Customer research call guide

Autochase discovery call guide

Interviewers: Mei and Tomas · 8 calls, 30 minutes each Decision: Should Paydeck build automatic, escalating overdue-invoice reminders next quarter, priced at $10/month?

1. What we need to learn

Test Sam’s hypothesis—not whether people like the idea:

• Problem: How often do late payments create meaningful cash-flow problems or chasing work?
• Current behavior: How do users chase invoices today, and why do some not use Paydeck’s reminder button?
• Fit and risk: Which reminders could safely be automated? Where might escalation damage client relationships?
• Value: Is solving this worth an additional $10/month, given existing workarounds and alternatives?

Our data establishes lateness, not demand: 34% of invoices are late, but only 12% of accounts used reminders recently. Support requests and frequent reminder users are useful leads, not representative evidence.

2. Who to recruit

Don’t book the first eight respondents from the top reminder users. That would disproportionately select enthusiastic, high-pain users.

Recruit invoicing-active accounts from these groups:

• 3: Recurring overdue invoices; frequent Paydeck reminder use.
• 3: Recurring overdue invoices; little or no Paydeck reminder use.
• 2: Few overdue invoices, or late payments that appear manageable.

Across the eight, include freelancers and small agencies, plus both Pro and free accounts. Aim for roughly four of each plan; this is purposeful sampling, not a representative survey. Include at most two customers who requested automatic reminders.

Speak to the person who actually manages invoices and chasing; establish whether they also approve software spending. Recruit within each group rather than simply taking the fastest replies. Use a neutral invitation: “Help us understand how you manage invoices and payment follow-up.” Offer the same incentive regardless of feedback.

3. Call questions and timings

0–2 minutes: Welcome and context

“We’re learning how people handle overdue invoices. We’re testing an idea, not selling anything; honest criticism is helpful. There are no right answers.”

Ask permission to record. Confirm their role, business size, and who handles invoices and software purchases.

2–12 minutes: Reconstruct a real example

“Tell me about the most recent invoice that went past its due date.”

Follow the sequence: - When was it due, and when did you notice? - What did you do next? Then what happened? - Who followed up, using what tools, messages, and timing? - How did you decide whether to remind the client again? - Was it paid? What do you think caused the delay?

If comfortable, ask them to show a redacted invoice or follow-up message. Don’t collect client-identifying information.

For low-lateness participants: “Tell me about the last late invoice—or how you usually prevent late payments.”

12–18 minutes: Frequency, consequences, alternatives

• “Over the last three months, how many invoices needed follow-up?”
• “Roughly how much time did you spend chasing them?”
• “What, if anything, did the delay affect?” Probe for concrete consequences, not just frustration.
• “What have you tried to make this easier? What did it cost?”
• “Have you used Paydeck’s reminder button? Walk me through why or why not.”
• “When do you deliberately avoid sending another reminder?”

18–26 minutes: Test the concept, then price

Only now introduce it:

“We’re considering Autochase: scheduled reminders for overdue invoices, with reminders becoming firmer over time. It isn’t built, and details aren’t decided.”

Ask: - “Thinking about that invoice, where would this fit—or not fit?” - “Which steps would you automate, and which would you keep manual?” - “What would you need to control or check before enabling it?” - “What could go wrong? Tell me about a client situation where it would.” - “What would you use instead?”

Then disclose: “We’re considering $10/month, additional to your current plan.”

“What would make that worth paying—or not? Which current effort or expense would it replace? Who would approve it?”

Don’t offer a $5/$10/$15 menu or treat “yes, useful” as purchase evidence.

26–30 minutes: Commitment and close

“If we offered a paid pilot at $10/month, what would you need before deciding?”

Ask whether they’d join a follow-up evaluation or discuss a pilot with the budget owner. Record the specific next step; don’t imply availability or collect payment.

“What important part of chasing payments haven’t we covered?”

4. Notes for first-time interviewers

Alternate moderator and note-taker roles; do one practice call together. Ask one question at a time, allow silence, and follow concrete examples. Avoid praise, pitching, defending, and questions that assume pain. Separate observed behavior, exact quotes, estimates, and your interpretations.

Debrief immediately: frequency, cost, workaround, automation boundaries, price reaction, commitment, and contradictory evidence.

5. Decision rules

Agree these directional gates before interviewing; eight calls cannot estimate market demand.

Go toward a scoped build if at least five describe recurring, consequential pain—including two non-reminder users—and at least three connect $10 to concrete value and take a specific pilot-evaluation step. There must also be a credible way to address relationship and control risks. Validate paid adoption before committing substantial engineering.

Stop or reshape if lateness rarely causes meaningful cost, chasing is easy, automation cannot address the underlying causes, or users prefer manual control and won’t pay.

Mixed findings mean targeted follow-up—not “eight customers validated it.”

Autochase customer call guide (30 minutes)

What we need to learn

1. How often late payments happen, and what customers actually do when they do.
2. Whether chasing creates meaningful time, cash-flow, or relationship costs—and how customers handle those today.
3. When automatic reminders would help, and what control or safeguards customers would need.
4. Whether the value could justify a $10/month add-on.

Who to talk to

Recruit 8 account owners or purchase decision-makers who send invoices through Paydeck and have had at least one late invoice in the last 90 days. Aim for: - 4 who used “Send reminder” and 4 with late invoices who rarely or never used it. - A mix of freelancers and small agencies, account sizes, and Pro/free plans.

Don’t recruit only the 300 most frequent button users: they’re likely to overrepresent people already motivated to chase. Ask about recent late invoices; don’t tell people the feature idea before the call.

30-minute call

0–2 min | Set the tone “Thanks for speaking with us. We’re learning how invoicing works for you; there are no right answers. I’m interested in what you’ve actually done, not what you think we want to hear. We’re exploring ideas, not selling a product.” Ask permission before recording; otherwise take notes.

2–8 min | Recent experience “Think of the most recent invoice that was paid late. Can you walk me through what happened, from sending it to getting paid?” Probe: When was it due and paid? When did you realize it was late? What did you do next? What happened?

8–15 min | Current workflow “What, if anything, did you do to follow up?” Probe: How did you decide when and how to contact them? What did you send, and through what channel? How often does this happen? What do you do when you don’t send a reminder? Have you tried tools or changed your process?

15–20 min | Impact and trade-offs “What effect did that late payment have on your work or business?” Probe: Time spent? Cash-flow impact? Client relationship? What was most frustrating—or not especially difficult? How do you prioritize which invoices to chase?

20–25 min | Explore the idea After hearing their story, say neutrally: “We’re exploring a paid add-on that sends escalating reminders automatically when an invoice becomes overdue. There isn’t a product yet.” “What’s your first reaction?” Probe: What would be useful or unhelpful? Which invoices, if any, would you trust it with? What would you need to control—timing, wording, recipients, stopping reminders? What situations would make you not use it?

25–28 min | Value and price “How do you currently spend time or money dealing with late invoices?” “If this cost $10 a month, how would you decide whether it was worth it?” Probe: What would it need to save or improve? Would you trial it at that price? Why or why not? Treat stated intent as a clue, not proof of demand.

28–30 min | Close “What have I not asked that matters about getting paid late?” Thank them. Don’t promise a launch or specific functionality.

Notes for first-time interviewers

• Mei leads; Tomas takes notes. Agree beforehand who will ask follow-ups. Don’t interrupt or tag-team.
• Let the customer finish. Use silence; ask “Can you tell me more?” or “What happened next?”
• Ask about a specific past event before opinions or hypotheticals. Avoid “Would this be useful?”, “How frustrating is it?”, feature wishlists, and leading follow-ups.
• Don’t defend the idea, pitch solutions, or share Paydeck’s late-payment statistics; these can bias answers.
• Capture examples, exact phrases, workarounds, and contradictions—not just “yes/no.” Separate what people did from what they say they might do.

Decision after 8 calls

These calls are directional, not a market-size estimate. Go ahead with a narrowly scoped MVP/pilot next quarter if at least 5 of 8 describe recurring late-payment problems with concrete business or time costs, and at least 4 of 8 see a credible reason to try automation at $10/month and can explain the controls they’d need. Check that interest isn’t confined to one narrow user type.

Stop or defer if 2 or fewer describe meaningful recurring burden, most already handle it easily, or trust/client concerns make automation unacceptable even with reasonable controls. If evidence is mixed or concentrated in one segment, don’t commit broadly: refine the target or concept and test again.

Welcome to user research week! Mei and Tomas, running these calls is one of the highest-leverage things you can do this quarter. Don't worry about being first-timers; your fresh eyes are an asset. Here is your battle-tested guide for next week.

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1. Learning Goals

We need to answer two core questions before committing engineering time to Autochase: 1. Pain: Does chasing late invoices cause enough operational friction and cash flow anxiety that users want it off their plates completely? 2. Value: Is automation worth $10/month, or do users prefer control (e.g., hitting a manual button)?

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2. Who We Should Talk To

Per Sam’s plan: We are emailing the 300 Pro accounts that used the manual 'Send reminder' button most frequently last month and booking the first 8 who reply. * Why: These users already feel the pain. If they won't pay for automation, nobody will.

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3. Notes for First-Time Interviewers (Read This Twice!)

• Do not pitch Autochase early. If you pitch it, they will be polite and say yes. Sell the problem, not our solution.
• Past behavior beats future promises. When people say "I would pay $10 for that," they are often lying to be nice. Ask about what they currently do and what they've paid for in the past.
• Embrace silence. After you ask a question, stop talking. Let them fill the silence. The best insights live in the second minute of their answer.
• One person leads, one takes notes. Mei, take the lead on questions today; Tomas, focus on verbatim quotes and body language (and vice versa for call #2).

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4. The 30-Minute Call Guide

#### Phase 1: Context & Warm-up (5 mins) Goal: Build rapport and understand their business. * "Tell me a bit about your business—what do you do, and who are your typical clients?" * "Walk me through how invoicing and getting paid works in your workflow today."

#### Phase 2: Past Behavior & Pain (10 mins) Goal: Uncover the true emotional and financial cost of late payments. * [Replace Sam's Q1] "Take me back to the last time an invoice went significantly past its due date. What happened?" * "How did you handle it? Walk me through the exact steps you took to chase them." * "How does chasing clients for money impact your relationship with them, or your peace of mind?" * Data check: 34% of our invoices are paid late (median 16 days). Ask: "Does that match your reality?"

#### Phase 3: Current Workarounds & Solution Testing (10 mins) Goal: See how they solve this now, then introduce Autochase. * "You’ve used our manual 'Send reminder' button recently. How is that working for you? What do you wish it did that it doesn't?" * The Reveal: "We’re exploring a feature called Autochase that automatically sends escalating reminders on a schedule you set until the invoice is paid. Based on what you've told me about your workflow, how would something like that fit into your business?" * [Replace Sam's Q4] "Some freelancers worry automated reminders might annoy their clients. How do you feel about that risk for your clients?"

#### Phase 4: Pricing & Wrap-up (5 mins) Goal: Test the $10/mo price point and wrap up. * [Replace Sam's Q2/Q3] "We're looking at pricing this as a $10-a-month add-on. When you think about the time it saves or the awkwardness it avoids, does $10/mo feel like a bargain, too expensive, or about right?" * "Before we wrap up, is there anything else about getting paid by clients that drives you crazy that we didn't touch on?" * Thank them warmly and end the call.

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5. Go / No-Go Criteria

After 8 calls, Mei, Tomas, and I will sync. We move forward to build Autochase next quarter only if: 1. At least 6 out of 8 interviewers describe late payments as a top-3 operational headache (not just a minor annoyance). 2. Users unprompted mention spending hours a month on this, or losing sleep over cash flow. 3. At least 5 out of 8 react to the $10/month price point as reasonable or cheap relative to the value.

We stop and pivot if: * Users say, "I actually like reviewing and sending reminders manually because I customize the tone per client." (This kills the automation thesis). * Users think $10/month is wildly overpriced for a reminder tool.