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Prelaunch customer research and survey

Prelaunch customer research and survey

A simple survey guide to validate payroll needs and warm sales leads.

Prelaunch Customer Research & Survey

What this task is

This task helps you ask your existing or prospective customers a few focused questions about their current payroll setup before you launch your payroll product. You’ll use a short survey to understand:

  • Who they use for payroll today
  • How happy they are with price and support
  • Whether they’re open to switching
  • What would motivate them to have a sales conversation

The output: a simple list of “warm” leads plus clear themes you can use in your GTM messaging.

Why this matters for your payroll GTM

Doing this before launch will help you:

  • Find real opportunities: Identify customers who are unhappy with their current provider and might switch early.
  • Shape your messaging: Learn which pain points are strongest (price, support, features, etc.) so your launch speaks directly to them.
  • Warm up sales conversations: Instead of cold outreach, you’ll already know what each respondent cares about and can tailor your follow-up.
  • De-risk your build & launch: Confirm that the problems you’re solving are real and important to customers.

How to Run the Survey (Step-by-Step)

1. Choose a simple survey tool

Pick one easy, no-code tool your team is comfortable with, for example:

  • Google Forms
  • Typeform
  • SurveyMonkey
  • Jotform

Criteria to keep it simple:

  • Can create a survey in under 30 minutes
  • Easy to share via link
  • Easy export to CSV/Google Sheets
Tip: If your team already uses Google Workspace, Google Forms is usually the fastest.

2. Define who you’ll send it to

Create 2–3 simple segments (you can adjust to what data you have):

  • Current customers using payroll elsewhere
  • Current customers not using any payroll provider
  • Prospects / trial users (if you have them)

You don’t need to overthink this: a basic customer list with emails and (ideally) product usage or plan type is enough.

3. Build the survey

Keep it to 10 questions total:

  • 5 required questions (core sales warm-up)
  • 5 recommended questions (optional but helpful)

Use mostly multiple choice or short answer so it’s quick to complete (under 3–5 minutes).

4. Plan distribution

Use both email and in-app prompts to maximize responses.

a. Email

Send a short, friendly email with:

  • Clear subject line: e.g.
    • “Quick 2-minute payroll survey”
    • “Help us design a better payroll experience for you”
  • A short body:
    • Why you’re asking
    • How long it takes (2–3 minutes)
    • What’s in it for them (better product, maybe a small incentive)
Optional incentive: e.g. “Complete this survey and we’ll enter you into a drawing for a $50 gift card” or “We’ll share a summary of insights with you.”

b. In-app banners or pop-ups

Place a banner or pop-up in relevant parts of your product, for example:

  • Billing / invoices page
  • Settings / HR / employee-related pages
  • Dashboard for admins or owners

Keep the copy short:

“Help us improve payroll for you — 2-minute survey”

Make the call-to-action button say something like:

“Take survey”

5. Set a short timeline

  • Day 1: Send email + turn on in-app prompts
  • Day 3–4: Send one reminder email to non-responders
  • Day 7–10: Turn off prompts and close survey; export results

Aim for at least 20–50 responses to see patterns, but even 10–15 can be useful early on.

6. Review responses for sales & product insights

Create a simple spreadsheet or Notion table with:

  • Company / customer name
  • Contact name & email
  • Current payroll provider
  • Key pain points (price, support, other)
  • Interest in a conversation (Yes/No/Maybe)
  • Notes for sales follow-up

Then:

  • Tag “warm” leads (e.g., unhappy with price or support + open to talking)
  • Share 3–5 key themes with GTM and product teams (e.g., “Support response time is the #1 issue”)

7. Follow up with warm leads

For anyone who indicates they’d be open to a conversation:

  • Send a personalized email referencing their survey answers
  • Keep it simple:
    • “You mentioned [issue] with [current provider]. We’re working on [your solution]. Would you be open to a quick 20-minute call?”

This connects the survey directly to pipeline.

Survey Template

You can copy these questions directly into your survey tool.

Required Questions (5)

These are meant to warm up a future sales conversation.

  1. “Who do you currently use for payroll?”
      • Multiple choice + “Other (please specify)”
      • Example options: Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks, Rippling, “I don’t use a payroll provider”, Other
  1. “How fairly do you feel you are paying for your current payroll service?”
      • Scale 1–5 (1 = “Definitely overpaying”, 5 = “Very fair price”)
      • Or multiple choice:
        • I feel I am overpaying
        • I feel it’s priced fairly
        • I’m not sure
  1. “How satisfied are you with the support you receive from your current payroll provider?”
      • Scale 1–5 (1 = “Very dissatisfied”, 5 = “Very satisfied”)
  1. “Has support or service from your current payroll provider ever caused significant issues for your business?”
      • Yes, often
      • Yes, a few times
      • No, not really
      • Not sure / N/A
  1. “What would make you open to a conversation about a different payroll solution?”
      • Multiple choice (allow selecting more than one):
        • Lower pricing
        • Better or faster support
        • Easier to use / better user experience
        • Better integrations with tools we already use
        • Help with compliance and staying up to date on rules
        • Other (please specify)

Recommended Questions (5)

These add helpful context for the sales team and deepen the conversation.

  1. “How long have you been with your current payroll provider?”
      • Less than 1 year
      • 1–3 years
      • 3–5 years
      • More than 5 years
      • I don’t currently use a provider
  1. “How easy or difficult is it for you to run payroll each pay period?”
      • Very difficult
      • Somewhat difficult
      • Neutral
      • Somewhat easy
      • Very easy
  1. “What is the most frustrating part of your current payroll process, if any?”
      • Short answer (1–2 sentences)
  1. “If you could change one thing about your current payroll provider, what would it be?”
      • Short answer (1–2 sentences)
  1. “Would you be open to a short call to talk about payroll and how we might help?”
      • Yes, I’d like to talk
      • Maybe, send me more information
      • No, not interested right now
If they choose “Yes” or “Maybe”, follow up asking for the best contact person and time in your email sequence or in a conditional follow-up question:

Simple Email Copy (Optional)

You can add this to the Notion page as a ready-to-use template.

Subject: Help us design a better payroll experience (2 minutes)

Body:

Hi [First name],
 
 
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Last updated on December 16, 2025

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