Introduction
No two customers are exactly alike, and a one-size-fits-all approach to the customer journey can lead to missed opportunities for engagement and growth. By tailoring lifecycle stages to different customer segments, you can meet each customer where they are, aligning your efforts with their unique needs and goals. This article will guide you through customizing lifecycle stages in Gainsight for various segments, ensuring that every customer—whether a small business or a large enterprise—receives a journey that’s built for them.
Step 1: Define Segment-Specific Needs and Objectives
The first step in customizing lifecycle stages is understanding the distinct needs and objectives of each customer segment. These needs often vary based on factors such as company size, use case, and engagement level.
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Enterprise vs. SMB: Enterprise customers may require a longer, more resource-intensive onboarding process with multiple check-ins, while SMBs often prefer a streamlined onboarding experience. Use Scorecards to create separate health score thresholds for each segment, ensuring that engagement levels align with their specific requirements.
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Use Case Variability: Tailor each stage based on how customers use your product. For instance, if a customer relies heavily on analytics, their Adoption stage might focus more on advanced reporting features. Adoption Explorer allows you to monitor feature usage by use case and adjust engagement accordingly.
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Engagement Level: Highly engaged customers may progress through stages more quickly, while lower-engagement customers might need extra support in the form of touchpoints and resources. Customize Journey Orchestrator to provide tailored communications based on engagement data.
Step 2: Customize Stage Milestones and Criteria for Each Segment
Once you’ve identified segment-specific needs, adapt the milestones and criteria within each lifecycle stage to match those needs. Customized milestones keep customers on a journey that’s relevant to them, improving their overall experience.
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Onboarding Milestones: Enterprise customers may require multiple milestones to ensure a thorough onboarding, such as setup calls, advanced training, and usage reviews. For these customers, set up comprehensive Success Plans with detailed tasks in Success Plans. SMBs might only require basic setup and introductory training sessions.
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Adoption Milestones: Define adoption criteria based on feature usage and engagement specific to each segment. For example, a rule could trigger an adoption milestone when an SMB customer uses three core features consistently, whereas an Enterprise customer might need to engage with a broader set of advanced features. Use Rules Engine to automate these milestones for different segments.
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Renewal Criteria: As customers approach renewal, segment-specific criteria can ensure that each customer receives a renewal experience that resonates. Use Dashboards to track engagement and ROI data, providing CSMs with insights tailored to each segment’s renewal needs.
Step 3: Monitor Segment Performance and Refine Stages
Segment customization is an ongoing process. By monitoring customer performance across segments, you can continually refine lifecycle stages and transition criteria to better serve each segment.
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Track Key Metrics by Segment: Use Dashboards to monitor metrics like usage patterns, health scores, and engagement levels within each segment. This will help you identify areas where specific segments may need additional support or adjustments.
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Gather Feedback for Each Segment: Collect feedback from CSMs and customers in each segment to understand how well the customized lifecycle stages are meeting their needs. Use Surveys to gather segment-specific insights that can guide further customization.
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Refine Transition Criteria and Milestones: Based on performance data and feedback, adjust milestones and transition criteria to better align with the segment's journey. This may include refining onboarding steps for SMBs or adding additional touchpoints for Enterprise customers in the Adoption stage. Rules Engine can automate these adjustments, ensuring scalability across segments.
Next Steps for Success
By customizing lifecycle stages to meet the needs of different customer segments, you ensure that every customer receives a journey tailored to their specific needs. As you monitor performance, continue refining these stages and criteria to keep each segment on track toward success.
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