A B2B SaaS company came to us with a quiet crisis. Their customer retention had dropped from 95% to 80% in a single fiscal year — but their Net Promoter Score (NPS) still read 95%.
Something didn’t add up.
It turned out the problem wasn’t just churn — it was how they were measuring customer health. Their NPS was focused on satisfaction and likeability, not on outcomes or risk. They were asking the wrong questions, and flying blind as a result.
Customer retention: 95% → 80%
Net Promoter Score: Still 95%
We worked with the Customer Success team to change both the mindset and the measurement:
- Replaced NPS with a churn-sensitive health score
- Simplified the survey to a single question:
“Have we helped you achieve your desired outcome?” (1–10 + comment) - Built internal routing to turn signal into action:
- Education issues → CSMs
- Product issues → Engineering
- Retention risks → Sales
From there, we launched a light-touch re-engagement campaign to follow up on survey responses and address risk head-on.
✅ The Result:
97%
Retention Recovery
Retention recovered to 97% in the following fiscal year
20%
Customers Flagged
20% of customers were flagged for churn risk and successfully engaged
$M
Revenue Saved
Millions in revenue saved — without any increase in team size
0
NPS Usage
The company retired NPS and now measures success based on outcomes
This was a clear reminder: Customer Success isn’t about being liked — it’s about keeping customers.