Customer Reference Program Metrics

As you build or expand your customer reference program, one thing you definitely want to capture are metrics. This is going to be an important component of your program to show productivity and also help demonstrate the return on investment of your program. There are many metrics you can track but here are some of the most popular metrics used:

• Number of requests over time (by type, region and product)


• Percentage fulfilled and average time to fulfill them


• Source of requests (Sales, PR, AR, etc)


• Value and percentage of deals that closed which included reference activity. You can also track the value of RFPs for which you provide references


• Coverage gaps closed (by reference type, content type, region and product)


• Number of case studies, videos, references you have in your program

For more information on Customer Reference Program metrics check out the following:

• Examples of typical reports and metrics for a CRP Management Dashboard are available at Customer Reference Program.org


• Also there is a Metrics SIG (Special Interest Group) that's part of the Customer Reference Forum. In this newsletter article, Bill Lee talks with a Customer Reference Program Manager about metrics. Read more


• Podcasts by Customer Reference Insights which cover metrics and other topics

By using metrics with your program you can take it to a whole new level. Abby Atkinson, from Infor, was not only able to justify her program but add new headcount based on metrics that she tracked! With metrics she proved time she was saving sales reps, deals she was influencing and more. She shared her insights at a Customer Reference Forum last year and it was incredibly insightful to see what she was able to do just by capturing metrics.