Usage billing questions that show where your bill surprises customers
Ask customers how they track usage, what should happen when they pass their allowance and how predictable the bill feels. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What usage based billing survey questions tell you
Usage based billing survey questions ask customers how easy it is to see what they used, whether a charge ever surprised them, what should happen when they pass the included usage and how predictable the bill is from month to month. A surprise on the invoice turns into a support ticket, a dispute or a downgrade, and the answers show whether the fix is a warning, a cap or a clearer invoice.
Ask a few days after an invoice goes out, by email to the people who pay it, or inside the product on the usage page. Pick four or five: the ease of seeing usage, surprise charges, the overage choice, the warning point and the open question.
Each response gets an owner and a status in the inbox, so a customer who disputes a usage charge hears from billing. Written answers get a theme and a sentiment, and each card in Results compares with the period before, so a new usage alert shows up in the next round.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- A few days after a usage invoice
- Industry
- SaaS
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 usage based billing questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Seeing what you have used
Start with how customers follow their usage, who else needs to see it and how often they look.
- 01Customer effort
How easy is it to see what you have used this month?
A customer effort score for seeing this month's usage. A low score next to a high share of surprise charges points to the usage screen as the fix.
- 04Multiple choice
Which usage numbers do you watch?
Lets customers pick every usage number they watch, from seats to emails sent. The bars show which meters belong at the top of the usage screen.
- 12Dropdown
How often do you check your usage?
How often the customer checks usage, from daily to never. A large share who only check when the bill arrives is a case for usage alerts.
- 11Text
Who needs to see your usage besides you?
An open question for who else needs to see usage, such as finance or a team lead. The answers show which roles need access to the usage screen or a usage email.
Surprises and predictability
These show whether the bill matches what customers expect, and which meter makes planning hard.
- 02Yes / No
Have you been surprised by a usage charge?
Asks whether a usage charge ever surprised the customer. Select Yes in Results to read which usage numbers those customers find hardest to plan for.
- 07Big scale
How predictable is your bill from month to month?
How predictable the bill is from month to month, on a ten-step scale. Low scores are a renewal risk with finance teams, so read the open answers about planning next to them.
- 08Text
Which usage number is hardest to plan for?
An open question for the usage number hardest to plan for. Filter the answers by theme to see which meter needs a forecast or a bundle.
- 14Slider
What do you expect your monthly usage bill to fall between?
A slider up to 2,000 for the expected monthly bill. A slider records one value, so to ask for a range, use two number questions or reword the label to ask for the expected amount.
Limits, warnings and caps
Ask what should happen near and past the allowance, so your defaults match what customers would choose.
- 03Multiple choice
What should happen when you pass your included usage?
One choice for what should happen past the included usage, from charging the extra to blocking new usage. The donut shows the default behavior most customers would pick.
- 06Slider
At what point in your allowance should we warn you?
A slider from 0 to 100 for the point in the allowance to send a warning, read as a percentage. Say percent in the label; the median sets your default warning point.
- 09This or that
For usage you would rather
Two pairs: pay as you go or a bundle up front, a hard cap or a soft warning. The split bars show the billing options to offer first.
- 10Number
What monthly spending cap would you set on your account?
The monthly spending cap the customer would set, typed as a number. The median and the middle half show where to place a default cap or a warning.
The usage invoice
End with the invoice and the grid, which show which part of usage billing to improve first.
- 05Stars
How clear is the usage section of your invoice?
Five stars for the usage section of the invoice. A low average is a reason to show each meter, its unit price and the included amount on the invoice.
- 13Matrix
Rate each part of usage billing
Rates the usage screen, alerts, the invoice and the forecast on one grid. The heat map shows which part of usage billing to improve first.
Tips for asking about usage based billing
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask after the invoice
Send the survey a few days after a usage invoice goes out, while the numbers are in front of the customer.
- 02
Ask the people who pay
Send the invoice questions by email to billing contacts and admins, and show the usage screen questions to users inside the product.
- 03
Answer surprises the same day
Give every surprise charge an owner in the inbox, and explain the charge before the customer opens a dispute.
- 04
Set defaults from the answers
Use the medians from the warning and cap questions as defaults, then compare the predictability score with the period before.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about usage based billing
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
A few days after a usage invoice goes out. Usertick sends by email now or on a date up to 30 days ahead, so schedule the send for after each billing date.
Four or five. Start with how easy usage is to see and whether a charge surprised them, add the overage choice, and end with the open question.
Yes, for the ease score, the star rating, the yes or no questions, multiple choice and dropdown questions.
Yes, for the questions about seeing usage. A survey inside the page works on every plan, with targeting by pages to show it only there.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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