In my practice, I have used only 4 tools for data collection, but they were sufficient to create a portrait of "our customer/client".

Tool #1 — Interviews with Current Clients Through interviews, understanding is gained regarding why customers chose your product, what problems it solves, and what results they achieve. Questions can be divided into the following groups:

• About product choice. What was the key factor in choosing our product over alternatives in the market? Which product features were most important in the purchasing decision?
• About problems solved. What specific problems/challenges do you solve with the product? Can you provide an example of how the product helped you address a specific difficulty or improve a work process?
• About usage results. What specific results or improvements have you noticed since implementing the product? Are there measurable indicators or KPIs that have improved since starting to use the product?
• About potential improvements. Are there features or characteristics missing in the product? What improvements could make the product even more valuable to you?

Tool #2 — Sales Analysis Study successful and unsuccessful deals. Pay attention to:

• Characteristics of successful deals. What common traits do clients with successful deals have (industry, company size, geography, budget, competitors used, etc.)? What were the needs and pain points of these clients? Which product features were most important to these clients?
• Sales cycle analysis. How much time did the sales cycle take with successful clients? Which stages or interactions were key to the success of the deal?
• Reasons for unsuccessful deals. Why did deals fail to close (technical product deficiencies, price issues, lack of necessary functionality)? Are there similar characteristics or circumstances among unsuccessful deals?

Tool #3 — Surveys and Questionnaires Conduct surveys among the target audience to learn more about their needs and preferences. Various platforms can be used for this, such as Google Forms, Survey Monkey, or Typeform. Questions from Tool #1 can be used as a basis.

Tool #4 — CRM In this, attention should be paid to purchase and interaction history, demographic data, customer lifecycle, feedback and complaints, repeat purchases, and loyalty scores (NPS or CSAT).

Main Challenges in Data Collection and Their Solutions

The first one — inadequate responsibility in data collection. Fields in Trello or Dome are filled in incompletely or inaccurately. To solve this problem, training sessions should be conducted for employees, teaching them the importance of accurate and thorough filling of all necessary fields for work and analysis.

The second problem — lack of response from clients. Sometimes clients are reluctant to participate in surveys and interviews necessary for forming a Customer 365. Create short and targeted surveys to increase their attractiveness, as nobody wants to spend time on another survey from a company for free.

The third problem — limited access to information. Use open market research, public data, in general, "Competitive Intelligence".

Key Stages of the Subscription Lifecycle

Understanding the subscription lifecycle allows CS to maximize customer satisfaction. It is important to understand that each stage presents unique challenges and opportunities. Effective work at each stage will increase the customer's Lifetime Value (LTV) and reduce the Customer Retention Cost (CRC).

The lifecycle can be divided into 4 stages: