Retain
Building Block 11: Customer Lifecycle Management
Challenge
When it comes to cloud services, the sales cycles are often longer, management is more complex, and support requires more expertise. These are higher hurdles to clear, but for companies that do it well, the rewards can be even greater.
Building Long-Lasting Relationships
First among these is the opportunity to build long-lasting relationships with customers that drive long-term value. However, for providers that focus on the long game, managing the entire customer lifecycle is essential to success.
Here is a high-level breakdown of customer lifecycle stages:
![Purchase]()
Purchase
The customer buys a product
![Onboarding]()
Onboarding
The customer begins to get comfortable with the product
![Advanced Use]()
Advanced Use
The customer has mastered the basics and is ready to use additional features and functionality
![Expanded Use]()
Expanded Use
The customer is ready to be up/cross sold on additional products to meet their changing needs
Providing Multiple Touch Points
Providers need to create multiple touch points to help customers in one stage reach the next. Customer communications are critical to lifecycle management, and having a clear idea of how and when you will communicate with your customers is critical.
Strategy Tips
![Time Based Communications]()
Time-Based Communications
The easiest way to move customers through the lifecycle is to send time-based communications — communications that are set at predetermined times to encourage certain actions.
![Behavior Based]()
Behavior Based
Another approach may be behavior-based. An example can be if the provider sends out a “Welcome to Your New Service” communication, and then follow it up with a “How-To” series.
