If you're reading this, you're probably in customer success, product, or ops, and you want to actually use your customer engagement data—not just drown in dashboards. This guide is for teams that use Vitally and want to get real value from their engagement metrics, not just check a box for the exec team.
Let's cut through the noise: plenty of people set up engagement tracking, but very few get consistent, actionable insights. Here’s how to do it right, what’s worth your time, and what to ignore.
1. Define What Engagement Actually Means for You
Don’t start by copying someone else’s setup. There’s no “universal” engagement metric. What matters for a B2B SaaS with 10-person accounts is totally different from a self-serve product with 10,000 users.
- Start with outcomes. What does a healthy, successful customer do in your product? List those behaviors.
- Common signals: Logins, feature usage, frequency of key actions, support ticket activity, product adoption milestones.
- Don’t bother tracking everything. More data isn’t always better. Chasing “all the metrics” just buries you in noise.
Pro tip: Ask your CSMs or support team which activities separate “good” accounts from “at-risk” ones. They’ll know.
2. Map Your Data Sources Before You Touch Vitally
Before you even open Vitally, get clear on where your engagement data lives. If you skip this, you’ll end up with a messy, unreliable setup.
- Identify your primary sources:
- Product analytics tools (like Segment, Mixpanel, Amplitude)
- CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Support platforms (Zendesk, Intercom)
- Internal databases or custom event logs
- Check data quality. If your event tracking is a mess (or non-existent), fix that first. No tool can save you from garbage in, garbage out.
What to ignore: Don’t try to sync every possible event. Focus on the 5–10 signals that actually matter for engagement.
3. Set Up the Right Metrics in Vitally
Now you’re ready to use Vitally. Here’s what works—and what trips people up.
a. Use Vitally’s “Metrics” Feature, But Keep It Tight
- Create metrics for key engagement signals. Example: “Active users in last 7 days,” “# of feature X actions per month,” “Last login date.”
- Set clear definitions. Everyone on your team should know exactly what each metric tracks (and how it’s calculated).
- Group by account, not just user. For B2B, engagement is usually about accounts, not individuals.
b. Use “Health Scores”—But Don’t Overcomplicate Them
- Start simple: A basic health score using 2–3 key metrics is enough to begin.
- Avoid black boxes: If your score is a mystery (or has 8+ variables), no one will trust it.
- Adjust as you learn: Health scores are just a way to surface trends, not magic.
What to skip: Don’t obsess over “sentiment analysis” or try to build a perfect engagement score. It doesn’t exist.
4. Automate, But Stay Sane
Automation is where Vitally shines. But too much of it turns your CSMs into notification-ignoring zombies.
a. Build Useful Alerts and Workflows
- Set up alerts for real risks/opportunities: E.g. “Account hasn’t logged in for 2 weeks,” “Power user just downgraded,” “Spike in support tickets.”
- Automate routine follow-ups: Send reminders for onboarding steps, NPS surveys, or check-ins—but only if they’re actually useful.
b. Avoid Alert Fatigue
- Don’t over-alert. If your team gets 20 notifications a day, they’ll ignore all of them.
- Regularly review and prune alerts. If nobody acts on an alert, kill it.
Pro tip: Have each CSM list the top 3 alerts that genuinely help them. Keep those, cut the rest.
5. Make Engagement Data Useful (and Used)
It’s easy to set up dashboards. It’s much harder to actually use the data.
a. Build Simple, Actionable Dashboards
- Show only what matters. One dashboard per team, max 5–7 metrics.
- Highlight trends, not just numbers: Month-over-month changes, drops/spikes, early warning signs.
- Don’t just look—act: Review dashboards in regular team meetings. Assign follow-ups.
b. Integrate with Your Workflow
- Push insights where your team lives: Slack, email summaries, or directly in your CRM. Don’t make people log into Vitally daily if they won’t.
- Use engagement data to drive touchpoints: Personalized outreach, playbooks, or renewal conversations.
What to ignore: Vanity dashboards that no one checks. If it’s not driving action, it’s just decoration.
6. Close the Loop: Learn and Iterate
No setup is perfect from day one. The trick is to actually learn what’s working.
- Review engagement metrics quarterly. What predicted churn? Which signals didn’t matter?
- Talk to the team: Are CSMs using the data? What’s missing or confusing?
- Update as you go: Cut dead metrics. Add new ones if they actually help.
Pro tip: Set a calendar reminder every 2–3 months to review and prune your metrics. Otherwise, clutter creeps in.
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
- Works: Focusing on a few key signals, simple health scores, regular review with the team.
- Doesn’t: Overloading with data, complex scoring, automation for automation’s sake.
- Ignore: Fancy but vague “engagement” metrics, tracking everything, dashboards that never lead to action.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
The best engagement metric setup is the one your team actually uses. Start with a few signals, make sure they’re right, and don’t be afraid to kill what’s not working. The goal isn’t a perfect dashboard—it’s making smarter decisions, faster. And that’s plenty.