Survey Steps
Collect structured cancellation reasons with pre-built templates, custom questions, and reason-to-offer mapping.
Survey steps capture why a subscriber wants to cancel. The answers drive which retention offer to present and provide long-term data about the reasons behind voluntary churn.
Pre-Built Survey Templates
LostChurn includes ready-to-use survey templates with the most common cancellation reasons. Select a template when adding a survey step to your flow.
Standard Template
A general-purpose template that works for most subscription businesses:
- Too expensive
- Not using it enough
- Missing features I need
- Found a better alternative
- Technical issues
- Just need a break
- Other (free text)
SaaS Template
Tailored for software and SaaS products:
- Too expensive for the value
- Not enough team adoption
- Missing a critical integration
- Switching to a competitor
- Project ended / no longer needed
- Too complex to use
- Other (free text)
Media/Content Template
Designed for content, streaming, and media subscriptions:
- Not enough new content
- Too expensive
- Don't have time to use it
- Found something I prefer
- Only needed it temporarily
- Other (free text)
You can customize any template after selecting it — add, remove, or reword options to fit your product.
Custom Question Types
Build your own survey with two question types:
Multiple Choice
Present a list of predefined options. Subscribers select one answer. This is the most common format because it produces structured, analyzable data.
Configuration options:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Question text | The question shown to the subscriber (e.g., "What's your main reason for cancelling?") |
| Options | The list of answer choices |
| Include "Other" | Add a free-text fallback for answers not in your list |
| Randomize order | Shuffle option order to reduce bias toward top choices |
Free Text
An open-ended text field where subscribers write their reason in their own words. Use this as a standalone question or as a follow-up to a multiple choice question.
Configuration options:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Question text | The prompt shown to the subscriber |
| Placeholder | Hint text inside the field (e.g., "Tell us more...") |
| Required | Whether the subscriber must enter text before proceeding |
| Max length | Character limit for the response (default: 500) |
Mapping Reasons to Offers
Survey responses become most powerful when they trigger the right retention offer. The reason-to-offer mapping connects each survey answer to a specific offer step in your flow.
How Mapping Works
- In your cancel flow, add a Survey step followed by one or more Offer steps
- In each offer step, set the Trigger Reason to the survey answer that should activate it
- When a subscriber selects that reason, they see the matched offer
Recommended Mappings
These mappings work well as a starting point:
| Cancellation Reason | Recommended Offer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Too expensive | Discount (20-30% off) | Directly addresses price sensitivity |
| Not using it enough | Pause (1-2 months) | Lets them return when ready without losing them |
| Missing features | Downgrade to a lower tier | Reduces cost while keeping them as a customer |
| Found a better alternative | Discount (larger, e.g., 40% off) | Price is often the tiebreaker |
| Just need a break | Pause (1-3 months) | Perfectly matches the stated intent |
| Trial ending, not ready | Extension (7-14 days) | More time to experience value |
Default Offer
If a subscriber selects a reason that doesn't have a specific mapping (e.g., "Other"), the default offer is shown. Configure your default offer as the one with the broadest appeal — typically a pause or a moderate discount.
Analyzing Survey Data
Survey responses are stored as cancel feedback records with structured fields:
- Reason — The primary cancellation reason selected
- Sub-reason — A more specific reason, if your survey includes drill-down questions
- Free text — Any open-ended feedback the subscriber provided
- Outcome — Whether the subscriber was ultimately saved or churned
- MRR — The monthly recurring revenue at risk
Using Survey Data
Navigate to Cancel Flows > Feedback in the dashboard to view aggregated survey data:
- Reason breakdown — See which cancellation reasons are most common, ranked by frequency
- Reason by outcome — Compare save rates across reasons to identify which are most recoverable
- Revenue at risk by reason — Understand which reasons carry the highest revenue impact
- Free text analysis — Review open-ended responses to uncover patterns not captured by multiple choice options
This data helps you refine your cancel flow over time: adjust offers for high-churn reasons, add new survey options when "Other" responses reveal common themes, and prioritize product improvements based on what drives cancellations.
Next Steps
- Building Flows — Learn how to assemble steps into a complete flow
- Pause Offers — Configure subscription pause offers
- Discount Offers — Set up discount and coupon retention offers