Which type of KPI is of the most interest to Customer Success?

The most relevant type of KPI for Customer Success is business KPIs that define progress to the business outcome. This is because Customer Success is fundamentally focused on ensuring that customers achieve their desired outcomes while using a product or service. By monitoring business KPIs, Customer Success Managers (CSMs) can assess how well the company's offerings are delivering on customer expectations and contributing to their success.

This approach allows CSMs to track metrics such as customer satisfaction, retention rates, product adoption, and the overall impact of the service on the company's goals. Understanding these KPIs enables CSMs to foster stronger relationships with customers, proactively address issues, and drive increased value from the product. This ultimately aligns with the overarching goal of Customer Success, which is to ensure that customers realize a substantial return on their investment.

Other types of KPIs, such as sales KPIs for revenue generation or IT services KPIs for operations, are crucial for different aspects of a business, but they do not directly reflect the effectiveness of Customer Success initiatives in enabling customer outcomes. Likewise, OPEX KPIs focus on operational costs, which, while important for overall company health, do not specifically address the customer experience or success measures.