Published August 17, 2022
Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) can be an extremely valuable tool for businesses. By having a deep conversation with your client about the performance of your product and future goals, you can build a better working relationship, demonstrate your product’s value, and set goals for the future. QBRs are a cornerstone of client service.
When done correctly, QBRs identify areas for improvement, track progress towards goals, and support a smooth client journey. But like any business tool, QBRs can be a waste of time if you don’t think carefully about what you’re doing. So what are the best practices for a quarterly business review?
Make sure the goals of the QBR are clear by asking two questions:
Having clear goals that you can refer to will shape your quarterly business review agenda, keep everyone on track, and ensure a sense of cohesion. Build the format and agenda of the meeting around the answers these questions provide.
Gather and share all the relevant data before the quarterly business review, so that you have hard facts to build your decisions on.
Make sure you have had input from all the relevant team members, including:
To complete a comprehensive review, it's essential to look at the business from all angles. Give team members a chance to provide detailed information about their area and topics relevant to the QBR.
The importance of a quarterly business review means that it’s not the time to hold back information - on the contrary, the more information at your disposal, the better. Dive deep into the figures, explore what’s behind them, and discuss what they mean to your client.
For this to work, you’ll need to be open to feedback, making the quarterly business review a two-way conversation. Listen to input from your client even when it challenges your deeply held assumptions. Resist the urge to become defensive in the face of challenges. The client has a perspective that you don’t, and that can improve your business processes as well as increasing client satisfaction.
Be transparent about your performance in the quarterly business review, including all the successes and challenges you’ve faced, and be willing to make changes. Listening builds trust and guides you towards the service your client is seeking.
Finally, make sure to follow up after the quarterly business review, and continue building on what you learned.
Assign action items soon after the meeting, and set realistic deadlines. Once the assignments and deadlines are agreed, hold your team members accountable for meeting the goals you’ve discussed. Without that accountability, actions will be neglected and you’ll break the promises you’ve made to the client.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your quarterly business review is productive, informative, and helpful to the entire team.