Customer research call guide

Customer Interview Guide: Autochase Discovery

Interviewers: Mei & Tomas | Call length: 30 min | Target: 8 calls

---

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)?

---

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.

---

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.

---

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."

---

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 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.

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.