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Campaign Types

Cancellation Email

Emails sent when a customer cancels their subscription, used for retention and feedback collection.

Definition

Cancellation emails are triggered when a customer initiates subscription cancellation. They serve multiple purposes: making a final retention attempt, collecting feedback on why they are leaving, and setting the stage for potential re-engagement later. The cancellation moment is your last chance to save the customer and your first chance to learn why they left.

Why It Matters

Every cancellation represents lost recurring revenue, but not all cancellations are final. Some customers cancel impulsively or due to temporary circumstances. A well-crafted cancellation email can recover 5-15% of would-be churners. Even when you cannot save them, the feedback you collect helps prevent future cancellations.

How It Works

When a customer clicks cancel, trigger an immediate email sequence. The first message acknowledges their decision, asks why they are leaving, and may offer alternatives like a plan downgrade or pause. Follow-up emails might offer win-back incentives or simply collect detailed feedback. Track cancellation reasons to identify patterns.

Best Practices

  • 1Send the first email immediately when cancellation is initiated
  • 2Make feedback collection quick and painless (multiple choice first)
  • 3Offer alternatives like pausing, downgrading, or temporary discounts
  • 4Acknowledge their decision respectfully without guilt-tripping
  • 5Keep the door open for returning later
  • 6Use cancellation reasons to improve product and reduce future churn
  • 7Segment cancellation emails by reason or customer type

Cancellation Flow Automation

Build multi-step cancellation sequences that adapt based on customer segment and stated reasons. Collect feedback and attempt retention automatically.

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

Focus retention efforts on customers you actually want to keep. Some customers are bad fits, unprofitable, or abusive. For these, a graceful exit is better than desperate retention. Segment your cancellation flow to invest more in saving high-value customers.

Common options include pausing the subscription temporarily, downgrading to a cheaper plan, extending the billing cycle, or offering a discount. The right offer depends on the cancellation reason. Someone leaving for price reasons needs different treatment than someone who is not using the product.

Start with multiple choice for quantitative data (too expensive, not using it, missing features, switched to competitor). Include an optional open text field for details. Keep it short because churning customers are not motivated to write essays. Aggregate responses to identify patterns.