Imagine you’re out to purchase a new car at the showroom. The sales team is super friendly to you, making you feel like an essential guest as they tell you everything about the cars. They are treating you nicely. But then, you decide you’re not going to buy a car today. Suddenly, everything changes. The salesperson starts ignoring you and pays attention to someone else. Now, you’re all alone, walking out of the showroom by yourself. Would you ever think of going back there? Likely not.
This is precisely what happens with many tech startups. They overlook the importance of users who leave without making a purchase, not seeing the potential value in those churned users.
In simple terms, customer offboarding is what happens when a user decides to stop using your product. It’s not something any business wants, but many don’t focus on making this process smooth. This mostly leads to a frustrating experience for the user who’s leaving.
Even if you can’t keep a user from leaving, as a business, you have a chance to leave them with a good last impression. Making sure their final memory is positive could turn a churned user into a returning one in the future.
Understand why the user left
It’s essential to figure out why a user decided to leave. This information can help you improve the product and prevent the same issue from causing others to leave, too.
When users leave (or ‘churn’), it’s a chance to get meaningful feedback. Use this feedback to see what needs to get better. It helps you find your product's inefficiency to improve it. This way, you ensure your product is moving in the right direction.
When you’re getting feedback from users who are leaving, the main goal is to find out the “WHY” of churning. Are they going because something’s wrong with the product or for reasons outside your control? If the problem is with the product, you need to figure out if you can fix it and make it better.
Types of customer offboarding
First, you need to consider what type of offboarding flow makes sense for your product:
1 — Pausing an Account
Consider adding a ‘pause’ option instead of letting users cancel outright. This enables users to stop their payments for a while but keeps their account data safe. They might still see their dashboard but won’t access the main features of the product.
2 — Cancel subscription
Cancelling means users stop payments and also lose access to their account info. But remember, canceling doesn’t mean their data is gone for good. This is crucial because a positive offboarding experience means users can easily come back and start using your product again without hassle. Also, keeping user data is good for the business. It makes it easier to reach out to those users again if there are new features or products in the future.
3 — Account deletion
Deleting an account is a big deal. When someone chooses to delete their account, it starts the process of permanently removing their data. Often, a company’s rules are based on the region, and you as a business might have to delete the user’s data after a certain period depending on regulations. It’s essential to know these rules for your business.
Designing the Best User Offboarding Flow
The main goal here is to prevent users from deleting accounts permanently by offering them alternative solutions, along with getting feedback that helps you improve your product.
However, it’s crucial not to overdo it. Trying too hard to make them stay can frustrate them and hurt your brand’s image. So, let’s explore the right way to do this.
1. Make the cancellation process simple and transparent
Keep the cancellation process accessible with easy-looking steps. Customers shouldn’t have to search hard to figure out how to cancel. Avoid making them look for phone numbers or making them wait on hold. The steps should be clear and straightforward.
2. Offer Options to Change Subscription Plans
You don’t want to make things harder for customers, but suggesting they switch to a plan that fits them better could convince them to stick around.
3. Reinstate the product value but not too much
As mentioned, keep highlighting your product’s value, but don’t overdo it. From when they first start using your product, through their everyday use, to the offboarding process, remind them why your product is excellent and show them what they will miss after unsubscribing from the product. Doing this at multiple steps in the offboarding flow can help reduce the chances of them leaving.
4. Show empathy
Even if you lose a customer, remember they’re still a person who used your product and knows your brand. They might have even liked your brand at some point. They’re leaving now, but as the saying goes, you often meet twice. Who knows? That person might become a supporter of your brand or even return as a customer in the future.
5. Ask for feedback & offer a solution
Always take the time to understand why a customer has decided to leave. Ideally, provide them with a text box so they can explain their reasoning in their own words. Often, startups can fix their problem or offer a tailored solution if it makes sense for your business.
6. Tell them the consequences
If the user still reaches the last step of offboarding, make sure to explain the consequences by detailing what happens next.
For instance, when users decide to delete their Google account, they are informed about the significant effects of this action — like losing access to all Google services associated with that account, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, and any content purchased from Google Play. Users are also told they’ll lose any subscriptions and content they bought with that account on YouTube or Google Play, along with any saved data and content in their Google Account. Google emphasizes that this action is irreversible, meaning once the account is deleted, the user cannot recover any of the data or information that was associated with it.
7. Last impressions count
We might not want to think about it, but as a business, we have to deal with users leaving at some point, And it matters because the last thing users remember about using your product will stick with them. They’ll recall the most impactful and painful moments the most. So, if you can make the offboarding experience a positive one, you’re setting the stage for a great last impression.
8. Prevent unintended cancellations
Stop accidental cancellations. Sometimes, people don’t mean to cancel; it just happens because their payment didn’t go through. This could be due to a problem with their credit card like it’s expired or maxed out.
Wrapping Up
In the fast-paced world of business, it’s natural for some users to move on. But here’s a thought to keep in mind: don’t let it stress you out. Instead, see it as an opportunity to make your product even better. Make sure to leave those departing users with a positive last memory. Simplify their offboarding process and cleverly suggest other options they might like. This way, you turn a parting moment into a lasting positive impression.
So, as we wrap up, remember that every goodbye doesn’t have to be final. With the right approach, you can keep the door open for users to return, making your product stronger in the long run.
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