Rethinking Customer Health: It’s Not About Who Likes You

 We’ve all seen it. A cheerful Net Promoter Score slides across the screen in a board meeting, and for a moment, it feels like a win. But then someone shifts in their seat and asks, “Do we really know how our customers are doing?”

That pause says everything.

Because deep down, we know: liking you isn’t the same as staying with you. And it certainly isn’t the same as growing with you.

Customer health isn’t just a number. It’s a mirror—showing you what’s working, what’s misunderstood, and what’s barely holding together.

When NPS Isn’t Enough

For years, companies have leaned on NPS as the heartbeat of customer experience. It’s simple, recognizable, and easy to plot on a chart.

But that simplicity has a cost.

NPS doesn’t predict renewals. It doesn’t reveal product usage. It doesn’t tell you if your customers are actually getting what they came for. It’s a signal—but not a summary.

The truth? Customer health is more complex. And it should be.

That’s why leading companies are moving to a new model—one with three parts: relationship quality, product usage, and value realization.

Part 1: Relationship Quality (Beyond Polite Emails)

This is where most teams start—and where too many stop.

Do they like us? Will they refer us? Are they saying nice things in meetings?

That’s a beginning. But real relationship quality goes deeper.

Are your customers willing to go on record with you? Speak at a conference? Join you in a case study? If they’ve trusted you with their reputation, that’s a much stronger signal than a 9 on a survey.

It’s not about collecting praise. It’s about spotting advocacy.

And sometimes, the real insights aren’t objective—they’re emotional. A customer who pushes back, asks hard questions, stays engaged even through frustration? That might be the healthiest relationship you’ve got.

Part 2: Product Usage (Yes, But How?)

Most companies track usage. Fewer ask what the usage means.

A customer might be logging in regularly—but are they exploring new features? Are they expanding to new teams? Are they relying on your product to solve strategic problems—or just using it to check a box?

This is where digging matters.

As Jim Karrh put it, usage data exists in your system right now. But usage without insight is just noise. If customers are under-using your platform—or using it only for basic tasks—you’re vulnerable. Not just to churn, but to missed opportunity.

Part 3: Value Realization (The Gold You Have to Mine)

This is the hardest piece to measure. And the most important.

Are your customers actually achieving the outcomes they bought you for?

It sounds obvious, but most companies can’t answer that. They forget to capture a baseline. They don’t revisit the original problem. And when renewal time comes, they cross their fingers and hope goodwill is enough.

But goodwill fades. Results last.

That’s why value realization requires collaboration. Sales has to know what problem was sold. Customer success has to track whether that problem was solved. And someone has to ask, “What changed?”

If you’re not hearing business impact in your QBRs, it may be time to start asking different questions.

It’s a Team Sport

Too often, customer health lives in one department. Usually customer success. Maybe marketing owns a survey or two. Sales nods along at QBRs.

But the reality? It takes all of them.

• Marketing hears early signals.

• Sales captures the original intent.

• Success sees the day-to-day reality.

• Product notices patterns of use and non-use.

• Finance sees when the invoices stop getting paid.

Customer health isn’t about assigning blame. It’s about connecting dots.

If your teams are only looking at their own dashboards, you’re missing the bigger picture.

Start by mapping out how each function contributes to customer health. Then create a shared view. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real.

What QBRs Could Be (But Usually Aren’t)

Let’s be honest: QBRs should be gold.

A moment to sit down, compare notes, and plan what’s next.

But too often, they become tactical check-ins—or worse, complaint sessions. You show up, they air grievances, you apologize, and nothing changes.

The fix? Reframe the purpose.

QBRs aren’t status reports. They’re strategic checkpoints. An invitation-only opportunity to co-create the next phase of the partnership.

That means:

• Pre-aligning with champions.

• Surfacing issues in advance.

• Framing the meeting around goals, not grievances.

Put a velvet rope around the QBR. Make it something both sides prepare for—and benefit from.

And don’t just talk about the value you’ve delivered. Invite your customer to reflect it back. Give them a chance to name what’s worked. Then ask what could be even better.

That’s not spin. That’s stewardship.

Start Where You Are

If your current view of customer health is just a survey score and a handful of anecdotes, that’s okay.

You don’t need a perfect model to start.

Sit down with your customer success lead and your top sales rep. Look at those three categories—relationship quality, product usage, value realization—and ask:

• What do we already track?

• What are we guessing at?

• What would help us predict retention better?

Then build a simple scoring system. Test it. Tweak it. Let it evolve.

The goal isn’t to replace gut instinct. It’s to give that instinct something to work with.

Because when you truly understand what keeps your customers healthy, you’re not just protecting revenue. You’re building trust. And trust, unlike a survey score, doesn’t fade.