Businesses that invest in CX know that customer retention starts with customer experience (CX). According to Forrester, they see the results: 1.9x higher customer retention, 2.1x customer lifetime value and 1.7x revenue growth.
But, in many organizations, CX happens after the sale. Sales and CX teams run on parallel tracks, chasing separate KPIs and focusing on their own slice of the customer journey.
The result is stalled growth, missed opportunities and customers feeling the disconnect.
“Customer retention is the launchpad to expansion and upsell,” says TaskUs Vice President for Sales Services, Phil Hernandez. “Today’s CX environment isn’t just a cost center and necessity, but a dynamic environment to drive revenue outcomes, deliver results to the company and its customers and launch careers.”
Unlocking growth together through experience
Phil advises that to unlock customer experience led growth, teams must operate as a unified force. Here are his 4 tips to make it happen:
1. Design for relationship continuity — and reduce friction
Sales and CX often think of their roles sequentially: Sales closes the deal then CX takes over. But customers see it as one relationship with a brand and expect the journey to feel seamless.
To deliver that experience, teams should align the entire customer lifecycle. Sales development drives intent signals and qualifies leads with lifecycle goals in mind. Account executives capture upsell potential during onboarding (not months later). And customer success owns performance targets tied to usage and revenue growth.
Relationship continuity requires shared processes, milestone-driven accountability; e.g., quarterly business reviews (QBRs) tied to upsell conversations and tools that give teams a single view of the customer. When done right, customers get a unified experience that understands their needs from first touch.
2. Focus on metrics that matter
Traditional metrics like churn and basic usage stats reveal what has already happened. High-performing GTM and CX teams go further. They use metrics directly tied to revenue outcomes plus predictive insights that show where the relationship is headed and what to do next.
For example, adoption curve velocity measures how quickly customers reach their first moment of value. If it’s slow, growth may stall; if it’s fast, it can signal momentum. Unusual spikes in usage or questions about new features can also be signs that a customer is ready to grow. On the flip side, lower support activity or a drop in engagement might point to trouble ahead.
Some teams pull these signals together into a single view (Revenue impact score or RIS) that blends satisfaction, growth potential and account maturity to help forecast what’s likely to happen next. By monitoring these, businesses can intervene early, whether to accelerate expansion or prevent attrition, while the customer relationship is still strong.
3. Treat retention as the primary growth strategy
Though the figures might change along with the evolution of the customer journey, there are a few widely accepted truths about customer growth:
- Acquisition costs more than retention
- Existing customers typically drive significantly higher percentage of sales
- Experience is the differentiator
Not only has CX become as (or more) important than the product or service, customers are willing to pay more for a better experience. Support teams need to deliver with excellence. Then services and sales teams should focus on opportunities to upsell and cross sell.
Act in sync to turn retention into momentum.
4. Use AI to connect teams and spot new growth opportunities
Advanced tools help teams work faster, stay aligned and understand customers better.
For example, AI can summarize client conversations and highlight key changes in priorities, risks or sentiment. It also identifies early growth signals by tracking customer behavior then recommends next steps based on where a customer is in their journey, level of engagement and growth potential.
When used well, technology allows GTM and CX teams to be a step ahead and build stronger, more proactive relationships.
Growth is about staying power, not speed
“Revenue growth used to be about who could acquire fastest,” according to Phil. “Today, it's about who can retain customers the longest, expand smartest and operate in a unified way.”
That’s how we modeled our revenue architecture at TaskUs — where retention, expansion and customer health are intentionally integrated across every team and touchpoint.
Connect with our GTM experts to explore how we can help design to support your revenue engine.
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