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: 30-minute customer call guide

Interviewers: Mei leads; Tomas takes notes and asks brief follow-ups at the end. Keep roles consistent across the eight calls.

Decision: Should Paydeck prioritize automatic, escalating overdue-invoice reminders as a $10/month add-on next quarter?

1. Learning goals

Test whether: - Late payments create recurring, material costs—not just irritation. - Chasing takes enough time or money that customers actively try to reduce it. - Reminders address the cause of delays, rather than disputes, approval processes, or clients lacking funds. - Customers would trust automation, and what control they require. - There is credible demand at $10/month, beyond polite enthusiasm.

Starting evidence is suggestive, not conclusive: 34% of invoices are late, with a median delay of 16 days. That does not tell us how many accounts experience serious pain. Reminder usage (12% of accounts) may miss chasing outside Paydeck. The 40 support requests show interest, not willingness to pay.

2. Who to recruit

Do not book the first eight respondents from the 300 heaviest reminder users. That would favor highly engaged users already chasing through Paydeck.

Recruit purposively: - 3 accounts: recurring overdue invoices; frequent manual reminders. - 3 accounts: recurring overdue invoices; little or no manual reminder use. - 2 accounts: mostly on-time invoices, as a contrast group.

Across those groups, aim for six Pro and two free accounts, with both freelancers and small agencies. Include no more than two support-ticket requesters. Speak to whoever actually handles collections; establish whether they also approve software spending.

Randomly invite accounts within each group, then fill group slots rather than accepting the first eight overall. Replace no-shows within the same group. Use a neutral invitation: “Help us understand how you manage invoices and payments.” If offering an incentive, keep it fixed and unrelated to feedback.

3. Call script and timings

0–3 minutes: Welcome and permission

“Thanks for helping. We’re learning how people manage payments—not testing you or selling anything. Honest criticism is useful. You can skip anything confidential.”

Ask permission before recording. Otherwise, take notes.

“What’s your role, who handles overdue invoices, and roughly how many invoices do you send each month?”

3–12 minutes: Reconstruct a real incident

“Tell me about the most recent invoice that wasn’t paid by its due date.”

Follow the timeline: - “When was it due, and when did you notice?” - “What did you do next? Then what happened?” - “Who else was involved?” - “What reason did the client give for the delay?” - “Was it paid? When?”

“Could you walk us through a redacted reminder or your tracking process?” Do not request client-identifying information.

If they have no recent late invoice: “Walk us through how your last invoice got paid. What helps payments arrive on time?”

12–19 minutes: Frequency, consequences, alternatives

“In the last three months, about how often has this happened?”

“For that example, roughly how much time did you spend chasing? What, if anything, did the delay cost you?”

“What happens if you don’t follow up?”

“How do you decide when and how firmly to chase? Have you ever chosen not to?”

“What have you tried to improve this? What did it cost, and why did you keep or stop using it?”

If relevant: “Do you use Paydeck’s reminder button? Why or why not?”

19–23 minutes: Automation fit and risks

“Which parts of that process need your judgment?”

“Tell me about a follow-up that went badly—or worked particularly well.”

“What situations would make sending another reminder inappropriate?”

Probe only after open answers: payments already made, disputed invoices, important relationships, tone, timing, approvals.

23–28 minutes: Concept and price

Only now introduce the idea:

“We’re considering Autochase: automatic reminders that escalate while an invoice remains overdue. There’s no prototype, and details aren’t decided.”

“For the invoice we discussed, where would this help, fail, or create extra work?”

“What would you need to control before trusting it?”

“The proposed price is $10/month, on top of your current plan. How would you decide whether to buy it? What would it replace? Who approves that spending?”

Ask interested participants whether they will join a follow-up pilot discussion. Record this as interest, not a purchase.

28–30 minutes: Check understanding

Summarize their situation and ask what you misunderstood. Tomas asks outstanding clarifications. Thank them.

4. First-time interviewer notes

• Ask one question at a time; allow silence.
• Prefer “Tell me about the last time” to predictions.
• Don’t defend Autochase, suggest answers, or praise positive reactions.
• Separate quotes, observed behavior, estimates, and interpretation.
• Debrief immediately: pain, frequency, cost, workaround, automation fit, price evidence, contradictions.

5. Decision rules

Agree these directional thresholds before interviewing:

Advance: At least four of six overdue-account participants demonstrate recurring, consequential pain and reminder-suitable workflows; at least three Pro participants show credible $10 value grounded in current costs or spending and accept a concrete follow-up. Proceed to a scoped pilot and real pricing test—not a full-build commitment from interviews alone.

Stop or rethink: Pain is mostly minor, delays are not reminder-solvable, relationship risks outweigh savings, or interest disappears at $10.

Mixed evidence: Narrow the target segment and recruit more. Eight purposive interviews cannot estimate market demand.

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).