Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with your biggest clients are supposed to be valuable—time to align, spot risks, and plan real growth. But in reality? They’re often a fire drill of scrambling for slides, cobbling together data, and guessing what matters. If you’re managing key accounts or leading a client success team, you know the pain.
That’s where Revegy comes in. It’s a tool built for account planning and mapping relationships in complex deals. The trick is using it to make QBRs less of a chore and more of a strategic checkpoint (without drowning in dashboards).
Here’s how to actually put Revegy to work for your next QBR—warts and all.
1. Get Your House in Order Before the QBR
Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute
Revegy’s strength is in centralizing account info—contacts, org charts, deals, and action items. But if you only touch it once a quarter, you’ll be cleaning up outdated notes and chasing missing data the day before your QBR.
What to do:
- Update account maps regularly. If you haven’t mapped decision makers or influencers since the last renewal, do it now. Don’t trust old org charts.
- Review account plans monthly. Even 15 minutes a month saves you a messy scramble later.
- Log key activities. If your team talks to the client, track the big stuff—new initiatives, pain points, risks.
What doesn’t work: Treating Revegy as a file dump for last quarter’s QBR deck. If it’s not up to date, you’re back to chasing info in Slack or email.
2. Stop Overloading the QBR—Pick What Actually Matters
Focus on What Moves the Needle
Revegy will let you track every detail. That doesn’t mean you should. QBRs die when they turn into data dumps.
Instead:
- Zero in on goals and outcomes. What did you and the client agree to last time? Are you on track? Use Revegy’s “Objectives” or “Success Criteria” sections.
- Spot risks early. See any red flags in the relationship map? Have decision makers moved on? Did a promised integration stall out?
- Highlight wins and roadblocks. Show progress, but don’t sugarcoat where things are stuck.
Pro tip: Less is more. Pick 3-5 things that matter this quarter. If it doesn’t help the client or you make a decision, leave it out.
3. Use Revegy’s Visuals—But Don’t Blind Them With Charts
Make Relationships and Plans Obvious
One of Revegy’s best features is visual mapping—org charts, influence lines, and strategy boards. These can help clarify who matters and what’s next.
How to use them:
- Bring up the relationship map live. Walk through who’s in the room, who’s missing, and who’s changed roles. This sparks real conversations.
- Show the action plan, not just the spreadsheet. Revegy’s timeline or action board keeps everyone honest about owners and deadlines.
- Keep it simple. Don’t show every report. Choose visuals that make a point, not just fill time.
What to ignore: Fancy dashboards that look impressive but don’t answer client questions. If you need to explain a chart for five minutes, it’s not helping.
4. Prep for Pushback—And Gaps
Be Ready for Surprises
QBRs are where you find out what’s really going on. Revegy can highlight gaps, but it won’t magically fix them.
Expect:
- Missing data. Someone always forgets to update an opportunity or contact. Check your data a week early.
- Client feedback you didn’t see coming. Revegy can track what you know, but not what they haven’t told you.
- Last-minute changes. Decision makers drop out or new priorities pop up—update your plan on the fly.
How to cope:
- Send a draft agenda with your Revegy summary a few days early. Ask the client: “Is this what you want to focus on?”
- Flag unknowns. Admit what you don’t know. Clients appreciate honesty more than a polished guess.
- Have backup info ready, but don’t try to cover everything. If the client wants to dig into a detail, you can always follow up.
5. Make Next Steps Crystal Clear
Don’t End With “Let’s Sync Again Next Quarter”
A QBR is only as good as the follow-through. Revegy can help you track next steps, but you need to make them visible and actionable.
How to do it:
- Summarize key decisions and owners live. Use Revegy’s action plan or notes so everyone sees what got assigned—no “I thought you were doing that.”
- Set dates, not vague promises. “We’ll review the integration status by July 15,” not “let’s check back soon.”
- Log it in Revegy right away. If it’s not in the tool, it didn’t happen.
What doesn’t work: “We’ll send out notes later.” No one reads a 7-page recap email. Keep it short and in the same place.
6. Don’t Let Revegy Become the Whole Meeting
Use It As a Tool, Not the Agenda
It’s tempting to let the QBR become a guided tour of Revegy. Don’t. The tool should support the conversation, not replace it.
How to keep balance:
- Start with the client’s goals, not the tool’s tabs. Open Revegy when it adds value—mapping stakeholders, showing progress, tracking next steps.
- Use Revegy as a single source of truth, but don’t be afraid to admit if something’s out of date or needs fixing.
- Treat QBRs as a conversation, not a presentation. The best meetings are interactive, not just reading slides together.
Pro Tips for Making Revegy Actually Useful
- Keep your account maps alive. Treat them as living documents, not quarterly homework.
- Limit “required fields.” The more you force people to fill out, the less likely they are to keep things updated.
- Review what’s working after each QBR. Did Revegy help? Or did you end up ignoring it? Adjust your process as needed.
- Train your team to use it the same way. Consistency beats a dozen custom templates.
Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
QBRs with key clients are never going to be perfect. Using Revegy can make your life a lot easier—if you keep it up to date, focus on what matters, and use the tool to support real conversations (not just show off dashboards).
Don’t overthink it. Update your info regularly, stick to the essentials, and use the QBR to build trust, not just check boxes. If something’s not working, change it next quarter. Simple beats complicated—every time.