Absence of Signal: The Hidden B2B Churn Indicator

The number one goal of a B2B experience program is to increase retention, promote up and cross-sells and grow the business.

Most companies that are running a true Account Experience program know and practice this. Conventional wisdom says that you should put the most resources into the detractors to turn them into passives and a large block of the remainder to get promoters to leave reviews, refer you, etc.

What is absence of signal?

Absence of signal is when a B2B account goes quiet as a whole: it stops responding to surveys, stops raising support tickets, and you simply stop hearing from it. CustomerGauge calls it the hidden indicator of churn. It is most common among passives, customers who score 7 or 8, who leave not because something went wrong but because a competitor comes along and wins their attention.

CustomerGauge uses the term in B2B Account Experience programs, where the goal is retention, up-sell and cross-sell, and growth. The interview below goes into it in depth.

Key Takeaways

The goal of a B2B experience program is retention, up-sell and cross-sell, and growth.
Promoters and detractors both communicate; the hidden churn risk is the account that goes quiet.
Absence of signal means no survey responses, no support tickets and no contact from an account.
It is most common among passives (NPS 7 to 8), who churn when a competitor courts them, not because you did anything wrong.
Engage the passives who do give feedback, and track down every account showing an absence of signal.

Watch The Full Interview

But what is often missed is the hidden indicator of churn. At CustomerGauge we call it the absence of signal and it's most common in your passive (7-8 NPS) customers.

The absence of signal is simply that—the account as a whole has gone quiet. They don't respond to surveys, they don't put in support tickets, you just don't hear from them.

Three Types of Relationship - NPS in Romance Terms

Promoters, detractors and passives as three kinds of relationship; passives go quiet and are the hidden churn risk.

Promoters - The Lovebirds

The promoters are the happily married couple that we all know. This is the couple that everyone aspires to be more like. They're happy, they communicate, life is good.

Detractors - The Arguers

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we all know that couple that is constantly arguing and seems miserable. However, they've been doing it for years (or even decades) and they never seem to break up. They may be in a constant state of bickering, but they are communicating.

Passives - The Non-Communicators

The final group we all know are the couples that don't really seem to be either. They're clearly not the happiest people in the world, but they're not fighting either. Maurice calls this the delay zone of mutual indifference. These are your passives. They don't communicate because they don't really care one way or another about your business. These customers don't churn because you've done anything wrong. They churn when another company swoops in and brings them flowers. This is why it is so important to (1) engage with passives that take the time to give you feedback and (2) track down any accounts that have an absence of signal.

Talk to CustomerGauge about finding the accounts that have gone quiet: book a demo.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It is an account that has gone quiet as a whole: no survey responses, no support tickets, and no other contact. CustomerGauge calls it the hidden indicator of churn because the account simply stops talking to you.

Passives, the customers who score 7 or 8 on the Net Promoter scale. They don't communicate because they don't care much one way or the other about your business.

Not because you did anything wrong. They sit in a zone of mutual indifference and leave when another company comes along and gives them more attention.

Promoters are like a happy couple: content and in regular contact. Detractors are like a couple who argue constantly but stay together, unhappy but still talking. Passives are the couple who neither fight nor connect: their silence reflects indifference, and they churn when a competitor comes along and wins their attention.

Engage the passives who do take the time to give feedback, and track down every account that shows an absence of signal before a competitor reaches it.

About the Author

Ian Luck

Ian has been in the CX market for over a decade evangelizing best-practices and strategies for increasing the ROI of customer programs. He loves a loud guitar, a thick non-fiction book, and a beach day with his family. You can catch him around the north shore of Boston, MA.