Cancellations are inevitable in SaaS businesses. Even the most loyal, long-term customers who you thought would stick around forever may cancel their subscription out of the blue. Maybe they didn’t achieve the results they expected because they haven’t been nurtured enough to realize the full ROI of your product. They may have found a better solution (with a broader range of features and more affordable pricing), or they simply no longer need your product or service. Whatever the case, cancellations don’t always mean the end of your relationship with a customer.
How you manage cancellations makes a difference, and it starts with your cancellation emails – the type of transactional emails triggered when a user cancels their paid subscription. Much like win-back emails, cancellation emails play an essential role in customer retention. There is often an opportunity to re-engage those customers who have lapsed and win them back. That is why your cancellation emails should go beyond simply saying ‘goodbye’ – they should be designed to leave a positive impression and reduce churn. Below are some key tips for crafting cancellation emails, including ready-made cancellation email templates that you can customize and use.
Cancellation email best practices
Keep your message short and sweet
Cancellation emails have proven to work better if they are concise and straightforward. There are only four major points that you should include in your email:
- Thank your customers for their business.
- Confirm that their cancellation is being processed.
- Ask for feedback to find out the reason behind their cancellation.
- Reassure them the door is always open if they ever decide to come back.
Ask customers why they canceled
Learning why your customers cancel and where you’ve failed them can be painful, but it’s still unquestionably valuable for your business. Tracking the reasons behind cancellations always provides a huge opportunity to leverage customer feedback, improve your offering for future customers and reduce your churn rate.
Use empathetic language to show you care
While cancellation messages should typically be brief, it doesn’t mean they have to be overly formal and cold. Emphasizing that there are no hard feelings by including something like “We’d love you to stick around, but we understand that cancellations happen” can make your email more personalized and human even though it’s an automated message.
Design your own cancellation templates
LiveAgent gives you the power to design your own customer email templates, thus helping you to improve the customer service. Curious about all the opportunities?
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Cancellation email subject lines
- We’re sorry to see you go
- We will miss you!
- Before you go … (We miss you already!)
- Your account has expired. Try a premium subscription!
- Your [Product] subscription has been canceled
- Your free [Product] Account Cancellation. Achieve More with Premium
- Premium account cancellation from [Brand]
- Confirm your cancellation request
- Following up on your cancellation, [Name]
- Your [Product] account will be deactivated in 30 days
Cancellation email template examples
Basic subscription cancellation email
Hi [Name],
Thanks for being part of the [Brand] community. As requested, your subscription has been successfully canceled, and your card will no longer be charged.
We’d love to hear about your experience and how you think we can improve [Product/ Service] for other members (and you, if you decide to come back!)
Take the Survey
Just a heads up – you’ll still have access to [your account/ data/ message history/ free features], etc. If you decide you’d like to continue [using Product/ Service], you can resume your membership at any time.
We hope to see you around!
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
Casual non-automated subscription cancellation email
Hey [Name],
I noticed you canceled your [Product/ Service] account. No worries!
Did you expect something different, or was it missing something you needed? Your feedback helps us improve [Product/ Service], so it would be great to hear from you.
Best,
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
SaaS subscription cancellation survey #1 example
Hello [Name],
We successfully canceled your subscription for [Product/ Service].
We’re sorry to see you go! To help us improve our [product/ service], we would appreciate it if you took a moment to fill out this quick survey.
What was the reason for the cancelation? (Select up to 3 reasons):
It was not effective, and I didn’t achieve the results I wanted
It doesn’t integrate with our other tools or systems
It lacks key features or functionality
It was difficult to use
It’s too expensive
Customer support was unsatisfactory
This was a test account
My organization closed
Other
If you don’t mind sharing, which [tool/ platform/ software] will you use now?
What can we do to improve?
Thanks,
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
SaaS subscription cancellation survey #2 example
Hi [Name],
We’re sorry you had to cancel your [Product/ Service] subscription. Can we ask why you’re leaving? Your answer will help us make [Product/ Service] better for everyone.
Technical issues
Missing key features I need
Not sure how to use the tool
Too expensive
Switching to another product
Shutting down the company
Other (please explain below)
Appreciate your help and honest feedback!
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
SaaS subscription cancellation survey follow up
Hi [Name],
You’ve recently canceled your [Product/ Service] account and mentioned it was because of technical issues.
We’re really sorry about that. We do our best to make sure our service is accessible and reliable, but sometimes things fall through the cracks.
If you wouldn’t mind letting us know, we’d love to hear more about what technical issues you had so we can get to the bottom of it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Thanks so much!
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
Premium account cancellation
Hey [Name],
Your [Product] Premium subscription has been canceled and will end on [date]. Until then, you will still have access to your Premium features.
When your subscription expires, you will still be able to [use free features]. You can come back and enjoy [Product] Premium anytime by re-subscribing. We’ll always be here if you need any help.
Thanks for being a customer,
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
Membership cancellation confirmation
Hi [Name],
Thank you for being a part of the [Membership name]. As you requested, we’ve canceled your membership effective [date].
We’d love to have you back, but we completely understand that this may not be the best option for you right now. If you ever change your mind, made this request in error, you can restart your membership anytime to enjoy [key membership benefits].
Restart Membership
If there’s anything we can do to help, please let us know. Visit our Help Center for more info or reach out to our support team.
Best of luck!
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
Account deactivation email
Hi [Name],
It looks like you haven’t signed in to your account for a while. [Product/ Service] accounts are automatically deactivated after [number] days of inactivity. Your account will be deactivated in [number] days.
Thank you for trying [Product/ Service]. We’d love you to stick around, but we completely understand that [Product/ Service] isn’t for everyone.
Let us know if you have any questions or need help keeping your account.
Cheers,
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
Subscription canceled due to failed payment
Hi [Name],
Something went wrong, and we were unable to process the charges on your credit card ending in [last four digits]. Unfortunately, we had to cancel your [Product/ Service] subscription.
But don’t worry, we understand that sometimes these things happen. You can always reactivate your [Product/ Service] subscription at any time.
Reactivate [Product/ Service] Account
If you have any questions or issues, don’t hesitate to reach out, we’re just an email away.
Hope to see you back soon.
[YOUR SIGNATURE]
Are you tired of dealing with cancellation requests and unhappy customers?
LiveAgent's cancellation email templates are designed to help you handle cancellations with ease and professionalism, while also minimizing any negative impact on your business.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I send cancellation emails?
How your brand responds to customers who canceled their subscription, premium account, or membership has a significant impact on whether or not they eventually churn. Well-crafted cancelation messages can be used to win back disengaged customers, mend customer relationships that might otherwise be lost, improve retention, and minimize the number of churned customers.
Should I ask customers why they canceled?
Asking customers why they canceled their subscription in the first place can give you a deeper understanding of their needs and expectations and, ultimately, valuable insights that can help you improve your product, strategy, and brand. If you find out most customers who churn require particular features your product lacks, it might make sense to reconsider your functionality and make improvements.
Should I send generic automated cancelation emails or follow up personally?
Following up with customers who canceled personally adds a more human touch to your message and builds more trust. While it’s not always possible to send personalized messages every time, it may be reasonable with your most loyal and high-spending customers. Instead of sending a generic, one-size-fits-all cancelation message, consider following up with your long-term, high-value clients personally – it might increase your chances of re-engaging them and winning back their loyalty.
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