Expansion Managers: Running a Utilization Review That Produces Decisions

A utilization review should help a customer make an operating decision. It should not turn a count of logins or transactions into a generic expansion pitch. Start with the customer’s stated objective and ask which team uses the workflow, what they are trying to complete, and where the customer wants a clearer picture.

For example, a payments team sees that a new case queue is used by support but rarely by finance. The manager asks, “When finance needs to investigate an issue, what do they use instead?” The finance lead explains that their team relies on a daily report because the queue does not contain a reference they need. This is more useful than announcing low adoption. The manager can ask whether the missing reference is a product question, a training question, or an internal process decision.

Bring only verified information and label its limits. Ask the customer whether the view matches their experience before drawing a conclusion. Then choose one decision: identify an owner for a workflow review, schedule a training session, or document a requirement for later consideration. Do not imply that higher use automatically produces a commercial reason to change scope.

Coach managers to ask a decision question after presenting evidence. In a role-play, the customer says, “That number does not tell the whole story.” A strong answer is, “What context would make it useful?” The manager should listen, correct the record, and agree on a next check. Score whether the meeting ends with an action the customer owns and a specific question. The recap should name the action the team will take.