In SaaS, acquiring customers is only half the battle. The real challenge lies in keeping them engaged and ensuring they see value in your product over time. If your churn rate is higher than you’d like, or customer engagement feels like a mystery, it’s time to take a structured approach to customer success. This article will explore how you can create a rock-solid customer success framework using HubSpot.
Why Is Customer Success So Important?
It’s no secret that retaining customers is significantly more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. Studies consistently show that acquiring a new customer costs 5–7 times more than retaining an existing one. Yet, too many businesses focus heavily on sales and onboarding while neglecting the post-sale journey.
Happy customers stick around. Happy customers talk about you. And happy customers spend more. Simple math, right?
Now, let’s break down how HubSpot can help you deliver the happiness your customers deserve.
Step 1: Define What Success Looks Like
Before you jump into the tools, take a moment to ask yourself: what does success mean for your customers? Are they using your product regularly? Are they telling their colleagues about you? Are they upgrading their subscriptions?
Here’s a quick exercise:
Think about your ideal customer. (No, not just the one who pays on time—although that’s a plus). Ask yourself:
- What do they need to achieve to feel they’re getting value from your product?
- How can you measure that?
By answering these questions, you’ll have a better idea of the milestones to track and celebrate with your customers.
Step 2: Use HubSpot’s Tools to Monitor Engagement
HubSpot doesn’t come with a crystal ball, but it offers powerful tools to help you track and analyze customer behavior. Here are a few ways to put them to work:
Track app usage
If your customers aren’t actively using your product, they’re at risk of churning. Integrating app usage data with HubSpot allows you to monitor activity and spot disengagement early.
Create custom properties for key behaviors
Identify the actions that matter most—like logging in, completing a specific task, or spending a certain amount of time in the app. Use these as metrics to measure customer health.
Set up workflows to follow up
Automate follow-ups with customers who show signs of disengagement. For example, if a customer hasn’t logged in for 30 days, you can send a personalized email offering assistance or resources to re-engage them.
Step 3: Stay Proactive with NPS Surveys
Here’s a classic move: ask your customers how they feel. Simple, yet shockingly underused. Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys are a great way to figure out whether your customers are fans, critics, or somewhere in between.
Why bother? Because a low score doesn’t just tell you who’s unhappy—it tells you who’s at risk of churning. By asking customers to rate their likelihood of recommending your product, you can segment them into three groups:
- Promoters (scores of 9–10): Loyal customers likely to advocate for your product.
- Passives (scores of 7–8): Satisfied but not enthusiastic—these customers may be vulnerable to competitors.
- Detractors (scores of 0–6): At-risk customers who may churn without intervention.
Here’s how to make the most of NPS in HubSpot:
Automate the ask
Use workflows to send surveys at the right times—after onboarding, following a major milestone, or at regular intervals.
Act on the feedback
Keep the data from gathering dust. Follow up with detractors (those who score 0–6) to address their concerns, and thank promoters (those who score 9–10) for their loyalty. Bonus points if you ask promoters for referrals.
Step 4: Personalize Your Communication
Nobody likes feeling like just another line in a CRM. HubSpot’s personalization tools let you treat your customers like the individuals they are.
Here are a few ways to make your communication more… human:
Use personalization tokens in emails
Go beyond “Hi [First Name].” Tailor your messages based on the customer’s industry, recent activity, or specific goals.
Segment your customer base
Not all customers are created equal. Group them by account size, engagement level, or product usage to send messages that actually matter to them.
Step 5: Flag At-Risk Accounts Early
The earlier you spot a customer on the verge of churning, the easier it is to win them back. Here’s where HubSpot’s reporting and dashboards shine.
Set up a customer health score that factors in things like:
- Frequency of product use
- Response (or lack thereof) to emails
- NPS survey results
- Length of time since the last meaningful interaction
If an account’s score drops below a certain threshold, you’ll know it’s time to act. Maybe they need a re-onboarding session, a call with your customer success team, or just a little extra TLC.
Step 6: Celebrate Your Champions
Don’t forget to show some love to your happiest customers. These folks are your best advocates, your biggest cheerleaders, and probably the ones who’ll renew their contracts without blinking.
Here’s how you can keep them feeling appreciated:
- Offer exclusive perks, like early access to new features or discounts on upgrades.
- Shine a spotlight on them in case studies or testimonials (with their permission, of course).
- Simply say “thank you.” A sincere gesture goes a long way.
Building a customer success framework takes work, but it’s worth it. With HubSpot in your corner, you have the tools to keep customers engaged, happy, and returning for more. Customer success isn’t just a department—it’s a mindset that can transform the way you do business. If you’re curious about implementing these strategies, schedule a free consultation with us, and let’s see how we can help!
