Deciding which questions to include in your customer feedback survey is a pivotal part of your customer-relationship strategy. A lengthy survey will result in a low response rate, so think long and hard about every question you include. Here are a few questions you should be considering.

Common customer feedback metrics

  • Customer Satisfaction score (CSAT): How satisfied are you with our service or product?
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS): How likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?
  • Customer Effort Score (CES): How easy was it to use our service or product?

When issuing a customer feedback survey these three commonly used metrics should immediately spring to mind. The Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Effort Score (CES), and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) are popular feedback benchmarks that have been shown to be useful survey questions. The results can be used to track customer attitudes over time and are also useful benchmarks to compare your results with the industry average.

Laddering questions

  • What did you like about our product?
  • Which features did you find difficult to use?

Laddering questions are questions that allow respondents to elaborate on an answer they previously gave. These questions enable you to gather more information on a particular issue. For example, after prompting a customer for a Customer Effort Score, you can follow-up with a laddering question, like "Which features did you find difficult to use?"

Laddering questions are particularly useful when a closed-ended question is followed by a related open-ended question. The combination of responses can provide rich and detailed insights.

Demographic Questions

  • How old are you?
  • What is your gender?
  • What is your employment status?

Demographic questions do not directly relate to your product, but that doesn't mean you should dismiss them. By gathering personal information from your respondents, you can better understand how different kinds of customers use, feel, and interact with your product. This is especially useful when trying to identify segments in your market. Collecting demographic information will provide you with a more detailed picture of your customer base.

Customer journey questions

  • How did you find out about us?
  • Where did you first hear about us?

Customer journey questions are particularly useful when surveying new customers, making them perfect for many transactional surveys. Users and customers can be prompted with a journey question after a sale, sign-up, or interaction. This is vital information for growing your customer base and reaching more potential users. You can tailor your marketing and outreach strategy based on how your customers are finding you.

Customer Suggestions

  • What changes would you make to our product?
  • How can our product be improved?

Asking customers for changes and improvements they would make to your product or service can yield interesting results. Even if the changes can't be implemented, it's still a way to discover what the pressing issues are for your customers. Now and then, a great suggestion will come from a customer, and that alone makes the question worth asking!

Wide-open Questions

  • What else would you like us to know?
  • Are there any other thoughts you would like to share with us?

A wide-open question is a great way to conclude a survey. Perhaps there is a miscellaneous thought or an unknown issue that the customer would like to raise. Ending a survey by handing a blank slate to the respondent is the perfect way to receive useful feedback you never anticipated.