Customer research call guide

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.

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).