Cancellation Flows: Balancing Kindness and Business
I recently had to design a cancellation flow for RocketReach. For research purposes, I looked at a number of existing cancellation flows to see how popular SaaS platforms handled cancellation of their services. Through that, I’ve formulated a few do’s and don’ts for designing SaaS cancellation.
Keep in mind that most users who visit a cancellation screen are set on cancelling. Attempting to retain every customer who cancels creates a negative experience for those who can’t cancel, and spreads negative word of mouth. Positive experiences spread positive word of mouth for customers who cancelled their subscriptions for reasons unrelated to your software.
DO’S
Do provide cancellation on the website
Some companies opt to give you a phone number to call in order to cancel the service. This is a poor way to attempt to retain the customer. The customer should always be able to cancel the service from within the SaaS interface itself.
Do attempt to solve the user’s problems
It is feasible that sometimes, a user will attempt to cancel a service when what they’re unhappy about is a problem that can be solved. So long as it’s not a huge number of steps, it is very reasonable to attempt to solve a user’s problems. Of course, you should leave the user an out to cancel if that’s what they want.
Do solicit feedback
It’s helpful to provide a window where users can give their honest feedback to you. Of course, most users won’t do this, but this is the most honest feedback you’ll receive. Let users voice their concerns, and use their opinions to better your product.
Do offer subscription pauses
Sometimes a user wants to cancel, and sometimes a user just doesn’t need your product right now. Offer subscription pauses for users who aren’t currently using your software so they have an easy way back to your product when they’re ready to pay for it again.
DON’TS
Don’t make it a maze
During my testing, I experienced many a SaaS platform that made cancellation a nightmare of scrolling to the bottom of pages and hunting for the right button. This will only further create negative experiences in users who are already dead set on cancelling. The few users this strategy retains will be offset significantly by the bad word-of-mouth.
Don’t market in cancellation
Adding significant marketing material in the cancellation prompt comes off as desperate, and makes the user scroll more/hunt more for the actual cancellation flow. While it’s good to let the user clearly understand what they’re losing by unsubscribing, it’s hardly the right place to sing praises about how good your software is.
Don’t make the user hate you
There’s no sense in attempting to retain your customer through unclear wording or excessive guilting. While a little jab in copywriting can be fun, excessive guilting creates a negative experience and makes your customer want to cancel the software more in addition to making them feel bad. Make cancellation pleasant, and while it’s okay to be sad to see them go, it’s an important step to possibly winning their business again in the future
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it’s important to recognize that your users retaining a positive impression of you is more important than you retaining any individual user. Be kind, take their needs to heart, and you’ll win in the long run.