I went straight for engagement metrics and kind of forgot to anchor on what 'success' even means for a channel like SMS.
Start by clarifying the goal of the SMS feature—likely to increase user engagement and business outcomes—then define success metrics across the funnel: adoption, usage, and impact. Structure your answer around a metrics framework that ties directly to Intercom's business model and customer value.
Pro tip: Differentiate between leading indicators (e.g., SMS send rate) and lagging indicators (e.g., retention lift), and emphasize that the ultimate measure is whether SMS drives incremental business value for Intercom's customers, not just usage.
Confirm that the SMS feature aims to help businesses engage users via text, and identify primary users (businesses) and end users (their customers).
Map metrics to adoption (e.g., % of eligible businesses enabling SMS), engagement (e.g., messages sent, open/response rates), and outcomes (e.g., conversion, retention, CSAT).
Select a North Star metric (e.g., incremental revenue per business using SMS) and supporting metrics that reflect both customer and Intercom value.
Use A/B testing or holdout groups to isolate SMS impact, and track cohort-based retention and expansion revenue for adopters vs. non-adopters.
Define benchmarks and targets, monitor leading indicators, and plan to refine metrics as the feature matures and more data becomes available.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.