GPT-6 Luna: Why Tallyroom trials don't convert

Scorecard

The analysis

Findings

1. Prioritise assisted setup as the clearest near-term conversion experiment, especially for the smallest businesses. Setup friction is a more common stated blocker than trial length.

   Medium confidenceBase 460

   Not having time to set up was the main reason for 18.7% overall and 27.4% of 1–9 employee businesses (n=168). Applying the observed size-specific rates to the lapsed-trial population's size mix estimates about 355 teams. Setup time or complexity also appeared in 24 of the 109 open-text answers.

2. Do not shorten the 30-day trial to 14 days on this evidence. The responses do not support the claim that the trial is too long; instead, some teams say setup was unfinished when the trial ended.

   Medium confidenceBase 460

   Only 0.2% selected “the trial was too long” and 3.7% “forgot the trial was running”; 1.5% said the trial was too short. Eight open-text answers explicitly connect the trial ending with unfinished setup.

3. Sage is a substantial integration opportunity among lapsed trials, but treat the stated need as a prioritisation signal—not a forecast of paid customers. Validate the reachable Sage segment and conversion economics before committing to a full build.

   Medium confidenceBase 460

   23.7% said they would need a Sage integration before paying; weighted to the lapsed-trial population's company-size mix, this is 18.1%. Among Sage users, 85.5% selected Sage integration as a need (n=117), and 58.1% gave missing accounting integration as their main reason. The requested integration is concentrated in a relevant segment, but these are self-reported needs.

4. There is a promising stated willingness-to-pay signal for resolving integration blockers, but it cannot answer how many teams will actually pay. Use it to justify a targeted Sage conversion test, not as a revenue forecast.

   Medium confidenceBase 93

   Among respondents whose main reason was missing integration, 61.3% said they would be fairly or very likely to pay £6 per user per month if connected (n=93). Across all respondents, the comparable likely share was 37.6% (n=460).

5. Do not make a segment-specific pricing decision from the apparent size difference. Pricing deserves a test, but the difference in stated main-reason shares between the smallest and largest reported size groups is not statistically significant at the 95% level.

   Medium confidenceBase 278

   “Too expensive” was the main reason for 19.0% of 1–9 employee businesses (n=168) and 15.5% of 50–249 employee businesses (n=110); the approximate two-proportion test does not find a significant difference.

Open-text themes it coded

Missing accounting software integration 22Setup took too long or respondents lacked time to complete it 24Price or per-user pricing was too high or unsuitable 24Approval workflow did not fit the team's sign-off process 15Mobile app, receipt capture, or upload reliability problems 10Team decided it did not need an expenses app 12Trial ended while setup was still incomplete 8Chose another expense product 8

The survey it planned

5 screening questions and 9 questions, as the model wrote them.

1. S1

   Were you the main admin for your team’s Tallyroom free trial?

   One answer
   • Yes
   • No

   Continues if Yes

2. S2

   Is your team based in the UK?

   One answer
   • Yes
   • No

   Continues if Yes

3. S3

   Did your team’s Tallyroom free trial end within the last 90 days?

   One answer
   • Yes
   • No
   • I’m not sure

   Continues if Yes

4. S4

   Did your team start a paid Tallyroom subscription after that trial?

   One answer
   • Yes
   • No
   • I’m not sure

   Continues if No

5. S5

   How many people does your organisation employ in total, including you?

   One answer
   • 1–9
   • 10–49
   • 50–249
   • 250 or more
   • I’m not sure
   • Prefer not to say

   Continues if 1–9; 10–49; 50–249

6. Q1

   Which best describes how far your team got with Tallyroom during the trial?

   One answer
   • We did not get set up
   • We set up an account but did not invite staff
   • We invited staff, but no expenses were submitted
   • Expenses were submitted, but none were approved
   • Expenses were approved, but we did not complete the accounting software handoff
   • We used the full process: staff submitted expenses, a manager approved them, and they went to our accounting software
   • I’m not sure
7. Q2

   What were the main reasons your team did not start paying for Tallyroom? Select up to three.

   Any that apply
   • We did not have time to set it up or try it properly
   • We had difficulty getting started
   • It did not fit our expense process
   • It was missing a feature we needed
   • It did not connect to the accounting software we use
   • The £6 per user per month price was too high
   • We did not have enough time to evaluate it before the trial ended
   • We forgot about it or lost momentum during the trial
   • We no longer needed an expenses app
   • We chose another product
   • The trial was longer than we needed
   • Other reason (please specify)
   • I’m not sure
8. Q3

   Which accounting software does your business currently use? Select all that apply.

   Any that apply
   • Xero
   • QuickBooks
   • Sage Accounting
   • FreeAgent
   • Another accounting software (please specify)
   • We do not use accounting software
   • I’m not sure
9. Q4

   Which missing integrations or features, if any, would have made Tallyroom more useful to your team? Select up to three.

   Any that apply
   • An integration with Sage Accounting
   • An integration with FreeAgent
   • An integration with another accounting software (please specify)
   • Integrations with payroll, HR, or other business software
   • Mileage expense tracking
   • More options for setting up approval steps
   • Automated reminders for staff or approvers
   • More ways to manage or report on expenses
   • None; the available integrations and features were sufficient
   • Other (please specify)
   • I’m not sure
10. Q5

    Which statement best describes the 30-day trial length for your team?

    One answer
    • It was too short for us to evaluate Tallyroom
    • It was about the right length
    • It was longer than we needed
    • It was long enough, but we forgot about Tallyroom or lost momentum before it ended
    • I don’t remember
11. Q6

    If the trial had lasted 14 days instead of 30, what do you think would most likely have happened?

    One answer
    • We would have been more likely to start paying because we would have made a decision sooner
    • We would have been less likely to start paying because we would have needed more time to evaluate it
    • We would have been about as likely to start paying
    • We would have been more likely to forget about it or lose momentum
    • I’m not sure
12. Q7

    If a 30-minute one-to-one setup session with a Tallyroom specialist had been available during your trial, how likely is it that your team would have started a paid subscription?

    Scale

    Scale 1-5: Very unlikely to Very likely

13. Q8

    How did the £6 per user per month price affect your team’s decision?

    One answer
    • It was acceptable; price was not a reason we did not subscribe
    • It felt somewhat expensive, but we might have subscribed at that price
    • It was too expensive for our team
    • Price was not relevant to our decision
    • I’m not sure
14. Q9

    Which one change would have been most likely to make your team start a paid Tallyroom subscription?

    One answer
    • An integration with another accounting software we use
    • A feature we needed
    • Help setting up Tallyroom
    • A lower price or cheaper plan
    • A shorter, 14-day trial
    • More time to evaluate Tallyroom
    • None of these would have changed our decision
    • Other change (please specify)
    • I’m not sure