15 Customer Success Operations Terminologies (with Formulas) Every New CX Ops Professional Should Know

Customer Success Operations (CX Ops) is one of the fastest-growing ops specialties. As more companies realize that growth isn’t just about winning new business but also about retaining and expanding customers, CX Ops has become the backbone of customer-centric organizations.

If you’re new to CX Ops, the best way to build confidence is to understand the key metrics and formulas the function relies on. Here are 15 terms every CX Ops professional should know.

1. Customer Retention Rate (CRR)

The percentage of customers you keep over a given period.

Formula:

CRR=Customers at End of Period – New CustomersCustomers at Start of Period×100CRR = \frac{\text{Customers at End of Period – New Customers}}{\text{Customers at Start of Period}} \times 100CRR=Customers at Start of PeriodCustomers at End of Period – New Customers​×100

2. Customer Churn Rate

The percentage of customers lost over a given period.

Formula:

Customer Churn%=Customers LostCustomers at Start×100Customer\ Churn\% = \frac{\text{Customers Lost}}{\text{Customers at Start}} \times 100Customer Churn%=Customers at StartCustomers Lost​×100

3. Revenue Churn (or Gross Revenue Churn)

Measures recurring revenue lost from downgrades or cancellations.

Formula:

Revenue Churn%=ARR LostARR at Start×100Revenue\ Churn\% = \frac{\text{ARR Lost}}{\text{ARR at Start}} \times 100Revenue Churn%=ARR at StartARR Lost​×100

4. Net Revenue Retention (NRR)

Shows how much recurring revenue you retain including upsells, cross-sells, and expansions.

Formula:

NRR=Starting ARR – Churn + ExpansionStarting ARR×100NRR = \frac{\text{Starting ARR – Churn + Expansion}}{\text{Starting ARR}} \times 100NRR=Starting ARRStarting ARR – Churn + Expansion​×100

5. Gross Revenue Retention (GRR)

Shows how much revenue you retain excluding expansions.

Formula:

GRR=Starting ARR – ChurnStarting ARR×100GRR = \frac{\text{Starting ARR – Churn}}{\text{Starting ARR}} \times 100GRR=Starting ARRStarting ARR – Churn​×100

6. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV or LTV)

The total revenue you can expect from a customer over their relationship with your company.

Formula (basic):

CLV=Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA)×Average Customer Lifespan (in years)CLV = \text{Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA)} \times \text{Average Customer Lifespan (in years)}CLV=Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA)×Average Customer Lifespan (in years)

7. CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)

The cost of acquiring a new customer (important for comparing with CLV).

Formula:

CAC=Sales + Marketing CostsNew Customers AcquiredCAC = \frac{\text{Sales + Marketing Costs}}{\text{New Customers Acquired}}CAC=New Customers AcquiredSales + Marketing Costs​

8. Health Score

A weighted metric that predicts customer likelihood to renew. It combines product usage, NPS, support tickets, and engagement.

Formula (example):

Health Score=(Usage×40%)+(Engagement×30%)+(NPS×20%)+(SupportTickets×10%)Health\ Score = (Usage \times 40\%) + (Engagement \times 30\%) + (NPS \times 20\%) + (Support Tickets \times 10\%)Health Score=(Usage×40%)+(Engagement×30%)+(NPS×20%)+(SupportTickets×10%)

9. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

A measure of customer satisfaction based on one question: “How likely are you to recommend us?”

Formula:

NPS=%Promoters (9–10)−%Detractors (0–6)NPS = \% \text{Promoters (9–10)} - \% \text{Detractors (0–6)}NPS=%Promoters (9–10)−%Detractors (0–6)

10. Expansion Revenue

Revenue gained from upsells, cross-sells, or add-ons.

Formula:

Expansion Rate=Expansion ARRStarting ARR×100Expansion\ Rate = \frac{\text{Expansion ARR}}{\text{Starting ARR}} \times 100Expansion Rate=Starting ARRExpansion ARR​×100

11. Time to Value (TTV)

How long it takes a customer to realize the value of your product after onboarding.

Formula:

TTV=Date of Value Realized–Date of Start/OnboardingTTV = \text{Date of Value Realized} – \text{Date of Start/Onboarding}TTV=Date of Value Realized–Date of Start/Onboarding

12. Customer Onboarding Completion Rate

Tracks how many customers finish the onboarding process.

Formula:

Onboarding Completion%=Customers OnboardedTotal New Customers×100Onboarding\ Completion\% = \frac{\text{Customers Onboarded}}{\text{Total New Customers}} \times 100Onboarding Completion%=Total New CustomersCustomers Onboarded​×100

13. Adoption Rate

The percentage of users actively using a feature or product compared to total users.

Formula:

Adoption Rate=Active UsersTotal Users×100Adoption\ Rate = \frac{\text{Active Users}}{\text{Total Users}} \times 100Adoption Rate=Total UsersActive Users​×100

14. Renewal Rate

The percentage of customers who renew contracts.

Formula:

Renewal Rate=Number of RenewalsNumber Up for Renewal×100Renewal\ Rate = \frac{\text{Number of Renewals}}{\text{Number Up for Renewal}} \times 100Renewal Rate=Number Up for RenewalNumber of Renewals​×100

15. Escalation Rate

The percentage of support tickets or customer issues that escalate to higher levels of intervention.

Formula:

Escalation Rate=Escalated TicketsTotal Tickets×100Escalation\ Rate = \frac{\text{Escalated Tickets}}{\text{Total Tickets}} \times 100Escalation Rate=Total TicketsEscalated Tickets​×100

Final Thought

CX Ops is where customer satisfaction meets operational excellence. By mastering these terms and formulas, you’ll be able to measure customer health, track retention, and show leadership how your work ties directly to revenue outcomes.

The best part? These metrics don’t just make you sound credible in exec meetings — they help you design strategies that keep customers happy, loyal, and growing with your business.

If you want to go beyond just knowing these metrics and actually apply them with real data, join the Reklik community. You’ll get access to workshops, playbooks, and experts who’ll help you turn these formulas into impact.