Introduction
As a business owner, tracking and measuring your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is essential to ensure your SaaS business is growing and successful. By tracking and measuring these vital metrics, you can effectively analyze your business performance and identify areas for improvement. This article will focus on the seven most important KPI metrics for SaaS businesses and how to track and calculate them.
- Average revenue per user (ARPU)
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
- Customer retention rate (CRR)
- Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
- Average Revenue Churn Rate (ARCR)
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
- Customer satisfaction rate (CSR)
Average revenue per user (ARPU)
Definition
Average revenue per user (ARPU) is a metric used to measure the average revenue generated per user, usually over a period of time. It helps measure the effectiveness of a company’s services or products and is often used to compare different types of products or services.
Benefits of Tracking
- Helps measure the effectiveness of a company’s services or products.
- Provides insight into the company’s financial performance.
- Helps measure customer lifetime value.
- Provides an overview of the amount of revenue generated per user.
Industry Benchmarks
The average ARPU for the SaaS industry is around 5 per user per month, but can vary significantly depending on the type of business and the services or products they offer.
How to calculate
ARPU is calculated by dividing the total revenue generated by the number of users over a given period.
Calculation example
For example, if a business generates ,000 in revenue over a 12-month period and has 500 users, the ARPU for that period is 0.
Tips and tricks
- ARPU should be tracked over time to get an accurate picture of revenue generated per user.
- Regularly benchmark your arpu against industry benchmarks to ensure your revenue is in line with your competitors.
- Analyze the data to identify any trends or changes in your ARPU over time.
- Focus on increasing customer lifetime value to maximize ARPU.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Definition
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is a measure of how much it costs a business to acquire a new customer. The metric is expressed as a dollar amount, and it is calculated by adding together all the costs associated with acquiring new customers, such as advertising, sales, and marketing expenses.
Benefits of Tracking
Tracking CAC is important for businesses to understand the cost of acquiring new customers. It is also useful for companies to understand the return on investment (ROI) of their marketing campaigns. By tracking CAC, companies can measure the effectiveness of their customer acquisition strategies and make strategic decisions about where to allocate resources.
Industry Benchmarks
The average CAC across industries is around -90, although this varies depending on the type of business and industry. For example, the CAC for e-commerce companies is generally lower than the CAC for software as a service (SAAS) companies. It’s important to benchmark CAC against industry benchmarks to ensure companies aren’t overspending on customer acquisition.
How to calculate
CAC is calculated by dividing the total cost of acquiring new customers (sales and marketing expenses) by the total number of customers acquired. The formula is:
Calculation example
For example, if a company spends ,000 on sales and marketing in a given month and acquires 10 new customers, their CAC for that month would be 0:
Tips and tricks
- Track CAC over time to identify trends and understand the effectiveness of customer acquisition strategies.
- Compare CAC to industry benchmarks to ensure companies aren’t overspending on customer acquisition.
- Identify opportunities to reduce CAC, such as optimizing marketing campaigns or improving sales processes.
Customer retention rate (CRR)
Definition
Customer Retention Rate (CRR) is a metric that shows the percentage of customers who buy from a business over a given time period. This is an important metric for SaaS companies because it indicates the company’s success in retaining existing customers.
Benefits of Tracking
Tracking customer retention rate (CRR) is important for SaaS companies because it provides insight into customer behavior and helps improve customer loyalty. It also indicates how successful the company is in retaining existing customers. Additionally, it is an important metric for measuring the effectiveness of customer service, marketing, and product development efforts.
Industry Benchmarks
The industry benchmark for customer retention rate (CRR) is typically around 80%. This means that 80% of customers who buy from a business over a period of time continue to buy from the business in the future.
How to calculate
The Customer Retention Rate (CRR) can be calculated using the following formula:
- E = number of customers at the end of the period
- N = number of new customers during the period
- S = number of customers at the beginning of the period
Calculation example
For example, if a SaaS company had 1000 customers at the start of the period, added 100 new customers during the period, and ended the period with 1100 customers, the customer retention rate (CRR) would be calculated as follows:
Tips and tricks the KPI
To improve customer retention rate (CRR), SaaS companies should focus on customer loyalty and satisfaction. This can be achieved by providing excellent customer service, offering discounts and promotions, and creating a positive customer experience. Additionally, businesses should regularly monitor and analyze their customer retention rate to identify areas for improvement.
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
Definition
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) is a measure of total revenue from customers who have committed to a recurring payment for a service or product. It is calculated by summarizing the recurring revenue of all customers for a given month.
Benefits of Tracking
MRR tracking is important for SaaS companies as it provides an indication of customer loyalty and retention. It also serves as an indicator of customer satisfaction and helps identify trends in customer growth and revenue. Additionally, tracking MRR allows businesses to focus on customer lifetime value, which can help optimize pricing and increase profitability.
Industry Benchmarks
The average MRR for SaaS businesses is around ,000. However, this may vary by industry and market. Companies in the software, finance, and healthcare industries tend to have higher MRRs, while companies in the retail and consumer services industries have lower MRRs.
How to calculate
The MRR is calculated by summarizing the recurring revenue of all customers during a given month. This includes subscription fees, renewal fees and any other recurring revenue. The formula for calculating MRR is as follows:
Calculation example
If a SaaS company has 10 customers with subscription fees of each, their MRR would be 0. The formula would be:
Tips and tricks
- Track MRR over time to get an indication of customer loyalty and retention.
- Focus on customer lifetime value to optimize pricing and increase profitability.
- Compare MRR to industry benchmarks to ensure your business is operating at the expected level.
- Break down MRR into different categories, such as new customers, lost customers, reactivated customers, etc., to better understand customer behavior.
Average Revenue Churn Rate (ARCR)
Definition
Average Revenue Churn Rate (ARCR) is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) metric that measures the average amount of recurring revenue lost over a given time period. It is used to measure the effectiveness of a company’s customer retention efforts and to understand the dynamics of customer lifetime value (CLV).
Benefits of Tracking
Arc tracking is important for SaaS companies because it allows them to identify customer churn trends and make changes to their customer retention strategies. Additionally, ARCR tracking can be used to measure the success of customer success initiatives, such as onboarding, customer support, and product usage.
Industry Benchmarks
The average ARCR for SaaS companies is around 5-7%, although this varies by industry and company size. Smaller companies tend to have higher arcrs, as do companies in highly competitive industries.
How to calculate
The formula to calculate the arc is:
Calculation example
For example, if a SaaS company had an average monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of ,000 and lost ,000 in recurring revenue in a month, the arc would be:
Tips and tricks for calculating the arc
- Calculate the arc over a longer period, such as quarterly or annually, to get a clearer picture of customer churn.
- Identify the factors driving customer churn and take action to address them.
- Track the arc in addition to other SaaS metrics, such as customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer growth rate (CGR).
- Adjust the ARCR formula to account for one-time income.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Definition
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is a metric that measures the total amount of money a customer will spend with a business over the lifetime of their relationship. It is widely used to assess the health of a company’s customer base and allocate marketing resources.
Benefits of Tracking
CLV tracking helps businesses identify which customers are most valuable and which are less profitable. This knowledge can be used to target marketing efforts and provide personalized services and offers to more valuable customers. Additionally, CLV tracking is a useful tool for predicting future profits and for developing better customer retention strategies.
Industry Benchmarks
Industry benchmarks for CLV vary by industry. Typically, businesses are looking for a CLV of at least 3x the cost of customer acquisition. This means that the customer should spend at least three times what the company invested in the acquisition.
How to calculate
The formula to calculate CLV is:
Calculation example
Let’s say a business has an average order value of , an average customer lifetime of 5 years, and an average customer buys from them 6 times a year. The CLV for this company would be 00:
Tips and Tricks for KPIs
- Track customer lifetime value over time to identify trends.
- Segment customers into groups based on their CLV and target marketing efforts accordingly.
- Focus on increasing customer lifetime value by offering loyalty programs and other rewards.
- Use CLV to assess the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
Customer satisfaction rate (CSR)
Definition
Customer satisfaction rating (CSR) is a metric that measures customer satisfaction with a product or service. It is usually calculated by asking customers to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level of satisfaction. This is an important metric for SaaS companies because it helps measure customer loyalty and quality of user experience.
Benefits of Tracking
Tracking customer satisfaction rates is important for SaaS companies because it helps measure customer loyalty and quality of user experience. It is also a valuable metric for understanding customer behavior and preferences, helping to identify opportunities for improvement. Additionally, tracking customer satisfaction can help differentiate a business from its competitors, as satisfied customers often become loyal customers.
Industry Benchmarks
The average customer satisfaction rate for SaaS companies is typically around 80%. However, it is important to note that this can vary greatly depending on the industry and the type of product or service offered. It’s also important to track customer satisfaction over time, as this can provide valuable insight into customer preferences and areas for improvement.
How to calculate
The formula to calculate the customer satisfaction rate is:
Calculation example
Let’s say a SaaS company has 100 customers and 80 of them are happy with the product. The customer satisfaction rate would be calculated as follows:
Tips and tricks
- Track customer satisfaction over time to identify areas for improvement.
- Use customer feedback to identify customer preferences and target new markets.
- Use customer satisfaction surveys and feedback to measure customer loyalty.
- Provide incentives and rewards to increase customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Measuring your business SaaS KPI is key to understanding where your business stands and what areas need improvement. By using the seven metrics discussed in this article, you will be able to gain more visibility into your SaaS business, allowing you to make more informed decisions and ultimately grow your business.
The seven KPIs are:
- Average revenue per user (ARPU)
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
- Customer retention rate (CRR)
- Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
- Average Revenue Churn Rate (ARCR)
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
- Customer satisfaction rate (CSR)
Analyzing and tracking these KPIs will help you make informed decisions to optimize the growth of your SaaS business.
- Home
- Average revenue per user (ARPU)
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
- Customer retention rate (CRR)
- Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
- Average Revenue Churn Rate (ARCR)
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
- Customer satisfaction rate (CSR)