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 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).