NPS feels pretty disconnected from actual churn in our app.
What other CX metrics have you found that actually correlate with retention? Looking at engagement scores and support ticket sentiment but wondering what else moves the needle.
Feature adoption depth works better than breadth for me.
Instead of tracking how many features someone touches, I look at how deep they go with 2-3 core features. Users who really dig into the main functionality stick around way longer than feature hoppers.
Also started tracking session gaps - the time between meaningful sessions. When that gap starts stretching past 5-7 days (varies by app type), churn risk shoots up. Gives you a clear window to intervene.
Focus on time to value. It shows how quickly users find something useful in your app.
I measure the first meaningful action and link it to 30-day retention. Those who achieve this early tend to stay longer.
Support ticket patterns tell the real story. I track the type of tickets, not just volume or sentiment. Users who submit feature requests or usage questions stay. Those asking about billing, cancellation, or basic navigation usually churn within 30 days. The content of complaints matters more than the rating they give you afterward.
Session quality beats session count. Users who complete tasks in fewer clicks usually renew.
Days between first and second use tells everything.