Usage drop
A paying account’s usage falls sharply against its own baseline.
Falling usage comes before churn. It also often means the champion left or the team changed, which is a signal in its own right.
- Strength
- Good
- Act within
- Within a week of the drop
- Best for
- Subscription companies with usage data
How we detect it
Runs on PostHog, Clay, and HubSpot or Salesforce.
- Compare each account’s weekly usage with its trailing average.
- Check for a champion who has left at the same time.
What it triggers
An opening line, to show the angle. It never goes out as written.
Noticed the team has been in the dashboard less this month. Did something change on your side we can help with?
- Rep alert: Alert customer success with the drop and any people changes.
- Email: A check-in from a person, offering help.
Where it goes wrong
- Automating it. A usage drop needs a person.
Stack it with
A second signal on the same account moves it up.
Decision maker left
The person who owned a tool or vendor at an account leaves, and the seat is empty or newly filled.
Champion changed jobs
Someone who bought, used, or championed your product moves to a new company that fits your ICP.
More your product signals
Every your product signalProduct sign-up from an ICP account
Someone from a company that fits your ICP signs up for your free plan or trial.
Product usage milestone
A free or trial account hits a usage event that predicts conversion, such as inviting teammates or connecting an integration.
Several users from one company
Several people from the same company sign up for your product separately.
FAQs about this signal
A paying account’s usage falls sharply against its own baseline. Falling usage comes before churn. It also often means the champion left or the team changed, which is a signal in its own right.
Compare each account’s weekly usage with its trailing average. Check for a champion who has left at the same time. Understory Agency runs it on PostHog, Clay, and HubSpot or Salesforce.
The window to act is within a week of the drop. Understory Agency routes it to rep alert and email. Alert customer success with the drop and any people changes. A check-in from a person, offering help.
It works best for subscription companies with usage data. It is strongest alongside “Decision maker left” and “Champion changed jobs”.
Or let us run it for you
Understory Agency's GTM engineers build the detection in Clay, wire it to the play that fits, and sync every touch to your CRM. Tell us who you sell to, and we'll show you where we would start.