Using champion departures at existing accounts as an early warning signal
Expansion · Customer Success
Situation
When the internal champion or main point of contact leaves an existing customer, you lose not just a contact but often internal support for your product. If nobody notices, the contract gets cancelled as a surprise at the next renewal.
Key contacts
- The departing champion (if reachable, for a handover)
- Remaining users or stakeholders at the customer
- The new person responsible, if already known
Approach
As soon as the departure becomes known, check whether other active contacts exist at the customer. If so, proactively deepen that relationship before a gap forms. If not, treat this as a clear risk signal for the next quarter, not just for the renewal conversation.
A short, friendly message to the departing champion along the lines of "thanks for the collaboration, who's taking this over on your end?" often secures a warm handover without feeling pushy.
Common mistake
Only noticing the departure at the renewal conversation. By then, internal support for your product has often already eroded, making a save much harder than an early handover would have been.