Why Your Upsell Tool is Missing Revenue (and How LLM-Powered Log Monitoring Can Fix It)
Most B2B SaaS companies deploy upsell tools like Gainsight PX, Pendo, or Appcues expecting them to surface every expansion opportunity. In reality,...
Most B2B SaaS companies deploy upsell tools like Gainsight PX, Pendo, or Appcues expecting them to surface every expansion opportunity. In reality, many **miss 20–40% of potential usage-based upsells** — and the reason is almost never the tool itself.
## The Real Culprit: Improper Event Engineering
Upsell tools don’t magically know: - **Who** is using your product - **Which account** they belong to - **What plan** they’re on - **How close they are to hitting their limits**
They only know what you explicitly tell them through *event engineering*.
A proper setup requires: - Passing **user_id** and **account_id** into every `identify()` call - Including **account-level attributes** (seats purchased, plan tier, renewal date) - Consistently tracking **critical events** (logins, feature use, seat invites) - Keeping the event schema stable so changes don’t silently break triggers
When this breaks — and it often does — the upsell tool never sees the trigger. It’s not “missing” the opportunity; it’s simply **never being told it exists**.
### Common Causes of Missed Upsells - Identity not passed → events tied to “Anonymous User” - Events not instrumented for certain flows (e.g., mobile app) - Property name changes without updating mappings - Inconsistent data across web, desktop, and backend systems
Without rigorous monitoring, teams often **never notice** these misses.
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## A Better Way: Agent-Powered Log Monitoring
Instead of relying on pre-defined events, imagine pointing an **agent** at your **raw product logs** and letting it parse usage patterns, map the patterns to corresponding customers, detect emerging feature adoption trends, and surface accounts showing expansion signals.
Because it’s reading the **source of truth** (your logs), this approach: - **Removes dependency on event engineering** - Works even if event names or properties change - Captures *all* usage patterns, not just the ones you thought to track
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## The Takeaway
**Upsell tools aren’t inherently flawed** — but their reliance on precise, stable event engineering means they will silently miss opportunities when instrumentation drifts. By combining or replacing them with **agent-based log monitoring**, you can: - Eliminate event schema maintenance headaches - Catch every genuine upsell opportunity in real time - Build a system that’s resilient to engineering changes