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Customer retention

Create a channel matrix

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A channel matrix shows what should be communicated, to whom, in which channel and when. It turns a retention strategy into concrete messages.

Once customers are segmented by churn risk (the risk that they stop being customers), value and behaviour, the next step is to plan which communication each segment should receive. Different segments need different messages, and different channels work better for different types of communication.

A well-designed channel matrix gives each segment its own message in the channel and at the time that suit it best. It reduces guesswork and makes retention a structured, repeatable process that can be scaled up and automated.

What is a channel matrix?

What the matrix shows

A channel matrix is a planning document. For each customer segment, it sets out

  • Who: Which customer segment
  • What: Which message/offer
  • Where: Which channel (email, SMS, push, social media, AI environments and so on)
  • When: Timing and frequency
  • Why: The goal of the communication

How the matrix is usually set up

Most common: A spreadsheet or table with a row per segment and a column per channel.

Example (simplified)

Segment Email SMS Push AI environment Social Timing
At-risk VIP customers Personal from the CEO – – Visibility in Perplexity LinkedIn DM Immediately
At-risk standard customers Onboarding series Discount code Reactivation FAQ optimisation – 14 days of inactivity
Champions Newsletter – New features Brand presence Community invitation Monthly

What the matrix gives you

A clear strategy
Everyone on the team knows exactly what to send to whom.
Automation
The matrix becomes the basis for automated campaigns in marketing automation tools.
Consistency
The same process is used every time a new customer enters a segment.
Measurability
Clear goals for each combination of segment and channel make it easy to measure what works.

Modern channels for retention

Email

Strengths

  • High impact
  • Can carry rich information (text, images, CTA)
  • Scalable and easy to automate
  • Measurable (open rate, clicks, conversion)

Use

  • Onboarding series
  • Reactivation campaigns
  • Newsletters
  • Transactional emails (receipts, reminders)
  • Personal messages (for very valuable customers)

Advice

  • Segment and personalise (use the customer’s name, relevant content)
  • A clear subject line
  • Mobile-optimised
  • A clear CTA

SMS

Strengths

  • Often read quickly
  • Immediate attention
  • Works without an app or internet access (except for sending)

Use

  • Time-critical messages (renewal in 24 hours)
  • Discount codes (high chance of being used)
  • Reminders

Limitations

  • Short format (160 characters for best results)
  • Expensive per message
  • Can feel intrusive if overused

Advice

  • Use sparingly (one to two a month at most)
  • Clear value in every message
  • Prior consent is required for marketing to private individuals under the Swedish Marketing Practices Act (marknadsföringslagen). An exception applies to existing customers who gave their contact details when making a purchase, if the mailing concerns the company’s own similar products and the customer can opt out free of charge.

Push notifications (mobile/desktop)

Strengths

  • Immediate visibility
  • High engagement if the content is relevant
  • Free (no cost per message)

Use

  • Reactivation (has not used the app for seven days)
  • New features
  • Personalised tips
  • Event-triggered notifications

Limitations

  • Requires an installed app or permission in the browser
  • Easy for users to switch off if the notifications annoy them

Advice

  • Relevant and personal (not mass mailings without tailoring)
  • Timing matters (avoid night-time)
  • Let users control the frequency

In-app messages

Strengths

  • Contextual (shown when the user is active in the app)
  • Can be interactive (tours, help texts, dialogue boxes)

Use

  • Onboarding (guiding new users)
  • Feature discovery (“Try this new feature!”)
  • Collecting feedback (NPS surveys)

Advice

  • Do not interrupt critical flows (such as checkout)
  • Can be closed
  • A/B test placement and timing

Social media

Channels: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram

Strengths

  • Personal tone (especially LinkedIn for B2B)
  • Building community
  • Organic reach if the content is shared

Use

  • LinkedIn DMs for very valuable B2B customers
  • Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn) for loyal customers
  • Social media monitoring to spot dissatisfaction early
  • Retargeting ads for win-back campaigns

Limitations

  • Personal communication is hard to scale
  • Organic reach is limited (often needs paid promotion)

Advice

  • LinkedIn for B2B, personal messages from account managers
  • Community for engagement and peer support between customers
  • Paid retargeting for at-risk customers

AI environments (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity)

New channels for brand presence and retention

Why it matters: Customers can ask AI tools questions. If the company is missing from AI answers, potential and existing customers who ask there may miss it.

ChatGPT

Use for retention

  • Existing customers can look for support through ChatGPT (“How do I cancel my subscription to X?”)
  • If ChatGPT gives accurate, helpful information, it can reduce churn
  • Make FAQs and support content clear, so that AI tools can find and reproduce it

Strategy

  • Structured support content (FAQs, guides) on the website
  • Monitor mentions (when is the company mentioned in ChatGPT answers?)

Gemini

Use for retention

  • Customers meet Gemini inside the Google ecosystem (Gmail, Calendar, Drive)
  • Can answer questions about the company based on public information and the user’s Gmail, if the user has connected the Google Workspace app
  • Customers can ask “What subscription do I have with X?”

Strategy

  • Optimise for Google sources (website, Google Business Profile)
  • No special structured data is required to appear in Google’s AI features in Search. The structured data you do have should match the visible text on the page.

Perplexity

Use for retention

  • Research-minded users (looking for detailed information)
  • Citation-driven (shows sources), good for credibility
  • B2B customers can look for information through Perplexity

Strategy

  • Long, high-quality texts (white papers, guides)
  • Cite research and data
  • Visible case studies

A shared AI strategy for retention

  1. Visibility: Make sure the company is mentioned correctly in AI answers
  2. Accuracy: The AI tools should give correct information about products and services (avoid misunderstandings that can lead to churn)
  3. Support optimisation: FAQs and support adapted so that AI tools can read them (existing customers get faster answers)
  4. Brand awareness: A consistent presence in AI answers can make both new and existing customers think of the company first

Direct mail (physical)

Strengths

  • Stands out
  • Personal and tangible
  • High attention

Use

  • Very valuable at-risk customers (a personal letter and a gift)
  • Anniversaries (one year as a customer, five years and so on): thank-you cards
  • VIP customers (exclusive invitations)

Limitations

  • Expensive (production and postage)
  • Slow (takes days to arrive)

Advice

  • Reserve it for the highest-value customers
  • Handwritten and personal if possible
  • Include something of value (a discount code, a small gift)

Phone and video meetings

Strengths

  • The most personal
  • Direct dialogue (can solve problems in real time)
  • Builds a strong relationship

Use

  • At-risk VIP customers (save the largest contracts)
  • Onboarding for very valuable customers
  • Quarterly check-ins with enterprise customers

Limitations

  • Very expensive (requires staff time)
  • Cannot be scaled up

Advice

  • Only for the 5 to 10 per cent most valuable customers
  • Book a meeting by email first (do not force cold calls)
  • Come prepared (know the customer’s history and problems)

How to tailor the message to each segment

At-risk VIP customers (High risk + High value)

Goal: Save the customer before it is too late.

Message

  • Personal: “We want to understand what we can do better”
  • Show value: “Here is the ROI you have had over the past twelve months”
  • Special offer: Discount, extra support, tailored features
  • Escalate: Senior management makes direct contact

Channels

  • Email (personal from the CEO or a vice president)
  • Phone/video meeting
  • LinkedIn DM (for B2B)
  • Physical mail (if very high value)

Timing: Immediately once the customer has been identified as at risk.

At-risk standard customers (High risk + Medium value)

Goal: Reactivate the customers before they stop using the product altogether.

Message

  • “We noticed you haven’t used X for a while”
  • Onboarding help: “Here are tips for getting more value”
  • Discount: “20 per cent off next month if you stay”
  • Feedback: “What can we improve?”

Channels

  • Email (automated series)
  • Push notification
  • In-app messages
  • SMS (if critical)

Timing

  • 14 days of inactivity: First email
  • 21 days: Second email and push
  • 30 days: Final attempt with a discount

New customers need to discover the value quickly (medium risk, critical onboarding phase)

Goal: Make sure they discover the value quickly and do not churn early.

Message

  • “Welcome! Here’s how to get started”
  • Feature discovery: “Three things you should try first”
  • Customer stories: “How others use [feature]”
  • “Need help? Book a one-to-one session”

Channels

  • Email (onboarding series over 30 days)
  • In-app messages (guided tours)
  • Push notifications (milestones)

Timing

  • Day 1: Welcome email
  • Day 3: Highlight feature 1
  • Day 7: Highlight feature 2
  • Day 14: Check-in email
  • Day 30: “What do you think so far?” (feedback)

Champions (Low risk + High value)

Goal: Keep them satisfied, sell more and get referrals.

Message

  • Thanks for their loyalty
  • Early access to new features
  • Ask for feedback (“Your opinion matters”)
  • Ask for a referral or a case study
  • Upselling of premium features

Channels

  • Email (monthly newsletter)
  • In the app (early access offers)
  • LinkedIn (for B2B, personal contact)
  • Community (exclusive Slack/Discord for VIP customers)

Timing

  • Monthly newsletter
  • When new features launch
  • Quarterly: Ask for feedback and referrals

Hibernating (very inactive customers, low contact level)

Goal: Make a final attempt to win the customer back, and otherwise let go.

Message

  • “We miss you”
  • A large discount: “50 per cent off if you come back”
  • “What went wrong?” (exit survey)

Channels

  • Email (one final campaign)
  • SMS (if a phone number is available)

Timing

  • 90+ days of inactivity: Final email
  • If no reply comes within two weeks: Accept the churn

How to choose timing and frequency

Communication triggered by behaviour

Based on behaviour rather than a schedule

Examples

  • No activity for 14 days → Send a reactivation email
  • At least three support tickets in seven days → Escalate to senior support
  • 30 days before renewal → Send a renewal reminder
  • Visits the pricing page at least three times → Send a retention offer

Tools: Marketing automation (HubSpot, ActiveCampaign) with automatic triggers.

Scheduled communication

Regular, regardless of behaviour

Examples

  • Monthly newsletter (all active customers)
  • Quarterly business review (enterprise customers)
  • Annual customer survey (NPS)

Balance: Do not send too often (it irritates) but not too rarely either (the company is forgotten).

Recommendations

  • Transactional customers (e-commerce): once or twice a month
  • Subscription customers (SaaS): once a week is fine if the content is valuable
  • Enterprise B2B: Quarterly on a schedule, plus as needed

Respect communication preferences

Let customers choose

  • Frequency (daily, weekly, monthly)
  • Channels (email yes, SMS no)
  • Content types (product updates yes, marketing no)

Rules for mailings and customer data

  • Prior consent for email and SMS to private individuals, unless the exception for existing customers applies (the Swedish Marketing Practices Act, marknadsföringslagen)
  • Easy unsubscribe in every mailing
  • A legal basis under the GDPR for personal data and profiling
  • Respect preferences

Create the channel matrix step by step

Step 1: List the segments

From the audience segmentation

  • At-risk VIP customers
  • At-risk standard customers
  • New customers
  • Champions
  • Hibernating
  • and so on

Document: What defines each segment? (Criteria, size)

Step 2: Define goals per segment

What is the goal for each segment?

Examples

  • At-risk VIP customers: Save at least 70 per cent of the customers
  • At-risk standard customers: Reactivate at least 50 per cent
  • New customers: At least 80 per cent should use at least three features within 30 days
  • Champions: At least 30 per cent should give a referral or become a case study

Step 3: Choose channels for each segment

Which channels suit each segment best?

Consider

  • The segment’s value (high value = more personal channels)
  • Urgency (urgent = SMS/phone, long-term = email)
  • The segment’s size (large segment = automated channels)

Example

Segment Primary channel Secondary channel Tertiary channel
At-risk VIP customers Phone/video Email (personal) LinkedIn DM
At-risk standard customers Email (series) Push notification SMS
New customers Email (onboarding) In-app messages Push
Champions Email (newsletter) Community (Slack) LinkedIn

Step 4: Write messages for each combination of segment and channel

What should be said in each combination?

Template

Segment: [X] Channel: [Y] Goal: [Z] Message

  • Subject line or headline: […]
  • Main message: […]
  • CTA: […]
    Timing: [When it is sent]
    Frequency: [How often]

Example

Segment: At-risk standard customers
Channel: Email
Goal: Reactivate inactive users
Message:

  • Subject line: “We noticed you haven’t used [product] for a while”
  • Main message: “Here are three tips for getting more value quickly. Need help? Reply to this email.”
  • CTA: “Log in and try these tips”
    Timing: 14 days after the latest activity
    Frequency: Once, then a reminder on day 21 if there is no activity

Step 5: Implement in your tools

Marketing automation
Set up automated flows in HubSpot, ActiveCampaign and similar tools.
CRM integration
Link segment tags to campaigns.
Tracking
Make sure every campaign has UTM parameters or other tracking, so that the results can be measured.

Step 6: A/B test and optimise

Test

  • Subject lines (email)
  • Messages (short or long)
  • CTA wording
  • Timing (morning or evening)
  • Channels (email or SMS for the same message)

Measure

  • Open rate
  • Click-through rate
  • Conversion (reactivated customers)
  • Churn rate per segment

Adjust: Invest more in what works and stop what does not.

What a complete channel matrix can look like

A hypothetical SaaS company with five segments

Segment 1 is at-risk VIP customers: 50 customers with over SEK 1,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) and a high churn risk

Channel Message Timing Goal
Email (personal from the CEO) “I want to understand how we can serve you better” Immediately Book a video meeting
Phone The account manager calls for a check-in Within 48 hours Identify problems, offer a solution
LinkedIn DM Personal contact from the head of customer success Within 72 hours Build the relationship
Perplexity/ChatGPT Optimise FAQs for “How do I contact support for [product]” Ongoing Easy access to support

Hypothetical outcome: 80 per cent of the customers are retained (40 of 50)

Segment 2 is at-risk standard customers: 300 customers with SEK 300 to 1,000 in MRR and a high risk

Channel Message Timing Goal
Email #1 “We noticed you haven’t logged in for 14 days. Do you need help?” Day 14 of inactivity Reactivation
Push notification “New feature: [X]. Perfect for you!” Day 18 Feature discovery
Email #2 “Here are three quick tips for getting more value” + a 20 per cent discount code Day 21 Show value and give an incentive
SMS “Last chance: 20 per cent off ends tomorrow” (only if the offer genuinely ends) Day 28 Create urgency
ChatGPT/Gemini FAQ optimisation: “How do I get more out of [product]” Ongoing Self-service onboarding

Hypothetical outcome: 60 per cent are reactivated (180 of 300 customers)

Segment 3 is new customers: 500 new a month, zero to three months, medium risk

Channel Message Timing Goal
Email #1 “Welcome! Here’s how to get started in 5 minutes” Day 0 (sign-up) First activity
In-app tour A guided tour of the 3 most important features Day 1 (first login) Feature discovery
Email #2 “Tip: How successful customers use [feature]” Day 3 Best practices
Push notification “Congratulations! You’ve used [feature] five times” When a milestone is reached Positive reinforcement
Email #3 “How’s it going? Do you need help?” + book a one-to-one session Day 14 Check-in
AI optimisation FAQs for “How do I get started with [product]” Ongoing Support through AI tools

Hypothetical outcome: 85 per cent use at least three features within 30 days (425 of 500 customers)

Segment 4 is Champions: 300 customers with over SEK 1,000 in MRR and a low risk

Channel Message Timing Goal
Email A monthly newsletter with new features, tips and customer stories The first Monday of every month Engagement
Community (Slack) An exclusive Champions channel with early access to features Ongoing Feedback, beta testing
LinkedIn A personal check-in from the account manager Quarterly Relationship, ask for a referral
Email “Would you like to be a case study? We’ll pay SEK 5,000” (the payment must be disclosed when the case study is published) Twice a year Content marketing
Perplexity Case studies visible in answers about “[industry] best practices” Ongoing Brand awareness

Hypothetical outcome: 30 per cent give referrals and 10 per cent become case studies (90 referrals and 30 case studies)

Segment 5 is Hibernating: 200 customers with minimal activity for 90+ days

Channel Message Timing Goal
Email “We miss you! 50 per cent off for three months if you come back” Day 90 of inactivity Win-back
SMS “Last chance: 50 per cent off ends in 48 hours” (only if the offer genuinely ends) Day 97 Create urgency
Exit survey “What can we do better?” (if they still do not return) Day 105 Feedback

Hypothetical outcome: 15 per cent are won back (30 of 200 customers) and 85 per cent are accepted as churn

AI optimisation in the channel matrix

Why AI environments are new channels for retention

Changing behaviour: Customers can also ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity about the company.

What this means for retention

  • An existing customer who is thinking of cancelling asks ChatGPT: “What are the best alternatives to [product]?”
  • Hypothesis: If the company is not mentioned, or is poorly described, the risk of churn may increase
  • Hypothesis: If the company is mentioned positively and clearly, the risk of churn may decrease

Strategies per AI environment

ChatGPT

  • Optimise the support content (structured FAQs)
  • Monitor mentions with tools such as Ahrefs Brand Radar
  • Case studies and customer reviews

Gemini

  • An optimised Google Business Profile
  • Integration with Google Workspace (if relevant)

Perplexity

  • Long texts (white papers, guides)
  • Cited sources (research studies, data)
  • Case studies with metrics

Measure the impact of AI on retention

Metrics

  • Mentions in AI answers (number of times the company is mentioned)
  • Sentiment in the mentions (positive, neutral, negative)
  • Ranking in AI answers (top 3 or not at all)
  • Churn rate before and after AI optimisation
Hypothesis
Customers who see the company described positively in AI tools have lower churn than those who do not.
Test
Ask customers in a survey: “Have you looked up information about [product] in ChatGPT/Gemini/Perplexity?” Compare the churn rate between those who answer yes and those who answer no.

Tools for putting the channel matrix into practice

Marketing automation

HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo

  • Flows per segment
  • Event-triggered campaigns
  • A/B testing
  • Multiple channels (email, SMS, push)

Customer communication platforms

Intercom, Zendesk

  • In-app messages
  • Email
  • Push notifications
  • Chatbots

CRM

Salesforce, Pipedrive

  • Segment tags
  • Link campaigns to segments
  • Track the communication history

AI optimisation tools

Ahrefs Brand Radar and similar tools

  • Monitor mentions in AI answers
  • Analyse sentiment
  • Find the sources that AI answers cite

How to go from matrix to results

The channel matrix is a plan. To get results, the plan has to be carried out and measured:

Process

  1. Churn analysis → Identify who churns and why
  2. Audience segmentation → Divide customers into meaningful groups
  3. Channel matrix → Plan communication per segment and channel
  4. Implement → Set up the flows in marketing automation tools
  5. Carry it out → Send the campaigns according to plan
  6. Measure → Churn rate per segment, engagement per channel
  7. Optimise → A/B test messages, timing and channels → Adjust based on data

Continuous improvement: Revise the channel matrix regularly. Update it based on results and on new channels as they appear, such as the next AI tool to launch.

Contact us about the channel matrix

Carnaby helps companies create and implement channel matrices for systematic retention communication, from strategy and automation to AI optimisation.

Contact us →

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