The best exit survey questions for a subscription business are: what's the main reason you're canceling (single choice, with six to eight specific reasons and 'other'), what could we have done differently (open text), and would you consider coming back (yes, maybe, no). Keep it optional, one screen inside the cancel flow, and send a slightly longer follow-up by email.
Key takeaways
- Ask one optional question in the cancel flow. Never make answering a condition of canceling.
- Use six to eight specific reasons, and match one relevant offer to each.
- Send a short follow-up survey by email for richer answers, after the cancellation is confirmed.
- Code the answers every week and review them with the whole team.
- If most people say 'not using it,' the problem started at onboarding, not at the exit.
SaaS startup Groove had a problem. Its churn rate was 4.5 percent, and growth was unsustainable.
So it went looking through its data for what it called "red flag" metrics. It found one: customers who left tended to spend about thirty-five seconds per session. Customers who stayed spent more than three minutes.
That told Groove who was at risk. Then it reached out to those people and offered help, and, as I wrote in The Subscription Playbook, it cut churn by 71 percent.
Data tells you who's leaving. An exit survey tells you why, in their own words. Put the two together and you know what to fix. (Measure the who with the churn rate formulas.)
Here's the survey I'd use, in three sizes. Copy whichever fits.
Version 1: The one-question exit survey (inside the cancel flow)
Show this on the first screen of your cancel flow. Make it optional, with a visible "Skip" link.
Question: "Mind telling us the main reason you're canceling?" (optional, choose one)
- I'm not using it enough
- It's too expensive for me right now
- It's not worth the price
- It was hard to set up or use
- It's missing something I need
- I'm switching to another product
- I had a problem with service or billing
- I only needed it for a short time
- Other (tell us): ______
Then show one offer that fits the answer, with a "No thanks, continue canceling" button just as prominent. The matching offers are in my guide to cancellation flows that save customers legally.
Version 2: One follow-up per reason (optional)
If you want a little more, show one optional follow-up based on the answer.
| If they chose | Ask (optional, one line) |
|---|---|
| Not using it enough | "What got in the way?" (Too busy / Forgot about it / Didn't see results yet / Other) |
| Too expensive right now | "Would a pause or a smaller plan help?" (Pause / Smaller plan / No thanks) |
| Not worth the price | "What would have made it worth it?" (free text) |
| Hard to set up or use | "Where did you get stuck?" (free text) |
| Missing something | "What were you looking for?" (free text) |
| Switching | "Which product, and what tipped it?" (free text) |
| Service or billing problem | "Sorry about that. What happened?" (free text) |
| Short-term need | "Would you come back for a similar project?" (Yes / Maybe / No) |
Version 3: The five-question email survey (after they've gone)
Send this the day after the cancellation is confirmed. Five questions, about two minutes.
- What was the main reason you canceled? (single choice: the same list as Version 1)
- How satisfied were you overall with [Product]? (1 = very dissatisfied, 5 = very satisfied)
- What's one thing we could have done that would have made you stay? (free text)
- What will you use instead, if anything? (Another product: ___ / Doing it myself / A person or agency / Nothing, I don't need it now / Other)
- Would you consider coming back in the future? (Yes / Maybe / No)
Optional sixth: "Can we contact you about your answers?" (Yes / No)
The invitation email
Subject: One quick question about why you left
Hi [First name],
Your [Plan name] cancellation is confirmed, and you won't be charged again.
Could you spare two minutes to tell us why you left? Every answer is read by our team, and it's how we decide what to fix next.
[Take the 2-minute survey]
Thanks for being a customer. If you ever want to come back, your [account / history] is saved for [X days].
[Your name]
Turn exit answers into fixes
Paste exit survey answers, reviews or emails into the free Customer Pain-Point Analyser and get the themes ranked.
The weekly review sheet
At my previous software company, our customer success team ran through every reason customers left the week before, with people from every department in the room. Here's a simple sheet to run your own version.
| Week | Cancellations | Survey answers | Top reason | % of answers | Quote of the week | Fix we'll try | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Date] | [#] | [#] | [Reason] | [%] | "[Customer's words]" | [Action] | [Name] |
Three rules for the meeting:
- Read the quotes out loud. Numbers get nodded at. Words get acted on.
- Pick one fix a week. Not ten.
- Close the loop. When you fix something, email the people who complained about it. It's the most honest win-back email you'll ever send.
How to read the answers
- "Not using it enough" is your biggest reason? That's onboarding. Get people to their first "aha" moment faster. The churn reduction playbook has the steps.
- "Too expensive" from small customers, "not worth it" from big ones? Different problems. The first needs a smaller plan. The second needs more value or a better price story.
- "Switching" spikes? Ask which product, and look at what changed in their offer.
- Billing problems show up at all? Fix those first. They're the cheapest churn to stop, and some may be failed payments that need dunning emails, not an exit survey.
Exit survey mistakes to avoid
- Making it compulsory. From 1 July 2027, Australia's subscription rules require the way to cancel to be easy to find and straightforward, with only reasonably necessary steps. A required survey isn't necessary to end a contract. See cancellation rules in Australia and check your flow with your adviser.
- Vague options like "Other reasons" or "Personal."
- Too many questions before the cancel button.
- Asking and never acting. Customers can tell.
What to do next
- Add Version 1 to your cancel flow this week, with a skip link.
- Set up Version 3 as an automatic email the day after cancellation.
- Book a 30-minute weekly review and fill in the sheet.
- After a month, paste your free-text answers into the Customer Pain-Point Analyser and look for themes.
And if you'd rather catch people before they reach the exit, run through the churn risk checklist and the wider customer retention strategies. For failed payments that never reach your exit survey, see the dunning email templates.
Frequently asked questions
What response rate should I expect from an exit survey?
It varies a lot by business and by placement, so I'd avoid relying on any benchmark. An optional one-tap question inside the cancel flow usually gets far more answers than an email survey sent afterwards, because the customer is already there. Track your own rate monthly, and if it's low, shorten the question list and make the reasons more specific.
Should I offer an incentive for completing the exit survey?
For the one-question version in the cancel flow, no; it should take two seconds. For a longer email survey, a small thank-you such as a donation or a gift card draw can lift responses, especially from B2B customers. Keep it modest so you don't attract answers from people who just want the reward, and make the terms of any draw clear.
Should the exit survey be anonymous?
Usually not, because linking answers to the customer's plan, tenure and usage is what makes them useful. You can't segment anonymous answers. Tell customers how you'll use their feedback, follow your privacy policy, and don't use their answers to pressure them. If you want candid feedback on a sensitive topic, an optional anonymous free-text box is a reasonable compromise.
How is an exit survey different from an NPS survey?
An NPS survey asks current customers how likely they are to recommend you, and it measures general sentiment. An exit survey asks people at the moment of leaving why they're leaving, and it gives you specific, fixable reasons. You need both: NPS helps you spot risk early, and the exit survey tells you what actually tipped people over.
What should I do with 'Other' answers?
Read every one. If the same theme shows up in 'Other' three or four times in a month, it deserves its own option in the list. Review your reason list every quarter, retire options nobody picks, and split any option that's hiding two different problems, such as 'too expensive' versus 'not worth the price'.
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Robert Coorey, MBA
Robert is the author of The Subscription Playbook and Feed a Starving Crowd and a Director at BPAG Accountants in Sydney. More about Robert.
Sources
- The Subscription Playbook, Robert Coorey (2022), Chapter 9 (Groove, offboarding, Voice of the Customer)
- Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026 (No. 64, 2026), s 48F exit method
Facts and prices checked 27 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.