SaaS executives are shifting business focus, our survey report reveals great dissatisfaction with common business metrics; customer-centric measurements sets the new standard.
4. About Totango
Totango creates an Active and Engaged online
user-base, resulting in
better Monetization and less churn
Totango manages over 2.1 million accounts for its customers
5. Research Methodology
Totango surveyed 134 executives at SaaS
companies about the key performance
indicators used to run their businesses. The same
survey was also conducted in 2011 giving Totango
unique insights into SaaS trends.
7. 68% of SaaS Executives are unhappy with the current metrics and
1 methods available to measure SaaS business progress, which is up
from 61% from last year.
68%
61%
2011 2012
8. 57% of SaaS Executives are planning to implement new Key
2 Performance Indicators to better measure and manage their
business in the next twelve months.
57%
9. There is a shift towards customer centric
3 measurements, designed to report on the success of existing
customers: 5 out of the top 6 new Key Performance Indicators are
customer metrics.
Product Usage Analysis 39%
Churn 16%
CLV 13%
Campaign performance 9%
Upsell 8%
NPS 5%
10. SaaS companies are relying more and more on data and analytics to
4 run their businesses and there is an increase in the use of metrics
across the board.
54%
Website unique visitors
74%
59%
Conversion rates (free to paying)
71%
56%
Number of new trial signups or free accounts
68%
2011 2012
12. Question 1: Which metrics do you track (check all that apply)?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) 18%
Upgrade and downgrade 21%
30%
Social media mentions 31%
31%
Account activation rate 31%
44%
Customer lifetime value 44%
48%
Revenues per user 49%
Churn rates 56%
63%
Number of new trial signups or free accounts 56%
68%
Product usage statistics 69%
Conversion rates (free to paying) 59%
71%
Website unique visitors 54%
74%
2011 2012
13. Question 2: Which metrics do you plan to track in the future?
Product Usage Analysis 39%
Churn 16%
CLV 13%
Campaign performance 9%
Upsell 8%
NPS 5%
MRR 4%
Word of mouth 3%
CAC 1%
Social media 1%
14. Question 3: What aspects of churn do you measure (all that apply)?
Churn occurring in the first 90 days of a customer's life 22%
Annual retention/churn in % of revenues 36%
Monthly steady-state churn 46%
Annual retention/churn in % of the number of customers 50%
Note: Even though a majority of SaaS companies rely on recurring revenues, less than half
measure churn (no wonder CEOs are unhappy with their metrics).
15. Question 4: At what frequency are you reviewing these metrics?
Varies 5%
21%
Never 10%
5%
Quarterly - once a quarter 4%
1%
Monthly 9%
13%
Weekly 36%
31%
Daily (or more) 36%
28%
2011 2012
16. Question 5: How much are you growing revenues per user annually?
49%
26%
11%
8%
5%
2%
N/A 0-20% 21-40% 41-60% 61-80% Over 100%
17. Question 6: How happy are you with the state of your metrics?
27%
Not satisfied and learned to live with it
37%
34%
Not satisfied and invest on improving it
32%
25%
Good enough
14%
15%
Very pleased
17%
2011 2012
18. Question 7: What is the stage of your business?
No revenue yet (we’re just starting)
7%
Young (first year of revenue)
22%
Mature
22%
49%
Scaling (first couple of years in revenue)
19. Question 8: What is your business model?
Other
6%
Subscription with free trial
Freemium
20%
51%
23%
Enterprise sales
20. Respondents by Title
Question 8: What is your title?
IT 2%
Operations / Finance 2%
R&D 2%
Executive 5%
CEO 7%
Product Management 17%
Customer Success 22%
Marketing 22%
Sales 23%
21. www.totango.com
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