What This Is

This article explains how cost, margin, and profit are calculated and displayed inside GoCSM’s Revenue Intelligence.

These numbers help you understand not just how much revenue you’re generating, but how much of it you actually keep.

Why This Matters

High revenue does not always mean a healthy business.

Understanding cost and margin helps you:

• See which revenue is truly profitable

• Identify services that cost more than they return

• Avoid scaling low-margin accounts

• Make smarter pricing and packaging decisions

This is especially important when you offer usage-based services.

Where to Find It

Path: Dashboard → Revenue Intelligence → Overview

How It Works

GoCSM compares revenue earned against cost incurred for each account, plan, and service.

From that comparison, it calculates:

• Cost

• Margin (profit)

• Margin percentage

These values update automatically based on usage and billing activity.

Key Terms Explained

Cost

Cost represents what it takes to deliver services to your customers.

This can include:

• Usage-based services (SMS, AI, calls, emails, ads)

• Other billable services tied to customer activity

Not all plans or services have costs associated with them.

Margin

Margin is the amount left after cost is subtracted from revenue.

Margin = Revenue − Cost

This shows how much profit a customer, plan, or service is generating.

Margin Percentage

Margin % shows how efficient your revenue is.

It tells you:

• How much of each dollar you keep

• Whether growth is profitable or risky

A higher percentage means stronger profitability.

How to Read Cost and Margin Trends

• Rising revenue with stable costs = healthy growth

• Rising costs faster than revenue = margin pressure

• Sudden margin drops often point to usage spikes

Always review trends over time, not a single day.

Tips

• Review margin regularly, not just revenue

• Watch for high-revenue accounts with low margins

• Use margin insights to adjust pricing or usage limits

Who Should Use This

• Agency owners

• Operations and finance teams

• Customer Success Managers

Related Articles

• How to Use the Revenue Overview Dashboard

• Understand Revenue by Product and Service

• Review Revenue at the Account Level

• Identify Revenue at Risk from Failed Payments