At-Risk Customer (Churn Prevention) Checklist Template

What the At-Risk Customer (Churn Prevention) Checklist Covers

1. 1
   Phase 1

   Phase 1: Open the At-Risk Case

   5 tasks

   Open a case the day an account is flagged at risk, at any point in the term. Enter the date it was flagged and the date you will judge the outcome: every due date counts in business days from one of them.

   • Set up the at-risk case — the account, its plan and value, the next renewal date, the date it was flagged, the date you will judge the outcome, the signals that raised it, the account’s size and the people on your side; later tasks are assigned from these fields
   • Record the signals and the evidence — each warning sign, where it was seen, since when and the evidence, such as a usage report, a ticket, an invoice or a survey comment
   • Check the contract and renewal position — the term, the renewal date, the notice period and the last date the customer can give notice, what they pay, any discount and when it ends, and any open commercial question
   • Tell the account team and the CS lead — the account owner, support and finance told that the account is at risk and why, so nobody contacts the customer with a different message, and the CS lead briefed
   • Mark the account at risk in the CRM — the risk flag, the reason and the date in the CRM, and the renewal forecast updated if the renewal is now in doubt
2. 2
   Phase 2

   Phase 2: Investigate the Signals

   9 tasks

   Find out what lies behind each signal before you speak to the customer. Each signal ticked on the first task adds its own task here, assigned to the person who can see the facts.

   • Review the account’s history — the health score over the last two or three quarters, the goals in the success plan or the last QBR and how the customer did against them, and recent calls, emails and meetings
   • Usage drop: find out which users, teams and features stopped — active users against licences, the teams and features where use fell, when it started and whether work has moved to another tool or process
   • Champion or sponsor change: find out who owns the decision now — who has left or changed role, who has taken over the budget and the day-to-day use, and whether the new people know what the product does for them
   • Escalations: review the open escalations with support — every open escalation and repeated ticket, its status, what has been promised and by when, and whether the customer believes it will be fixed
   • Unpaid invoices: check the overdue and disputed invoices with finance — which invoices are overdue or disputed, the reason given, whether it is a process problem such as a missing purchase order or a sign the customer is leaving, and any reminders or holds already in place
   • Low survey scores: read the responses and follow them up — who gave the low scores, their comments, and a personal reply to each person that thanks them and asks what would make it better
   • Cancellation hint: check the notice terms and how the hint was given — who said what and when, whether formal notice has been given or only asked about, the last date notice can be given and what the contract requires for it
   • Map the people on the customer’s side — the sponsor who owns the budget, the champion, the main users, procurement and anyone new, with their view of you and when you last spoke
   • Write up the internal view of the risk — what the signals add up to, the likely causes, what you do not know yet and the questions to ask the customer
3. 3
   Phase 3

   Phase 3: Confirm the Risk & Root Cause

   6 tasks

   Ask the customer before you decide anything. The signals show that something is wrong; only the customer can tell you why. An account that turns out not to be at risk adds a task to close the case.

   • Book a conversation with the champion or sponsor — a call or meeting with the person who owns the decision, framed as a review of how things are going rather than a sales call
   • Prepare for the conversation — what you have seen and will share openly, the questions to ask, who joins from your side and what you will not promise on the call
   • Hold the risk conversation — the customer’s view of what has changed, what is not working, what success looks like for them now and what would make them stay
   • Confirm the root cause — the main cause and any others, each with the evidence from the signals and the conversation
   • Decide whether the risk is confirmed — confirmed at risk, with how likely the customer is to leave or cut back, or not at risk after all; not at risk adds a task to close the case
   • Not at risk: record why and close the case — what explained the signals, the CRM risk flag removed, anything to watch at the next QBR, and the rest of this checklist marked not applicable; if the answer was wrong, change it and this task disappears
4. 4
   Phase 4 — Larger accounts

   Phase 4: Executive Outreach (Larger Accounts)

   3 tasks

   Applies to strategic and mid-market accounts, chosen on the first task. An executive on your side speaks to the customer’s sponsor before the save plan is final, so the plan has support at the level that decides.

   • Brief your executive — the account, the signals, the root cause, what the customer said, what you want from the call and what the executive should not offer
   • Hold the executive call with the customer’s sponsor — your executive acknowledges the problem, listens to the sponsor’s priorities and commits to the steps you can deliver
   • Record what the executives agreed — every commitment made on both sides, with owners and dates, ready to go into the save plan
5. 5
   Phase 5

   Phase 5: Save Plan & Approval

   6 tasks

   Build the plan around the root cause, not around a discount. The CS lead approves the plan and any concession before it goes to the customer; nothing after the approval can be completed until it is given. A concession above the limit adds a finance review first.

   • Write the save plan — one or more actions for each cause, with an owner and a date, and the help you will give, such as training, a fresh onboarding for new users, a fix or workaround, or a named contact in support
   • Agree how you will know the plan has worked — two to four measures the customer would recognise, where they are now and the target by the outcome date, such as active users, a named new champion, escalations closed or invoices paid
   • Choose the commercial options, if any — whether the plan needs a commercial concession, such as a discount, extra services, extended payment terms or a move to a smaller plan, and whether it is within the account owner’s limit
   • Above the limit: finance reviews the concession — the cost of the concession over the term, how long it lasts, any conditions such as a longer term or a case study, and whether finance supports it
   • CS lead approves the save plan and any concession — the CS lead approves the actions, owners, dates and success measures, and any concession within what finance supports; nothing goes to the customer until it is approved
   • Agree the save plan with the customer — the plan shared with the sponsor and champion, the actions on their side agreed, the success measures confirmed and the dates you will check in
6. 6
   Phase 6

   Phase 6: Run & Track the Save Plan

   7 tasks

   Work the plan and check it every week or two. Review progress with the CS lead and with the customer, and escalate any action that is blocked rather than letting it slip past the outcome date.

   • Start the actions in the plan — every action owner told what they own and by when, training and sessions booked, and fixes raised with product or support
   • Chase the actions owned by support and product — fixes, workarounds and answers the customer is waiting on, with a date for each and an update the CSM can pass on
   • Hold the first progress review — each action done, on track or late, the success measures so far, and any change to the plan
   • Check in with the customer — a call with the champion on how it feels from their side, whether the actions are making a difference and anything new
   • Escalate any blocked actions to the CS lead — actions that are late or stuck, what is blocking them and what you need, such as a decision, a resource or an executive call
   • Hold the second progress review — the actions and measures again, whether the account is on course to be saved by the outcome date, and whether the outcome date should move
   • Update the health score and the CRM — the latest signals, the health score and the risk notes in the CRM, ready for the outcome decision
7. 7
   Phase 7

   Phase 7: Record the Outcome

   8 tasks

   On the outcome date, judge the plan against the measures and record one of three outcomes: saved, downgraded or churned. Each adds its own next steps. A saved account feeds the renewal; a customer who is leaving goes to offboarding.

   • Review the result against the success measures — each measure against its target, the actions completed, and what the customer has said about staying
   • Record the outcome — saved, downgraded or churned, with the date the customer confirmed it; each outcome adds its own tasks
   • Saved: hand the account back to the renewal — the risk, the cause and what fixed it added to the success plan and the renewal record, the renewal checklist started if the renewal is within 120 days, and the next QBR booked
   • Downgraded: process the change to the order — the signed amendment or order form, the new products, seats and price in billing from the agreed date, and licences reduced in the product
   • Downgraded: agree the plan for the smaller account — goals for the smaller account, the users and teams who still use the product, and what would show it is time to grow again
   • Churned: confirm the cancellation in writing — the notice received and its date, whether it meets the contract, the date the service ends, and the CRM and forecast updated
   • Churned: hand the account to offboarding — start the customer offboarding and cancellation checklist with the end date, data export, final invoice and access removal, and leave the door open with the sponsor
   • Close the risk flag in the CRM — the outcome, the value kept or lost, and the risk flag closed or, for a churned account, the account marked as leaving
8. 8
   Phase 8

   Phase 8: Lessons Review & Close

   5 tasks

   Review every case, saved or not. The point is to see the next at-risk account sooner and to fix the causes that repeat across accounts.

   • Record the reason for the outcome — the main reason the customer stayed, cut back or left, whether the loss could have been prevented, and what made the difference
   • Hold the lessons review with the CS lead — which signal came first and how early, how long each step took, what worked, what did not and what to do sooner next time
   • Update the at-risk playbook and the health score signals — changes to the warning signs you watch, the health score, the save plan actions and the limits for concessions
   • Share product and service feedback — product gaps, service problems and pricing feedback from the case passed to the teams who own them
   • Close the case — every task complete or marked not applicable, and the case closed with the outcome and the reason recorded