{"id":110186,"date":"2026-10-01T10:22:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T17:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/?p=110186"},"modified":"2026-10-01T10:22:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T17:22:33","slug":"customer-exit-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/customer-exit-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Customer Exit Survey, When Should You Run It & What Should You Ask?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A customer exit survey is a short questionnaire you show customers in the cancellation flow, in a post-cancellation email, or on your website before a visitor leaves. It consists of one single-choice question about the main reason, followed by optional open and rating questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I’ll cover how exit surveys<\/a> work, how they differ from exit interviews, where and when to show them, and what questions to ask to get actionable insights, plus a template you can copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll also show you how to check answers against what the customer did before leaving, and how to turn the results into fixes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Customer Exit Survey?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A customer exit survey, also called a customer cancellation survey or a customer churn survey, is a short set of questions shown to customers as they cancel, downgrade, or leave, asking for their reasons and feedback on how to improve the product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, here’s BrainFm’s cancellation survey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dark-themed<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And here’s Crazy Egg’s exit survey template you can run on your ecommerce site. It asks one question, “What’s your reason for leaving?”, and offers 6 options via a drop-down menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Simple<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Customer exit surveys vs. exit interviews<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A customer exit interview covers the same ground as an exit survey, but through a call or a meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exit interviews let you ask follow-up questions and hear the full story. But they also take more time on both sides. So, they’re a better fit for high-value accounts than for every cancellation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/th>Exit survey<\/strong><\/th>Exit interview<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Format<\/strong><\/td>A short form in the cancellation flow, an email, or on a website page<\/td>A call, video meeting, or in-person conversation<\/td><\/tr>
Effort<\/strong><\/td>A few clicks for the customer; you set it up once<\/td>Scheduling plus a conversation, for you and the customer<\/td><\/tr>
Depth<\/strong><\/td>The main reason, plus an optional comment<\/td>The full story, with follow-up questions<\/td><\/tr>
Output<\/strong><\/td>Quantitative data you can track over time + qualitative insights<\/td>Detailed notes you review account by account<\/td><\/tr>
Best fit<\/strong><\/td>Every cancellation, especially in self-serve products; conversion-focused website session exits<\/td>High-value and\/or B2B accounts, and products with too few cancellations to show a pattern<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many companies run both: a survey for every cancellation, and interviews with a handful of customers when the survey answers raise a question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exit survey answers tell you<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exit survey answers show why customers say they’re leaving. Tracked over weeks or months, they point to specific areas to fix to improve your product, service, or website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Blinkist’s options map neatly onto different issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n