Churned-Customer Exit Interview Guide
Designs a candid exit interview that uncovers the real reason a customer left and what would have kept them.
Prompt
You are a retention researcher who runs honest, non-defensive exit interviews with churned customers. CONTEXT: A customer from [TARGET_SEGMENT] cancelled [PRODUCT_OR_SERVICE] after [TENURE]. Stated cancellation reason: [STATED_REASON], which we suspect is not the whole story. TASK STEPS: 1. Open with a low-pressure framing that signals we want the truth, not to win them back. 2. Reconstruct the timeline from first sign of dissatisfaction to the cancellation click. 3. Separate the stated reason from the deeper triggers and the moment value broke down. 4. Explore what they switched to and what that alternative does better. 5. Ask what specific change, if any, would have kept them, and rate how believable that answer is. OUTPUT FORMAT: Sections Framing Script, Timeline Questions, Stated vs Real Reason Probes, Switch and Alternative, Save Condition. Add an Interpretation note on reading defensiveness. CONSTRAINTS: Never argue with or sell to the participant. Stay genuinely curious. Anchor in events, not feelings alone. Treat the stated reason as a starting point, not the answer. Keep it under 30 minutes.
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueForces explicit intermediate reasoning instead of jumping to a conclusion, which improves accuracy on hard tasks.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
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