want just because revenue keeps growing, this isn\u2019t always the case. The best way to gauge customer success is by monitoring a few <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-management-kpis\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">key metrics<\/a>. Let\u2019s take a closer look at each one.<\/p><p>These are the five most important customer success metrics that you should be watching:<\/p><ol><li><strong>Net promoter score.<\/strong> The <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/good-nps-score\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPS score<\/a> is a standardized measure of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by seeing how likely they are to refer your product to others on a scale of 1-10.<\/li><li><strong>Churn rate.<\/strong> Churn rates measure how many customers you\u2019re losing every month, with high rates indicating issues in <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/what-is-product-marketing\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product-market fit<\/a> or customer success.<\/li><li><strong>Customer stickiness score.<\/strong> Customer stickiness tells you how often users come back to your product (which would tell you whether or not they\u2019re receiving <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-value\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ongoing value<\/a>.)<\/li><li><strong>Customer lifetime value.<\/strong> LTV is the average income your company earns from each user throughout their total time as a paying customer.<\/li><li><strong>Customer engagement score.<\/strong> The CES metric measures interactions like <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-usage-analytics-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product usage<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/improve-feature-discovery-product-adoption\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">feature discovery<\/a>, subscription upgrades, support tickets, and more.<\/li><\/ol><h3><strong>1. Net Promoter Score<\/strong><\/h3><p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/nps-saas-complete-guide\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPS score<\/a> tells you how likely a user would recommend your product to others. This will give you a clear idea of their true satisfaction level and loyalty which makes it an invaluable metric when trying to retain customers.<\/p><figure style=\"width: 461px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0f81d90b-5904-41cb-a0db-6811e456134c.png\" alt=\"NPS example\" width=\"461\" height=\"203\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NPS example<\/figcaption><\/figure><h4><strong>How to measure net promoter score?<\/strong><\/h4><figure style=\"width: 1824px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/68c68bc4-b7a9-4c52-856d-9e66991cc77e.png\" alt=\"NPS calculation \" width=\"1824\" height=\"1027\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NPS calculation<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>SaaS companies can measure their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/nps-metric\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPS metrics<\/a> by taking the total number of promoters and subtracting <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/nps-detractors-guide\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">detractors<\/a> from that number. Remember, promoters are classified as respondents with a customer satisfaction score of nine or higher while detractors are respondents with a score of six or lower.<\/p><p>Those who respond with a seven or eight are considered <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/nps-passives\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">passives<\/a> and excluded from the calculation.<\/p><h3><strong>2. Churn rate<\/strong><\/h3><p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-metrics-growth\/#SaaS-metric-%233:-Customer-churn\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Customer churn<\/a>\u00a0is a metric that tells you how many customers you\u2019re losing in a given period. Calculating your churn rate and analyzing the data can tip you off on which product flaws may be causing the losses.<\/p><p>After all, it can be very expensive to <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-acquisition\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acquire customers<\/a> which is why helping your current customers get their desired outcome is crucial. As this is one of the most important metrics, you should always employ methods of collecting feedback that can help you curb churn rates.<\/p><p>Churned customers can provide valuable feedback on why they left so it\u2019s best to start with them. Creating <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/churn-surveys-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">churn surveys<\/a> can help you capitalize on this untapped data and proactively resolve the source of customer churn before you lose more revenue.<\/p><h4><strong>How to measure customer churn rate?<\/strong><\/h4><figure style=\"width: 1832px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/517b7b75-ae06-4e90-81a0-0f01ad42e16e.png\" alt=\"Churn rate formula\" width=\"1832\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Churn rate formula<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>SaaS companies can measure their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-churn-rate\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer churn rate<\/a> by taking the total number of users lost during the period, dividing it by the total number of customers at the start of the period, and multiplying the figure by 100.<\/p><h3><strong>3. Customer stickiness score<\/strong><\/h3><p>The customer stickiness score is exactly what it sounds like. The metric tells you how often users come back to your product. High scores would indicate that your product <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/adding-value-to-products\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">provides continuous value<\/a> while low scores suggest that there could be obstacles that reduce engagement over time.<\/p><p>Furthermore, the customer stickiness score helps keep you accountable since it measures true engagement rather than <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/vanity-metrics-vs-actionable-metrics-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vanity metrics<\/a>. If you only look at MAU data and see it on an uptrend then you might miss that the ratio of MAU-DAU is actually falling, which is what stickiness tracking prevents.<\/p><h4><strong>How to measure customer stickiness score?<\/strong><\/h4><figure style=\"width: 1424px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6afd8ba1-1122-4ac7-a41e-e54d96f5fc19.png\" alt=\"Customer stickiness formula \" width=\"1424\" height=\"1016\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Customer stickiness formula<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>SaaS companies can measure their customer stickiness score by dividing their daily active users by their monthly active users. Your customer stickiness score, alongside other <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/retention-metrics-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">retention metrics<\/a>, can help you optimize the product for long-term use.<\/p><h3><strong>4. Customer lifetime value<\/strong><\/h3><p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-metrics-101-ltv-lifetime-value\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Customer lifetime value<\/a> \u2014 often abbreviated CLV or LTV \u2014 is the average amount of money that a company earns from a user over the total period of time that they\u2019re a paying customer. Tracking LTV over time can help you spot upward\/downward trends or craft customer expansion strategies.<\/p><p>Customer success can have a huge impact on LTV. After all, when customers succeed at their job-to-be-done they\u2019re more likely to upgrade to a pricier subscription. This boost in <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/expansion-mrr\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">expansion MRR<\/a> is a clear path to achieving higher customer lifetime values.<\/p><h4><strong>How to measure customer lifetime value?<\/strong><\/h4><figure style=\"width: 1780px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4ca5a4f6-eddb-4ec7-a300-e3cf5ab33d5a.png\" alt=\"Customer lifetime value formula\" width=\"1780\" height=\"1000\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Customer lifetime value formula<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>SaaS companies can measure their customer lifetime value by multiplying customer value with the average customer lifespan. Here, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-value-management\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer value<\/a> is calculated as the average purchase value multiplied by the average frequency of purchases from your SaaS.<\/p><h3><strong>5. Customer engagement score<\/strong><\/h3><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-engagement-score\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer engagement score<\/a> is a metric that measures interactions between your SaaS product and the people who use it. Tracking your CES metric can help you segment users with low scores to nurture them before they churn and have a dedicated customer success manager reach out to them.<\/p><h4><strong>How to measure customer engagement score?<\/strong><\/h4><figure style=\"width: 1400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8314b80d-3b59-488f-a8db-14e10ed9a31f.png\" alt=\"Customer engagement score formula\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1000\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Customer engagement score formula<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>SaaS companies can measure their customer engagement score by identifying <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/event-analytics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">core product events<\/a> and assigning a weighted score to each. Once you\u2019ve done that, multiply the weight of a single event by the frequency of these events to get an event value.<\/p><p>Finally, add up all the event values per customer to get your final customer <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-engagement-marketing-strategies-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">engagement<\/a> score.<\/p><h2><strong>4 strategies to achieve customer success in SaaS<\/strong><\/h2><p>Much like chess, a customer success strategy is comprised of multiple tactics that come together to ensure your customers achieve their desired goals. Your strategy should identify and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-needs-assessment\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">address the needs<\/a> of a SaaS customer from the onboarding process to an eventual upsell towards the end of the journey.<\/p><p>Here are four <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-success-strategies\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer success strategies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-success-best-practices-to-reduce-churn\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">best practices<\/a> that we\u2019re about to dive deeper into:<\/p><ol><li><strong>Interactive walkthroughs.<\/strong> Unlike the linear product tours that you\u2019d often see in an older SaaS company, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/interactive-walkthroughs-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interactive walkthroughs<\/a> can help users learn by doing (leading to improved information retention.)<\/li><li><strong>Self-support systems.<\/strong> Having a self-service support system will improve customer satisfaction by equipping users with the tools to solve their own problems while simultaneously r<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/reduce-customer-support-load\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">educing the load on your representatives<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Secondary onboarding.<\/strong> Trying to fit everything onto a primary onboarding flow can be difficult and detrimental which is why having additional onboarding rounds can be a good compromise.<\/li><li><strong>NPS surveys.<\/strong> Beyond telling you how satisfied, loyal, and likely to refer your customers are, NPS surveys can also provide insights on what to <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-improvement-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">change about your product<\/a>.<\/li><\/ol><h3><strong>1. Personalize customer onboarding with interactive walkthroughs<\/strong><\/h3><p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/interactive-walkthroughs-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Interactive walkthroughs<\/a> are a step-by-step product guide that helps users get familiar with your product at their own pace. It\u2019s one of the best ways to reduce the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/time-to-value\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TTV<\/a> (time to value) and can also be invaluable for <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-activation-rate-optimization\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PARO<\/a>.<\/p><p>Starting out with a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/welcome-screen-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">welcome screen<\/a> can prepare users for what they\u2019re about to learn while providing an early opportunity for <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-segmentation\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer segmentation<\/a> \u2014 leading to the ideal <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/contextual-onboarding-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contextual onboarding<\/a> setup. See how Kontentino uses <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/walkthrough-software\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interactive walkthroughs<\/a> to ensure users tick every box on their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-checklist-tips\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">checklist<\/a>.<\/p><figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Kontentinoonboardingchecklistcustomersuccess_10c74892e3406cc933575d5feac35794_800.png\" alt=\"Kontentino onboarding checklist customer success\" width=\"800\" height=\"423\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kontentino welcome message<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Kontentino created their interactive walkthrough and witnessed a 10% increase in their activation rate. Read the complete case study <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/kontentino-case-study\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p><h3><strong>2. Educate your customers with a self-support system<\/strong><\/h3><p>Over 60% of customers prefer <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/self-service-support-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">self-service support<\/a> like a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">knowledge base<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-tips\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding chatbot<\/a>. It\u2019s not hard to see why considering solving problems themselves can be faster than waiting to speak with an agent in some cases.<\/p><p>Having\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/interactive-walkthroughs-improve-onboarding\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interactive product guides<\/a> at the start of the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-best-practices\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding process<\/a> is another practice that can reduce inbound support tickets while improving the customer experience. One survey by Coleman Parks even found that a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/self-service-software-model\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">self-service model<\/a> can increase customer retention rates by up to 85%.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bd726a1c-5df6-4e6a-b920-63040507e725-scaled.png\" alt=\"Userpilot resource center editor \" width=\"2876\" height=\"1622\" \/><\/p><h3><strong>3. Use secondary onboarding to boost customer engagement<\/strong><\/h3><p>Your product\u2019s most advanced features are likely the ones that will keep users from switching over to a competitor which is why <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/secondary-onboarding\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">secondary onboarding<\/a> and even tertiary onboarding can be so beneficial. In addition to reducing churn, continuous onboarding can also lead to more upgrades.<\/p><p>Trying out features they\u2019ve never used before increases the value that a user receives, thus driving the potential for customer expansion. If you\u2019re a simple SaaS company with a single tool then a single flow may be enough but complicated product suites with tons of features should absolutely go further.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/28d97b60-9a3d-4efb-b59c-7cbd6fc939ed-scaled.png\" alt=\"Feature announcement modal created in Userpilot\" width=\"2846\" height=\"1618\" \/><\/p><h3><strong>4. Gather and collect customer feedback with NPS surveys<\/strong><\/h3><p>Asking customers for feedback has two main benefits. First of all, you\u2019ll get information that can guide you on how to i<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-experience-improvement\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mprove the user experience<\/a> for everyone who engages with your product. Secondly, you\u2019ll show them that you care about what they have to say which is always reassuring.<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.userpilot.com\/article\/71-creating-an-nps-survey\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In-app NPS surveys<\/a> are the most straightforward way to gather and sort through <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-feedback\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user feedback<\/a>.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/87a1dfcf-782a-4981-ae33-d3dd16eab357-scaled.png\" alt=\"NPS survey created in Userpilot\" width=\"2880\" height=\"1618\" \/><\/p><p>Tagging specific keywords can help you sort your NPS data and spot trends that could be influencing the scores.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/e72249cd-0b7a-43fa-978f-cc9bbfce282c-scaled.png\" alt=\"NPS response tagging in Userpilot\" width=\"2852\" height=\"1624\" \/><\/p><p>You could also run feature surveys to see if your customers like the latest changes you\u2019ve made to the product. At the end of the day, knowledge is power so having more information on how your users feel can be a significant advantage to customer relationship management.<\/p><h2><strong>How do you create a customer success plan?<\/strong><\/h2><p>If you truly want to optimize your product strategy for customer success then it\u2019s essential that you have a clear plan in place. There are a lot of things that go into ensuring customer success but here are five steps you need to take to create a viable game plan.<\/p><h3><strong>1. Identify the customer\u2019s end goal<\/strong><\/h3><p>The entire customer success process comes down to <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/goal-oriented-user-onboarding\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">helping customers achieve their end goal<\/a>. That being the case, you need to define customer success in the context of your users before you can start optimizing the experience for your customers.<\/p><p>Whether you <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-feedback-collection\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">collect feedback<\/a> through phone calls, surveys, or market research, the point is that you need a clear, in-depth understanding of what your customers are trying to accomplish. Once you\u2019ve identified the goals of your existing customers and new customers, you can guide them toward it.<\/p><h3><strong>2. Map processes to AHA moments<\/strong><\/h3><p>AHA moments are an essential part of the customer lifecycle. It\u2019s the moment when your customer says \u201d Now I get why this solution is so valuable\u201d \u2014 a point at which their loyalty goes through the roof and they\u2019re more likely to upgrade when the next <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/upsell-opportunities-saas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">upsell prompt<\/a> comes up.<\/p><p>Identifying potential AHA! moments (yes, there are multiple) and optimizing your customer journey map to get users to this key stage sooner can work wonders for retention. Everything should be driving customers towards their AHA since it\u2019s the moment when your tool goes from \u201cnice\u201d to \u201cinvaluable.\u201d<\/p><figure style=\"width: 2141px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cf5f364e-4650-4406-9f3c-a1bb1ff08eae.png\" alt=\"User adoption flywheel \" width=\"2141\" height=\"1488\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">User adoption flywheel<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3><strong>3. Build a great customer success team<\/strong><\/h3><p>Most companies put a lot of emphasis on having a reliable customer support team to preserve their reputation but hiring good account managers for your customer success team is just as important. In an ideal SaaS world, customers would be able to achieve their goals without opening a support ticket.<\/p><p>Sadly, this is something that other companies haven\u2019t realized yet which is why they don\u2019t offer as much training to new employees on their customer success team. Ultimately, building a good team comes down to finding people who understand your onboarding process and apply feedback well.<\/p><h3><strong>4. Align your customer and product teams<\/strong><\/h3><p>A SaaS business works best when the goals of its customer success and product teams are perfectly aligned. As there are bound to be deviations between the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/outcome-based-product-roadmaps\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">roadmaps<\/a> of these departments, a mutual understanding of the desired outcome on both ends is crucial.<\/p><p>Encouraging open communication between your CS team and product developers will get you the best of both worlds. The employees who spend all day talking to customers will be able to relay the detailed feedback to the people who know your product like the back of their hand.<\/p><p>By sharing <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-goals\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">key goals<\/a> and insights, you\u2019ll prevent any disconnection between both teams and help your business adapt to its customers that much faster. One approach you could take is having group brainstorming sessions with members of both teams sharing their thoughts in a safe space.<\/p><h3><strong>5. Improve over time<\/strong><\/h3><p>The prerequisites for promoting customer success are ever-evolving which is why your business, employees, and products need to keep improving at the same pace. If one company stays complacent in its value proposition for too long then another business is bound to disrupt it in the near future.<\/p><p>Whether it\u2019s churn\/feature surveys, support tickets, or other methods, getting data is always important. SaaS businesses need to keep fine-tuning their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-pricing-models\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pricing models<\/a>, UI, features, and internal processes based on customer feedback if they hope to keep up with the competition.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get on top of your SaaS customer success goals with our ultimate guide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":258668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,290],"tags":[363,480,200],"class_list":["post-10829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-success","category-updated","tag-customer-success","tag-customer-success-strategies","tag-net-promoter-score"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO 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