Customer payment behavior analysis is key for reducing failed payments and understanding what drives delinquency. In this article, I’ll share my approach to digging into customer survey responses—how to ask great questions for failed payments that give actionable insight. The story isn’t just about technical breakdowns; it’s about circumstances, preference, and customer trust signals that only conversational AI surveys can reveal.
Why standard dunning emails aren't enough
Most businesses only see surface-level payment failure data: “declined”, “insufficient funds”, or “expired card”. This looks simple, but the actual customer context and willingness to pay are invisible in those transactional logs.
Worse, most automated dunning feels sterile—and, frankly, can come across as annoying or even hostile, damaging relationships instead of rescuing revenue. Transaction data tells you a card was declined. A survey tells you why the customer put off updating it… and whether they’ll ever come back.
Transaction data | Customer context |
|---|---|
Card expired | “I didn’t notice—it’s a secondary card” |
Insufficient funds | “My salary payment was delayed this month” |
Payment declined | “I felt uneasy about the payment email authenticity” |
Conversational surveys let you bridge this gap. By asking your customers—gently and directly—why a payment failed, you unlock practical feedback you’d never see in Stripe or your accounting system. Try building a payment behavior survey in minutes with the AI survey generator—it’s a seismic shift from static forms.
82% of companies struggle to identify the true causes of failed payments, often because they never leave the data silo and ask the customer directly. [1]
Essential questions for understanding payment failures
When designing surveys, I always focus my questions on understanding circumstances rather than assigning blame. You want people to feel safe opening up about money—so every prompt is crafted for clarity, comfort, and the possibility of a deeper follow-up.
Reason for decline: “What prevented your payment from going through?”
Preferred communication channel: “How would you prefer we contact you about payment issues?”
Card update timing: “When do you typically update your payment methods?”
Trust and security concerns: “What would make you feel more comfortable updating your payment info?”
The best surveys allow follow-ups for richer context. If someone signals hardship, a careful follow-up about payment plans can open doors; if someone hints that emails feel “phishy”, the AI can ask what would build trust. This is the power of automatic AI follow-up questions—each interaction adapts to the person, not just their first answer.
Tracking and resolving failed payments is expensive—56% of firms say it’s a major cost—which is exactly why you want to pinpoint causes with the right questions upfront. [2]
Example payment behavior survey scripts
Let’s make the theoretical practical. Here are some example prompts I’d use—drawn from real survey workflows—for analyzing customer payment issues. With conversational AI surveys, each is just the start of a two-way conversation, not a dead-end form field.
Example 1: Initial payment failure survey
You recently experienced a payment failure on your account. Can you tell us what happened, in your own words?
If the customer mentions a salary delay or cash flow issue, the AI follows up with: “Would flexible payment scheduling or a brief grace period help you stay on top of payments in the future?”
Example 2: Dunning preference survey
When we need to remind you about a payment issue, which way would you like us to contact you—email, SMS, in-app, or something else?
If the customer prefers SMS, the follow-up might ask: “How often would you like payment reminders to be sent via SMS?”
Example 3: Payment method update survey
How comfortable do you feel updating your payment methods through our current process?
If someone expresses doubts (“I worry about phishing”), the AI gently probes: “What would make you trust our payment update requests more—branding, security info, or another channel?”
Through every turn, the AI’s job is to maintain a supportive, human tone—even when talking about uncomfortable financial realities. You can fully customize language and emphasis using the AI survey editor, ensuring the tone matches your brand and audience.
Turning payment feedback into retention strategies
The beauty of customer payment behavior analysis is seeing patterns that single invoices miss. With AI, you move from chasing individual cases to understanding systemic issues in your process.
What’s the most common underlying reason for payment failures—expired cards, forgetfulness, economic hardship, mistrust?
How do notification channel preferences differ by user group (e.g., younger customers prefer SMS)?
Which trust signals or security cues influence whether people update their card?
When are customers most likely to successfully retry payment after an initial decline?
With AI survey response analysis, you can chat with the data—asking questions like, “What percentage of our recent failed payments were linked to delayed paydays?” or “What fraction prefer reminders by SMS?” The AI can instantly surface these trends—no manual coding or spreadsheet wrangling required.
Armed with these insights, you can design dunning flows that speak to real-life barriers. For example, if most failures relate to pay cycle timing, consider delayed retries. If trust is low, improve sender reputation and branding on payment requests. And if cost is a barrier, test offering flexible payment options at the moment a customer hesitates.
It’s no surprise: 60% of organizations have lost customers due to failed payments. This is why moving from reactive recovery to empathetic, proactive feedback is a competitive advantage. [3]
Best practices for payment behavior surveys
Timing is everything. I recommend three strategic moments for sending payment surveys: after the first failure, during the grace period, and post-resolution (whether recovery worked or not). Here’s a simple comparison:
Good practice | Bad practice |
|---|---|
Survey sent right after first payment failure | Survey sent weeks later, after the memory fades |
Check in during grace period to show empathy | Pushy reminders before customer is ready |
Feedback request after issue is resolved | No follow-up post-recovery |
Language matters immensely. Non-judgmental, non-threatening wording reduces defensiveness and increases honest feedback. Avoid “why didn’t you pay?” and try “what got in the way of your payment going through?”
In-product surveys are especially effective for catching people at the right moment—while the payment experience is still fresh, and while they're logged in. Conversational surveys like these feel more like a lightweight chat than a formal collection notice, lowering barriers to honest feedback. You can see examples of in-app timing with in-product conversational surveys from Specific.
Remember, the ultimate goal is preserving customer relationships—not just chasing down missed revenue. You want to keep doors open for ongoing business and goodwill.
Start understanding your customer payment behavior
Asking great questions for failed payments is about understanding life, not just collecting bills. Conversational AI surveys make these sensitive discussions scalable, personal, and revelatory.
Don’t wait for lost accounts to pile up. If you aren’t actively learning about payment preferences or trust barriers, you’re missing opportunities to safeguard future revenue and relationships. Create your own survey today and experience how Specific delivers a best-in-class, user-friendly experience for collecting genuine feedback—so every conversation about payment is an opportunity, not a confrontation.