What should I look at in a SaaS product’s usage logs besides the sales numbers?

Ask for usage data by account, not just totals. Check how many accounts log in regularly and how many paid but barely touched the product. Idle accounts are a warning, since the customer will question the bill when they next review expenses. Compare newer customers with older ones to see whether recent sign-ups behave differently.

Look at which features get used. If most of the product’s effort went into a feature almost nobody opens, that tells you where development time was wasted. If one feature carries the whole product, ask what would happen if a competitor copied it. Note any heavy users and ask whether they pay more.

Check for patterns before cancellations: do customers go quiet for weeks first? If so, that gives you an early warning to use after you buy. Also ask how the logs are kept, who can see them, and whether they hold personal details. Have a developer confirm that the numbers are collected correctly and have not been broken by a past change. Ask what the seller did with these numbers in the past, such as emailing idle accounts or changing the product. A seller who never looked at usage may have missed early signs of trouble that you will need to catch.

Key takeaways

• Compare paying accounts against accounts that actually use the product.
• Find which features carry the product and which are ignored.
• Look for quiet periods that come before cancellations.