In today's market, merely offering a product is no longer enough for success. Modern consumers want an experience, not just the product itself: 61% of customers surveyed in 2021 said they'd pay at least 5% more for vendors who provide outstanding customer service.
Think about it: eating pasta at a restaurant in Rome isn't just about how the Bolognese sauce tastes. It's also about the view of the Colosseum and the friendly waiter who takes a pic of your group—the kind of customer experience that leads you to leave a big tip!
But how do you know if your business provides good or poor customer experiences? And how do you know what aspects of service your customers value most? No need to guess—just ask your customers directly with customer satisfaction surveys!
What Is a Customer Satisfaction Survey?
A customer satisfaction survey is a questionnaire that asks for customer feedback. The goal is to understand how well a business meets the customer’s needs and expectations.
Customer surveys measure consumers’ perceptions of your business and its offerings. What if your enthusiastic salesperson scares off your leads? Or what if some people perceive your customer service team as rude because they sound too corporate? Although low win rates and poor customer retention scores can indicate issues with your service, a survey can reveal the root cause of the problem.
That’s why many well-known companies, like Airbnb, Etsy, and Uber, regularly send out customer satisfaction surveys. We’ll serve up their success stories for dessert after the main course: Why are customer surveys valuable for your business?
Benefits of Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Done right, customer surveys give you access to your customers’ thoughts about your service. Their feedback gives you the knowledge you can use to:
- Enhance your products. Your product is at the core of your customers’ experience. Customer satisfaction surveys can reveal details about what features your product needs to address their pain points more effectively.
- Provide a better user experience. Apart from what customers like and dislike about your product, client satisfaction surveys tell you how customers feel about your website design, customer service, delivery, after-sales support, and other aspects of the user journey.
- Foster stronger customer relationships. If you know where your business misses the mark, you can fix it! And when you improve your product and systems based on customer feedback—by, for example, adding a sought-after product feature, speeding up shipping, or upgrading your help desk—customers will feel heard and valued.
Impressive advantages, right? And get this—all you need to do to start reaping these benefits is to ask several questions. But what should you ask, and how should you ask them?
Let’s explore different types of customer satisfaction survey questions.
Types of Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions
If you’ve ever taken exams, you’ll recall that there are different types of testing: beloved yes-or-no questions and more intricate, open-ended questions. Customer satisfaction surveys are similar, except that your customers don't get graded—you do, based on the questions you ask and how well you use the feedback. Let's break down some of the main types of customer satisfaction survey questions.
Binary questions
Binary questions have only two answer options, which can take the form of yes-or-no questions or true-or-false statements. For example:
- Were you satisfied with the speed of your delivery? (Yes/No)
- The checkout process was convenient and straightforward. (True/False)
This type of question works great for “on-this-occasion” user satisfaction surveys because they’re easy to understand and don’t require much time from your customers. For example, you can place a binary question at the end of a live chat with your customers. Your respondents can respond with one click.
But binary questions only scratch the surface of customer satisfaction. If an issue does exist, you’ll need to ask open-ended questions to detect its cause. We’ll discuss them a little later.
Rating scale questions
Named after psychologist Rensis Likert, Likert scales ask a question about the customer’s experience and give a series of answer options to choose from, ranging from positive to negative, with a neutral midpoint. Here’s an example:
How would you rate your experience with our company?
- Highly satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Highly dissatisfied
Similarly to Likert scales, numeric rating scales ask a question, but instead of choosing an answer from descriptive statements, respondents answer with a number, typically from 0 to 10. The low end of the range indicates the most negative experience and the high end shows the most positive experience.
Both types allow you to calculate a customer satisfaction score (CSAT). This metric is calculated by dividing the number of satisfied customers by the total number of survey participants. Numeric rating scales also help calculate net promoter scores (NPS), which identify customer loyalty by asking for the likelihood, from 0-10, that a customer will recommend your company.
Like binary questions, rating scales are quick and easy for customers to respond to. The difference is that rating scales reveal not just whether the customer was satisfied or not but also demonstrate the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
Still, these types of questions may not get to the root cause of an issue the way open-ended questions can.
Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions require respondents to provide more detailed and thoughtful responses.
You can ask open-ended questions as follow-ups to SCAT and NPS surveys. Let’s say a participant answered dissatisfied to a Likert scale question. You can ask an open-ended question about the reasons for dissatisfaction in the next question. Even if customers reply positively, it never hurts to ask, "Is there anything we could do better?"
Open-ended questions increase participants’ engagement and provide qualitative data. However, not every customer may have the time or the inclination to answer open-ended questionnaires. Also, this type of question lacks standardized answers, which can complicate data analysis and interpretation of results.
Now you know the main customer survey question types. You can apply this knowledge right away, or explore best practices for more effective user satisfaction surveys.
Popular Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions
Sometimes, customer feedback can drive bold change. Yet, the survey itself isn’t a magical thing, and you need to ask the right questions to get the answers that are actually valuable and helpful. Here are a shortlist of questions you can add to your survey:
Customer service experience questions
| Question | Why to ask it |
| On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your overall experience with our customer service? | Provide a quantitative measure of customer satisfaction. |
| What specific aspects of our service did you find most satisfying? | Identify the strengths of our customer service. |
| Were there any aspects of our service that you found unsatisfactory or could be improved? | Pinpoint areas that may need improvement. |
| Did our customer service reps address your concerns effectively? | Assess the effectiveness of problem resolution. |
| How would you describe the friendliness and professionalism of our customer service team? | Gauge the interpersonal skills of our staff. |
| Were you able to easily reach our customer service when you needed assistance? | Assess accessibility and response times. |
| Did you feel that our team listened to your concerns attentively? | Evaluate active listening skills. |
| Were you provided with clear and accurate information or solutions to your questions or issues? | Check the quality of the information provided. |
| Did you feel valued and appreciated as a customer during your interaction with us? | Measure the customer’s perception of being valued. |
| Would you recommend our company to others based on your customer service experience? | Gauge the likelihood of customer advocacy and referrals. |
Customer loyalty questions
| Question | Why to ask it |
| How likely are you to recommend our products/services to a friend or colleague? | Gauge overall customer satisfaction and the likelihood of referrals. |
| What do you like most about our products/services? | Understanding what customers appreciate can help reinforce these positive aspects. |
| What areas do you think we could improve or do differently? | Solicit feedback for improvement shows you value their opinions and are committed to making positive changes. |
| How frequently do you use our products/services? | Monitoring usage frequency helps identify loyal customers and areas for potential expansion. |
| Have you encountered any issues or challenges while using our products/services? | Identifying and addressing problems promptly can prevent customer churn. |
| How would you rate our customer service and support? | Good customer service is a key driver of loyalty, so regular assessment is essential. |
| What additional products/services would you like us to offer? | Understanding customers’ unmet needs can help expand our product/service offerings. |
| How long have you been a customer, and what keeps you returning? | Identify long-term loyal customers and factors contributing to their loyalty. |
| Would you be interested in participating in a loyalty program or rewards program? | Offer incentives can further boost customer loyalty and engagement. |
| Is there anything specific you’d like to see in our future offerings or improvements? | Gathering insights into future expectations helps ensure we continue to meet customer needs. |
Creating Customer Satisfaction Surveys: Best Practices
There’s no such thing as the perfect survey. Still, following customer satisfaction survey best practices will help you create an effective survey.
Let’s take a look at some best practices.
Begin with a clear goal
Know your survey objectives before you begin writing questions. Decide on the data you need to gather, such as customer preferences, product satisfaction, or service improvement.
When you know the particular areas you want to assess, you can decide on question types and how to align your surveys with specific touch points in the customer journey.
For example, assessing customer satisfaction with customer support’s issue resolution requires questions about the promptness and effectiveness of the solution. You can implement a survey for this online, targeting customers who have recently resolved tickets.
Keep survey questions short and simple
Let's be real: taking a survey probably isn't high on your customers' to-do list. Surveys can catch them off-guard, so lengthy text probably won’t engender much engagement.
Instead, structure and design questions so they immediately communicate their purpose. As a result, clients can quickly understand what’s needed and take action.
Choose the right time to send surveys
Pick the right moment to reach out, and you’ll get more survey responses. One of the best times to send surveys is right after you provide a service when the customer’s impressions of the experience are still fresh in their mind. You might also want to survey your audience after specific milestones.
All in all, you’ll need to try different tactics, like customer segmentation and A/B testing, to figure out the right time to conduct the survey. Also, account for time zone differences: you don't want to send surveys out at 3 a.m. Surveys should engage customers, not inconvenience them.
Select the right delivery method
You've got lots of options to collect feedback. With the number of email and smartphone users increasing, many businesses prioritize email, in-app, and website surveys. And don't overlook SMS surveys—SMS messages have up to a 98% open rate and a 45% response rate.
But the trick is that with all the emails, pop-ups, notifications, and messages people get these days, you have to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Automation will help here. You can choose from many types of software to set up survey workflows with advanced features like NPS scoring, AI customer sentiment analysis, customized timing, and even automated follow-up.
Using customer satisfaction survey best practices can certainly boost your response rates, but your efforts shouldn’t end there.
Let's explore how to benefit from the data you gather.
What to Do with Customer Satisfaction Survey Data
Jeff Bezos once said, “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell six friends. If you make customers unhappy online, they can each tell 6,000 friends with one message to a newsgroup.” Knowing which customers are dissatisfied isn’t enough. Use the following tips to address issues before negative word of mouth affects your business.
Respond to feedback
Take feedback seriously, even if it’s positive. Thank your customers for taking the survey. If they agree, you can use their comments on your website to improve your reputation online and show you listen to your customers. That’s a win-win.
Take negative feedback even more seriously. Apologize for any inconvenience or frustration and show empathy. Do what you can to regain goodwill, like providing something extra, such as discounts on future purchases.
Analyze trends and patterns in survey results
Once you've set things right with dissatisfied customers, dive into the underlying reasons. What made them unhappy? Consider the context too. Determine if it’s a pattern or if your customer is in a bad mood. You don’t have to shoulder all the blame yourself—the problem might be beyond your control.
If you notice similar complaints surfacing, look for commonalities to discover the cause. Do people keep criticizing a certain product feature, service aspect, or stage of the customer experience? By digging into recurring issues, you’ll figure out how to fix problems, and you’ll understand the customer journey better, and hopefully, the next survey will indicate that you’re back on the right track.
Share survey results with relevant teams
By sharing survey results with relevant teams, you transform results into actions. If all the feedback is positive, it’s a great source of inspiration for your teams. If feedback is negative, make sure your teams perceive it not as blame but as an opportunity for improvement. Lastly, encourage collaboration between marketing, product, service, and other teams. Everyone can learn from customer feedback and elevate the customer experience together.
Success stories from famous brands may be another source of inspiration. Let’s check some out!
Examples of How Popular Companies Approach Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Success doesn’t mean you don’t need feedback. Famous brands like Airbnb, Etsy, and Uber excel at using feedback to improve their products and services. Here’s how they approach client satisfaction surveys:
- Airbnb. Airbnb cares about getting feedback from hosts and guests. To make sure people actually take the time to respond to surveys, Airbnb offers a little incentive. Full survey responses only appear on user profiles after both the host and the guest have completed them for a particular stay. Pretty smart!
- Etsy. Etsy sends out surveys to get seller feedback about fees, the ease of getting found in search results, and competing with mainstream brands. On the buyer side, Etsy surveys customers about their shopping experiences, the relevance of product recommendations they receive, and more. The company uses this input effectively to nurture its marketplace community.
- Uber sends riders a little survey to take after each ride. They ask about driver behavior, vehicle cleanliness, navigation accuracy, and overall satisfaction. If a rider says they weren't happy with the driver, Uber takes that seriously. They'll make sure not to match the person with that driver again. Uber also checks in with drivers to get their take on ride experiences and overall feelings about driving for Uber.
Successful brands don't assume they know best—they survey to keep improving. Any business can achieve similar results if they follow the lead of these brands.
Recap
The brands that gather and act on survey feedback are the ones that keep getting better. They stay on top of customers' needs and fix problems before they spread.
Customer satisfaction surveys give you an inside look at what your customers really think and feel about your company and its products. With honest customer opinions from surveys, you can enhance your products, fix service issues, and build customer loyalty. So set goals, launch surveys, learn from mistakes, and wow your customers with positive experiences!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Transactional Surveys: Sent immediately after a specific interaction, purchase, or transaction. They focus on a particular experience, such as a support call or a recent purchase, to gauge satisfaction at that moment.
- Periodic/Periodical Surveys: Conducted at regular intervals (monthly, quarterly, annually) to track overall satisfaction trends over time. These surveys provide a broader view of customer satisfaction levels.
- Touchpoint Surveys: These surveys target specific touchpoints or interactions throughout the customer journey. They assess satisfaction at various stages, like after customer support interactions, website visits, or product usage.
- Relationship/NPS Surveys: Aimed at measuring overall loyalty and satisfaction, often using the Net Promoter Score (NPS). They inquire about the likelihood of recommending a product/service to others, providing a metric for gauging long-term customer relationships.
- Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to learn or improve.
- Choose Survey Type: Pick the right survey format for your objectives.
- Craft Simple Questions: Use clear, concise questions in varied formats.
- Keep it Brief: Respect respondents' time to boost completion rates.
- Ensure Clarity: Use plain language and avoid complexity.
- Optimize Design: Make the survey visually appealing and user-friendly.
- Test Before Launch: Review with a small group for any issues.
- Time it Right: Send feedback at an appropriate moment.
- Pick Distribution Channels: Select where your audience engages most.
- Consider Incentives: Offer rewards to boost participation if suitable.
- Analyze and Act: Interpret data and make improvements accordingly.
- Share Findings: Communicate results and actions taken with stakeholders.
- How satisfied are you with our product/service? (Scale of 1-10)
- What do you find most valuable about our product/service?
- Any suggestions for improving our product/service?
- How likely are you to recommend us? (Scale: Not Likely to Very Likely)
- Rate your experience with our customer service/support
- Very Dissatisfied: Customers at this level are highly unsatisfied with their experience, finding little to no value in the product or service provided.
- Dissatisfied: Customers in this category have found shortcomings in their experience and are generally unhappy with the product/service.
- Neutral/Mixed: These customers are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. They may not have strong feelings about the experience, often indicating a lack of significant positive or negative impact.
- Satisfied: Customers in this category are content with their experience. They find value in the product or service and are generally pleased.
- Very Satisfied: These customers are extremely pleased with their experience and find exceptional value in the product or service. They are likely to be loyal and enthusiastic advocates for the brand.
- Consistency: Delivering a consistent experience across all touchpoints and interactions, ensuring customers receive the same level of service and quality each time they engage with a brand.
- Communication: Establish effective communication with customers, actively listen to their needs, provide clear information, and address concerns promptly and transparently.
- Caring: Showing genuine concern and empathy towards customers' needs, valuing their feedback, and demonstrating a commitment to resolving issues to ensure a positive experience.
- Product/Service Quality: The core offering's performance, reliability, and how well it meets or exceeds customer expectations directly impact satisfaction.
- Customer Service: Interactions with support, responsiveness, helpfulness, and the overall service experience significantly influence how customers perceive a brand.
- Price and Value: Customers assess whether the price they pay aligns with the perceived value they receive. A balance between cost and perceived benefits affects satisfaction.
- Brand Experience: The overall experience, encompassing everything from website usability to packaging, influences how customers feel about a brand and its offerings.
- Surveys: Use structured questionnaires, like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), or open-ended questions to gather feedback.
- Customer Feedback Analysis: Analyzing customer feedback, including complaints, comments, and suggestions gathered through various channels.
- Social Media Monitoring: Tracking and analyzing sentiment, comments, and mentions on social media platforms to gauge customer opinions and satisfaction levels.
- Customer Interviews and Focus Groups: Conduct in-depth interviews or focus group discussions to gather qualitative insights into customer experiences and satisfaction.
- Customer Effort Score (CES): Evaluating how easy or difficult it is for customers to achieve their goals while interacting with a product or service.
- Transactional Data Analysis: Examining purchase behavior, repeat purchases, return rates, and other transactional data to infer satisfaction levels indirectly.
