Are your green accounts truly safe?

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Hey CS Pro,

Here’s a scary thought…that shiny green account in your dashboard might be your next churn story.

This week I sat down with Sean Reid, award-winning CS leader and creator of the Renewal Probability Score, to talk about one uncomfortable truth: healthy doesn’t always mean safe.

And if you’re still relying on color-coded health scores to predict renewals, it’s time for a rethink.

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Green ≠ Safe

Sean learned this the hard way.

Back at HubSpot, one of his biggest customers looked perfect on paper. Usage up. Engagement solid. Health score? Bright green.

Then they churned.

When he dug in, the signs were obvious. The main decision-makers from the original sale hadn’t been in a single meeting for months. His champion was still showing up but didn’t have the influence to sell the value internally.

The result?

Green account, gone account.

Sean realized the “health” model most teams use isn’t predictive at all, it’s reactive. It tells you what already happened, not what’s coming next.

So he decided to fix it.

Kill the health score

Sean’s first move?

He banned the term “health score” altogether.

Why? Because no one outside CS understands it. Marketing thinks it’s usage. Finance thinks it’s upsell potential. The exec team just sees pretty colors.

Instead, he calls it what it actually is: a Renewal Probability Score.

And that simple change shifts the mindset from “is the customer happy?” to “will the customer renew?”

Here’s how his model works:

40% data – product usage, support tickets, activity.

60% human input – what the CSM actually feels from conversations.

Because sentiment matters.

Humans first, automation second

Sean admits this model takes time. But he’s quick to point out. CS teams are automating the wrong things.

Stop automating the moments that matter and start automating the busywork instead. Let AI write your follow-ups. Let your system summarize meetings. But never outsource sentiment.

Only a CSM can tell when a customer sounds unsure, distracted, or frustrated…even when their usage looks fine.

And while NPS isn’t dead, Sean treats it as just one data point. It’s a moment in time, not the full picture.

The real story lives in the trend, how sentiment changes over months, not days.

When his team tracks those shifts, they spot risk way earlier. And more importantly, they fix it.

Weekly Challenge

Do a “green account gut check.”

Pick three of your healthiest-looking accounts and ask yourself:

1. Who’s missing from the room?

   Have you spoken to the original decision-makers lately—or just your day-to-day contact?

2. What’s the real sentiment?

   Think back to your last few calls. Were they curious and engaged—or just polite?

3. Would they renew today?

   If your contract ended this month, would they sign again?

If you hesitate even a little, that “green” account might not be so healthy after all.

The step-by-step guide to communicating value that drives renewals

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• Learn the 3-part Value Sandwich Framework for structuring stories that resonate

• Communicate ROI clearly—even without dashboards or perfect data

• Build executive trust with outcome-based storytelling

• Access ready-to-use templates and real-world examples to make QBRs and renewals easier than ever

Start telling stories that sell renewals.

The biggest takeaway from Sean’s episode?

Customers don’t churn because they’re quiet. They churn because we stop paying attention.

So dig deeper. Ask harder questions.

And make “green” something your customers actually earn.

Have a listen to the full podcast:

I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Cheers to your CS success,

Anika

PS - CSM RevUP Academy is currently full. Don't miss your shot at next time! Get the strategies, playbooks, and build your confidence into a revenue-generating CS Pro. Join the VIP Waitlist today to be first notified when the doors open again.