Quick Setup Wizard
Configure essential settings in 4 steps with the guided setup wizard.
The Quick Setup Wizard walks you through the essential configuration needed to start recovering failed payments. It covers recovery rules, notifications, email setup, and a final review -- all in about 5 minutes.
Accessing the Wizard
There are two ways to start the wizard:
- First-time setup: When you log in for the first time after creating your account, the wizard launches automatically
- Manual launch: Go to Settings → click the Quick Setup button in the top-right corner
You can return to the wizard at any time to review or change your configuration.
Step 1: Recovery Rules
Choose how LostChurn retries failed payments on your behalf.
Choose a Template
Select from one of the pre-built recovery templates:
| Template | Best For | Retries | Intervals |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS (Gentle) | Software subscriptions | 4 | 1d, 3d, 5d, 7d |
| eCommerce (Aggressive) | Online retail, marketplaces | 6 | 4h, 1d, 2d, 3d, 5d, 7d |
| Media (Balanced) | Publishing, digital media | 4 | 2d, 4d, 6d, 8d |
Click on a template card to see its full settings, then click Select to apply it.
Or Configure Custom Rules
If none of the templates fit, click Custom to set each parameter individually:
- Max retries (1-10) -- how many times to retry before escalating
- Retry intervals -- the delay between each retry attempt
- Communication tone -- empathetic, professional, or urgent
- Auto-escalation -- whether to automatically start dunning campaigns
- Terminal window -- days before a recovery is marked as lost
You can always change your recovery rules later in Settings → Recovery Rules. The wizard just gets you started with a solid baseline.
Step 2: Notifications
Configure how your team gets notified about recovery events.
Available Channels
| Channel | Events | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery success, daily digest, terminal alerts | Enter team email addresses | |
| Slack | Real-time recovery events, daily summary | Connect via OAuth or paste webhook URL |
| Webhooks | All events (for custom integrations) | Provide your endpoint URL |
Configuring Each Channel
Email notifications:
- Enter one or more email addresses
- Select which events trigger emails (recovery success, daily digest, terminal)
- Choose digest frequency (daily or weekly)
Slack notifications:
- Click Connect Slack to authorize via OAuth, or paste a Slack webhook URL
- Select the channel for notifications
- Choose event types (all events, successes only, or failures only)
Webhook notifications:
- Enter your endpoint URL
- LostChurn sends a test payload to verify connectivity
- All recovery events are sent as JSON POST requests with HMAC signatures
You can enable multiple channels simultaneously. For example, email for daily digests and Slack for real-time alerts.
Step 3: Email Setup
Configure the sender identity for customer-facing dunning emails.
Configuration Fields
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sending domain | The domain emails are sent from | billing.yourcompany.com |
| Sender name | Display name in the "From" field | YourCompany Billing |
| Reply-to address | Where customer replies go | support@yourcompany.com |
Domain Options
You have two choices for the sending domain:
-
Custom domain (recommended) -- Use your own domain for best deliverability and brand consistency. This requires DNS configuration. See DNS Setup for step-by-step instructions.
-
LostChurn subdomain -- Use
yourcompany.send.lostchurn.comwith zero DNS setup. Emails are sent immediately, but deliverability may be slightly lower since the domain is not your own.
You can start with the LostChurn subdomain and switch to a custom domain later without interrupting active recoveries.
Previewing Emails
After entering your sender details, the wizard shows a preview of what your dunning emails will look like. You can send a test email to yourself to verify the sender name, reply-to address, and email rendering.
Step 4: Review & Launch
The final step summarizes all your choices before going live.
Review Checklist
The wizard displays a summary card for each configuration area:
- Payment provider -- which PSP is connected and its status
- Recovery rules -- template name (or "Custom"), retry count, and intervals
- Notifications -- enabled channels and recipients
- Email setup -- sending domain, sender name, and reply-to
Each section has an Edit button to jump back and make changes.
Going Live
When you are satisfied with your configuration:
- Review the summary carefully
- Click Go Live
- LostChurn begins monitoring your payment provider for failed payments
- The first recovery attempt will be scheduled according to your rules
Going live means LostChurn will start retrying failed payments and (if configured) sending dunning emails to your customers. Make sure your email template and sender identity are correct before launching.
Skipping Steps
You do not need to complete every step to use LostChurn. The wizard uses smart defaults for any step you skip:
| Step | Default if Skipped |
|---|---|
| Recovery Rules | SaaS (Gentle) template |
| Notifications | Email to account owner, daily digest |
| Email Setup | LostChurn subdomain, company name as sender |
| Review & Launch | Not skippable (confirmation required) |
Click Skip at the bottom of any step to move to the next one. You can always configure skipped settings later in Settings.
Returning to the Wizard
To re-run the wizard after initial setup:
- Go to Settings
- Click the Quick Setup button
- The wizard opens with your current settings pre-filled
- Make any changes and click through to Review & Launch
Re-running the wizard does not reset your existing configuration. It pre-fills each step with your current values, so you only need to change what you want to update.
Next Steps
- Recovery Rule Templates -- explore templates in detail
- DNS Setup -- configure a custom email sending domain
- OAuth Integration Setup -- connect additional payment providers
- Analytics -- monitor your recovery performance after going live