If you’re managing customer relationships in SaaS, you’ve probably heard a lot about “customer segmentation.” The idea’s simple: group your customers so you can treat them differently—because not all customers are the same. But actually doing this, and doing it well, is another story. If you’re using Vitally, or thinking about it, this guide will help you actually get value from its integrations and avoid wasting time on data busywork.
This is for folks who get that better segmentation can drive smarter decisions, but don’t want to drown in spreadsheets or click-bait “growth hacks.” Let’s get into the practical steps.
1. Decide What Segmentation Actually Matters
Before you connect a single tool, get clear on what you actually want to segment on. Not every data point is worth the hassle.
Start with questions like: - Who are our top-paying customers? - Which accounts are most likely to churn? - Are there usage patterns tied to renewals or expansions? - Do we want to segment by industry, geography, product usage, or something else?
Pro tip:
Don’t try to boil the ocean. Three or four meaningful segments beat thirty irrelevant ones every time.
What to skip:
- “Vanity segments” like grouping by signup month if you never use that data
- Overly complex, “just in case” segments that nobody acts on
2. Map Your Data Sources (Don’t Just Plug Everything In)
Vitally can connect to a bunch of tools: CRMs, support platforms, billing systems, product analytics, and more. That sounds great—until you realize you’re importing piles of junk you’ll never use.
Common integrations: - Salesforce or HubSpot for sales/account data - Intercom, Zendesk, or similar for support tickets - Segment, Mixpanel, or Amplitude for product usage - Stripe or Chargebee for billing info
What’s worth connecting? - Only the sources you’ll actually use for segmentation or automation. - If your product team uses Mixpanel but your CSMs never look at it, skip it for now.
What to ignore: - One-off spreadsheets (unless you’re desperate) - Tools nobody owns or maintains
Honest take:
More integrations = more noise unless you’re thoughtful. You’ll spend more time cleaning up data than using it if you connect everything at once.
3. Set Up and Test Your Integrations (Don’t Trust Defaults)
Connecting Vitally to your other systems is usually straightforward, but don’t assume the defaults are right for your use case.
Checklist: - Review field mapping. Are the right fields syncing? (E.g. is “Account Name” the same everywhere?) - Check for duplicate or missing data. Integrations can create weird edge cases. - Test with a small subset of data first—don’t sync your entire customer base until you know what’s coming over.
Pro tip:
If you don’t have admin access to a tool, get someone who does to help you map out what should sync.
What causes headaches: - Custom fields that don’t match up (e.g., “Customer Tier” in Salesforce vs. “Plan” in Stripe) - Historical data that’s out of date or inconsistent
4. Build Segments That Actually Help You Take Action
Now that your data’s flowing in, it’s time to set up segments that are actually useful. This is where most teams go wrong—they create segments because they can, not because they’ll use them.
Good segments often answer questions like: - Who needs onboarding help? - Which customers haven’t logged in for 30 days? - Who’s due for renewal in the next 90 days? - Which accounts submitted more than 5 support tickets this quarter?
How to build segments in Vitally: - Use filters and rules based on synced fields (company size, plan, usage metrics, etc.) - Combine multiple data points for richer segments (e.g., “High-value + Low Activity”) - Save and name your segments clearly—“Q3 Renewals: High Risk” beats “Segment 13”
What to avoid: - Segments nobody uses or understands - Segments based on unreliable or laggy data
Real-world example:
Instead of “All Enterprise Customers,” try “Enterprise Customers with declining usage in the last 60 days.” That’s something you can actually act on.
5. Use Segments to Power Workflows (Or You’re Just Organizing for Fun)
Segmentation should drive action, not just reporting. If you’re not using segments to trigger workflows or guide outreach, you’re missing the point.
How to use segments in practice: - Assign CSMs to high-risk or high-opportunity segments - Trigger playbooks or email sequences for onboarding, renewal, or upsell - Flag accounts for review in weekly meetings
Pro tip:
Don’t automate everything. Some segments need a human touch—like a high-value customer showing signs of churn.
Don’t get sucked in by: - “Set and forget” automation promises. You’ll still need to check if your segments are working. - Over-complicated playbooks that nobody follows
6. Regularly Clean Up and Revisit Your Segments
Customer data changes. People change roles, accounts churn, usage patterns shift. If you set up segments once and never check them again, they’ll rot.
What to do: - Review your key segments monthly or quarterly - Archive segments nobody uses - Update filters as your business or product evolves
Signs your segmentation needs a cleanup: - CSMs ignore certain segments or complain they’re not useful - Playbooks trigger for the wrong accounts - Data fields are empty or out of date
Pro tip:
Assign someone to “own” segmentation—it doesn’t have to be their full-time job, but someone should care.
7. Don’t Get Distracted By Shiny Features
Every tool, including Vitally, will pitch you on “advanced AI-powered segmentation” or “predictive analytics.” These sound cool, but most teams don’t need them out of the gate.
What’s actually useful: - Clear, actionable segments your team understands - Reliable data flowing in automatically - A feedback loop—does segmentation change how you work?
What to ignore (at least for now): - Machine learning models you can’t explain or trust - Hyper-granular segments with single-digit customers
Honest take:
It’s better to have three useful segments that drive action than a hundred “smart” ones nobody checks.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Don’t overthink it. The goal is to make your customer segmentation actionable—so your team actually does something different for different groups of customers. Start with your most important segments, connect only the data you need, and revisit what’s working every month or so. Skip the hype, focus on what your team will use, and don’t be afraid to cut segments that aren’t pulling their weight.
You’ll get more out of Vitally—and your customer data—if you keep things simple and adjust as you go. Good segmentation is never really “done,” and that’s a good thing.