Business Success Skills

Building a SaaS Metrics Dashboard In Excel Or Google Sheets




Building a SaaS metrics dashboard in Excel or Google Sheets allows you to track and visualize your key business metrics effectively. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a comprehensive dashboard to monitor your SaaS performance.

1. Plan Your SaaS Metrics Dashboard

Identify the key metrics you want to track. Common SaaS metrics include:

Core Metrics:

  1. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
  2. Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)
  3. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
  4. Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)
  5. Churn Rate
  6. Net Revenue Retention (NRR)
  7. Active Customers
  8. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

2. Setting Up Your Dashboard in Excel/Google Sheets

Step 1: Create a New Spreadsheet

  1. Open Excel or Google Sheets and create a new file named “SaaS Metrics Dashboard.”
  2. Add a tab named “Metrics” for the raw data and another tab named “Dashboard” for visualization.

Step 2: Input Raw Data

Organize your raw data on the Metrics tab.

Example Data Structure:

| Month | New Customers | Churned Customers | Total Customers | Revenue ($) | Expenses ($) | Upsell Revenue ($) |
|--------------|--------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------------------|
| Jan 2025 | 20 | 5 | 150 | 7,500 | 3,000 | 500 |
| Feb 2025 | 25 | 4 | 171 | 8,500 | 3,200 | 600 |
| Mar 2025 | 30 | 6 | 195 | 9,200 | 3,500 | 700 |

Tip: Use one row per month to streamline calculations.

Step 3: Calculate Key Metrics

Add formulas to calculate each SaaS metric:

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

  • Formula: =SUM(Revenue Column)
  • Cell Example: =SUM(E2:E13)

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

  • Formula: =SUM(Revenue Column) * 12
  • Cell Example: =SUM(E2:E13) * 12

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

  • Formula: =SUM(Expenses Column) / SUM(New Customers Column)
  • Cell Example: =SUM(F2:F13) / SUM(B2:B13)

Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)

  • Formula: =Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) * Average Customer Lifetime
  • Calculate ARPU: =SUM(Revenue Column) / SUM(Total Customers Column)
  • Example:
  • ARPU: =SUM(E2:E13) / SUM(D2:D13)
  • Assume average lifetime of 24 months: =ARPU * 24

Churn Rate

  • Formula: =SUM(Churned Customers Column) / SUM(Total Customers Column)
  • Cell Example: =SUM(C2:C13) / SUM(D2:D13)

Net Revenue Retention (NRR)

  • Formula:
  • Starting MRR: =E2
  • Ending MRR: =E13 + SUM(G2:G13) (Revenue + Upsell Revenue)
  • NRR Formula: =(Ending MRR / Starting MRR) * 100
  • Cell Example:
  • =(E13 + SUM(G2:G13)) / E2 * 100

Step 4: Visualize the Data

Create charts to visualize your metrics on the Dashboard tab:

1. MRR and ARR Line Chart

  • Highlight the Month and Revenue columns.
  • Insert a Line Chart to show monthly growth.
  • Add a secondary axis for ARR if needed.

2. Churn Rate and CAC Bar Chart

  • Use a Bar Chart to compare Churn Rate and CAC over time.
  • Include trendlines to analyze changes month-over-month.

3. NRR Pie Chart

  • Create a Pie Chart to display NRR, showing the proportion of retained, upsold, and lost revenue.

4. Customer Growth Area Chart

  • Use an Area Chart to display cumulative Total Customers over time.

3. Sample Dashboard Layout

Organize your dashboard for quick insights:

| Metric | Current Value | Visualization |
|-----------------------------|-------------------|---------------------------------|
| Monthly Recurring Revenue | $9,200 | Line Chart (MRR Growth) |
| Annual Recurring Revenue | $110,400 | Line Chart (ARR Projection) |
| Customer Acquisition Cost | $120 | Bar Chart (CAC Trend) |
| Customer Lifetime Value | $2,400 | N/A |
| Churn Rate (%) | 3.5% | Bar Chart (Churn Rate Trend) |
| Net Revenue Retention (%) | 105% | Pie Chart (NRR Breakdown) |
| Total Customers | 195 | Area Chart (Customer Growth) |

4. Tips for Effective Dashboard Design

  1. Use Conditional Formatting: Highlight critical metrics like churn rate when they exceed target thresholds.
  2. Interactive Elements: Add dropdowns or slicers to filter data by month, region, or customer segment.
  3. Color Coding: Use consistent colors for positive (green) and negative (red) metrics.
  4. Add Descriptions: Provide brief descriptions or tooltips for complex metrics.
  5. Automate Data Entry: Use Google Sheets' IMPORTDATA or Excel’s Power Query to pull data automatically from sources like Stripe or QuickBooks.

5. Automating with Google Sheets Functions

  1. IMPORTRANGE:
  2. Import data from another sheet.

  3. Example: =IMPORTRANGE("sheet_url", "Sheet1!A1:E10")

  4. QUERY:

  5. Filter and sort data dynamically.

  6. Example: =QUERY(A1:E, "SELECT B, SUM(E) WHERE C > 0 GROUP BY B")

  7. SPARKLINE:

  8. Create mini charts in a single cell for quick visual trends.
  9. Example: =SPARKLINE(E2:E13, {"charttype", "line"})

6. Maintaining Your Dashboard

  1. Update Regularly: Schedule monthly updates to input new data.
  2. Review Metrics Monthly: Identify trends or anomalies and adjust strategies accordingly.
  3. Share with Stakeholders: Use Google Sheets’ sharing options or export Excel dashboards as PDFs for reporting.
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