The strategy that drove a 67% retention boost

Ever been stuck on hold for so long that you started questioning your life choices? Yeah, same. Nothing kills patience faster than waiting—whether it's for a customer service rep, a food order, or a text back (looking at you, ghosters).

And yet, businesses do this all the time to their customers. They leave them hanging, make them wait, and then wonder why they bounce.

But here’s the thing—fixing this isn’t rocket science. In fact, a tiny shift in how fast you respond can keep customers glued to you instead of running to your competitors. Let me show you how.

SALES

67% Increase in Retention 

Every business wants to make more money. But so few look at the largest profit centers - retention.

Businesses lose out on mountains of cash by letting customers ‘idle.’ They float around in no man’s land, get impatient, then leave to find someone who can help them NOW.

Fun fact: Customers who have their problems resolved in under 5 minutes are 67% more likely to stick around (Harvard study). And yet, most businesses have multi-day response times. No bueno.

Here's how I like to speed up response times.

First, map every possible customer issue into three buckets:

1. Can solve immediately (ex: password resets, basic questions)

2. Need more info (ex: technical issues, account specific)

3. Need approval (ex: refunds, special requests)

Then, create three corresponding response templates: 

Bucket 1: Direct solution (template these)

Bucket 2: Specific questions to get info (template the questions that get the right response)

Bucket 3: "I'm escalating this to [name] who can approve this. They'll reach out within [time]."

The key: Respond to EVERY message within 5 minutes, even if just to acknowledge and set expectations. Kinda like airplane delays. They just keep telling you every 30min that it’s delayed. People just like to be kept abreast, even if the solution isn’t fully formed yet. 

Train your team to respond fast with something rather than slow with everything. Speed beats perfection when it comes to customer satisfaction.

HEADLINES

Hot picks from the web

→ Google Ads will automatically remove parked domain placements. Starting March 19, the Search Partner Network will automatically opt all accounts out of serving ads on parked domains, aka websites that are registered but not actively developed.

→ Instagram now allows brands to feature sponsored creator endorsements as comments in Partnership Ads. These 125-character testimonials offer a quick way for creators to monetize and for brands to boost engagement, leveraging the 40% of users who rely on creator recommendations for shopping.

→ B2B buying decisions are made by groups, not individuals, making buying-group marketing more effective than ABM. Targeting stakeholders within decision-making units ensures messaging aligns with their diverse priorities, overcoming silos within large enterprises.

SOFTWARE

Top tools

✅ Pluralsight: A tech workforce development platform offering expert-led courses to enhance team skills and efficiency.

✅ Jitsi: An open-source, secure video conferencing platform with high-quality audio, screen sharing, and YouTube streaming.

✅ Bullet Journal: A Companion App enhances the traditional Bullet Journal with cloud backup, task capture, daily reflection, and searchable notes.

POLL

Pop quiz