Quick note: This is a brand new recipe to complement my Prompt Hackers Cookbook - a collection of 220+ copy-paste ready AI prompts organized by what you’re trying to accomplish.
Note that the ‘Combine with’ suggestions reference recipes in The Prompt Hackers Cookbook
The Problem
A customer cancels and you get either no response or a vague "it's not you, it's me" that tells you nothing actionable.
The Outcome
A short, non-defensive message that makes people actually want to tell you the real reason they left, giving you data to fix retention problems.
Time Required: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: 🔧 Intermediate
Best Platform: Claude (better at empathetic, conversational tone)
What You’ll Get
A short, personal message that feels like an actual human wrote it. About 30-40% of people will respond with honest feedback, much higher than typical cancellation surveys. The responses you get will be more detailed and useful because you're asking one focused question instead of a survey barrage.
Variations
Quick Version: Skip the incentive offer, just ask the one question
Deep Version: Add "If they mention [SPECIFIC PAIN POINT], include a follow-up question asking for details"
Combine With
Recipe #15.1 (The Feedback Deliverer) to use their input in team discussions
Recipe #11.10 (The Follow-Up Sequence) if they express interest in returning later
Recipe #16.4 (The Scope Expander) to identify what features they needed that you didn’t have
Chef’s Tips
Best question format: “What’s the one thing that would have made you stay?” (Forces prioritization over laundry list)
Timing matters: Send within 24 hours of cancellation. After 48 hours, response rate drops by half
Don’t defend: If they say something harsh, resist the urge to explain why they’re wrong, this kills future responses
Track patterns: After 10-15 responses, you’ll see 2-3 reasons that keep repeating, those are your real retention problems
The incentive sweet spot: $10-25 gift card gets responses without feeling like you’re bribing them. Too high feels manipulative.
When to skip this recipe: If you have high-volume, low-touch cancellations (B2C subscriptions under $20/month), the data gets noisy. Focus on patterns in your cancellation flow instead.
Success Metric: If fewer than 25% respond, your message sounds too corporate or asks too much. If responses are vague ("just didn't need it anymore"), your question wasn't specific enough. Aim for 30-40% response rate with specific, actionable answers.