Ever feel like you’re guessing about whether customers are actually engaged, or just clicking around to make you happy? You’re not alone. Tracking real customer engagement is tricky, and the wrong metrics only waste your time. If you’re using Cuvama dashboards to get a grip on customer engagement, this guide is for you—whether you’re in customer success, product, or just tired of flying blind.
Let’s talk about what actually matters, how to set it up, and what to ignore so you don’t drown in vanity metrics.
1. Know What You’re Trying to Measure (and Why)
Before even opening Cuvama, get clear on what you want to achieve. Engagement isn’t a single number, and not every “active user” metric is worth sweating over.
Ask yourself: - What behaviors mean a customer is actually getting value? (Hint: It’s not just logging in.) - Which actions are leading indicators that a customer will renew, expand, or churn? - Do you want to catch at-risk accounts early, or prove ROI to champions?
Common engagement metrics that actually matter: - Active users (but break this down: weekly, monthly, by role) - Feature adoption (which features are being used, and by whom) - Session duration and frequency (are users coming back, or is it a one-and-done?) - Milestones or outcomes completed (not just clicks—actual progress) - Response to outreach or in-app nudges (are they reading your messages?) - Support requests or feedback (sometimes “engagement” means they’re stuck)
Skip these (unless you have a good reason): - “Page views” with no context - Total logins (without knowing what happens after) - Download counts for stuff nobody reads
Pro tip: If you wouldn’t base a customer conversation on a metric, don’t bother tracking it.
2. Set Up Your Cuvama Dashboard: The Right Way
Once you’ve picked the right metrics, it’s time to get your Cuvama dashboards working for you—not the other way around.
Step 1: Define Your Data Sources
Cuvama isn’t magic. If data isn’t in the system, it can’t report on it.
- Connect your core systems. Most teams pull data from their product, CRM, and support tools.
- Set up integrations. Use native Cuvama connectors if available, or lean on CSV imports or APIs. Don’t overcomplicate it at first.
- Map fields carefully. Make sure you’re not mixing up “user” vs “account” or “last login” vs “last activity.”
Heads up: Integrations can break—monitor them, and don’t be afraid to start manual if you’re just getting going.
Step 2: Build Dashboards That Make Sense
Don’t try to boil the ocean. Start with one or two dashboards:
- Account health overview: At-a-glance view of which customers are actually engaged.
- Feature adoption tracker: See which features are getting used, and by which accounts.
- Milestone or outcome tracking: If your onboarding or value delivery is step-based, show progress.
Tips for useful dashboards: - Limit to the 3–5 metrics you actually care about. - Use filters (by segment, plan, or CSM) to spot patterns. - Set up alerts for true red flags (e.g., when usage drops to zero—not just a missed login).
Don’t: Make a dashboard just because you can. If nobody’s looking at it, it’s clutter.
3. Tracking the Right Engagement Metrics in Cuvama
Here’s how to translate your real-world goals into Cuvama dashboards. (Skip to the next step if you’ve already done this.)
1. Active User Tracking
How to set up: - Track unique users by account over a set period (weekly/monthly). - Use Cuvama’s user activity widgets or custom queries. - Segment by user role (admins vs end users) for real insight.
What to watch: - Look for drops in regular users, not just total logins. - Compare engagement by customer segment or lifecycle stage.
What to ignore: - Single “power users” masking overall low adoption. - Spikes from one-time events (like a big announcement).
2. Feature Adoption
How to set up: - Use event tracking to capture feature use (e.g., “Created report,” “Exported data”). - Visualize adoption by feature, over time, by account. - Create heatmaps or trend lines in Cuvama to see what’s sticky.
What works: - Tracking new feature adoption after a release. - Seeing which features are never touched (good for roadmap talks).
What doesn’t: - Counting “clicks” without context—low-value features can look artificially high.
3. Milestone or Outcome Completion
How to set up: - Define key milestones (onboarding steps, value events, completed integrations). - Track completion rates and time-to-completion in Cuvama’s custom fields or progress bars.
What works: - Monitoring accounts stuck at setup/onboarding. - Identifying customers who never reach a “wow” moment.
What doesn’t: - Tracking milestones that have no real value to the customer.
4. Response to Outreach
How to set up: - If you use Cuvama’s in-app messaging or email, track open/click rates. - Record engagement with nudges, surveys, or success check-ins.
What works: - Spotting silent accounts (never open messages) vs. engaged ones.
What doesn’t: - Over-rotating on email opens—everyone’s inbox is a mess.
5. Support and Feedback Signals
How to set up: - Integrate with support tools (Zendesk, Intercom). - Track ticket volume, types, and time to resolution by account. - Log feedback or NPS responses linked to engagement data.
What works: - Spotting customers who are frustrated but still active (risk of churn). - Catching accounts who never reach out at all (potential risk).
4. Make It Actionable: Alerts, Segments, and Follow-up
It’s easy to fall into the trap of “dashboard theater”—metrics that look good in meetings, but never drive action. Here’s how to avoid that.
Set Up Alerts (But Not Too Many)
- Trigger alerts for meaningful drops in activity or milestone misses.
- Limit notifications to real red flags (set thresholds thoughtfully).
- Don’t set up 10 different alerts “just in case”—you’ll start ignoring them.
Use Segmentation
- Group customers by health score, segment, or lifecycle stage.
- Focus your team’s attention on outliers, not the average.
- Use cohorts to see if recent changes (like a new feature) actually move the needle.
Build Into Your Workflow
- Review dashboards in regular team meetings—don’t just let them sit there.
- Use data to drive specific actions: outreach, check-ins, or escalation.
- Update and refine metrics based on what’s actually driving results.
Pro tip: If a metric never leads to an action, delete it.
5. What to Ignore (and Why)
You don’t need a dashboard for everything. Here’s what you can skip:
- Too many vanity metrics: Just because you can track it doesn’t mean you should.
- Out-of-context numbers: “Logins per day” is meaningless if users just bounce.
- Charts nobody understands: If your team needs a PhD to read it, throw it out.
- Historical baggage: Don’t keep tracking a metric because “we always have.”
Focus on the 1–2 numbers that actually guide your next move. Everything else is noise.
6. Iterate, Don’t Overthink
Start simple. If you only track one or two metrics in Cuvama at first, that’s fine. The goal isn’t to build a perfect dashboard—it’s to spot real engagement (or lack of it), take action, and keep improving.
Metrics only matter if they lead you to do something different. Keep it lean, update as you learn, and don’t let dashboard FOMO slow you down.
Keep it practical, and let the data work for you—not the other way around.