10 Surefire B2B SaaS Customer Retention Strategies

CX Strategy

10 Practical B2B SaaS Customer Retention Strategies

Aug 21, 2023

7 mins read

Manisha Khandelwal

Contents

Are you struggling with retaining your existing SaaS customers? 

You’re not alone. Many businesses encounter this challenge at some point in their journey. However, the good news is that some have managed to double their revenue through effective customer retention strategies. 

Would you like to know How?

In SaaS businesses, subscription deals are offered where customers pay either monthly or yearly to use their software. This highlights that initially, customers only spend a small amount compared to what they’ll spend over a more extended period.

In such a scenario, retaining existing customers becomes even more challenging. That’s why understanding the importance of customer retention and implementing effective B2B SaaS customer retention strategies are crucial.

This blog aims to delve into this subject. We will explore 10 surefire practical customer retention strategies that can help you comprehend customer churn, identify key benchmarks, and create a revenue-focused strategy. 

10 Practical B2B SaaS Customer Retention Strategies

An image showing 10 B2B SaaS Customer Retention Strategies 

Here are the 10 practical strategies for retaining your existing customers in the B2B SaaS customer journey

1. Define Clear Expectations

Have you ever been excited about something but then disappointed because it didn’t turn out as expected? 

This arises when the business promises something to you but fails to offer it. That’s why you should ensure you’re giving clear expectations to the customers.

Tip → When you talk about what your service offers, you should be super clear and tell your customer exactly what they’ll get.

And the cool part is it’s even better if you promise a bit less but then surprise them with more.😉 

2. Gear up with NPS Surveys 📈

Implementing NPS surveys in B2B SaaS effectively can provide invaluable insights into your customers’ perceptions of your products and services over a specific period of time. This collected feedback also lets you know your business’s overall health, making NPS a cornerstone of sustainable growth. 

→ Learn about What is a good NPS score for SaaS

For instance, if you’re running a SaaS business that helps with project work, you can launch a  relationship NPS survey to ask how their experience with the tool has been for the past 3 months. If they give a high NPS score with good feedback, it means you’re doing great. But if they give a low score, you can identify those issues and fix them. This is how you can retain your customers by launching NPS surveys. 

Remember, NPS surveys aren’t just questions. They’re like truth bombs about why your customers leave.

3. Gathering Gold Nuggets aka Feedback from the Right People

Another practical and best B2B SaaS customer retention strategy is gathering feedback from the right people. 

  • Product Users: By gathering feedback from the product users you learn about their preferences and pain points. This informs you of feature enhancements that directly enhance their satisfaction.
  • Decision Makers: Engaging decision makers reveals strategic needs, such as integration requirements and specific reporting features. Addressing these needs strengthens long-term partnerships and retention.

This is how you can improve your product, meet your customer’s needs, and build customer bonds while increasing customer loyalty

4. Don’t Bombard them with Feedback Surveys

Crafting a thriving customer experience requires strategic feedback gathering. One crucial tip is to steer clear of bombarding customers with surveys on service tickets. This strategy ensures you collect valuable insights without overwhelming your clients.

Imagine you’re a client of a B2B SaaS platform who has reached out for technical help. After your issue is resolved, they don’t immediately send a survey right after a service interaction. Instead, they opt for a subtler approach – a follow-up thank you email for your time and patience and gently asking for feedback. 

You’ll feel valued, right? 

Indeed. This will also make you more likely to share insights.

This is how SaaS businesses can avoid survey fatigue. 

Remember, gathering customer insights via feedback is about quality, not quantity.

 

Retain your B2B SaaS Customers With SurveySensum – Request a Demo

 

5. Speedy Resolution → Close the Feedback Loop

Resolving customer issues promptly ensures customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty. That’s why closing the loop swiftly is one savvy approach. 

By closing the loop quickly you can resolve customer’s issues, build trust, and easily retain them. With this, you can create a delightful customer experience that sets your business apart and keeps clients coming back for more.

6. Use Data to Personalize Each Interaction 

Harness the data for personalized interactions. Why? 

To make your customers feel valued. 

By utilizing data integration tools to collect customers’ data you can give them personalized offerings that are exactly what they want.  You can also customize each interaction as per their requirements. This shows that you’re not just another software provider—you’re a partner invested in their success.

Also, data-driven personalization fits perfectly with each client. By using this strategy, you’re weaving threads of loyalty, satisfaction, and trust that tie your customers strongly to your brand.

 

Retain your B2B SaaS Customers With SurveySensum – Request a Demo

 

7. Unveiling the Aha Element in the B2B SaaS Customer Retention 

Here’s how you can create an “aha” experience for your customers. 

Imagine your customer is struggling with comprehending complex data sets. But when they explore your SaaS platform they discover that by incorporating intuitive visualizations and a guided tutorial into the platform, they grasp insights effortlessly — an “aha” moment.

This sudden revelation brings joy and newfound confidence in utilizing the software makes them more likely to stick around. Creating such experiences transforms user challenges into successes.

8. Constantly Upgrade and Release New Versions

In the ever-evolving realm of B2B SaaS, the key to lasting success lies in continual growth. One powerful strategy is the consistent roll-out of upgrades and new versions.

Through periodic introductions of new features and trending versions, you foster user engagement and retention. Simultaneously, maintaining up-to-date software shows your dedication to offering premier solutions that adapt to users’ evolving needs and prevailing market trends.

Tip Send feature request surveys to your customers to know exactly what they want. These insights will help you integrate the most requested suggestions into your roadmap and then accordingly your team can work on it to launch the feature. This customer-centric approach ensures your B2B SaaS evolves in alignment with user needs, fostering satisfaction and loyalty.

9. Track Your SaaS Product Usage by Keeping an Eye Out 👀

You must know how your customers are using your product. Why? 

Because this helps you to understand what they like and what needs improvement, and how you can give them better support. And tracking product use is like following clues in a book. 

By doing this in your B2B SaaS approach, you’re not just watching; you’re caring for customers. You understand them better, fix issues, and make their journey with your product smoother.

10. Discover Why and When Customers Leave 🧐

Do you know how to keep customers engaged in the B2B SaaS world? 

By discovering – why and when customers leave.

When you know the reason behind customers leaving then you can fine-tune your approach for better retention. 

All you have to do is build a complete picture of customer behavior, conduct customer feedback at each touchpoint to understand their preferences, and then take relevant action. This is how you can sustain their satisfaction and boost customer retention.

By incorporating this approach, you’re not just preventing departures; you’re building strong bonds, bridging gaps, and adapting your service to their needs.

Conclusion 

These are the 10 best practical approaches to retaining your customers in the B2B SaaS world. You have to understand your customers, their time, effort, and behavior, and resolve their issues rapidly. With that only, you can ace your business. So, implement them carefully. 

Also, if you want to create agile surveys for your SaaS business, then try SurveySensum

 

Manisha Khandelwal

Senior Content Marketer at SurveySensum

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