Retention & Churn
Win-Back Interview
A win-back interview is a conversation with a former customer, held several months after they left, to find out how things went since and whether a return could make sense. Unlike a churn interview, which looks back at why they left, this conversation looks at what has changed for them and for you. The questions are warm, open and not pushy, and they work well when asked aloud.
16 questions
When to use this template
- Three to twelve months after the customer left, when their situation may have changed and the memory of the departure has softened.
- After you have fixed the issue that was most often given as a reason for leaving, such as a missing feature or a change in service.
- When a former customer shows interest again, for example by visiting your site, attending an event or contacting a former colleague on your team.
Questions to ask
Reconnecting
- 01It has been a while. How have things been going for you and your team?
- 02What has changed in your business since we last spoke?
- 03What are your main priorities at the moment?
Since you left
- 04What have you been using since you stopped working with us?
- 05How is it going compared with what you expected?
- 06What is working well, and what is not working as well as you hoped?
- 07Is there anything you have missed from our time together?
What has changed on our side
- 08Have you heard about anything we have changed since you left?
- 09Of the reasons you left, which one still matters the most to you today?
- 10If we had fixed that, how would you see us now?
What a return would need
- 11What would need to be true for you to consider working with us again?
- 12Who on your side would need to be involved in that decision?
- 13What would you want us to do differently in the first months?
Closing
- 14Would it be useful for us to show you what is new, with no commitment?
- 15How and how often would you like to hear from us, if at all?
- 16Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
Tips for a useful conversation
- Begin with their situation, not with your news; they will be more open to your changes once they have been heard.
- Be ready to hear that they are happy elsewhere, and treat that as useful information, not as a failure.
- Reference what they told you when they left, so that the customer sees that you listened.
- Make clear that there is no obligation, and respect a refusal immediately.
- Only offer a return when you have a genuine answer to their original reason for leaving.
Mistakes to avoid
- Contacting former customers with a generic discount email instead of a real conversation.
- Ignoring the reasons they gave on leaving.
- Pushing the customer to commit during the first call.
- Reaching out to everyone at the same interval, whatever the reason they left.
Let Passisto Clients hold these conversations
The AI agent calls your clients, asks the right follow-up questions and gives your team a clear report with the actions to take.