Customer retention survey template: stop churn in its tracks

You’ve probably heard of the leaky bucket theory. The idea’s simple: no matter how fast you pour new customers in, if they’re slipping out the bottom, you’re not getting very far.

Customer acquisition is hard work—expensive, time-consuming, and often hit-or-miss. But keeping the customers you already have? That’s where the magic (and the profits) happen. Retention isn’t just a feel-good metric—it’s a long-term growth lever hiding in plain sight.

That’s where the customer retention survey comes in. It helps you figure out why customers leave, what might’ve convinced them to stay, and what you can do differently next time. Use it to patch the leaks, plug the gaps, and turn one-time buyers into loyal fans.

With this survey, you'll learn:

• Why customers decided to leave (in their own words) 

• The percentage of customers who’d consider coming back 

• How likely churning customers are to refer you to a friend 

• How satisfied ex-customers were 

Increase customer retention with reliable feedback

Life is easier when you make existing customers happy. Support tickets drop, negative feedback decreases, and there’s less pressure to attract new customers. But where to start? 

To increase customer retention, we suggest surveying recent ex-customers about their experience. Learn why they left and how satisfied they were, to try and improve the experience before you lose more customers. 

The probability of selling to an existing customer is between 60% and 70% while the chance of selling to brand-new customers is as low as 5%. Ultimately, it’s harder to attract new customers than keep (and upsell) existing customers. Customer retention surveys are a great way to identify and address product or service issues that affect customer retention. 

For example, HubSpot sends out a customer retention survey to all customers who cancel their service, immediately after they churn. This helps them quickly identify any problems while they’re fresh in customers’ minds. 

By installing a tag on their site, HubSpot was able to show this survey to downgrading users on the page right after cancellation. This immediate feedback is far more likely to be reliable and high quality. 

💡 Pro tip: use Contentsquare Surveys to replicate the customer retention survey above. It comes packed with all the questions you need. What’s more, the template is fully customizable, meaning you can change the question order, add your questions, and tweak the design.

Choose the perfect type of survey that best fits your needs with Contentsquare’s Surveys tool

3 questions you’ll be able to answer

Here are the 3 questions you’ll be able to answer after launching a successful customer retention survey:

1. What are the main reasons customers leave? 

Customer retention surveys help you dig into the why behind churn. Instead of relying on vague assumptions or industry averages, you’ll hear directly from the source. Maybe your pricing feels too steep after a trial, maybe a competitor offered something shinier, or maybe your product didn’t deliver what was promised. These answers show up in patterns, and once you spot them, you can act fast—whether that’s reworking messaging, fixing pain points, or building features that give customers a reason to stay.

2. Will customers consider coming back?

Just because someone left doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. A smart retention survey asks if former customers would consider returning—and more importantly, what would bring them back. This gives you the power to reopen the door with a well-timed email, a product update, or a perfectly placed offer. You might find that lots of churned users are still rooting for your product—they just need the right nudge.

3. Were customers ever satisfied? 

This question cuts to the core: was the relationship ever working, or did things go wrong from day one? A well-phrased survey helps you understand whether users ever got value from your product. If they did, you’ll know what to double down on; if not, you’ve got some deeper work to do. Either way, this insight separates one-off flukes from fundamental flaws, and gives your team a clearer idea of what to focus on next.

An example of a Contentsquare customer retention survey

How to set up a customer retention survey with Contentsquare in seconds

Getting started with Contentsquare’s customer retention survey is fast and easy. 

1. Navigate to Surveys in Contentsquare from the left-hand menu

2. Click ‘New Survey’ in the upper-right corner

3. Choose to start from scratch or use one of 40+ templates—like the customer retention template—then customize it as needed

Once set up, your survey is ready to send to customers and start gathering valuable insights.

📌 Reminder: ensure the Contentsquare tag is installed on your site. This tracking code allows you to host the survey live on your site rather than via an external URL. This might be useful if you want to show the customer retention survey to users on a certain page. It’ll also mean you’ll be able to access all of Contentsquare’s existing features.

Don’t worry, installing the tag won’t slow down your website. And it doesn’t cost you anything (our free plans are free forever). To set up your full Contentsquare account and install the tag, follow these steps, or simply use the Contentsquare and Google Tag Manager integration.

FAQs about the customer retention survey template