8 customer success KPIs every small business should track

The holiday rush reveals everything. Which processes hold up under pressure? Which customer relationships are strong? Which gaps have been hiding in plain sight all year?

As the season winds down and planning begins for the new year, small businesses have a rare opportunity. The data from your busiest weeks is fresh. Customer interactions are at peak volume. The patterns are visible.

Now is the time to decide what you'll measure going forward.

Here are eight customer success KPIs that matter for small businesses, not just during the holidays, but all year long.

1. Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

What it measures. How happy customers are with a specific interaction or experience.

Why it matters for small businesses. You don't have the margin for unhappy customers that enterprise brands do. Every dissatisfied customer represents a larger percentage of your revenue and referral potential.

How to track it. Simple post-interaction surveys. "How satisfied were you with your experience today?" on a 1-5 scale.

Holiday insight. Compare your CSAT from peak season to your quieter months. If scores dropped during the rush, you've found where your processes need reinforcement.

2. First response time

What it measures. How quickly customers receive an initial reply when they reach out.

Why it matters for small businesses. Speed signals that you care. Small businesses often win on responsiveness when they can't compete on price or selection.

Benchmark. Under 1 hour for email. Under 1 minute for chat.

Holiday insight. Did response times spike during your busiest days? That gap between normal and peak performance shows you where to build capacity.

3. First contact resolution rate

What it measures. The percentage of customer issues resolved in a single interaction.

Why it matters for small businesses. Every back-and-forth costs you time and costs the customer patience. High FCR means efficiency and happier customers.

Target. 70-75% is a solid benchmark for most small businesses.

Holiday insight. Track which types of questions require multiple contacts. Those are your FAQ and training opportunities for next year.

4. Customer retention rate

What it measures. The percentage of customers who continue doing business with you over a given period.

Why it matters for small businesses. Acquiring new customers costs 5-7x more than keeping existing ones. For small businesses with limited marketing budgets, retention is survival.

How to calculate. ((Customers at end of period - New customers) / Customers at start of period) x 100

Holiday insight. How many of this season's buyers were returning customers versus new ones? That ratio tells you whether you're building loyalty or just chasing transactions.

5. Net promoter score (NPS)

What it measures. How likely customers are to recommend your business to others.

Why it matters for small businesses. Word of mouth is your most cost-effective marketing channel. NPS predicts whether customers will actually drive referrals.

How to track it. "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?" on a 0-10 scale. Subtract detractors (0-6) from promoters (9-10).

Holiday insight. Send an NPS survey to customers who purchased during the holidays. Their experience under pressure is the truest test of your brand.

6. Customer effort score (CES)

What it measures. How easy it is for customers to get what they need from you.

Why it matters for small businesses. Customers don't want delight. They want easy. Low effort experiences drive loyalty more reliably than exceeding expectations.

How to track it. "How easy was it to resolve your issue today?" on a 1-7 scale.

Holiday insight. Where did customers struggle most this season? Returns? Order tracking? Those friction points are your improvement priorities.

7. Repeat purchase rate

What it measures. The percentage of customers who make more than one purchase.

Why it matters for small businesses. A one-time buyer is a marketing expense. A repeat buyer is a relationship. This metric shows whether your experience creates lasting customers.

How to calculate. (Customers with more than one purchase / Total customers) x 100

Holiday insight. What percentage of last year's holiday buyers returned this year? That's your true measure of whether seasonal success translates to lasting growth.

8. Support volume per order

What it measures. How many support contacts you receive relative to the number of orders.

Why it matters for small businesses. Rising support volume with flat or declining orders signals experience problems. Falling support volume with rising orders signals operational health.

Holiday insight. Did your support volume grow faster than your order volume this season? If so, something in your customer experience is creating unnecessary friction.

Start with three

You don't need to track everything at once. Pick three KPIs that align with your biggest challenges.

If customers seem happy but don't return, focus on retention and repeat purchase rate. Or you're drowning in support requests, focus on first contact resolution and support volume per order. Or, if you're not sure where you stand, start with CSAT and NPS to establish a baseline.

The holidays give small businesses a stress test. The data from that test is a gift. Use it to build something stronger for the year ahead.

See how Gladly helps small businesses deliver customer experiences that drive the metrics that matter.