Best questions for canceled subscribers survey about likelihood to return

Here are some of the best questions for a canceled subscribers survey about likelihood to return, plus actionable tips for crafting them. With Specific, you can build a survey like this in seconds, using AI to maximize insights and make feedback collection effortless.

Best open-ended questions for canceled subscribers survey about likelihood to return

Open-ended questions are essential when you want genuine, detailed feedback that reveals the true motivations and obstacles of your canceled subscribers. The benefit? They allow respondents to share context in their own words—sometimes surfacing issues you hadn’t even considered. Use open-ended questions when you want stories, not just stats, and when you’re listening for nuance and emotion.

1. Can you share the main reason you decided to cancel your subscription?

2. What, if anything, would make you consider returning as a subscriber in the future?

3. Were there any features or aspects you wish we handled differently?

4. Is there something another service does better, making you less likely to return?

5. How did the subscription meet or not meet your expectations over time?

6. What changes or improvements would impact your decision to come back?

7. How was your overall experience with our support and communication?

8. Can you describe a scenario where you might consider subscribing again?

9. What challenges or barriers would prevent you from coming back?

10. If you could change one thing about our service, what would it be and why?

These questions create space for honest feedback and actionable insights—something closed questions rarely deliver on their own. In the SaaS sector, where average voluntary churn is at 3% per month in 2025, targeted open-ended questions can help you uncover root causes and raise customer return rates.[1]

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for canceled subscribers survey about likelihood to return

Single-select multiple-choice questions shine when you want to quantify trends and make it easy for respondents to answer—especially if they're short on time or less inclined to type long responses. They help start the conversation, offer clear data for analysis, and lower the barrier for disengaged users. These are perfect for the top of the survey, or as “kickoff” for later open-ended probes.

Question: How likely are you to consider subscribing again in the next 6 months?

• Very likely

• Somewhat likely

• Unlikely

• Definitely not

Question: What was your primary reason for canceling?

• Price

• Lack of needed features

• Found another solution

• Other

Question: Which improvements would most impact your decision to return?

• Lower price or better value

• More features or tools

• Better customer support

• Improved user experience

When to follow up with “why?” If you want to transform a basic selection into powerful insight, always follow up on strong opinions or decisively negative responses. For example, if someone chooses “Definitely not,” ask “Why do you feel this way?” The follow-up digs beneath the initial answer—sometimes uncovering frustrations you can address directly with product changes or better messaging.

When and why to add the “Other” choice? Whenever there’s a chance you haven’t captured every possible reason on your list, include “Other.” This invites subscribers to share unique pain points or suggestions in a text field—and your automated follow-up questions can uncover unexpected insights, rather than forcing them to squeeze into predefined categories.

Should you use NPS for canceled subscribers?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a classic measure of customer loyalty, but it’s also highly useful for canceled subscriber feedback about likelihood to return. With NPS, you ask: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” It uncovers both the emotional residue left by your brand and emerging advocates—even among those who canceled. Using NPS-style questions identifies both lost advocates and potential re-engagement opportunities, making it valuable in churn analysis and win-back campaigns. Want to see how a churn NPS survey looks? Instantly generate an NPS survey for canceled subscribers here.

The power of follow-up questions

Automated follow-up questions, like those offered by Specific, dramatically shift your survey’s ability to uncover depth—without extra effort. When you add smart AI follow-ups, suddenly each answer becomes a conversation. This is where conversational surveys separate themselves from traditional forms: you get context, motivation, and clarity, not just a raw opinion.

Imagine if you didn’t ask follow-ups—often, you’re left with vague information. Let’s be real:

• Canceled Subscriber: “I left because it was too expensive.”

• AI follow-up: “Can you share more about what price would feel fair, and how you use our product?”

Without the follow-up, you wouldn’t know if it’s about total cost, feature bundles, or a perceived mismatch in value. Automated probing—without manual labor—gathers what really matters.

How many followups to ask? Generally, two to three targeted follow-ups are ideal. This gathers context without risking fatigue. With Specific, you can set a maximum follow-up depth, and respondents can always skip ahead once their point’s clear—keeping the flow natural and respectful.

This makes it a conversational survey: follow-ups through AI keep it feeling like an interview, not a cold questionnaire, so you’re capturing emotion and real-world context—naturally.

AI survey response analysis: Even if you collect loads of open-text answers, analyzing them is simple with tools like AI-powered survey analysis—just chat with your feedback as if you’re speaking to a research analyst.

Curious what this feels like? Generate your own survey and watch the follow-up magic in action—these dynamic conversations are changing how feedback teams work.

How to prompt ChatGPT or other AIs for great survey questions

Want to use ChatGPT or similar AI to brainstorm questions for a canceled subscribers survey about likelihood to return? Try this prompt:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for canceled subscribers survey about likelihood to return.

You’ll get better results adding context: share more about your business, the kind of users you’re targeting, or your survey goal. Something like:

I run a SaaS platform. My audience is mostly small business owners who recently canceled their subscription. Our goal is to understand what might convince them to come back and how we can improve their experience. Suggest 10 open-ended questions for a survey about their likelihood to return.

Once you have open-ended questions, try this to help structure them:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Next, focus on what matters most. For example:

Generate 10 questions for categories pricing concerns, missing features, and support experience.

By iterating and prompting with more detail, you design surveys that flow like an expert interview—unlocking deeply relevant data for your retention strategy.

What is a conversational survey?

Conversational surveys, like those you generate with Specific, mimic the feel of a real dialogue rather than a static form—they probe, clarify, and keep the respondent engaged. The difference from a manual survey is dramatic, especially when you rely on AI-generated questions and dynamic follow-ups. Traditional surveys risk feeling rigid and impersonal. In contrast, conversational surveys adapt on the fly—asking smarter, deeper questions as the conversation unfolds.

Why use AI for canceled subscribers surveys? Because the stakes are high: every 5% increase in customer retention can boost profits by up to 95%—and conversational surveys are built for engagement, detail, and results.[3] You want to maximize both honesty and participation. With Specific’s how-to guide for canceled subscriber surveys, you’ll quickly see how easy it is to run AI surveys that feel like expert interviews, not paperwork.

Specific is the authority in this space, offering best-in-class user experience with conversational surveys that make feedback easy, friendly, and genuinely insightful for both creators and their audiences. What you get isn’t just data—it’s real understanding, giving you a competitive edge in retaining and re-winning your users.

See this likelihood to return survey example now

Experience the difference of conversational, AI-powered surveys firsthand—capture richer feedback and discover what really moves your canceled subscribers to return. Act now to unlock deeper insights and transform your retention approach.