Customer Retention Audit
Score your business across 10 retention dimensions. Identify what's causing customer churn, what to fix first, and how to build a retention system that increases Customer Lifetime Value.
How to Score Each Statement
Customer Onboarding
The first 30 days after purchase determine whether a customer stays or churns within the first year.
Every new customer receives a structured onboarding sequence (welcome email, setup guide, first-value milestone).
We have a documented onboarding checklist that's followed consistently — not dependent on who handles the account.
New customers experience their first measurable win or value moment within 14 days of signing.
Proactive Communication
Customers who hear from you regularly — with useful information, not just invoices — stay longer and buy more.
We have a scheduled communication cadence (not just when there's a problem or renewal).
Customers receive content that helps them get more value from what they already bought — not just upsell offers.
We have at least one systematic touchpoint per month with every active customer.
Customer Feedback & Listening
Most churning customers don't complain — they just leave. You need a system that catches dissatisfaction before the exit.
We systematically collect customer satisfaction data (NPS, CSAT, or structured check-ins) at regular intervals.
We have a process for acting on negative feedback within 48 hours — not just recording it.
We conduct exit interviews or churn surveys with customers who leave.
Value Delivery & Results
Customers don't renew because they like you — they renew because they're getting measurable value they can't easily replace.
We can quantify the value or ROI each customer receives — and we share that data with them regularly.
We have a structured business review or QBR process that reviews results, identifies new opportunities, and sets priorities.
Customers can point to at least one specific metric that improved because of our product or service.
Issue Resolution & Escalation
Speed of problem resolution is one of the strongest predictors of retention. It's not whether problems happen — it's how fast they get fixed.
We have a documented escalation path — customers know exactly who to contact and what response time to expect.
Urgent issues are acknowledged within 1 hour and resolved or escalated within 4 hours during business days.
After every issue is resolved, we follow up to confirm satisfaction and document what caused the problem.
Account Expansion & Growth
The best retention strategy is a customer who's growing with you — buying more, using more, and deepening their relationship.
We have a documented process for identifying expansion opportunities within existing accounts (upsell, cross-sell, new use cases).
Expansion revenue is tracked separately from new customer revenue — we know the ratio.
Customers who've been with us 12+ months typically use more services or spend more than they did in month 1.
Churn Risk Detection
By the time a customer tells you they're leaving, it's usually too late. You need leading indicators that flag risk before the decision is made.
We track leading indicators of churn risk (declining usage, reduced communication, missed payments, stakeholder changes).
We have a defined intervention process when a customer shows risk signals — it triggers automatically, not based on someone noticing.
We can look back at churned customers and identify at least 2-3 common patterns that preceded their departure.
Loyalty & Advocacy
Loyal customers who refer others are worth dramatically more than customers who simply don't leave.
We have a structured referral program or process that makes it easy for happy customers to introduce us.
Long-tenure customers receive differentiated treatment — not just the same experience as a month-1 customer.
We regularly collect and publish testimonials or case studies from satisfied customers.
Retention Measurement
If you can't measure retention, you can't manage it. Most businesses don't even know their churn rate.
We calculate and review our customer churn rate monthly — by cohort, by plan/tier, by acquisition source.
We know our Customer Lifetime Value and can compare it to our Customer Acquisition Cost.
We track retention by customer segment — and know which segments have the highest and lowest retention rates.
Reactivation & Win-Back
Lost customers aren't gone forever. A structured win-back program can recover 5–15% of churned customers at a fraction of new acquisition cost.
We have a defined reactivation sequence for customers who've churned — it doesn't depend on someone remembering to reach out.
We track the reason for every churn and use that data to segment our win-back approach.
We've successfully reactivated at least one lost customer in the past 90 days through structured outreach.
Answer all questions above to see your results.
This audit is an educational self-assessment tool, not a guaranteed business diagnosis. Results are based on self-reported answers. Cecil Jones Marketing does not provide legal, financial, or tax advice.