SaaS 中的平均合同期限 (ACL) 是什么？

ACL or Average Contract Length is one of the metrics in the SaaS industry that indicates the average time companies are able to retain customers contractually. 

要计算ACL，请考虑您的SaaS业务中使用的合同期限，将它们以月为单位相加，然后将总期限除以合同数量。 

例如，您的SaaS业务有十个客户选择了月度计划，两个客户同意了年度计划，还有一个客户选择了两年计划。要计算总月份，您需要将合同转换为月份： 

ACL= Contract Lengths/ Number of users 

合同期限： (10个月 * 1) + (2 * 12个月) + (1 * 24个月) = 58个月

用户数量：10 + 2 + 1 = 13

ACL=  58 months / 13 contracts = 4.46 months

影响SaaS平均合同期限（ACL）的一些因素包括：

• 客户满意度
• 价值主张
• 产品质量
• 定价策略 和 策略
• 竞争
• 市场趋势进行调整的灵活性
• 客户行为

While a high-value proposition and high customer satisfaction could potentially contribute to a longer average customer lifetime, the impact on individual cases may vary.

虽然ACL是一个有价值的 SaaS公司衡量指标 用于衡量客户留存率和预测收入来源，但它也有局限性。 

ACL数据可以提供关于客户参与度的宝贵见解，但可能需要用其他来源的数据进行补充，以便全面了解客户的留存率和满意度。 

尽管年度合同具有优势，但ACL的重点仍然是特定时期内的购买金额，主要捕捉合同的损失。分析月度计划可能会因同时包含同一公司的月度和年度合同而无意中引入ACL偏差。 

For instance, company B may have many customers using monthly plans, which somehow influences their average usage satisfaction. While most monthly users of company A are unsatisfied, their overall satisfaction is still higher than that of A’s 12-month users. 

SaaS firms also use measures beyond ACL, focusing on internal and external customer interactions, particularly in cases like company A, where users operate independently.

These metrics are helpful when assessing certain aspects of user interaction with the product, as well as their engagement with it. Identification of dynamics of active users, duration of usage, usage of the feature, mode of usage, and periodicity of use help define customers’ behavior in relation to the product and measure their involvement. 

These metrics could have a potential impact on product development, gauging market potential, and developing strategies to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Average Customer Lifespan (ACL) is one of the most critical factors of pricing for SaaS companies and 销售策略这是一个企业内部人员需要熟悉的指标，以了解客户何时活跃以及他们将持续为订阅付费多长时间。 

关于不同定价方法、向上销售和交叉销售的信息可用于制定策略。与ACL数据一致的定价和销售策略可能会影响业务收入的产生和客户满意度，尽管结果可能因其他因素而异。

SaaS pricing offers various methods for implementing discount strategies like LTO (限时优惠) 并管理年度合同价值 (ACV)。为长期合同提供折扣可以让客户在短期内减少投入，从而增加 ACL。

一种方法是为年度计划提供临时折扣，或为多年订阅提供更具竞争力的价格。虽然这种做法被广泛认为可以鼓励客户选择更长的合同，但它在多大程度上能促进长期收入稳定仍不清楚。 

SaaS 公司需要兼顾两方面的优势——既能通过长期合同吸引潜在客户，又能以不损害公司财务目标的方式应对此类折扣带来的风险。.