Is Your Customer About to Ghost You? Top Warning Signs of Churn—and What to Do About It

It’s October–officially the “spooky season”! However,? it’s not just ghosts and goblins that should spook Customer Success Managers (CSMs). One of the scariest things in the world of customer success is when a once-active customer starts fading away, quietly slipping into the shadows until one day... they ghost you completely.

But don’t panic just yet! I’ve got some “ghostbusting” tips to help you recognize when your customer might be preparing to disappear. Here's how to identify those tell-tale signs of churn—and, more importantly, what to do if your customer is about to ghost you.

1. Decreased Product Usage: The Vanishing Act Begins

One of the clearest indicators that your customer is about to pull a disappearing act is when their product usage suddenly drops. That once-busy dashboard is starting to collect cobwebs, and the activity logs look eerily empty.

Why it’s spooky: Low usage means the customer isn’t getting the value they expected, and they might be slowly disengaging without telling you.

What to do before they vanish:

• Check in immediately when you see usage drop. Ask if something’s changed in their workflow, if they need more help adopting key features, or are having some other barriers to achieving value from the product. It could be something innocuous like an upcoming conference or vacation that’s taking their attention, but it’s best to know sooner rather than later–and now you have another topic to talk about to help build your personal relationship (e.g. “How was your trip to Hawaii?”).?
• Offer targeted support like refresher training or new use cases to reignite their engagement and remind them of your product’s value.

Don't let them slip into the shadows unnoticed—stay proactive, and they might just come back to life!

2. Slow or Non-Responsive Communication: Are You Getting Ghosted?

Has your once-chatty customer gone silent? Do they keep disappearing from meetings or ignoring your emails? You might be in the early stages of getting ghosted.

Why it’s spooky: Ghosting isn’t just for bad dates—if a customer starts avoiding communication, it could mean they’ve lost interest, are looking at other options, or are dealing with personal challenges they haven’t shared…and if that contact happens to also be your product’s champion, it’s an especially scary harbinger of churn.?

What to do to stop the haunting:

• Check in personally: Sometimes it’s not just work. Maybe they’re dealing with personal issues at home, burnout, or even thinking about leaving the company. Send a friendly email: “I’ve noticed you’ve been quiet lately, is everything okay?” Demonstrate you care about that contact not just as a business partner, but also as a human.?
• Offer alternatives: Suggest shorter check-ins or asynchronous updates (video updates are great!) if they’re too busy. Don’t pressure them—just let them know you’re still there.
• Broaden your contact base: Don’t rely on one person. Ask for introductions to other team members, so if your main contact is ghosting you, someone else is still in the loop.Ideally, this should be done as early as possible in your relationship with the account, as well as brought up periodically in check-ins and QBR meetings to make sure you aren’t missing any opportunities to deepen your relationships within that network.?
• Stay ahead of internal changes: If your champion is acting disengaged, they might be preparing to leave. Ask about company reorganization or team shifts, and If there’s a new decision-maker, schedule a meeting ASAP. Don’t wait for the new person (if there is one) to reach out—be proactive and show how your product aligns with their goals.

3. Rising Support Tickets or Complaints: When the Issues Just Keep Coming

Another sign that your customer might be headed for the afterlife is a sudden spike in support tickets or complaints. If they’re constantly reporting bugs or product issues, frustration might be bubbling under the surface.

Why it’s spooky: Frequent issues lead to dissatisfaction. If those problems aren't fixed fast, the customer might decide that haunting another product is a better use of their time.

What to do to keep them grounded:

• Address issues ASAP: Escalate their tickets quickly and follow up to make sure they’re resolved.
• Follow up personally: After a support issue is fixed, check in to make sure they’re happy with the outcome and that their experience has improved.
• Provide preventative support: Offer training or proactive solutions to help them avoid future problems before they become full-blown ghost stories.

4. Declining Satisfaction Scores: The Spirits of NPS and CSAT Don’t Lie

If your NPS (Net Promoter Score) or CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) are dropping, it’s a sign that your customer is becoming unhappy with some aspect of their experience. Negative feedback is like a haunted whisper warning you that churn could be around the corner.

Why it’s spooky: When a customer expresses dissatisfaction, they’re telling you that something isn’t working for them. If you ignore it, they may quietly vanish into the night.

What to do to exorcise the negativity:

• Acknowledge the feedback: Reach out directly to discuss their concerns and ask what specific changes they’d like to see. Escalate the issue to someone higher up in your organization if necessary.
• Turn complaints into action: Whether it’s product improvements, better support, or refocusing on their goals, create a plan to address their concerns.
• Show them progress: After taking action, follow up to demonstrate how you’ve improved their experience and make sure they feel heard.

TL;DR:? Prevent Churn Before It Becomes a Horror Story

The best way to prevent churn is to proactively monitor your customers for these warning signs and act before they disappear for good. By recognizing the spooky signs early, you can address concerns, revive engagement, and keep your customers from ghosting you.

Here’s what to do:

• Keep an eye on usage metrics to spot early disengagement.
• Stay in touch personally, and show you care about your customers as people.
• Broaden your reach within the organization so you're never reliant on just one person.
• Be responsive to complaints and follow through on solving their problems.
• Adapt your value creation plan as their goals or circumstances shift. Need help with building out your value creation plan, or interested in a template you can use? Don’t hesitate to reach out–I’m happy to help with that.

The scariest part of churn is how silently it can happen—but with the right awareness and actions, you can keep your customers around long after the Halloween season is over.?