Breaking the Mould: Upgrading your Quarterly Business Review (QBR) process

Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) have long been a popular way for businesses to review their performance, set goals, and align on strategic initiatives. They also present the biggest opportunity for a supplier to retain and grow their client relationship. However, there has been a growing sentiment that QBRs have lost their effectiveness and are becoming obsolete. However, they're far from old news. They just need to be better. In this article, I will explain some of the key improvements I have seen companies make to their Quarterly Business Reviews that deliver the most impact. 

Typical pitfalls in QBRs

Lack of focus: Business Reviews often devolve into generic presentations with minimal actionable insights, wasting valuable time and diluting their purpose.

Inadequate preparation: Without proper groundwork, Quarterly Business Reviews tend to rely on stale or incomplete messages, hindering their ability to provide an accurate representation of performance. Failing to embrace new technology can make it more challenging to manage QBR processes at scale.

Absence of engagement: Many Quarterly Business Reviews become one-sided conversations where only a few individuals dominate the discussion while others passively listen, resulting in missed opportunities for valuable input and collaboration.

Feedback is not properly measured and tracked: This can leave clients feeling that their time and insights are not being valued. This makes it challenging for businesses to continuously improve relationships, as they have no indication of where they currently sit.

How can companies improve QBRs? 

Companies I have seen effectively reinvigorate the Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) focus on the following areas: 

1. Creation of reviews

It shouldn’t just be on a time-poor Account Manager to create QBR decks. Different functions should be contributing towards the review experience for their clients. This may be sharing case studies supplied by Marketing, data provided by a Customer Experience team, or sales figures from the Commercial team. If a business is truly customer-centric, all functions should support one of the most important moments in the client relationship. We also see some companies requiring their clients to contribute to the creation of the QBR, although this may only be relevant for certain client relationships.

2. Data delivery

Many companies are capable of creating infinite amounts of data for their clients, but this can be quite an overwhelming experience for those who don’t live and breathe the product/service you provide. Making sure data is easy to understand is critical. If a client doesn’t understand the impact - or “so what” - of the data you are taking them through, it’s likely a waste of everyone's time. If clients leave your Business Reviews with a solid understanding of just three critical actionable insights from your data, you’re already ahead of the competition.

3. Measuring feedback and trends

Measuring client feedback over time allows businesses to track changes in customer satisfaction and identify trends or patterns in their feedback. This can help businesses make informed decisions, improve their products or services, and maintain a positive relationship with their clients. Additionally, tracking client feedback over time can provide insights into the effectiveness of any changes or improvements implemented by the business. Your clients are likely requested to attend tens, if not hundreds, of Quarterly Business Reviews from their suppliers. Therefore, the suppliers who adjust their value proposition directly in line with feedback will always get prioritised over those who don’t. 

4. Making QBRs a collaborative experience  

We see a stark contrast in the types of reviews businesses run with their clients. The companies who see more success in the QBRs will sit down with their client at the beginning of each year and map out exactly how their reviews will be run, who should be involved and who needs to contribute. This collaboration helps build a deeper understanding of the client's needs and objectives. By involving the client in the formation of QBRs process, they are empowered to provide valuable feedback and actively participate. 

Final thoughts

Quarterly Business Reviews are a critical aspect of most B2B contract lifecycles, but many organisations view them as a box-ticking exercise and not an opportunity to add value and improve their bottom line. A lack of enthusiasm for QBRs often means organisations do not invest in the tools and processes to run the process effectively, meaning they do not achieve a desirable outcome from the process. Unfortunately, this can create a vicious cycle. If you think your QBRs don’t add value, you may be right, but it doesn’t have to be that way!  

By defining their purpose, aligning objectives, and embracing technology, businesses can ensure that their regular reviews become quality-driven processes that deliver tangible outcomes. A revitalised QBR process will not only foster stronger client relationships and innovation, but also provide a solid foundation for sustainable growth and success. 

With a background working in Customer Success across multiple sectors, George is an expert in delivering customer growth and improving retention rates. As one of Clientshare's earliest employees, he was integral in building, and now leading, our Customer Success team, and responsible for ensuring our clients get great results using Clientshare's products.

What's next?

If you want to work with experts that truly understand the ins and outs of Quarterly Business Reviews and have developed a platform that maximises their potential, then look no further.

Clientshare has developed Pulse, a one-of-a-kind, digital platform that supports the creation and delivery of Quarterly Business Reviews. With in-built CSAT, NPS and risk analysis dashboards, delivering total visibility across your client accounts, Clientshare Pulse allows you to measure real-time client sentiment and act with immediacy on upselling and cross-selling opportunities and pain points.

Take a look at our brief intro video below:

Do you feel that Clientshare Pulse could improve your Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and deliver those crucial renewals and upsells? Book a demo with our knowledgeable team below.