# Introduction
Churn analysis is critical for subscription-based businesses aiming to retain customers and optimize pricing strategies. Reporting churn segmented by pricing tier enables Data & Analytics teams to identify which customer segments are most at risk and to tailor retention efforts accordingly. However, manually compiling churn reports from multiple data sources like subscription databases, CRM systems, and analytics tools can be time-consuming and error-prone.
This guide provides a detailed step-by-step tutorial on building an automated churn reporting workflow using **n8n**, a powerful open-source workflow automation tool. The workflow will pull data from subscription and user management systems, calculate churn metrics by pricing tier, and deliver the report automatically via email or Slack. This automation benefits Data Analysts, Analytics Engineers, and operations teams by providing consistent, timely insights with minimal manual effort.
# Tools and Services Integrated
– **n8n**: Automation platform to build the workflow
– **Stripe** or any subscription management API (for subscription status and pricing tiers)
– **Google BigQuery** or SQL database (optional for querying user subscription history)
– **Google Sheets** (for storing intermediate data and visual reports)
– **Slack** or **Email (SMTP)** (for notification and report distribution)
# Problem Statement
Manually generating churn reports by pricing tier involves:
– Exporting subscription data from payment platforms
– Querying usage or customer data from databases
– Aggregating churn metrics
– Formatting reports
– Distributing reports to stakeholders
This process is repetitive, error-prone, and inefficient. The automation aims to simplify this into a reproducible, scheduled workflow capable of:
– Pulling live subscription and user data
– Calculating churn by tier automatically
– Publishing formatted reports
– Sending notifications without manual intervention
# How the Automation Workflow Works
**Trigger:** Scheduled time (e.g., monthly) initiates the workflow.
**Steps:**
1. Retrieve all active and churned subscriptions from the billing system.
2. Aggregate churn data by pricing tier.
3. Store results temporarily in Google Sheets.
4. Generate summary metrics and optionally visualize trends.
5. Deliver the report via Slack message or email.
# Step-by-Step Tutorial
## Step 1: Setup n8n and Required Credentials
– Deploy or access n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted).
– In n8n, configure credentials for APIs:
– Stripe or your billing provider API
– Google Sheets API (for writing reports)
– Slack or SMTP email settings
## Step 2: Create Scheduled Trigger
– Use the **Cron** node to schedule when the automation runs (e.g., 1st day of each month at 9 AM).
## Step 3: Fetch Subscription Data
– Add an **HTTP Request** or **Stripe Trigger** node to query subscription data.
– For Stripe: Use the List Customer Subscriptions endpoint.
– Retrieve fields: customer ID, subscription status, pricing tier ID, subscription start and end dates.
– Pagination handling: Use the ‘offset’ or ‘starting_after’ parameters to fetch all subscriptions without missing data.
## Step 4: Filter Churned vs Active Subscriptions
– Use a **Function** node to separate churned customers (subscriptions canceled or ended during reporting period) vs active.
– Criteria for churn:
– Subscription status ‘canceled’ or end date in last period.
– Consider trial periods or grace cancellations if relevant.
## Step 5: Query Pricing Tier Details
– If pricing tier info is not explicit, fetch pricing tier metadata via separate API call or map tier IDs to names using an internal lookup (e.g., a Google Sheet).
## Step 6: Aggregate Churn by Pricing Tier
– Use a **Function** node to iterate over the churned subscriptions and tally counts per pricing tier.
– Calculate:
– Number of churned customers per tier
– Total customers per tier
– Churn rate = churned / total
## Step 7: Write Results to Google Sheets
– Use the **Google Sheets** node to write aggregated data into a predefined spreadsheet.
– Use a dedicated worksheet for monthly churn reports.
– Include date for historical tracking.
## Step 8: Generate Report Summary
– Use a **Function** or **Code** node to format a human-readable summary string.
– Example summary:
“`
Churn Report for June 2024
Basic Tier: 15 churned / 200 customers (7.5%)
Pro Tier: 5 churned / 100 customers (5.0%)
Enterprise Tier: 2 churned / 50 customers (4.0%)
“`
## Step 9: Send Report Notification
– Use **Slack** node to post the summary message to a specific channel for stakeholders.
– Alternatively, use **SMTP Email** node to send the report to a mailing list.
# Common Errors and Tips
– **API Rate Limits:** Implement pagination correctly and include retries/backoff in HTTP nodes to avoid rate limit errors.
– **Timezone Handling:** Normalize all date filters to UTC or your organization’s timezone to avoid data inconsistencies.
– **Data Accuracy:** Ensure definitions of churn are consistent; decide how to treat pauses, upgrades, downgrades.
– **Credential Security:** Store API keys securely in n8n credentials.
– **Error Handling:** Add error workflow branches or notifications to alert if the workflow fails.
# Scaling and Adaptation
– **Extend to Additional Data Sources:** Integrate CRM data (e.g. HubSpot) or product usage analytics to enrich churn insights.
– **Add Visualizations:** Use Google Sheets charts or export data to BI tools for visual dashboards.
– **Multi-Currency Support:** Adjust aggregation logic if pricing tiers differ by currency.
– **Granular Segmentation:** Segment churn further by customer attributes like region, acquisition channel.
– **Real-Time Alerts:** Trigger notifications immediately when churn spikes above thresholds.
# Summary
Automating churn reporting by pricing tier with n8n streamlines a critical analytics process for subscription businesses. By integrating billing APIs, data storage, and notification services into a scheduled workflow, Data & Analytics teams can save time, improve accuracy, and deliver timely insights to product and growth teams. The approach outlined here is flexible and scalable, enabling you to adapt reports as business needs evolve.
# Bonus Tip
To further enhance robustness, configure n8n’s workflow to send a summary dashboard link instead of raw numbers. Export monthly reports to a shared Google Data Studio dashboard with live data, accessible to all stakeholders without needing direct access to n8n or backend systems.
—
If you have any questions or want a sample n8n workflow JSON to get started, feel free to ask!