Businesses revolve around customers, whether it’s a product or service to fulfill their needs or provide a solution to a problem. But companies aren’t successful just because they fulfill a need or fill a market gap, they are successful because they know how to satisfy and retain existing customers.
Feedback from customer satisfaction surveys is a goldmine of data that can significantly boost your service or product from being good to impeccable. But there’s more to it than just asking for feedback, for optimal results and information, you need to ask the right question.
This is one instance where there is such a thing as silly questions.
Before you send out these customer satisfaction surveys, ensure that the questions serve a purpose and add value.
Here are three factors to take into consideration while setting up a customer satisfaction survey:
- The Timing: It is a generic monthly survey, or a survey for service quality assessment, or is it a product-specific survey, the list can go on. The time and frequency with which you send surveys, influence what questions you add.
- The Target Customers: There is a significant difference in the questions businesses ask customers depending on whether they are B2B or B2C, the type of business they do, the industry they come from, etc.
- The Objective: The questions you ask have to fulfill the purpose of the survey, whether it’s for a comprehensive customer satisfaction report, for product-specific insights, customer service insights, or anything else.
Before we get into the customer satisfaction survey question examples, there are a few tips that will help you understand how to frame questions for optimal results:
Stay Away from Double Negatives
They are confusing, the last thing you want to do is confuse your customer and get an inaccurate answer.
Example: “Was the customer service representative not unhelpful?”
Ask a Combination of Questions, Including “Why”
Asking customers why they liked or disliked something can provide more valuable information than just asking if they liked it.
This may depend on the purpose of the survey itself, but asking why can produce better actionable insights.
Example: “Why do you like our Vitamine C serum?”
Make Sure the Question and the Response Format Match
If you are asking a customer to rate something, ensure that the response format matches the question.
If you ask customer’s “How likely are you to recommend this product?” the response should be a Likert scale (e.g. 1-5 or 1-10).
If you ask customers, “Are you satisfied with your experience?” the response format would be “Yes or No”.
Avoid Questions that Could Make Customers Feel Uncomfortable, to be Honest
Don’t ask customers leading questions like, “Are you satisfied with our award-winning products?”
It makes customers feel obligated to say yes, rather than give their honest opinion.
Be Careful with Demographic Questions.
If you ask a customer for their age, give them a range to select (e.g. 18-24, 25-35, etc.).
It is also essential to be inclusive while asking questions about gender, marital status, and other personal questions in customer satisfaction surveys.
Consider Creating Anonymous Surveys if Possible
Sometimes customers refrain from sharing personal details about themselves if the questions have any social or psychological barriers like “What is your annual income?”
Types of Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
Customer satisfaction survey questions are typically binary, yes or no questions, for example, “Are you satisfied with your current subscription plan?” or “Are you happy with our quality of service?” These surveys usually produce positive results and high scores, so if there is a dip in your score, it is a clear indication that there might be an issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Net promoter score surveys ask customers to rate how likely they are to recommend your products to friends, family, and colleagues. Once you compare the number of detractors to the number of promoters, you can assess customer satisfaction.
Customer Effort Score (CES)
Customer Effort Score measures the amount of effort it takes to use your product, resolve an issue, make a payment, and much more. It provides insight into the usability and convenience of your offerings. For example, “How easy is it to use our app?” The response to these questions is typically a 5-point or 10-point scale that goes from very easy to very difficult.
Milestone Surveys
Milestone surveys provide insights to understand the user experience better, they are sent out at critical moments in the customer journey. A milestone survey can be set up for specific times (Example: 2-weeks after receiving their product) or for particular experiences (Example: after receiving support for an issue).
Here are 25 Examples of Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions:
- How would you rate the support you received?
Response format: ????/???? - How would you rate your experience with our product/services today?
Response format: On a scale of 1-5 - How satisfied are you with your experience on our website?
Response format: On a scale of 1-5 - Has our product helped you?
Response format: Yes/No - Was our customer service helpful?
Response format: Yes/No - Would you recommend our product to others?
Response format: Yes/No - How would you rate your overall satisfaction with us?
Response format: On a scale of 1-5 - How easy was your checkout experience?
Response format: 5-point scale ([1] very easy, [2] somewhat easy, [3] as easy as I expected, [4] somewhat difficult and [5] very difficult) - How long have you been using the product/service?
Response format: Since this is an open-ended question, the response format would be an open field for customers to type their responses. - How satisfied are you with our speed of resolution?
Response format: On a scale of 1-5 - What can we do to improve our customer service?
Response format: Since this is an open-ended question, the response format would be an open field for customers to type their responses. - Have you used our services in the past?
Response format: Yes/No - Was it easy to use our app?
Response format: 5-point scale ([1] very easy, [2] somewhat easy, [3] as easy as I expected, [4] somewhat difficult and [5] very difficult) - What would you improve about the checkout process?
Response format: Since this is an open-ended question, the response format would be an open field for customers to type their responses. - Was it easy to find what you were looking for?
Response format: Yes/No - How can we improve our product/service?
Response format: Since this is an open-ended question, the response format would be an open field for customers to type their responses. - How satisfied are you with your in-store experience today?
Response format: On a scale of 1-5 - Thank you for buying from us! How was your experience?
Response format: ????/???? - Thank you for visiting our store! How would you rate your experience?
Response format: Response format: 5-point scale ([1] hated it, [2] disliked it, [3] neutral, [4] liked it and [5] loved it) - How easy was it for you to navigate our website?
Response format: 5-point scale ([1] very easy, [2] somewhat easy, [3] as easy as I expected, [4] somewhat difficult and [5] very difficult) - How was your product delivery experience?
Response format: ????/???? - How would you rate the professionalism of our support team?
Response format: ????/???? - How would you rate your shopping experience on our website?
Response format: Response format: 5-point scale ([1] hated it, [2] disliked it, [3] neutral, [4] liked it and [5] loved it) - How can we make your experience even better?
Response format: since this is an open-ended question, the response format would be an open field for customers to type their responses. - Would you buy from us again?
Response format: Yes/No
All the questions other than open-ended ones can have a follow-up question asking “Why”.
This will help you figure out what exactly is wrong with the experience.
Gain More Feedback through Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Grow Your Business
Knowing how your customers feel is incredibly important as it is instrumental to your growth. In addition, customers appreciate it when businesses are keen to improve their products or services. But apart from asking for feedback, it is equally important to thank them for providing it just as a form of appreciation.
Start your journey to better customer satisfaction with Simplify360!