Customer research call guide

Autochase Discovery Calls: Interview Guide

Interviewers: Mei and Tomas | Calls: 8 × 30 min | Week of: [date]

Why we're doing this

Sam's hypothesis is that late payments cost our users real money, and chasing them is painful enough that they'd pay $10 a month to automate it. The data leaves room for doubt. 34% of invoices are paid late, but only 12% of accounts used "Send reminder" in the last 90 days. Either chasing isn't painful, or people chase outside Paydeck, or they avoid chasing altogether. These calls should tell us which.

Learning goals

1. Cost: How much do late payments actually hurt (cash flow, hours, stress)? Is this a top-three problem or a mild annoyance?
2. Current behaviour: How do people chase today, with what tools, and why do most not use our reminder button?
3. Barriers to automation: Would they let software chase their clients? What would make that feel safe or risky?
4. Willingness to pay: Do they already spend money or time on this, and who (freelancers or agencies, Pro or free) feels it most?

Who we talk to

Draw from accounts with at least one invoice paid 7+ days late in the last 90 days, then fill these slots:

• Aim for at least 5 Pro accounts, since the add-on is priced against a $12 plan.
• Include at least 2 agencies.
• Invite about 15 people to get 8 who show up.
• Hand-pick from the people who reply. Don't just book the first eight.
• Offer a thank-you, such as a free month of Pro.

Why this differs from Sam's plan: Emailing only the 300 heaviest button users would reach people who already chase inside Paydeck. They're the most likely to say yes, so a yes from them wouldn't tell us much. Booking the first eight repliers adds another bias toward the most engaged users.

The call (30 minutes)

0–3 min: Open - "Thanks for your time. We're trying to understand how you get paid. We're not selling anything, and there are no wrong answers." - Ask permission to record.

3–8 min: Context - "Tell me about your business. Who are your clients, and how many invoices do you send in a typical month?" - "Walk me through what happens after you send an invoice."

8–18 min: The last late invoice (the heart of the call) - "Think of the last time a client paid you late. What happened?" - "When did you notice? What did you do, and when?" - "How did it get resolved? How long did it take?" - "What did it cost you: time, money, other plans, stress?" - "Is that typical, or was it unusual?"

18–24 min: How they chase today - "What do you usually do when an invoice is overdue?" - "What tools do you use: email, phone, our reminder button, anything else?" - If they haven't used the button: "Have you seen our 'Send reminder' button? Why or why not?" - "Is there anyone you chose not to chase? Why?" - "What worries you about chasing clients?"

24–28 min: Value and alternatives - "Have you tried to fix this: templates, other software, an assistant, late fees?" - "What did that cost, and why did you keep or drop it?" - "If this problem disappeared tomorrow, what would change for you?"

28–30 min: Close - Describe Autochase in one or two neutral sentences: "automatic reminders for overdue invoices, sent on a schedule you set." - Ask for their reaction. - Then ask: "Would you want to join a paid beta when it's ready?" A yes should come with a real next step, such as their email for the beta list. - Finish with: "Anything I should have asked?"

Why this differs from Sam's questions: Questions like "Would this be useful?" or "How frustrating is it?" invite polite yeses. Offering $5/$10/$15 anchors people on our numbers. Asking what their clients would think gets guesses, not evidence. "Other features" takes the call off topic. Asking what actually happened last time gives us far more reliable answers.

Notes for first-time interviewers

• Split roles. One person leads and the other takes notes. Swap after each call.
• Ask about the past, not the future. "What did you do?" beats "What would you do?"
• Follow up before moving on. "Tell me more," "Why?" and "Can you give an example?" are your best questions.
• Get comfortable with silence. Count to five before filling a pause. People often add the useful part then.
• Don't pitch or defend. If they criticise Paydeck, say "That's helpful, go on."
• Treat compliments as noise. "Sounds great!" means nothing. Look for money spent, time lost and workarounds built.
• Write down exact quotes. Mark the ones about cost or emotion.
• Debrief for 10 minutes right after each call. Cover the top three surprises, the evidence for or against each learning goal, and whether they meet the go signals below.

Decision criteria

We're agreeing these before the calls so we don't rationalise afterward. Eight calls give us direction, not proof. Treat the results as a reason to prototype or to drop the idea, not as a sizing exercise.

Go ahead (build a prototype next quarter) if: - At least 5 of 8 describe a recent late payment with a concrete cost, such as a cash-flow squeeze, hours spent chasing, or a delayed bill of their own; and - At least 4 already use a workaround (templates, calendar nudges, another tool) or have paid for one; and - At least 3 give a real commitment at the close, such as joining the beta list or asking when it launches; and - Relationship worries come up but sound solvable, for example with control over tone, timing or which clients get reminders.

Stop or rethink if: - Most treat late payment as normal and tolerable ("they always pay eventually"); or - Most avoid chasing on purpose to protect client relationships, and automation makes them more nervous; or - The pain is real but they're satisfied with what they already use; or - Interest is limited to the ticket-filers and heavy button users.

Possible middle outcome: People want the feature but balk at paying extra. That points to making it part of Pro rather than a $10 add-on, which nearly doubles the price. Flag this if you hear it.

After the calls

Mei and Tomas share a one-page summary with Sam within two days. It should cover each learning goal, the go/stop tally, and the three best quotes.

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).

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.”