6 Metrics to show how Customer Support is NOT a Cost Center

Too often customer support teams are mislabeled as a cost center, rather than valuable contributors to revenue generation and customer success. An important way to help overcome this perception is by highlighting the impact customer support has on key business metrics to provide an honest showcase of support’s critical role in driving business growth and enhancing overall customer loyalty.

Here is a glimpse into six non-exhaustive business metrics that effectively demonstrate how customer support transcends its outdated perception as a cost center:

• CSAT Scores and Revenue Growth: High Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores are directly linked to increased customer loyalty and revenue opportunities, showcasing customer support as a strong positive variable in business success.
• NPS Scores and Customer Retention: Positive support interactions boost Net Promoter Scores (NPS), connecting effective customer support with a loyal customer base that promotes brand advocacy.
• CES and Customer Loyalty: By reducing the amount of effort your customers are required to exert when resolving an issue, customer support has a direct impact on increasing customer sentiment and increasing the likelihood of future customer purchases.
• Churn Rate Reduction: Effective customer support plays a key role in retaining customers and reducing churn rates, emphasizing its direct importance in business growth.
• Reduced TTV and Increased Revenue: By decreasing Time to Value (TTV), customer support accelerates customer onboarding and product value realization, leading to higher conversions and revenue.
• Upsell/Cross-Sell Opportunities: Customer support teams regularly uncover upsell and cross-sell opportunities through attentive support interactions and positive customer relationships, actively contributing to the company's financial growth and directly challenging the perception of customer support as non-revenue generating.

These metrics not only illustrate the tangible contributions customer support makes to business success, but also highlights the need for a re-evaluation of the strategic role these teams play in some organizations. Or so I hope!

Cheers
/d. :-)