Customer exit interview template: 11 questions
Where did they go instead?
A customer exit interview is a conversation with a customer who has left, to understand why. The Great Question template is an interview guide with eleven questions, from why they started using the product to what would have needed to be different for them to stay. If you want a short exit survey to send to every customer who cancels, use the churn survey template; many teams run both, using the survey to see which reasons are most common and the interviews to explain them.
Questions it can answer
- Why are our customers leaving?
- Where are they going?
- Did they find a better solution elsewhere?
What is a customer exit interview?
Customer exit interviews provide the ability to understand why a customer has decided to stop using a product or service. They are best used in conjunction with a survey to collect quantitative data around reasons customers are choosing to leave. When you want to dig deeper into the reasons or start to understand why certain reasons are being given in survey responses, interviews will help build that deeper level of insight.
Related guide: For running the conversations, see our guide on how to conduct customer interviews. For the survey side, see the churn survey template.
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The questions in this template
These are the questions in the Great Question customer exit interview template. Replace the text in angle brackets with your own.
In the app, the guide also includes an example introductory statement with an intro checklist, and an example closing statement with a closing checklist.
What was your initial reason for using <insert product or service>?
Can you explain how you've been using <insert product or service>?
Overall, how satisfied are you with <insert product or service>?
What was the most important aspect of <insert product or service> for you?
Why have you decided to stop using <insert product or service>?
What will replace your use of <insert product or service>?
How will your replacement to <insert product or service> be different? What impact will that have on you?
What were the things that you liked about <insert product or service>?
What frustrated you about <insert product or service>?
What would have needed to be different for you to continue using <insert product or service>?
How would you describe <insert product or service> to family, friends or colleagues if they asked you about it?
Questions you might add
These are our suggestions, not part of the Great Question template. Add them only if you will use the answers.
When did you first start thinking about leaving? What was going on at the time?
Walk me through how the decision was made. Who was involved?
Was there a moment when something could have changed your mind? What would it have been?
What would need to be true for you to consider coming back?
How to run it
Who runs it. Ideally someone who did not manage the account, such as a researcher or product manager. Customers are more candid with someone who has no stake in the relationship, and the conversation is less likely to turn into a retention pitch.
When. Within a few weeks of cancellation, while the decision is still clear in their mind. To recruit, add a "Would you be open to a call?" question to your churn survey, so you can choose interviewees by reason, segment and size.
Length. Eleven questions with follow-ups fit in 30 to 45 minutes. Questions 5 to 7 (why they stopped, what replaces you, how it will be different) are the core; leave time for them.
How many. Interview until you stop hearing new reasons for each segment you care about; for a single segment, five to eight conversations is a common starting point. Use the survey for the counts.
How to analyse. Write up each interview straight after: why they started, why they stopped, what replaced you and what would have needed to be different. Group the reasons across interviews. Compare them with the churn survey reasons; where the two disagree, the interviews usually explain why (for example, "too expensive" in the survey turning out to mean low usage).
Running it in Great Question. The interviews, including scheduling, and the churn survey both run on the self-serve plan.
Advantages
- Deeper insights into why customers are leaving
- Paired with survey data, this helps build a business case for additional features
- Potential to uncover any misunderstandings
Limitations
- Time required to do follow up interviews
- Recruiting participants can be difficult
- Could be difficult to conduct
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask in a customer exit interview?
Why they started using the product and how they used it, how satisfied they were, why they decided to stop, what will replace it and how that will be different, what they liked and what frustrated them, and what would have needed to be different for them to stay. This template covers those in eleven questions.
Is there a customer exit survey version?
Yes. The churn survey template is the short survey version: three questions on why they are leaving, anything more they want to say, and how likely they are to recommend you. Send it at cancellation and use the interviews to go deeper.
What is the difference between an exit survey and an exit interview?
The survey gets short answers from many customers and tells you which reasons are most common. The interview is a 30 to 45 minute conversation with a few customers that explains those reasons and the decision behind them.
Who should conduct a customer exit interview?
Someone without a stake in the account, such as a researcher or product manager, rather than the account manager. People are more open when the conversation isn't a retention attempt.
How soon after cancellation should I run exit interviews?
Within a few weeks. Later than that, people remember the outcome but not the steps that led to it.