Ever had that sinking feeling?
You thought things were going okay with a customer… and then they cancel out of nowhere. “Wait, what? But they seemed fine!”
If you’re in Customer Success, this happens. And when it does, you start questioning everything, the relationship, the metrics, even your gut.
The good news: you can reduce these surprises. But only if you start treating customer health as more than just a dashboard score. Here’s how I approach it, and what I recommend to other CSMs who want fewer nasty surprises.
1. 🧠 Customer health isn’t a magic number
Let’s start with a reality check: your “Health Score” might be lying to you.
Many CS tools will give you a traffic light system: green, yellow, red. Or a score from 0 to 100. That’s fine… but it’s only part of the story.
Customer health is nuanced. It’s not just about usage or NPS. It’s about context: changes in leadership, shifting priorities, product fit, internal politics, things no tool can fully capture.
Use the data. But don’t depend on it blindly.
2. 🧭 Set a rhythm for health check-ins
If you only check health when something feels off, you’re already too late.
I recommend setting regular health reviews, monthly for strategic accounts, quarterly for others. This isn’t just looking at dashboards; it’s reflecting on:
- What changed since last touchpoint?
- Any red flags from support tickets or silence?
- Are they still progressing toward their original goals?
Bonus: block time in your calendar. Make this a habit, not a reaction.
3. 🤝 Relationship depth is a health signal
One of the biggest blind spots? When your relationship is too narrow.
If you’re only talking to your main point of contact, and they leave… you’re in trouble.
So ask yourself:
- Do I know at least 2-3 stakeholders?
- Have I spoken to someone outside the “day-to-day” users?
- Is there an internal champion who would defend us?
If the answer is no, that’s a health risk, even if usage looks great.
4. 📉 Watch for early signs of disengagement
Customers don’t usually go from happy to canceling overnight. There’s a slow fade first, and you can spot it if you’re paying attention:
- Fewer replies to emails
- Cancelled or rescheduled meetings
- Vague responses like “we’re just reviewing things internally”
If you see this, don’t wait. Call it out kindly:
“Hey, I’ve noticed a bit of a slowdown in our convos lately. Just want to make sure everything’s still aligned on your side.”
Being direct, but human, often opens up the real story.
5. 🎯 Tie health back to outcomes, not activity
Here’s a trap: assuming a customer is healthy just because they use the product.
But usage without impact = at-risk.
A better approach is to map everything back to their original goals:
- Are they achieving what they set out to do?
- Are you measuring that impact with them?
- Are they getting internal recognition because of the product?
If not, they may be quietly questioning the value, even if they’re logging in every day.
6. 🧰 Use a quick health review checklist
To make it real, here’s something I often use with my clients. Every month or so, I ask myself these 7 questions:
- Have they had any leadership or org changes?
- Are we helping them meet a business goal, and tracking it?
- Are support issues under control?
- Are they engaged in convos, or ghosting us?
- Do we have multiple champions?
- Are they aware of the full value we can offer?
- If I asked them today, “What’s next?”, would they have an answer?
If you score low on more than 2 of these… time to dig in.
Final Thought: Prevention > Recovery
A lot of CSMs spend time putting out fires, saving accounts at risk. But the real magic? Catching things before they burn.
Customer health reviews aren’t just for your team’s scorecard. They’re your early warning system. When done right, they give you control. No more guessing. No more surprise churns.
So yeah, check the dashboards. But also check your instincts. And more importantly: check in with your customer like a human being.
You’ll be amazed how much they’ll tell you, if you just ask.