The difference between cadence, the expected interval between events for an account, from its tier for touches or from its own history for orders, and recency, the days since the last event actually happened, why every list on this site is recency against cadence rather than either alone, the two cadences, tier cadence for effort and own cadence for behaviour, and the four readings that come from putting the two columns beside each other.
Days since last contact is on every CRM view and means nothing by itself. Seventy days is fine for one account and a failure for another, and the difference is cadence. This guide sets out cadence and recency, the two sources of cadence, the ratio that ranks every list, and the four readings.
| Cadence | Recency | |
|---|---|---|
| Is | The expected interval between events | Days since the last event |
| Source, for touches | The tier: touches per period | Activity log |
| Source, for orders | The account's own history: median interval | Ledger |
| Alone | A rule | A number |
| Together | Ratio = recency ÷ cadence: the ranking column |
| Cadence | List | Ratio threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Tier cadence, touches | Coverage: accounts past cadence per rep | Over 1 |
| Own cadence, orders | Dormancy: accounts silent past the multiple | Over the stated multiple |
| Recency vs tier cadence | Recency vs own order cadence | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Within | Within | Covered and buying |
| Past | Within | Buying without being touched: inherited or self-serve; at risk |
| Within | Past | Touched and not buying: the touch is not working |
| Past | Past | Neither: the first call on the list |
| Account | Tier cadence | Days since touch | Touch ratio | Own order cadence | Days since order | Order ratio | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4471 | 45 | 71 | 1.6 | 30 | 19 | 0.6 | Buying, untouched |
| 2207 | 30 | 12 | 0.4 | 7 | 44 | 6.3 | Touched, dormant |
| 9034 | 90 | 48 | 0.5 | 91 | 120 | 1.3 | Fine; one order late |
| 1187 | 45 | 100 | 2.2 | 14 | 400 | 28.6 | Neither; past the ceiling: lost |
Account 4471 is buying and nobody has called: the risk is silent. Account 2207 was called two weeks ago and has missed six orders: the call did not work, or the wrong person was called. Account 9034 is on schedule for both. Account 1187 is lost and belongs on the reclassification list.
Recency alone. Sorted by days; the quarterly accounts first.
Cadence alone. A rule with no account behind it.
One cadence for both lists. Touch cadence used for dormancy, or the reverse.
Ratios not on the page. The reader divides in their head, or does not.
Mapped once, the activity log, the ledger, the tiers and each account's own history produce both ratios per account, and both lists sorted by them. Covirage builds this from the exports as they are. The contact recency guide covers the touch side in one industry's vocabulary, and the dormant threshold guide covers the order side.
Tier cadence is what the company decides the account should get: touches per period by tier. Own cadence is what the account does: its median interval between orders. Coverage measures recency against tier cadence; dormancy measures recency against own cadence. Both are recency over an expected interval; the interval's source differs.
Because a list sorted by days since last touch puts the quarterly accounts at the top every week, and a list sorted by days since last order puts the annual buyers first. The ratio to cadence is what says which silence is unusual.
Above one for coverage: the account is past its cadence. Above a stated multiple, often three, for dormancy: the account has missed several expected orders. Both are on the report, and the ratio column is sorted, not the days column.