Expansion Jobs

This guide walks you through configuring an expansion job in Trig, with detailed explanations of why each configuration choice matters and how to think through decisions for your specific business.

Worked Example: Throughout this guide, we’ll follow TeamFlow, a collaborative project management tool with tiered pricing (Starter, Professional, Business, Enterprise). TeamFlow has identified that their most efficient revenue growth comes from existing customers expanding—but their small sales team can’t monitor every customer for expansion signals.

Why expansion matters

The economics of expansion

Metric	New Customer Acquisition	Customer Expansion
Sales cycle	30-90 days typical	Days to weeks
Win rate	15-25% typical	40-60% typical
CAC payback	12-18 months	Often immediate
Relationship	Building trust	Trust already established
Product knowledge	Starting from zero	Already using and loving

Expansion revenue is often 3 to 5x more efficient than new customer acquisition. A customer hitting their seat limit is pre-sold—they’ve already decided your product works.

The timing problem

The challenge isn’t identifying that expansion opportunities exist—it’s identifying them at the right moment:

Too early: “Want to upgrade?” feels like a sales ambush
Too late: They’ve already worked around the limitation or found an alternative
Just right: “I noticed you’re running low on seats…” feels helpful

Trig solves the timing problem by monitoring expansion signals in real-time and triggering outreach when conditions are optimal.

Step 1: Define your expansion stage

How to think about expansion stage boundaries

Entry considerations:

Has the customer completed onboarding?
Are they healthy (not at-risk)?
Have they been a customer long enough to form an opinion?

Exit considerations:

They expanded (success!)
They declined and shouldn’t be asked again for X months
They churned (no longer relevant)

Example configuration

Stage Duration: Day 60 to ongoing (continuous monitoring)

Entry Criteria:
- Onboarding stage = Complete
- Customer tenure ≥ 60 days
- Customer health = Good or Excellent
- Current contract value > $0 (excludes free trials)

Exit Criteria:
- Customer completes expansion purchase (success)
- Customer explicitly declines (90-day cooldown)
- Customer health drops to At-Risk (moved to renewal job)

Step 2: Identify your expansion signals

Types of expansion signals

Signal Category	What It Indicates	Examples
Limit-based	Customer hitting constraints	Approaching seat limit, storage full
Usage-based	Growing engagement	Active users increasing, feature adoption expanding
Behaviour-based	Exploring upgrade	Viewing pricing page, clicking upgrade buttons
Milestone-based	Business growth	Team size increased, new department added
Time-based	Natural expansion moments	Anniversary, renewal approaching (healthy customer)

Example: TeamFlow’s expansion signals

Signal	How We Detect It	Expansion Opportunity	Conversion Rate
Admin invite blocked	`invite_blocked_seat_limit` event	Add seats (urgent)	72% 🔴
Seat utilisation >85%	`active_users/licensed_seats > 85%`	Add seats or upgrade tier	58% 🔴
Integration interest	`>3 integration page views/30 days`	Upgrade to Business	34% 🟡
Power users emerging	`3+ users with >20hrs/week usage`	Upgrade tier	28% 🟡
Company growing	CRM headcount up >20%	Proactive expansion	19% 🟢

Prioritise by conversion rate. A customer who just tried to invite someone and hit a seat cap is 72% likely to expand. That’s a hot lead—act immediately.

Step 3: Define expansion ownership

Ownership models

Model	How It Works	Best For
Self-serve first	Automated email → in-app upgrade flow	SMB, low ACV, high volume
Sales-assisted	Signal triggers sales outreach	Mid-market, complex pricing
CSM-led	CSM owns relationship + expansion	Enterprise, strategic accounts
Tiered hybrid	Route based on signal type or customer value	Mixed customer base

Example: TeamFlow’s tiered routing

Signal Type	Owner	Motion
Seat limit (Starter/Pro)	Self-serve	Automated email → in-app upgrade
Seat limit (Business+)	CSM	Personal outreach
Tier upgrade interest	Self-serve	Automated email → in-app upgrade
Integration interest	CSM	Discovery call, Business tier pitch
Power users (SMB)	Automated	Email nurture toward tier upgrade
Power users (Mid-market)	CSM	Business review, expansion discussion
Enterprise signals ($25K+)	AE + CSM	Joint outreach, custom pricing

Step 4: Configure expansion triggers

Trigger design principles

Specificity: One trigger per expansion type (don’t bundle seat expansion with tier upgrade)
Confidence threshold: Multiple signal instances or combined signals for higher confidence
Cooldown logic: Don’t re-trigger if already in an expansion conversation
Timing sensitivity: Some signals are time-sensitive (blocked invite), others aren’t

Example trigger configurations

Trigger A: Seat Expansion (Urgent)

Condition: invite_blocked_seat_limit event firedTiming: Immediate (within 25 minutes)Cooldown: None (always trigger—this is urgent)Owner: Self-serve email + in-app prompt

Trigger B: Seat Expansion (Proactive)

Condition: seat_utilisation > 85% for 7+ consecutive daysTiming: Next business day, 10 AM customer timezoneCooldown: 30 days since last seat expansion messageOwner: Self-serve email

Trigger C: Tier Upgrade (Feature Interest)

Condition: integration_page_views > 3 in last 30 days AND tier ∈ [Starter, Professional]Timing: 48 hours after threshold crossed (let them explore)Cooldown: 60 days since last tier upgrade messageOwner: CSM (mid-market) / Self-serve (SMB)

Trigger D: Tier Upgrade (Usage-driven)

Condition: power_users >= 3 for 14+ consecutive days AND tier ∈ [Starter, Professional]Timing: Next business dayCooldown: 60 days since last tier upgrade messageOwner: CSM outreach

Trigger E: Enterprise Expansion

Condition: tier = Business AND seat_utilisation > 80% AND contract_value > $25,000Timing: Route to AE within 24 hoursCooldown: 90 daysOwner: AE + CSM joint outreach

Step 5: Write your expansion messages

Message philosophy

Expansion messages should feel like service, not sales.

Feels Like Sales	Feels Like Service
”Your account is ready for an upgrade!"	"I noticed you’re almost out of seats…"
"Unlock premium features today!"	"I saw your team trying to connect Slack…"
"Contact us to discuss pricing"	"Here’s a quick link to add more seats”

Example messages

Seat Expansion (Urgent)
Seat Expansion (Proactive)
Feature Interest (Integrations)
Usage-Driven Upgrade
Enterprise (AE Intro)

This is TeamFlow’s highest-converting message because it arrives at the exact moment of need.

Subject: Quick fix for that invite issue

Hi {first_name},

I saw you tried to invite someone to [Product] but hit your
seat limit. Here's a quick link to add more seats so you can
get them in:

[Add Seats →]

Takes about 30 seconds. Let me know if you need anything else.

Sarah
Customer Success

This message reaches customers before they hit the wall.

Subject: Heads up on your [Product] seats

Hi {first_name},

Your team is using {X} of your {Y} [Product] seats—you're
getting close to your limit.

If you're planning to bring on more team members, you can
add seats anytime here: [Add Seats →]

Or if you'd like to discuss what tier makes sense as you
grow, just reply to this email.

Sarah
Customer Success

Subject: Saw you checking out integrations

Hi {first_name},

I noticed you've been exploring [Product]'s integration
options. Those are available on our Business tier—they let
you connect [Product] to Slack, Jira, and 20+ other tools
your team probably uses.

Would it be helpful to see a quick demo of how the Slack
integration works? I can show you in 15 minutes.

Sarah
Customer Success

Subject: Your team is getting serious value from [Product]

Hi {first_name},

I've been looking at how your team uses [Product], and I'm
impressed—you've got several people who are really power
users at this point.

When teams reach this level, they usually start wanting
things like advanced reporting, custom workflows, and
integrations. Those are part of our Professional tier.

Would it be worth 20 minutes to walk through what you'd get
with an upgrade? I can show you specifically what would help
based on how your team works.

Sarah
Customer Success

Subject: Thinking about your [Product] setup

Hi {first_name},

Your team has grown a lot on [Product] this year—you're
getting close to your seat limit again, and I know you've
mentioned wanting some capabilities we don't have in
Business tier.

I'd like to introduce you to {AE_name}, who works with our
larger customers on custom packages. They can put together
something that fits exactly what you need, including volume
pricing if you're planning to expand further.

Would you be open to a call with the three of us? I'll stay
involved to make sure you get what you need.

Sarah
Customer Success

Step 6: Configure internal notifications

Routing alerts

Signal	Routing	SLA
Urgent seat expansion	Self-serve (automated)	Immediate
High-value ($25K+) any signal	CSM Slack DM + AE alert	4 hours
Enterprise expansion signals	AE + CSM + Manager	24 hours
Declined expansion	Log for analysis	N/A

Sample alert

🚀 Expansion Opportunity

Customer: Acme Corp ($28,000/year, Business tier)
Signal: Seat utilisation at 92% (23/25 seats)

Context:
• Added 5 users in last 30 days
• Using 8 of 12 advanced features
• No support tickets in 60 days

Recommended Action: CSM outreach for Enterprise conversation

📊 View in Trig → [link]
📞 Book Call → [link]

Step 7: Define success metrics

Metrics to track

Metric	What It Measures
Signal-to-opportunity rate	% of signals that become conversations
Opportunity-to-close rate	% of conversations that expand
Time from signal to expansion	How quickly do they expand?
Expansion revenue	Total revenue from expansion jobs
Signal accuracy	Do signals actually predict expansion?

Benchmarking

Signal Type	Expected Conversion
Invite blocked (urgent)	60-80%
Seat utilisation >85%	40-60%
Feature interest	25-40%
Usage-driven upgrade	20-35%
Proactive (company growth)	15-25%

Summary checklist

Expansion stage defined (entry after onboarding + healthy)

Expansion signals identified with conversion data

Ownership model defined (self-serve, CSM, hybrid)

Triggers configured with appropriate thresholds and cooldowns

Service-oriented messages written for each signal

Internal routing configured for high-value opportunities

Success metrics defined

Next steps

Configure Renewal Jobs

Proactive renewal management that prevents churn

Building Jobs Guide

Detailed guide on job configuration

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Integrations

Guides

Use Cases

Resources

Expansion Jobs

Why expansion matters

The economics of expansion

The timing problem

Step 1: Define your expansion stage

How to think about expansion stage boundaries

Example configuration

Step 2: Identify your expansion signals

Types of expansion signals

Example: TeamFlow’s expansion signals

Step 3: Define expansion ownership

Ownership models

Example: TeamFlow’s tiered routing

Step 4: Configure expansion triggers

Trigger design principles

Example trigger configurations

Step 5: Write your expansion messages

Message philosophy

Example messages

Step 6: Configure internal notifications

Routing alerts

Sample alert

Step 7: Define success metrics

Metrics to track

Benchmarking

Summary checklist

Next steps

Configure Renewal Jobs

Building Jobs Guide

​Why expansion matters

​The economics of expansion

​The timing problem

​Step 1: Define your expansion stage

​How to think about expansion stage boundaries

​Example configuration

​Step 2: Identify your expansion signals

​Types of expansion signals

​Example: TeamFlow’s expansion signals

​Step 3: Define expansion ownership

​Ownership models

​Example: TeamFlow’s tiered routing

​Step 4: Configure expansion triggers

​Trigger design principles

​Example trigger configurations

​Step 5: Write your expansion messages

​Message philosophy

​Example messages

​Step 6: Configure internal notifications

​Routing alerts

​Sample alert

​Step 7: Define success metrics

​Metrics to track

​Benchmarking

​Summary checklist

​Next steps

Configure Renewal Jobs

Building Jobs Guide

Why expansion matters

The economics of expansion

The timing problem

Step 1: Define your expansion stage

How to think about expansion stage boundaries

Example configuration

Step 2: Identify your expansion signals

Types of expansion signals

Example: TeamFlow’s expansion signals

Step 3: Define expansion ownership

Ownership models

Example: TeamFlow’s tiered routing

Step 4: Configure expansion triggers

Trigger design principles

Example trigger configurations

Step 5: Write your expansion messages

Message philosophy

Example messages

Step 6: Configure internal notifications

Routing alerts

Sample alert

Step 7: Define success metrics

Metrics to track

Benchmarking

Summary checklist

Next steps