12 essential metrics to manage your business

To stay on top of your business and ensure its continued growth, it’s crucial to track and measure key metrics that provide insights into its health. By regularly monitoring these metrics, you can gain visibility into any issues that may arise and take proactive steps to address them before they become bigger problems. Real-time access to this data is critical, allowing you to make timely decisions and take action as needed to ensure your business stays on track. Outlined below are the essential metrics that you should be tracking and explain how they can help you optimize your business operations for success. 

Gross Renewal Rate (GRR) measures the percentage of customers who renew their subscriptions or contracts without making any changes. A high GRR indicates that customers are satisfied with the product or service and are more likely to renew their subscriptions. If the GRR is low, it could indicate that customers are not finding the product or service valuable, which could lead to higher churn rates and lower NRR. 

Renewal Rate measures the percentage of customers who renew their subscriptions or contracts, regardless of whether or not they make changes. A high renewal rate indicates that customers are satisfied with the product or service and are more likely to renew. If the renewal rate is low, it can indicate that customers are not finding value from the product or service, which could in turn lead to higher churn rates and lower NRR. 

Gross Churn measures the percentage of customers who cancel or do not renew their subscriptions or contracts. A high churn rate indicates that customers are leaving the company, which could result in lower NRR. By understanding the reasons for churn and taking steps to address them, companies can reduce churn and improve NRR. 

ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue): The amount of revenue a company can expect to receive annually from its recurring revenue streams, such as subscription-based services or recurring payments.  

NRR (Net Recurring Revenue): The amount of recurring revenue a company generates after deducting any churn or contraction.  

CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote): A software that helps companies automate the process of creating accurate and personalized sales quotes for customers.  

Cost to Renew (CTR): The cost incurred by a company to renew a customer’s subscription or contract.  

Value per Renewal (VPR): The value a company receives from a customer’s renewal, calculated as the revenue generated by the renewal divided by the number of renewals.  

Ratio of CTR to VPR: The ratio of the cost to renew a customer to the value received from the renewal, used to assess the profitability of the renewal.  

On-time Renewal Rate: The percentage of customers who renew their subscription or contract on time.  

Average Days Early to Renew: The average number of days before the renewal date that customers renew their subscription or contract.  

Propensity to Renew: The likelihood that a customer will renew their subscription or contract, often determined by analyzing past renewals and customer behavior.