If you’re a customer success manager or team lead at a B2B company, you’ve probably heard that “customer engagement drives retention.” Sure, but what does that actually mean, and how do you prove it? This guide is for people who want to move past fluffy dashboards and actually get value from tracking customer engagement in Velaris—without getting lost in a sea of metrics or endless busywork.
Let’s cut the noise and get practical.
Step 1: Decide What “Engagement” Actually Means for Your Business
Before you even open Velaris, take a hard look at what “engagement” really is for your customers. Not every login or button click matters. Here’s how to get real about it:
- Talk to your CSMs and account managers. Ask: When do you notice a customer is slipping away? What are the early warning signs?
- Look at your best customers. What do they do regularly? Is it using a key feature, attending QBRs, or replying to surveys?
- Ignore vanity metrics. Daily logins or pageviews by themselves don’t mean much in B2B. Focus on actions tied to your product’s value.
Pro tip: If you try to track everything, you’ll end up tracking nothing. Pick 2–4 engagement signals that actually matter for your retention goals.
Step 2: Set Up Customer Data and Events in Velaris
Now, set up Velaris to capture the engagement signals you care about. This is where a lot of teams get bogged down. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Connect your data sources.
- CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot) for account info.
- Product usage data (from your app or a data warehouse).
- Support tickets, NPS, or survey tools.
- Define key events.
- Think “Customer ran quarterly report” or “Held onboarding call,” not just “Logged in.”
- Work with your dev/data team if you need to instrument new events.
- Avoid data overload.
- Don’t sync every field “just in case.” Only bring in data you’ll actually use for engagement tracking.
What works: Keeping the data model simple to start. You can always add more events later.
What doesn’t: Overengineering. You don’t need a 50-step engagement scoring algorithm to get started.
Step 3: Build Engagement Dashboards That Don’t Suck
Most out-of-the-box dashboards are…let’s say, optimistic. They show a lot, but tell you little. Here’s how to build dashboards in Velaris that actually help you do your job:
- Group by account, not just user. B2B is about teams, not individuals. Look at engagement at the account level.
- Track trends, not just snapshots. Is engagement improving or dropping off over time?
- Highlight risk signals. Set up simple rules: “No meaningful activity in 30 days” or “No stakeholder attended last QBR.”
- Use color and flags sparingly. Too many red/yellow/green indicators just become noise.
Pro tip: Spend more time deciding what not to show. Only surface metrics that inform action.
Step 4: Set Up Alerts and Health Scores (But Don’t Blindly Trust Them)
Velaris lets you set up alerts and health scores based on your engagement signals. This is helpful, but it’s easy to get carried away:
- Keep health scores simple. Start with a handful of rules. Example: “Healthy if used X feature weekly and responded to survey in last 90 days.”
- Set up alerts for real risks. Like “High-value account hasn’t logged in for 45 days” or “Key contact left the company.”
- Don’t automate everything. Use alerts as prompts, not as gospel. CSMs still need to use their judgment.
What works: Using health scores as conversation starters with your team, not definitive answers.
What doesn’t: Letting the system make decisions for you, or creating so many alerts that everyone tunes them out.
Step 5: Report on Engagement for Retention—Internally and Externally
Tracking is pointless if you can’t communicate what you find. Here’s how to report on engagement in Velaris so people actually pay attention:
For Internal Teams
- Share account-level summaries: Focus on accounts at risk, accounts that improved, and any surprising patterns.
- Use real examples: Highlight two or three accounts where engagement dropped and what you did about it.
- Keep slides lean: No one remembers a 30-metric dashboard. Stick to insights that drive action.
For Customers
- Share engagement highlights: Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are a good time to show progress.
- Tie engagement to value: “You’re using features X and Y more—here’s how that maps to your goals.”
- Don’t shame low engagement: Instead, use it as a prompt for support or training.
Pro tip: If your reports are just “look how much data we have,” you’re missing the point. Focus on what’s actionable.
Step 6: Iterate, Don’t Overthink
Customer engagement isn’t static. What matters today might not matter next quarter. Here’s how to keep your approach sane:
- Review your engagement metrics quarterly. Are they still relevant? Are CSMs actually using them?
- Ask for feedback from the team. What’s helpful? What’s ignored?
- Tweak, but don’t relaunch everything. Small changes > major overhauls.
What works: A living process. The best teams keep their engagement tracking lightweight and useful.
What doesn’t: Trying to future-proof everything. You’ll end up chasing your tail.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Make It Useful
Tracking and reporting on customer engagement in Velaris doesn’t need to be complicated. Start with a clear idea of what matters, pull in just enough data, and build dashboards that help you act—not just admire the numbers. Check in on your process every so often, and don’t be afraid to ignore the features you don’t need.
The best retention strategies are the ones your team actually uses. Start simple, stay skeptical, and improve as you go.