SaaS Therapy

SaaS Metrics: Why MAU isn't the silver bullet and where to look instead

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Is MAU really the best way to know if your customers are engaged? Join Todd Kirk and Casey Trujillo as they discuss the role of monthly active usage (MAU) in SaaS businesses. They explore how MAU, while important, is just one metric that tells the story of how well your customers are doing. The episode introduces the ‘ladder’ concept, linking adoption to behavior change and organizational impact. We end with a prompt for listeners to put the ‘ladder’ into practice.

Takeaways

  • Monthly active usage (MAU) is an important metric in SaaS businesses, but it should not be viewed as the sole indicator of customer success and renewal.
  • MAU should be considered in the context of the customer journey and tied to specific business outcomes.
  • The ladder concept involves moving from adoption targets to behavior change to organizational impact.
  • Understanding why users are using the software and how it is driving business results is crucial for long-term success.
  • CSMs should ask why to move up the ladder and how to come back down when discussing MAU with customers.

    • Chapters

    00:00 Introduction

    01:43 The Importance of Monthly Active Usage

    04:01 Understanding the Customer Journey

    06:36 Moving from Speed to Breadth to Depth

    10:50 Tying Software Usage to Business Outcomes

    13:33 The Ladder Concept

    19:17 Behavior Change and Organizational Impact

    22:30 Connecting Utilization to Strategic Focus

    24:38 MAU is Not the Pinnacle

    28:34 Homework: Asking Why and How

    Resources

    ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Casey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Todd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit the show page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get to know BrainStorm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Credits

    Show direction: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Debra Wilson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Show design: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kensie Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Show manager: Angela Allred

    ...more
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