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.

Customer Interview Guide: Autochase Discovery

Interviewers: Mei & Tomas | Call length: 30 min | Target: 8 calls

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1. Learning Goals

• Understand the real cost: Does chasing late payments cost users actual time/cash flow, or is it just a minor nuisance?
• Current behaviors & workarounds: How do they handle late invoices today? What tools or manual steps do they use?
• Fear vs. relief: Are users worried automated reminders will harm client relationships?
• Willingness to pay: Is the pain acute enough to warrant a $10/mo add-on (nearly doubling their $12/mo Pro fee)?

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2. Who We Are Talking To (Recruiting Update)

Sam’s plan to recruit only the top 'Send reminder' clickers creates selection bias—we’d only hear from people comfortable nudging clients. We need 8 users split across two segments: 1. Active Chasers (4 users): Have late invoices and regularly use the manual reminder button. 2. Reluctant Chasers (4 users): Have late invoices (>14 days overdue) but rarely or never use the reminder button. (Why aren't they sending them? Fear? Embarrassment?) Include a mix of solo freelancers and 2–10 person agencies.

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3. Call Structure & Questions (30 Minutes)

#### 00:00–03:00 | Welcome & Context * "Thanks for joining! I’m Mei/Tomas. We’re working on how Paydeck handles invoicing workflows. We aren't selling anything today—we just want to understand how you run your business. There are no right or wrong answers." * Ask permission to record.

#### 03:00–10:00 | Past Behavior & The Real Pain Instead of asking "How frustrating is this?", anchor on their actual past experiences. * "Think back to the last time a client was late on an invoice. Can you walk me through what happened?" * "How late was the payment, and how did it impact your business or cash flow?" * "How often does this happen across all your clients?"

#### 10:00–18:00 | Current Workflow & Emotional Friction * "When an invoice became overdue, what exact steps did you take? What did you say, and when?" * "What made you decide to reach out at that specific moment rather than earlier or later?" * (For non-clickers): "We noticed you rarely use the 'Send reminder' button in Paydeck. How come?" * "How do your clients react when you remind them? What worries do you have, if any, about nudging them?"

#### 18:00–26:00 | Solution Testing & Willingness to Pay Instead of pitching Autochase directly or asking hypothetical pricing, test the concept against their current spend. * "Have you tried any other tools, templates, or processes to get paid faster? What did you like or dislike about them?" * "If Paydeck could automatically send reminders on a schedule you choose, would you turn it on? Why or why not?" * "What would hold you back from letting software message your clients automatically?" * "If this existed today as a paid add-on, how would you evaluate whether it’s worth paying for?"

#### 26:00–30:00 | Wrap-up * "Is there anything else about getting paid that we didn’t cover?" * Thank them; note that their input will directly shape the product.

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4. Tips for First-Time Interviewers

• Split roles: One person leads the conversation; the other takes notes. Alternate roles across calls.
• Never ask hypotheticals: People lie when predicting the future ("Would you use X?"). Ask what they actually did in the past.
• Embrace awkward silence: After a user answers, wait 3 seconds. They will almost always add crucial context.
• Don't defend the product: If they criticize Paydeck, say: "Tell me more about that."

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5. Go / No-Go Decision Criteria

#### ✅ GO (Green light to build Autochase): * Acute pain confirmed: At least 6 of 8 users report overdue invoices directly disrupting their business (e.g., missed personal paychecks, hours lost drafting awkward emails). * High trust/low fear: Users are eager to automate reminders, provided they have control over tone, cadence, and exclusions. * Clear WTP: Users view late payment collection as an ROI-positive problem where paying ~$10/mo to recover thousands in cash flow is an obvious tradeoff.

#### 🛑 NO-GO (Do not build, or pivot the concept): * Relationship sensitivity: Users refuse automated outreach because they require bespoke, gentle communication to preserve client relationships. * Trivial problem: Late payments are accepted as "cost of doing business," resolved with one quick text, or infrequent enough that manual follow-up is sufficient. * Price mismatch: Users balk at a $10 add-on for a product that costs $12/month (signal: consider baking basic reminders into the core Pro plan to reduce churn rather than selling it as a standalone paid add-on).