Dunning Efforts

Introduction

While retention was a defined OKR, dunning resolution — a key point of subscriber churn — had not been directly addressed. I identified this as an untapped opportunity and initiated a multi-phase program to reduce friction, increase error resolution, and drive retention by improving the user experience during the dunning lifecycle.

What is Dunning?

Dunning is the process of communicating with users who have an issue with their subscription payment — often due to expired cards, declined charges, or other billing issues. If not resolved, these cases can lead to subscription cancellation, impacting both customer retention and revenue.

Key Initiatives

Deep-linked Checkout Error: Improved UX originating from dunning errors in the checkout experience with direct resolution links — led to a 4x increase in error resolution.

UI Optimization: A/B tested error designs and messaging for clarity and conversion — drove additional improvements in resolution.

Proactive In-App Messaging: Introduced new dunning notification surface within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — capturing users earlier and after initial billing attempts have failed

Pre-Auth Resolution Flow: Integrated with another team’s solution to allow resolution before account authentication — reduced drop-off and improved user recovery within checkout.

Conclusion

Across all phases, the program significantly improved the user experience and boosted resolution rates for at-risk subscriptions. While specific metrics are confidential, the work consistently showed measurable lifts in recovery and retention.

Most importantly, this work:

• Showcased my ability to identify overlooked opportunities
• Drive cross-functional collaboration
• Deliver user-centric solutions with real impact