Customer research call guide

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.”

Autochase Call Guide: 8 calls, 30 minutes each

What we're trying to learn

Sam's hypothesis has three parts, and each can fail separately: 1. Cost: Late payment hurts in money or time, not just annoyance. (34% of invoices are late, but that doesn't mean it hurts.) 2. Behavior: People already try to fix it. Only 12% of accounts used the manual Send reminder button, so we need to know why the other 88% didn't. 3. Willingness: They'd let software message their clients, and pay $10 a month on top of $12 for Pro.

Interviews can't settle price. They can tell us whether it's worth testing.

Who to talk to

Sam's plan (the 300 heaviest button users, first 8 to reply) would only find people who already like reminders and respond fast to email. Recruit against quotas instead:

• 2 heavy button users (Sam's list is fine for these)
• 3 accounts with several late invoices in the last 90 days who never used the button
• 1 who filed an Autochase support ticket
• 2 agencies (3+ people) and 2 solo freelancers. These overlap with the groups above.
• Mix of Pro and free accounts, with at least 2 free.

Screen for at least one invoice paid late in the last 90 days. Pick people to fill the quotas, not first come first served. Offer a $50 gift card.

Call structure

0:00–0:03 Intro. "We're learning how people get paid, and we're not selling anything. There are no right answers, and critical feedback helps most. Okay to record?"

0:03–0:05 Context. What do you do, how many clients, how many invoices a month?

0:05–0:15 The last late invoice (the core of the call) 1. Tell me about the last time a client paid you late. Probe: how late, how much, what happened first, what did you do, how did it feel? 2. Walk me through what you do between sending an invoice and getting paid. Probe: what tool, how often, who does it? 3. What did that lateness cost you? Probe: hours, cash flow, bills or contractors you had to delay.

0:15–0:21 Current behavior 4. (Button users) What made you use Send reminder? (Non-users) What do you do instead, or why not just let it go? 5. Is there a client you would never chase? Why? 6. Have you tried anything else, such as late fees, deposits, shorter terms or other tools? What happened?

0:21–0:27 Concept. Read this, don't demo it: "Suppose Paydeck automatically emailed your client at set points after the due date, getting firmer each time." 7. What's your first reaction? What worries you? 8. What would have to be true for you to switch it on? Probe: tone, control, per-client exceptions, seeing the emails first.

0:27–0:30 Money and wrap 9. What do you pay for today that helps you get paid or run your finances? 10. "We'd likely charge extra for this. Would you want early access when it's ready?" Note the exact response. Hesitation counts as data. 11. Anything I should have asked? Anyone else we should talk to?

Why Sam's questions changed

• "How frustrating is chasing?" and "Would it be useful?" invite polite yes answers. Past-behavior questions don't.
• "$5, $10 or $15?" anchors people on our options and measures nothing real. Questions 9–10 are better evidence.
• "Would your clients be annoyed?" asks for a guess about someone else. Question 5 asks what they've actually avoided.
• "What other features?" is off-topic. Drop it.

Notes for first-time interviewers

• Split roles. One person asks and the other takes verbatim notes. Swap halfway through the 8 calls.
• Ask about the past, not the future. "What did you do last time?" beats "Would you ever...?"
• Don't pitch or rescue. Don't name Autochase until minute 21. If they struggle to answer, wait, then ask "Can you say more?" Silence is fine.
• Follow the story. Ask "why?" and "what happened next?" more than you ask the next scripted question. The script is a backstop.
• Discount compliments. "That sounds great" is worth little. Specific past actions, money spent and workarounds built are worth a lot.
• Stay neutral if they criticize the product or the idea. Don't defend it.
• Debrief within 30 minutes of each call. Write down three surprises and the best quotes. Do a practice run with a colleague first.

What we'd need to hear

Count only the people who had a late invoice.

Go (build, or run a paid pre-sale test): - At least 5 of 8 describe a specific recent late payment that cost real money, stress or more than about an hour a month. - At least 5 already chase manually or with workarounds, including people who skip the button, and can explain why the button doesn't work for them. - At least 4 would turn on automation given controls we could build, and at least 3 say yes to early access for a paid add-on.

Stop or rethink: - Most shrug lateness off, or say it comes from a few clients they'd never automate against. - The real problem is something else, such as clients not opening invoices, wanting deposits, or needing a payment link, and reminders wouldn't fix it. - Most won't let software contact their clients, or wouldn't pay anything for it.

Mixed results (for example, it only matters for agencies, or only with tone controls): narrow the target segment and run a second round of calls.

Even a clear "go" from 8 calls only justifies a cheap next test, such as a fake-door button or a pre-sale. It doesn't justify committing the quarter.