If you think getting people to sign up subscriptions is hard, try getting them to change their minds about canceling one.
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Backstory: Like most subscribtion-based services, Shutterstock automatically opts you into auto-renewing your subscription to images.
Task: One of the things I worked on at Shutterstock was updating their auto-renew cancellation experience. I worked with a great team of me, one designer, and one manager. I wrote and created communication strategy for the new experience based on UX frames.
Results: The update lead to a decrease in cancellations by 14.5%. Not bad. Here are the five things I attribute to the update's success.
OLD
Here was the old way a user could initiate the auto-renew cancellation (or should I say, turn off) process:
UPDATED
Here's how we updated it:
2. Make it pretty. If it looks like it came from Microsoft circa 1998, they'll want to blaze right through it and get the heck out of there, missing any content that could work in your favor.
OLD
This is what the page after deciding to "turn off" auto-renew looked like:
UPDATED
Here's how we updated it:
3. Don't get defensive. The customer is still always right. Make it about offering the best customer service possible to the very end. Giving a sense that you're there to really help customers will boosts their confidence in using your service and seeking help, rather than trying to find a new service.
AGREEABLE LANGUAGE
They should feel that every move they make is to benefit them. Use language to do customer-positive things, like explain their benefit, hand hold, confirm their right, and congratulate.
4. Redirect, but still to their benefit. It's the age-old concept of distraction, but done in a way that addresses the customer's issue. Lead them to a great experience your site. Lead them to other sites, to show them what's out there isn't much better.
POSITION THE REDIRECT TO BE HELPFUL
Here's how I took the concept of a great customer experience and combined it with redirection.
(some repeated)
5. Leave a good impression. This doesn't actually apply to the reason we saw a decrease in cancellations, but I still believe that the core of everything you do digitally should be "What's the best thing we can do to help the customer, or make them feel good?"... and it's no different when you say goodbye. Who knows? Maybe they'll leave with a good taste in their mouth and realize everything else out there is gross. That's a win to me.
OLD
Here's what the old confirmation page looked like. Good riddance to this page, is what I'd say.
UPDATED
Here's how we updated the confirmation page. A glimmer of hope. A chance of reconnecting.
