# Cancel Flow Playbook Complete reference for designing, building, and auditing cancel flows. --- ## The Cancel Flow Decision Tree ``` Customer clicks "Cancel" or "Cancel Subscription" │ ▼ [Show Exit Survey] "What's the main reason you're cancelling?" │ ┌────┴─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ Price/Value Other Reasons │ │ ▼ ▼ Discount offer Match to reason category (1-3 month, 20-30%) (see mapping table) │ │ ▼ ▼ [Accept?]──Yes──► Charge updated [Accept?]──Yes──► Apply offer │ │ No No │ │ ▼ ▼ [Confirm Cancel] [Confirm Cancel] │ │ ▼ ▼ [Post-cancel page + email] [Post-cancel page + email] ``` --- ## Stage-by-Stage Templates ### Stage 1: Pre-Cancel Intercept **When triggered:** User lands on cancel/subscription page, clicks "Cancel plan", or navigates to billing settings. **What to show:** Brief value reminder (not a wall of guilt) + "Tell us why" framing. **Copy template:** ``` Headline: Before you go, we want to understand Body: Your feedback helps us improve. Take 30 seconds to tell us why you're cancelling — and we might have a solution you haven't tried. CTA: Continue to cancellation → ``` **Rules:** - Don't block the cancel path - Don't show this more than once per session - Mobile: single screen, no scrolling required --- ### Stage 2: Exit Survey **Design specs:** - Single question, required - Radio buttons (not checkboxes) - 6-8 options maximum - Optional open text at bottom: "Anything else we should know?" - Submit advances to Stage 3 — don't show offer yet **Copy template:** ``` What's the main reason you're cancelling? ○ It's too expensive for what I get ○ I'm not using it enough to justify the cost ○ It's missing a feature I need ○ I'm switching to a different tool ○ My project or need ended ○ It's too complicated or hard to use ○ I was just testing it out ○ Other: [text field] [Continue →] ``` **Data capture:** Store the reason against the customer record. This is your product feedback goldmine. --- ### Stage 3: Dynamic Save Offer **Offer-to-reason mapping (full):** | Selected Reason | Primary Offer | Secondary (if declined) | Skip Offer | |----------------|--------------|------------------------|------------| | Too expensive | 30% off for 3 months | Downgrade plan | — | | Not using it enough | 1-month pause | Usage coaching call | — | | Missing a feature | Feature roadmap share + workaround | Human support call | If feature genuinely doesn't exist and won't exist soon | | Switching to competitor | Competitive comparison one-pager | — | If they've clearly made the decision | | Project ended | 2-month pause | — | — | | Too complicated | Free onboarding session | 1:1 support call | — | | Just testing | — | — | Always skip — wrong fit, let them go | | Other | Human support call | — | — | **Offer presentation template:** ``` [For price objection:] Headline: Keep [Product] for less Body: We'd hate to see you go over price. Here's what we can do: Get 30% off your next 3 months — that's [calculated dollar amount] saved. After 3 months, your plan returns to [original price]. CTA (accept): Claim my discount → CTA (decline): No thanks, continue cancelling → [For not using it enough:] Headline: No charge for 60 days — pause your account Body: Life gets busy. Put [Product] on hold for up to 60 days. Your data stays intact, and you can resume any time. No charge during pause. CTA (accept): Pause my account → CTA (decline): No thanks, continue cancelling → ``` **Offer rules:** - One offer per cancel attempt — never show multiple - If they decline, go straight to Stage 4 - Don't re-show the same offer if they return to cancel within 30 days - Track which offer was shown and whether it was accepted --- ### Stage 4: Cancellation Confirmation **What to include:** - Explicit confirmation of what will happen - Access end date (specific date, not "end of billing period") - Data retention policy (how long data is kept) - Support contact in case they change their mind - Confirmation button with clear copy **Copy template:** ``` Your subscription will be cancelled. Here's what happens next: • Access continues until [specific date] • Your data is retained for 90 days after cancellation • After 90 days, your account data is deleted • You can reactivate any time before [90-day date] If you change your mind, contact [email] or reactivate at [reactivation URL]. [Confirm Cancellation] [Go back] ``` --- ### Stage 5: Post-Cancel Sequence **Immediate: Cancellation Confirmation Email** ``` Subject: Your [Product] subscription has been cancelled Hi [Name], Your [Product] subscription has been cancelled as requested. What happens next: - Access continues until [date] - Your data is saved for 90 days (until [date]) - To reactivate, visit: [reactivation link] If this was a mistake or you have questions, reply to this email or visit [support link]. [Product] Team ``` **Day 7: Re-engagement Email** ``` Subject: Your [Product] account is still here Hi [Name], It's been a week since you cancelled. Your account and data are still intact until [date]. If anything changed, you can reactivate in one click — no re-setup required. [Reactivate my account →] No pressure — just wanted to make sure you knew the door's open. [Product] Team ``` **Day 30: Win-Back Email (send only if triggered by product update or relevant offer)** ``` Subject: [Product] update: [specific feature they mentioned or relevant improvement] Hi [Name], Since you left, we shipped [specific update relevant to their cancel reason]. [2-3 sentence description of what changed.] If [their specific problem] was why you left, it might be worth another look. [See what's new →] or [Reactivate →] [Product] Team ``` --- ## Cancel Flow Audit Scorecard Rate your existing flow on each dimension (0-10): | Dimension | 0 pts | 5 pts | 10 pts | |-----------|-------|-------|--------| | **Accessibility** | Cancel requires support ticket | Cancel in settings, but buried | Cancel clearly visible in billing settings | | **Exit survey** | None | Optional, multi-question | Required, single question, maps to offers | | **Save offers** | None or generic discount | Offers exist but not mapped | Offers matched to exit reasons | | **Confirmation clarity** | Confusing terms | Mentions access end date | Clear date, data policy, reactivation path | | **Post-cancel sequence** | Nothing | One generic email | Immediate confirmation + 7-day re-engagement | | **Dunning** | None | Basic retry only | Retry + email sequence + card updater | | **Analytics** | No tracking | Basic cancellation count | Reason tracking, save rate, recovery rate | **Score interpretation:** - 60-70: Solid foundation. Fix the 0-5 rated dimensions. - 40-59: Material revenue leaking. Prioritize survey + offer mapping. - <40: Major opportunity. Build from scratch using this playbook. --- ## Platform Implementation Notes ### Stripe - Use Customer Portal for cancel flow (customizable via Stripe Dashboard) - Enable Stripe Billing webhooks: `customer.subscription.deleted`, `invoice.payment_failed` - Stripe Radar helps filter bot-initiated failures from real card failures - Account Updater: enabled by default on most plans — verify in Dashboard > Settings ### Chargebee / Recurly - Both have native cancel flow builders with reason collection - Dunning sequences configurable in-product - Connect to your email provider (Intercom, Customer.io, etc.) via webhook ### Custom / Homegrown Billing - Build cancel flow as a separate route (not inline in settings) - Store `cancel_reason`, `save_offer_shown`, `save_offer_accepted` per customer - Retry logic: implement as a background job with delay queue