What are early signs that a customer isn’t going to adopt the product and how do you gameplan against those?

The biggest red flag for a customer not adopting the product is low user engagement in the platform. If no one is logging in to the product on a regular cadence it can mean that they don't see it as business critical. The best way to gameplan for this is to identify power users during the onboarding process and enable them early on. In the event that you still lack engagement, find other people or teams within the clients organization that could benefit from the product. More users = higher adoption.

I get worried a customer isn't going to adopt when:

1. No internal champion. Without this, the account could lose internal support to roll it out.

2. No decision maker. Decisions will stall and won't be implemented.

3. No one is identified as who will implement or project manage it. Lack of resources to do the operational work to get it to production.

4. They haven't logged in. If a customer hasn't logged in within the first few days (sometimes minutes depending on the product!), this can be scary for onboarding teams.

5. They don't understand how the tool helps them. If they don't know the "why" then they won't care about the what or how.

6. It does not clearly solve one of their top 3 company needs or initiatives. If it solves a need, but it's so far down the list of priorities, it won't receive funding, attention, or championing.

7. They aren't interested in onboarding or implementation. They think "we got this" which is especially dangerous for a complex product.

8. They do not have a path to adoption/rollout. E.g., more of an enterprise level implementation. This matters if it's something complex and time-consuming to roll out or requires adequate change management.

9. They are doing it on the cheap and expect the vendor to offer free professional services but aren't willing to pay for it. I've seen this where they expect the vendor to do all the work for them and do it for free. This almost never ends well.

. Here are some common early warning signs that a customer may not fully adopt a product, along with strategies to address these concerns:

Early Signs of Poor Adoption

1. Low Engagement Levels:

   • Sign: Infrequent logins and low interaction with key features.

   • Strategy: Implement targeted onboarding that highlights the value and utility of key features. Use engagement tools like email reminders or in-app notifications to draw them back into the product. Have customer success managers actively work with customers showing signs of low adoption, guiding them through product features, and directly addressing their concerns.

2. Lack of Progress in Onboarding:

   • Sign: The customer stalls at early stages of the onboarding process and doesn't complete initial setup milestones.

   • Strategy: Offer personalized assistance, such as a dedicated customer success manager or tailored onboarding sessions to help them through the setup process.

3. Negative Feedback:

   • Sign: Customer complaints or negative feedback about the product's usability, performance, or relevance.

   • Strategy: Address feedback promptly and transparently. Show how you are taking their concerns seriously by making necessary adjustments or providing workarounds. Engage with customers regularly through check-ins and follow-up messages. This helps in understanding their needs and addressing any issues before they escalate.

4. Limited Understanding of the Product:

   • Sign: Questions and support tickets indicate a basic misunderstanding of how to use the product effectively.

   • Strategy: Enhance educational resources like tutorials, FAQs, and webinars. Consider revising your educational content to ensure it is clearer and more accessible. Provide additional training sessions, detailed documentation, and responsive support to ensure customers feel fully supported in using the product.

5. Comparison with Competing Products:

   • Sign: Customer makes frequent comparisons to features or benefits offered by competitors.

   • Strategy: Reinforce your product’s unique value propositions. If appropriate, highlight upcoming features that may meet their needs better. Regularly update customers about new features and improvements. Ensure they understand how these changes benefit them directly to increase product value perception.

6. Low User Sentiment Scores:

   • Sign: Poor scores in user satisfaction surveys, such as NPS (Net Promoter Score), CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), or CES (Customer Effort Score).

   • Strategy: Dig deeper into the reasons behind these scores through follow-up surveys or direct conversations to address specific issues. Show that customer feedback leads to real changes. Communicate back to customers when their input has been instrumental in shaping product updates or policy changes.