Lucidly

The SaaS metric that doesn’t exist yet (but will) = Customer Value Added (CVA). ARR tells us how much we sold. NRR tells us how much we kept. But neither answer the real question, how much measurable value did we actually deliver to our customers? That’s what CVA captures. Did adoption increase efficiency? Did expansion drive measurable ROI? Did advocacy prove customer trust? In a world where CAC is climbing and investors are demanding durability, “revenue” alone isn’t enough. The companies that win will prove how much their customers grew because of them. Customer Value Added will become the next north star metric for SaaS, and the teams who measure it first will build the strongest moats. ---------------------- Hey, I’m Nicholas 👋 I run Lucidly, the customer intelligence platform for revenue growth. I post every weekday morning (8:30am PST) about retention, expansion, and building a SaaS company from the ground up. Follow for ideas you can put to work the same day. DM anytime.

Most CRMs still treat “Closed-Won” as the finish line, but for SaaS it’s really just the starting line. Revenue doesn’t only come from the initial signature, it comes from adoption, retention, and expansion. That’s why I think “Closed-Won” should evolve into something more aligned with the post-sale journey. 🔹 Customer Activated → contract signed + onboarding kickoff 🔹 Onboarding Complete → Customer is live 🔹 Adoption Achieved → usage threshold met 🔹 Value Realized → measurable outcomes tied to ROI 🔹 Expansion Ready → qualified for growth When you measure the customer lifecycle this way, you stop celebrating the wrong milestone and start optimizing for NRR, not just new ARR. It’s time for CRM labels to reflect the reality of SaaS growth. Winning the logo is step one. Growing the customer account is the long game. CRMs, are you paying attention? ----------------------- Hey, I’m Nicholas 👋 I run Lucidly, the customer intelligence platform for post-sale revenue growth. I post every weekday morning (8:30am PST) about retention, expansion, and building a SaaS from the ground up. Follow for ideas you can put to work the same day. DM anytime.

In 5 years, the VP of Customer Success will be one of the highest-paid execs in SaaS. Because the fastest-growing companies will realize the real money is made after the first deal closes. Right now, most org charts put CS below the revenue line. They’re “responsible” for renewals, expansion, and advocacy, but without the same budget, tools, or headcount as Sales. That’s about to change. As CAC keeps rising, investors and boards are going to start asking a simple question. "Why are we spending millions on acquisition if we’re losing accounts faster than we can replace them?" When that happens, the companies that win will give CS leaders revenue accountability and a seat at the GTM table. 1. Equip them with the same data, tech, and ops resources as Sales 2. Tie compensation directly to net revenue retention and expansion I’ve already seen CS leaders quietly drive more growth than entire new logo teams, without the fanfare. The org chart of the future doesn’t separate “sales” and “customer success” into silos. It unites them under a org-wide revenue strategy that starts and ends with the customer. -------------------------- Hey, I’m Nicholas 👋 I run Lucidly, the Customer Intelligence Platform for post-sale revenue growth. I post every weekday morning (8:30am PST) about retention, expansion, and building a SaaS from the ground up. Follow for ideas you can put to work the same day. DM anytime.

AI is changing how Customer Success teams operate. From smarter QBRs to early churn detection and playbook automation, leading CS teams are using AI to move faster, act earlier, and drive more revenue after the sale. We put together a breakdown of how it’s actually being used today, and what it means for the future of CS. Read the full article below.

Post-sale revenue is a core part of GTM strategy. CRMs track pipeline. Marketing automation drives demand. Sales tools improve conversion. What most companies lack is the systems to support what happens after the deal is signed. Renewals and expansions depend on fragmented tools, inconsistent processes, and manual effort. Customer-facing teams manage billions in revenue with no dedicated infrastructure to support them. There is no shared system of record for value delivered, growth readiness, or account health. GTM strategy doesn’t end at closed-won, it continues through retention, expansion, and long-term revenue growth. The next generation of infrastructure is being built to support that.

Anyone that’s ever owned a revenue number, you know it’s brutal. Math doesn’t lie so there’s nowhere to hide. Pre-sales, post-sales, RevOps, leadership or IC, it doesn’t matter. You own the target. Teams are expected to protect and grow revenue, provide accurate forecasts across the entire book of business, yet they must work off a mix of disconnected tools that don’t talk to each other. There are some strong CS tools out there. But getting the revenue piece right... that’s still a challenge. Even with newer or incumbent platforms, here’s what I am seeing: - CRM integrations that don't really integrate - Redundant features fighting each other - Clunky workflows no one wants to use - Looming temptation of an all-in-one system that claims to do it all, but doesn't do anything particularly well This drove us to take a different approach. Our focus is building a signal layer that connects systems, understands customer behavior and gives you the clarity to act when it matters. -Predict churn before it happens -Uncover expansion opportunities -Equip teams to speak in revenue terms, not just relationship vibes -Automate the parts that suck up hours of prep and guesswork This is founder-led sales. I'm in the trenches every day with the people who own revenue, own CS talking to them and incorporating live feedback into our offering #RevenueLeadership #CustomerSuccess #FounderLedSales

The companies that win long-term don’t just chase new logos, they obsess over LTV. Everyone talks about retention and expansion, but few teams are truly built around it. Sales owns the first 90 days. Success owns the rest of the customer’s lifetime, often with fewer tools, less visibility, and little credit for the revenue they protect and grow. That’s a massive gap. If your operating model isn’t designed to maximize LTV with systems, incentives, and intelligence aligned around it; you’re playing a short-term game in a long-term market. The best companies don’t just grow, they compound. That’s exactly why we built Lucidly, to help post-sale teams drive more revenue, not just manage relationships. Our free plan is live. Link in comments.

We're excited to share a new chapter in our journey. We’ve rebranded! ChurnPilot is now Lucidly. Why Lucidly? Because our mission has evolved beyond churn. We’re building the AI engine for post-sale growth, delivering clear, actionable intelligence that helps SaaS teams retain, grow, and maximize customer value. Lucidly reflects what we stand for: 🧠 Intelligence without the noise 📈 Growth driven by insight 🤝 A clearer path from data to action Same team. Same mission. Sharper focus. We’re grateful to our customers, advisors, and early believers who’ve helped shape what Lucidly is becoming, and what it will unlock for the future of Customer Success, RevOps, and Growth teams. Let’s build the next era of customer intelligence together! #Lucidly

Loyalty is the new growth engine. Sometimes NPS isn’t enough as retention comes from proactive loyalty. 61% of consumers now expect personalized service from AI. CX teams are 2x more likely to act on churn risk and retain customers longer. Most teams still focus on closing tickets, not building trust. What you really need is a loyalty score, a proactive signal that confidently predicts if your customers will come back (and for how long). At ChurnPilot, we’re building the tools to power AI-driven retention before churn ever starts. What’s the one metric that proves your customers will come back?

#ShadowAI