Churn
Customer cancellation or abandonment rate in a period — in SaaS, the most critical number after revenue.
Churn is the customer cancellation or abandonment rate in a period. In SaaS, it is the most critical number after revenue. In e-commerce and services, it translates into "customer who didn't return". Used well, WhatsApp is one of the most effective tools for reducing churn.
How to calculate churn
Monthly churn: Clientes que cancelaram no mês / Clientes ativos no início do mês × 100. Example: 100 active customers on January 1st, 8 canceled during the month → churn = 8%.
Revenue Churn: Receita perdida no mês / Receita ativa no início × 100. Important because it considers the ticket of customers who leave.
Benchmarks by model
| Model | Healthy Monthly Churn |
|---|---|
| SaaS B2C low ticket | 5-8% |
| SaaS B2B average ticket | 1-3% |
| SaaS B2B enterprise | <1% |
| Gym / monthly subscription | 5-10% |
| Streaming | 3-6% |
How WhatsApp reduces churn
- Retaining ruler — customer who stopped using (did not log in, did not open the app) receives a proactive message in 7, 14 and 21 days.
- NPS at the right time — WhatsApp searches have a response rate 5x higher than email. Detractor detected → human contact before cancellation.
- Cancellation Search — automated at the time of cancellation, captures reason and offers discount or alternative.
- Reactivation 30/60/90 days — sequence of messages with progressive encouragement.
Most common causes of churn
- Lack of use (customer forgot to sign).
- Price (change in budget priority).
- Unresolved technical issue.
- Competitor with the best proposal.
- End of need (in case of short use).
See: NPS, LTV, remarketing.