How to Use This Survey
Send this survey to users and stakeholders 60–90 days before a software contract renewal. It takes 3–5 minutes to complete and gives you the data you need to make a confident decision: renew as-is, renegotiate, reduce seats, or cancel.
Who to send it to: Anyone who uses the tool regularly, plus their manager. For company-wide tools, send it to a representative sample from each department (5–10 people per team is usually enough).
How to send it: Copy these questions into a Google Form, Typeform, SurveyMonkey, or even a simple email. Whatever gets responses fastest.
What to do with the results: Use the Response Aggregation Guide at the end of this document to turn individual answers into a renewal recommendation.
Survey Introduction (Copy This Into Your Form)
We're reviewing our [Tool Name] contract ahead of its upcoming renewal on [date]. Before we make any decisions, we want to hear from the people who actually use it.
This survey takes about 3 minutes. Your responses will directly inform whether we renew, renegotiate, or explore alternatives.
Thanks for taking the time.
— [Your name / Procurement team]
Section 1: Usage
Q1. How often do you use [Tool Name] in a typical work week?
- Daily
- A few times a week
- Once a week
- A few times a month
- Rarely or never
Q2. Which of the following features do you use regularly? (Select all that apply)
[Customize this list based on the tool. Example for a project management tool:]
- Task management / to-do lists
- Project timelines / Gantt charts
- Team collaboration / comments
- File sharing / attachments
- Reporting / dashboards
- Integrations with other tools
- Automations / workflows
- Other (please specify): ________
Q3. Are there features included in our plan that your team doesn't use?
- Yes (please list any you're aware of): ________
- No, we use most of what's available
- I'm not sure what's included in our plan
Section 2: Value Assessment
Q4. How important is [Tool Name] to your day-to-day work?
- Essential — I couldn't do my job without it
- Very useful — I rely on it regularly
- Somewhat useful — I use it but could work around it
- Not very useful — I rarely need it
- Not useful at all — I wouldn't notice if it went away
Q5. If [Tool Name] were removed tomorrow, how disruptive would that be to your work?
- Extremely disruptive — major impact on productivity
- Moderately disruptive — I'd need to find workarounds
- Slightly disruptive — minor inconvenience
- Not disruptive — I'd be fine without it
Q6. Is there another tool in our company's stack that does something similar to [Tool Name]?
- Yes (which tool?): ________
- I think so, but I'm not sure
- No, this is the only tool we have for this
Section 3: Satisfaction
Q7. Overall, how satisfied are you with [Tool Name]?
- Very satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neutral
- Dissatisfied
- Very dissatisfied
Q8. What, if anything, frustrates you or slows you down about [Tool Name]?
[Open text field]
Q9. Have you used or heard of any alternatives to [Tool Name] that you think might be a better fit?
- Yes (which ones?): ________
- No
Section 4: Renewal Recommendation
Q10. Based on your experience, what would you recommend we do with [Tool Name]?
- Renew as-is — it's working well
- Renew, but renegotiate for a better price
- Renew, but reduce our seat count (we have unused licenses)
- Don't renew — explore alternatives
- Don't renew — we can live without it
Q11. Is there anything else you'd want the procurement team to know before we make a decision on this renewal?
[Open text field]
Quick Reference: What "Good" Answers Look Like
Once responses come in, use this framework to turn individual feedback into a clear renewal recommendation.
Step 1: Score the Responses
Assign a simple 1–5 score based on the distribution of answers across your respondents:
| Signal | Strong Renew (5) | Lean Renew (4) | Neutral (3) | Lean Cancel (2) | Strong Cancel (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usage frequency (Q1) | 80%+ daily/ weekly | 60–80% daily/ weekly | 40–60% daily/ weekly | 20–40% daily/ weekly | <20% daily/ weekly |
| Importance (Q4) | 80%+ essential/ very useful | 60–80% | 40–60% | 20–40% | <20% |
| Disruption if removed (Q5) | 80%+ extremely/ moderately | 60–80% | 40–60% | 20–40% | <20% |
| Satisfaction (Q7) | 80%+ satisfied/ very | 60–80% | 40–60% | 20–40% | <20% |
| Renewal recommendation (Q10) | 80%+ renew | 60–80% renew | Mixed | 60%+ don't renew | 80%+ don't renew |
Step 2: Flag Key Insights
Pull out the most important qualitative signals:
- Overlap flag: If more than 30% of respondents said yes to Q6 (another tool does something similar), this is a consolidation candidate.
- Satisfaction red flags: Read every response to Q8 (frustrations). If you see a pattern — slow performance, poor support, missing features — document it. This is negotiation ammo.
- Alternative mentions: If respondents named specific competitors in Q9, research them. Even if you don't switch, knowing the market strengthens your position
Step 3: Build Your Renewal Decision Memo
Use this template to summarize your findings for internal stakeholders:
Tool: [Name] Renewal date: [Date] Current annual cost: [$X] Survey respondents: [X out of Y users]
Usage summary: [X]% of respondents use the tool daily or weekly. [X] seats are contracted; estimated active users based on survey data is [Y].
Value summary: [X]% rated the tool as essential or very useful. [X]% said removing it would be extremely or moderately disruptive.
Satisfaction summary: [X]% are satisfied or very satisfied. Top frustrations: [list 2–3 patterns from Q8].
Overlap risk: [X]% of respondents identified another tool in the stack with similar functionality. Overlap tool(s): [name(s)].
Renewal recommendation based on survey data: [Renew as-is / Renegotiate / Reduce seats / Explore alternatives / Cancel]
Negotiation talking points:
- [Based on survey insights — e.g., "Low utilization supports a seat reduction from 50 to 35"]
- [Based on satisfaction — e.g., "Multiple users cited poor support. Use as a reason to push for better SLA terms."]
- [Based on overlap — e.g., "Consolidation with [other tool] could save $X/year"]
Timing Guide
Once responses come in, use this framework to turn individual feedback into a clear renewal recommendation.
[omit]Step 1: Score the Responses
Assign a simple 1–5 score based on the distribution of answers across your respondents:
| Timeframe | Action |
|---|---|
| 90 days before renewal | Identify which tools are up for renewal. Decide which ones warrant a survey. |
| 75 days before renewal | Send the pulse survey. Give respondents 5–7 business days to complete it. |
| 60 days before renewal | Close the survey. Aggregate responses and build your renewal decision memo. |
| 45–60 days before renewal | Share findings with stakeholders. Align on the renewal recommendation. |
| 30–45 days before renewal | Open the negotiation with the vendor, armed with your data. |
Tips
- You don't need to survey every tool. Focus on renewals above a certain spend threshold (e.g., $5K+ annually) or tools where you suspect low adoption.
- Low response rates are data too. If people don't bother responding, the tool probably isn't essential to their work.
- Share a summary of the results with respondents afterward. It builds trust and makes people more likely to participate next time.
- Pair this survey with the Shadow Spend Audit Spreadsheet (Asset 1) to identify which tools to survey, and the Consolidation Planner (Asset 3) to act on what you find.