This guide walks you through configuring stages for your business—from planning your customer journey to launching live stages with objectives.
Before you start
Prerequisites
Ensure you have:
- Data integrations connected — CRM and product data flowing into Trig
- Organisations in Trig — Customer accounts visible in the Audience view
- Internal alignment — Agreement on what your customer journey looks like
Planning questions
Before creating stages, answer these for each stage of your journey:
| Question | Example Answer |
|---|
| What period does this stage cover? | Days 1 to 30 after signup |
| What happens in this stage? | Initial setup, first value |
| How do customers enter? | First seen date within 30 days |
| How do customers exit? | After 30 days OR all objectives complete |
| What 4 to 7 milestones matter? | Created project, invited team, connected integration |
Step 1: Map your customer journey
Identify your stages
Most B2B SaaS companies use four stages:
Onboarding → Adoption → Expansion → Renewal
Scope
What period of the journey? How long does it typically last?
Entry
What triggers entry? Time-based, event-based, or completion of previous stage?
Objectives
What 4 to 7 milestones define healthy progression?
Exit
When does this stage end? Completion-based, time-based, or hybrid?
Example: Onboarding stage
| Attribute | Value |
|---|
| Name | Onboarding |
| Duration | Days 0 to 30 |
| Entry criteria | first_seen_date within last 30 days |
| Exit criteria | Time-based: Auto-exit after 30 days |
| Objectives | Created first project, Invited team member, Connected integration, Generated first report |
Step 2: Create your first stage
Navigate to Stages
Go to Dashboard > Stages in the main navigation
Create new stage
Click Create Stage and enter:
- Name: Onboarding
- Description: Initial setup and first value milestones
Configure entry criteria
Define when organisations enter:first_seen_date is within last 30 days
Configure exit criteria
For your first stage, use time-based exit: Save the stage
Review and save. Don’t launch yet—add objectives first.
Start with time-based exit. You can refine to completion-based exit once you understand typical customer patterns.
Step 3: Add objectives
Identify 4 to 7 key milestones
For each stage, identify the actions that indicate healthy progression:
Onboarding stage example:
- Created first project
- Invited a team member
- Connected an integration
- Generated first report
- Completed a full week of usage
Create each objective
Open your stage
Click into the stage you just created
Add objective
Click Add Objective and configure:
- Name: Created First Project
- Completion criteria:
projects_created >= 1
Repeat
Add 3 to 5 additional objectives with clear completion criteria
Completion criteria examples
| Objective | Criteria |
|---|
| Created First Project | projects_created >= 1 |
| Invited Team Member | team_members >= 2 |
| Connected Integration | integrations_connected >= 1 |
| Generated First Report | reports_generated >= 1 |
| Completed Full Week | days_with_activity >= 7 |
Objective best practices
Keep objectives simple. Each objective should track one clear milestone. Complex objectives with multiple AND conditions are harder to interpret.
Name: Created First Project
Criteria: projects_created >= 1
Name: Fully Onboarded
Criteria: projects_created >= 1 AND team_members >= 2 AND integrations >= 1
Create Adoption stage
| Attribute | Value |
|---|
| Name | Adoption |
| Entry | last_completed_onboarding_stage has any value |
| Exit | Auto-exit after 90 days |
| Objectives | Feature depth, Team growth, Regular usage |
Create Expansion stage
| Attribute | Value |
|---|
| Name | Expansion |
| Entry | last_completed_adoption_stage has any value |
| Exit | Ongoing (no auto-exit) |
| Objectives | Premium feature exploration, Seat utilisation, Upgrade signals |
Create Renewal stage
| Attribute | Value |
|---|
| Name | Renewal |
| Entry | renewal_date within 90 days |
| Exit | Renewal complete or churned |
| Objectives | Engagement maintained, Health score stable, Renewal confirmed |
Step 5: Validate before launch
Check data availability
For each objective, confirm:
- The event or attribute exists in your data
- It’s flowing into Trig correctly
- It updates when customers take the action
Review audience size
In the stage configuration:
- Check how many organisations would enter
- Verify this matches your expectations
- Spot-check individual organisations
Test with sample organisations
Look at 3 to 5 specific organisations:
- Would they enter this stage correctly?
- Would objectives mark complete when expected?
- Are there edge cases you haven’t considered?
Step 6: Launch your stages
Review configuration
Double-check entry criteria, exit criteria, and all objectives
Launch the stage
Click Go Live to activate the stage
Monitor initial data
Watch the first few days to ensure:
- Organisations are entering correctly
- Objectives are completing as expected
- No unexpected edge cases
After launch
Monitor key metrics
In the first few weeks, watch:
| Metric | What to Look For |
|---|
| Entry rate | Are organisations entering as expected? |
| Objective completion | Are objectives completing when they should? |
| Average times | Are averages building as data accumulates? |
| Edge cases | Any organisations stuck unexpectedly? |
Refine based on data
After 2 to 4 weeks, review:
- Objectives with 0% completion: Maybe too hard or wrong criteria
- Objectives with 100% instant completion: Maybe too easy or automatic
- Objectives that predict success: Prioritise in interventions
- Objectives that predict churn: Add early warning jobs
Iterate
Stages improve over time:
- Add new objectives as you learn what matters
- Adjust thresholds that are too easy or hard
- Remove objectives that provide no signal
- Refine exit criteria based on observed patterns
Common configuration patterns
PLG / self-serve
Stage: Onboarding
Entry: first_seen_date within 14 days
Exit: Auto-exit after 14 days
Duration: Short, focused
Objectives:
- Completed signup flow
- Explored core feature
- Returned second day
- Invited first team member
Sales-led / enterprise
Stage: Onboarding
Entry: contract_signed = true
Exit: All objectives complete OR 60 days
Duration: Longer, more objectives
Objectives:
- Kickoff call completed
- Admin users configured
- SSO connected
- First use case deployed
- Training completed
- Business owner engaged
Hybrid
Stage: Onboarding
Entry: first_seen_date within 30 days
Exit: Auto-exit after 30 days
Objectives vary by segment:
- Self-serve: 4 objectives, simpler criteria
- Sales-led: 6 objectives, include manual steps
Troubleshooting
”No organisations entering stage”
- Check entry criteria—are they correct?
- Verify data is flowing for the criteria attributes
- Confirm organisations exist that should match
”Objectives not completing”
- Verify the attribute/event name is correct
- Check that data is updating when customers act
- Test with a known customer who should have completed
”Too many organisations stuck”
- Review exit criteria—is there a path forward?
- Consider time-based exit as safety net
- Check if objectives are too difficult
Summary
Configuring stages:
- Plan first — Map your journey, identify stages and objectives
- Start simple — One stage with 4 to 5 objectives, time-based exit
- Verify data — Ensure attributes exist and flow correctly
- Launch and monitor — Watch initial data, catch issues early
- Iterate — Refine based on observed patterns
Once configured, stages become the foundation for pattern discovery, Signals, and job interventions. 
