An In-Depth Guide to Customer Experience Dashboards [Types + Real-World Examples]

Are you in tune with your customer’s expectations?

In the current age of one-click convenience, customers are demanding more from brands than they ever have.

Recent report findings show that 76% of customers expect businesses to understand their needs and preferences.

And this seems ideal given how now 80% of customers are favoring brands that go the extra mile to deliver personalized, targeted experiences driven by data.

With so much going on—businesses are looking at new avenues to stay top of mind with customers.

Considering the amount of data generated by companies is increasing in monumental proportions—data has become a strategic asset to optimize operational efficiencies and transform business value.

Today, businesses are laying the foundation for getting more from their data. As a result, customer experience dashboards have come to the forefront as critical tools offering visual and easy-to-digest insights into key metrics on how customers interact with a product or service.

Let's understand this better with an example.

We’ll take the case of a CRM and sales automation SaaS platform that helps businesses manage leads, automate follow-ups, and track customer interactions. The SaaS provider can give its clients access to customer experience dashboards that display user activity and flag inactive accounts or declining engagement. By spotting early signs of churn—the SaaS provider can alert their clients to take targeted re-engagement campaigns live or initiate personalized support to retain customers.

With 91.9% of organizations gaining measurable results from data and analytics—offering the right tools is key. This means providing your customers with the right analytics experience, whether they need basic dashboards or advanced self-serve reporting.

Discover how Spotdraft saved more than $300k and three-quarters of engineering effort by leveraging DataBrain to power global customer analytics.

In this article, we delve into the importance of customer experience dashboards.

Here’s a quick look at all that we will be covering:

• Key metrics that should be monitored
• How to develop dashboards for customer use
• Different categories of customer experience dashboards
• Real-world examples from SaaS companies
• The significant ROI from investing in these dashboards
• Using predictive analytics for proactive engagement

First up, why do customer experience dashboards matter?

Customer experience dashboards are vital tools that provide businesses with a comprehensive view of customer interactions and satisfaction levels. According to a recent study, 90% of global executives agree that data transparency is becoming a key factor in giving their organizations a competitive edge. This transparency is also crucial for understanding and improving the customer experience.

Here are three primary reasons why we believe customer experience dashboards are here to stay.

• Offers a centralized view of customer interactions

A customer experience dashboard consolidates data from various touchpoints, offering a unified view of customer interactions. This centralization allows businesses to monitor and analyze customer usage and journeys effectively.

For a healthcare provider, this means centralizing patient data from appointment booking, telemedicine consultations, and health tracking apps. This provides a complete view of patient engagement, allowing the healthcare provider to find new ways to offer personalized care and enhance the patient experience.

• Spots trends and fixes issues fast

By monitoring key metrics, businesses can quickly spot emerging trends and address potential problems.

For example, a conference organizer notices a sudden drop in webinar logins compared to previous events. When they dug into the engagement data, they found attendees were dropping off during long introductions. They quickly revised their agenda and cut short the intros for upcoming sessions to improve attendance rates.

• Improve retention and satisfaction

Understanding metrics like customer satisfaction scores and retention rates enables businesses to implement strategies that enhance customer loyalty.

For instance, by analyzing customer feedback, a company might discover that simplifying the onboarding process leads to higher satisfaction and retention.

Key metrics businesses should track

To understand and improve customer experience, businesses should monitor several key metrics.

Let’s run by some of the metrics that you need to watch closely:

• Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

This metric measures customer happiness with a product, service, or interaction. Typically, customers rate their satisfaction on a scale, providing immediate feedback on their experience.

• Net Promoter Score (NPS)

NPS measures customer loyalty by gauging how willing they are to refer your business to others. Responses from customer surveys help gauge overall satisfaction and the potential for word-of-mouth referrals.

• Customer Effort Score (CES)

CES evaluates how easy it is for customers to interact with your company or use your products and services. Lower customer effort often leads to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

• First Response Time

The First Response Time metric tracks the speed at which customer support teams reply to inquiries. Faster responses can enhance customer satisfaction and demonstrate a commitment to service.

• Customer Retention Rate

This measures how many customers keep using your services within a specific time frame. A high retention rate suggests effective customer engagement and satisfaction strategies.

• Customer Churn Rate

The churn rate shows the percentage of customers who stop using your products or services during a given timeframe. Monitoring churn helps identify areas needing improvement to retain customers.

• Average resolution time

It measures how long it takes to resolve customer issues. A lower time often means better service and happier customers. Long wait times can frustrate users and push customers to competitors.

• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

CLV estimates the total revenue a customer is expected to bring over their relationship with a business. A high CLV shows strong retention and repeat purchases. Tracking this helps companies focus on long-term relationships instead of one-time sales.

• Feature Adoption Rate

This metric shows how many customers use new features. A low adoption rate may mean the feature is hard to find or not useful. Tracking this helps improve product design and communication.

How to build a customer-facing dashboard

A customer-facing dashboard gives users real-time insights without switching between tools. Product managers must design it around customer needs, focusing on relevant data and ease of use.

The best approach is embedding analytics directly into the product, keeping insights within the workflow. This allows users to track key metrics without disrupting their tasks, improving engagement and decision-making.

• Set goals

Define the purpose of the dashboard. Are you tracking engagement levels, support response times, or product adoption? Clear objectives guide the selection of meaningful data points.

• Pick key metrics

Choose metrics that reflect user needs. Customer feedback, industry research, and pilot tests help determine what data is most valuable.

• Integrate data sources

Pull information from CRM systems, support tickets, and surveys. A well-connected dashboard provides a complete picture of customer interactions.

• Use the right tools

Analytics should fit seamlessly into the product. DataBrain, built for modern software businesses, allows SaaS companies to embed real-time customer-facing analytics within their apps, making data more accessible.

• Design with clarity

Present information in a simple, intuitive format. Use clear visuals and logical layouts so users can interpret the data without much effort.

• Refine continuously

Dashboards should evolve with user needs. Regular updates based on user feedback will help keep them relevant and useful.

Types of Customer Experience Dashboards

There is a range of customer experience dashboards that businesses can use to enhance internal oversight of ongoing issues, generate insights that translate to effective action, and react more efficiently to customers’ needs by delivering the experiences they want—when they want them.

From engagement metrics to usage, billing, and support—customer experience dashboards provide real-time data that helps users identify trends and make informed, data-backed decisions.

Here’s a look at some of the different types of dashboards:

• Usage heatmap dashboard

Understanding how customers interact with different product features can reveal engagement trends and usability patterns. Heatmaps highlight which areas get the most attention and which are ignored. If a core feature is underused, it may indicate a design flaw or the need for better onboarding.

• Billing and payment dashboard

Subscription-based businesses depend on a steady flow of renewals and timely payments. This dashboard tracks revenue trends, failed transactions, and customer churn. A rise in failed payments could indicate technical issues or a need for flexible payment options.

• Upsell and cross-sell dashboard

Finding expansion opportunities requires analyzing customer behavior. Using an upsell and cross-sell dashboard helps you identify opportunities to upgrade or purchase additional services, as shown below.

• Customer journey dashboard

Customer retention depends on understanding every stage of the journey, from onboarding to continued engagement. A clear view of where users drop off can help teams refine workflows and communicate strategies better. If a significant number of users stop engaging after the first few weeks, further improvements may be needed.

• Customer feedback dashboard

Surveys, reviews, and direct feedback offer valuable insights into customer sentiments. By tracking trends over time, businesses can identify strengths and recurring issues. A pattern of negative feedback about a feature might indicate usability problems.

• Customer support dashboard

Timely and effective support keeps customers satisfied and prevents churn. Businesses need visibility into response times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction scores to maintain high service quality.

Top 3 real-world examples of customer-facing dashboards by SaaS brands

Monitoring key customer experience metrics is essential for SaaS companies aiming to maintain satisfaction and loyalty. Popular brands like GoDaddy, Intercom, and Contentsquare exemplify this practice by focusing on specific indicators to refine their services.

1. GoDaddy

GoDaddy utilizes customer experience dashboards to monitor metrics such as customer retention rates and transactional NPS. By analyzing these metrics—GoDaddy identifies areas for improvement and implements strategies to enhance customer satisfaction. Taking this data-driven approach enables GoDaddy to spot areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance the customer experience.

2. Intercom

By evaluating first response time, NPS, and CSAT—Intercom leverages real-time dashboards to monitor customer support team performance. Tracking these key metrics helps companies gain insights into customer success and retention. This level of comprehensive monitoring allows the company to refine support strategies and scale to new heights with strong customer relationships.

3. Contentsquare

Contentsquare's dashboards focus on CES and CSAT scores to measure user satisfaction and interaction ease. Staying on top of these metrics enables Contentsquare to identify friction points in the user experience and implement changes to simplify interactions, thereby improving overall satisfaction.

Investing in customer experience dashboards can yield significant ROI

Incorporating customer experience dashboards enables businesses to make informed decisions that enhance customer satisfaction and drive financial growth.

A recent study found that customers with the best experiences spend 140% more compared to those with poor experiences.

We’ll now look at some of the key benefits of investing in customer experience dashboards:

• Higher customer retention leads to steady revenue

Holding onto existing customers is a smarter financial move than constantly chasing new customers. A 5% increase in customer retention can lead to a 25% boost in profitability. Dashboards that monitor retention metrics help identify at-risk customers, allowing businesses to implement targeted strategies to maintain loyalty and ensure consistent revenue streams.

• Faster support improves customer satisfaction

Dashboards tracking response and resolution times enable teams to address issues quickly. Satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal and make repeat purchases, directly contributing to increased revenue.

• Improved onboarding reduces churn

Positive interactions with the brand right from the point of onboarding are crucial for building a loyal user base. Dashboards that monitor onboarding progress can highlight areas where customers may struggle, allowing for timely interventions. This proactive approach reduces churn rates and ensures higher customer lifetime value.

• Identifying upsell opportunities grows account value

Dashboards analyzing customer behavior and purchase history can reveal upsell opportunities. By understanding customer needs and preferences—businesses can offer relevant products and enhance services, increasing the average account value and bottom line.

• Studying feature adoption guides product decisions

Monitoring which features customers value and how much they use informs product development. Dashboards that track feature adoption rates help identify much-loved functionalities and nail down areas needing improvement. This data-driven approach ensures resources are allocated proportionately, enhancing the product's value proposition and boosting customer satisfaction.

Incorporating predictive analytics for proactive customer engagement

Integrating predictive analytics into customer experience dashboards allows businesses to anticipate customer behaviors and needs. By analyzing historical data, companies can identify patterns and trends that inform future product refinement and innovation strategies.

For instance, you can act on early warning signs of customer behavior and:

• Anticipate churn through usage patterns
• Identify upsell opportunities with data trends
• Customize outreach based on predicted user needs
• Improve retention through targeted engagement strategies

Real-time insights, real customer impact

Legacy dashboards make data analysis slow and dependent on specialists. Every report request further clogs workflows—delaying insights that drive growth.

DataBrain removes these roadblocks with AI-powered analytics. Users can chat with data, auto-summarize key insights, and explore trends without writing code. Similarly, a drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create reports on the go.

By embedding analytics directly into your platform, DataBrain puts real-time insights in users' hands. No more waiting—just faster, smarter decisions.

Sign up today and get ahead with insightful customer-facing dashboards using DataBrain.