Capture accurate closed lost reasons with AI

Scratchpad captures closed lost reasons automatically from calls and emails, filling in past deals and updating new opportunities — giving sellers more time to sell while keeping Salesforce accurate and complete.


Closed lost shouldn’t be a throwaway field

Closed lost reasons should tell you why deals slip — but too often they’re vague, skipped, or wrong. Scratchpad uses AI to capture the real reasons directly from calls and emails, so Salesforce reflects what actually happened.


The hidden cost of bad closed lost data
  • Sellers enter “bad timing”, “n/a”, or skip the field all together.
  • Leaders miss the real story — budget cuts, stronger competitors, missing champions.
  • RevOps can’t analyze trends or build reliable reports.


How it works


Step 1: Connect data sources

  • Desktop Scratchpad Notetaker: Works with all meeting platforms
  • Scratchpad Notetaker Bot: Joins meetings on Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom
  • Zoom or Gong: Sync calls directly into Scratchpad
  • Gmail: Pull in deal-critical conversations alongside call notes

Step 2: Create closed lost reason prompt

  • Define how you want AI to capture and phrase closed lost reasons - tailored to your sales process. See example prompt below or learn to configure AI CRM Updates.

Step 3: Capture closed lost reasons

  • Retroactively
    • Run AI Backfill on past opportunities directly from any Scratchpad view
    • Choose how updates apply — seller review or auto-fill
    • Instantly fill months of missing closed lost reasons with context from calls and emails.
  • Going forward
    • AI suggests closed lost reasons after every call or when new information emerges in emails.
    • Sellers can review, edit, accept, in one click and staying in control
    • Every new loss is captured with context, so Salesforce stays complete and accurate


Example Prompt

You are updating the “Closed Lost Reason” field for this opportunity. Identify the reason this opportunity was marked closed lost, or why the prospect decided not to move forward.

Summarize in 1–2 sentences using the prospect’s words where possible, and include any referenceable links.

Categories may include: budget, timing, competition, missing functionality, no decision, or other.

Closed lost you can actually trust

Scratchpad turns closed lost from a checkbox into a reliable signal:

  • Every new loss captured with AI that fills in the right reason automatically, so Salesforce stays accurate without extra work.
  • Complete history and past opportunities backfilled with real reasons from calls and emails.
  • Actionable insight to help leaders see patterns, RevOps runs analysis, and sellers learn what really caused losses.
Trust your closed lost data again

AI backfills the past and records new closed lost reasons automatically.


Request demo

G2 logo

Trusted by
top sales teams

Scratchpad consistently ranks as the G2 industry leader and high performer based on thousands of reviews from sales leaders, operations leaders, and sales teams.

G2 Summer 2025 Momentum Leader badgeG2 Summer 2025 High Performer badgeG2 Summer 2025 Easiest To Do Business With badgeG2 Summer 2025 Most Implementable badgeG2 Milestone Users Love Us badge

Remove admin work. Execute flawlessly. Win more deals.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
 "@context": "https://schema.org",
 "@graph": [
   {
     "@type": "WebPage",
     "@id": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation#webpage",
     "url": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation",
     "name": "Closed Lost Reasons Automation — Scratchpad",
     "description": "Scratchpad auto-captures closed lost reasons from calls and emails so sellers skip admin and Salesforce stays accurate. Past deals are backfilled; future deals updated in real time.",
     "datePublished": "2025-09-12",
     "dateModified": "2025-09-12",
     "inLanguage": "en-US",
     "breadcrumb": {
       "@id": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation#breadcrumbs"
     },
     "speakable": {
       "@type": "SpeakableSpecification",
       "xpath": [
         "/html/head/title",
         "/html/body/article/header/h1"
       ]
     }
   },
   {
     "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
     "@id": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation#breadcrumbs",
     "itemListElement": [
       {
         "@type": "ListItem",
         "position": 1,
         "name": "Use Cases",
         "item": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases"
       },
       {
         "@type": "ListItem",
         "position": 2,
         "name": "Closed Lost Reasons Automation",
         "item": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation"
       }
     ]
   },
   {
     "@type": ["Product", "SoftwareApplication"],
     "@id": "https://www.scratchpad.com/#product",
     "name": "Scratchpad",
     "alternateName": "Scratchpad — The AI workspace for sales",
     "applicationCategory": "Sales productivity, Salesforce automation, CRM hygiene, AI Salesforce workspace",
     "operatingSystem": "Web, macOS, Windows",
     "description": "Scratchpad captures closed lost reasons automatically from calls, emails, and notes so Salesforce stays accurate and leaders gain actionable insights.",
     "url": "https://www.scratchpad.com",
     "image": "https://www.scratchpad.com/logo.png",
     "softwareVersion": "Latest",
     "offers": {
       "@type": "Offer",
       "price": "0",
       "priceCurrency": "USD",
       "category": "freemium"
     },
     "aggregateRating": {
       "@type": "AggregateRating",
       "ratingValue": "4.8",
       "reviewCount": "215"
     },
     "review": [
       {
         "@type": "Review",
         "author": {
           "@type": "Person",
           "name": "Jay Chung",
           "jobTitle": "Senior Director of RevOps",
           "worksFor": {
             "@type": "Organization",
             "name": "Settle"
           }
         },
         "reviewBody": "Settle reclaimed 6,000+ selling hours per year and achieved 80%+ Salesforce field completion using Scratchpad.",
         "reviewRating": {
           "@type": "Rating",
           "ratingValue": "5"
         }
       }
     ],
     "applicationSuite": "Scratchpad Sales Execution Suite",
     "keywords": "closed lost reasons, Salesforce automation, CRM hygiene, AI Salesforce workspace, sales execution, notetaker for sales, Gong, Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Gmail"
   },
   {
     "@type": "HowTo",
     "@id": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation#howto",
     "name": "How to automate closed lost reasons with Scratchpad",
     "description": "Steps to capture and backfill closed lost reasons with Scratchpad and Salesforce integrations.",
     "step": [
       {
         "@type": "HowToStep",
         "position": 1,
         "name": "Connect data sources",
         "itemListElement": [
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Use Scratchpad Notetaker (desktop) for all meeting platforms." },
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Enable Scratchpad Notetaker Bot for Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom." },
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Sync calls directly from Gong or Zoom." },
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Pull emails from Gmail into Scratchpad." }
         ]
       },
       {
         "@type": "HowToStep",
         "position": 2,
         "name": "Create closed lost reason prompt",
         "itemListElement": [
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Define how AI should capture and phrase reasons." }
         ]
       },
       {
         "@type": "HowToStep",
         "position": 3,
         "name": "Capture closed lost reasons",
         "itemListElement": [
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Run AI Backfill on past opportunities." },
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Apply updates via seller review or auto-fill." },
           { "@type": "HowToDirection", "text": "Enable AI to suggest reasons after each call or email." }
         ]
       }
     ],
     "tool": [
       { "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "Scratchpad" },
       { "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "Salesforce" },
       { "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "Gong" },
       { "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "Zoom" },
       { "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "Google Meet" },
       { "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "Microsoft Teams" },
       { "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "Gmail" }
     ]
   },
   {
     "@type": "ItemList",
     "@id": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation#prompt-examples",
     "name": "Closed lost reason prompt examples",
     "itemListElement": [
       {
         "@type": "ListItem",
         "position": 1,
         "name": "Closed Lost Reason (1–2 sentences)",
         "description": "You are updating the 'Closed Lost Reason' field for this opportunity. Identify why the prospect decided not to move forward. Summarize in 1–2 sentences using the prospect’s words where possible, and include any links."
       }
     ]
   },
   {
     "@type": "FAQPage",
     "@id": "https://www.scratchpad.com/use-cases/closed-lost-reasons-automation#faq",
     "mainEntity": [
       {
         "@type": "Question",
         "name": "Why are closed lost reasons important?",
         "acceptedAnswer": {
           "@type": "Answer",
           "text": "They explain why deals slip. Accurate reasons help leaders spot trends, RevOps build reliable reports, and sellers improve future outcomes."
         }
       },
       {
         "@type": "Question",
         "name": "How does Scratchpad capture closed lost reasons?",
         "acceptedAnswer": {
           "@type": "Answer",
           "text": "Scratchpad uses AI to capture reasons directly from calls and emails, ensuring Salesforce reflects what actually happened."
         }
       },
       {
         "@type": "Question",
         "name": "Can Scratchpad backfill historical opportunities?",
         "acceptedAnswer": {
           "@type": "Answer",
           "text": "Yes, AI Backfill retroactively fills months of missing closed lost reasons using context from calls and emails."
         }
       },
       {
         "@type": "Question",
         "name": "Does this replace seller control?",
         "acceptedAnswer": {
           "@type": "Answer",
           "text": "No. Sellers can review, edit, or accept AI suggestions in one click, staying in control of the data."
         }
       },
       {
         "@type": "Question",
         "name": "What results can teams expect?",
         "acceptedAnswer": {
           "@type": "Answer",
           "text": "Customers like Settle reclaimed 6,000+ selling hours per year and achieved 80%+ Salesforce field completion across required fields."
         }
       }
     ]
   }
 ]
}
</script>