back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
today we explore the silent killer of B2B products: emotional churn
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
Emotional Churn: when users are psychologically checked out but still in contract
Signals: dashboards look healthy while customers are already shopping for alternatives
Root Causes: poor onboarding, workflow friction, integration gaps
Spotting It: monitor core flows by cohort, watch feature adoption, listen for silence (no feedback = warning sign)
Fixing It: obsess over time-to-value, re-onboard disengaged users, empower power users, show you're listening
I’d love to hear from listeners if you’ve seen emotional churn play out with your product users / customer base. Drop a comment below👇 or join the chat via the Substack app.
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further reading / references
my original essay on Emotional Churn: The Silent Killer of Enterprise Products
I’ve written extensively about onboarding and time-to-value, and how it drives user investment in your product - read more in FTUX in B2B, Onboarding Artifacts, and PM Onboarding Practices
on identifying and empowering your power users: Manufacturing Champions (Part 1) and Manufacturing Champions (Part 2) [these connect directly to turning users into your best retention lever]
on monitoring user engagement and spotting decline: Mapping & Measuring Critical User Journeys breaks down how to track the flows that actually matter, which is essential for spotting emotional churn before it hits your numbers
the core tension at the heart of emotional churn: Happy Customers or Healthy Scorecards?
childish drawing / interpretation
