How to write a good customer satisfaction survey
The importance of customer satisfaction surveys cannot be overemphasized. They help you understand what kind of activities your company is successful in and which industries require additional efforts and improvements. Thus, through such surveys, you gain information for making the most important strategic decisions. As part of our material, we will present a list of tips and examples to help you create high-quality customer satisfaction surveys.
For greater clarity, we want to present specific examples of questions for this category of surveys to more fully reflect the various aspects and aspects of interaction with customers, for example, from some general elements and questions to very specific ones, to determine the level of customer loyalty to you, and also to compare this indicator is similar to that of competitors. Moreover, we have specially included question templates to make it easier for you to figure out everything. Let’s get started.
Determining the overall level of satisfaction
Generally, you can use general questions quite comfortably to determine the overall level of satisfaction of your customers. Thanks to them, you will be able to collect a sufficient array of data and statistics for subsequent analysis, which will allow you to draw correct conclusions. It is worth remembering that general questions of this kind will almost always be of a closed type, since it is easier to collect data this way. However, open-ended questions can be used to gather some additional information about the current level of customer satisfaction. Below is an example of a question that can be used in such a case.
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Rate your experience of interaction and use of our products.
- I liked it very much
- Liked
- Indifferent
- Did not like
- Strongly disliked
Customer service features
The level of service and the quality of customer service is another critical specificity of your organization’s activities that you would like to inquire about from your client base. Of course, this is very important, since the attractiveness of your company for customers depends on the level of service. In addition, recent research shows that companies that are more likely to do their own customer satisfaction surveys are up to a third more likely to describe themselves as successful than companies that choose not to do such surveys.
However, the topic of customer service is quite broad and nuanced. The thing is that the service is made up of a large number of various factors, and it will not be possible to discuss everything at the same time. Nevertheless, you can clarify the most interesting aspects of this matter. For example, you might ask how quickly a customer was able to get help from support, or how quickly they got a response from them. You can also ask about the details of communication with the support service, for example, how tactful and professional she was, whether she followed all the rules of communication with the client. Here are some specific examples.
1. Has our service simplified the solution to your problem?
- Yes, completely.
- Partially.
- Didn’t help in any way.
- Aggravated the situation.
2. How quickly were you answered?
- Very fast
- Fast
- Not as fast as we would like.
- Slowly
- Very slow
One general question is also suggested: “How would you rate the level of professionalism of our support staff?”
Here you should leave some space for the answer, but it is better to set certain limits on the size of the answer. This will allow the user to concentrate on the most important aspects.
Commitment to the customer base
Customer loyalty is a metric that determines how often people will buy goods from you when they have a corresponding need. Therefore, it is very important to study this aspect to avoid an excessive drop in sales. The most popular metric in this industry is the Net Promoter Score, which helps determine if your customers will recommend you to their loved ones. That is, in other words, this metric demonstrates the level of a person’s commitment to your brand.
1. How long have you been our client?
- Made the first purchase
- More than three months
- Over a year
- 3 years or more
- I have not purchased from you yet
2. Would you like to visit us again?
- Yes
- Probably
- Unlikely
- No, I would not.
3. How likely is it that you would recommend us to other people?
For the Net Promoter Score, you should provide a special scale, from 1 to 10, according to which the client will choose the commitment. The higher the score, the more customer loyalty to your brand. For example, people who choose a rating of 9 or 10 will recommend you to other customers. Those who gave a score of 7-8 are your customers, but competitors have the opportunity to lure them over to their side. All those who gave a score below 7 are very unhappy with the quality of your services and will harm your image in the future. To calculate your rating, you need to subtract the percentage of ill-wishers from the percentage of those who support you. Thanks to this criterion, you will be able to determine exactly how popular you are among the population. Remember, too, that the NPS that can be considered successful varies for each industry.
You can also ask open-ended questions here. They will allow you to take into account more features since each client will indicate the aspects that are most important to him. After collecting all the answers, you will need to highlight the option that occurs more often than others and emphasize these recommendations or requests. Example:
4. What would you recommend to improve the level of service?
Product Reviews
As part of the survey, you can also ask about the attitude of the audience to the specific characteristics of your products. It is especially important to conduct such surveys in situations where you are about to change a product line or characteristics of a particular product or have already done so. Such a survey will determine how successful all adjustments were or will be. As a result, you can quickly fix potential problems. Let’s look at some examples.
1. How successful do you think is the new look of our packaging?
For more interactivity, you can submit a rating of 1 to 5 stars here.
2. Did you meet your expectations after visiting our office? If not, please describe the problem.
3. Have you been able to find a product that suits your needs with us?
Pricing
Another of the most important indicators that determine the demand for a product is its price. Collect information from your audience about whether the price is overpriced. In this case, you should take into account the peculiarities of the market segment where you operate. For example, if your products are initially designed for the most expensive segment of the market, then the issue of price becomes less relevant.
Examples of questions:
1. Are you satisfied with the price-performance ratio of the product?
- Satisfied
- Could have been better
- Not satisfied
2. How important is the price to you when choosing products in this category?
- Very important
- Important
- Neutral
- Not important
In an open-ended question format, you can ask your customers to compare your products with those of your competitors in terms of value for money.
Transactions and delivery
Another very important aspect of the activity of any company is the payment and delivery of products. This factor greatly influences the client’s desire to re-apply to you for a service. Therefore, within the framework of the survey, special attention should be paid to these particular aspects.
1. Was it convenient for you to use our system of purchasing goods?
- Yes
- Not really
- No
2. Did your item arrive on time?
- Yes
- No
Remember that by combining satisfaction questions in a survey, you will be able to collect the most complete information about customer attitudes towards you. As a result, you can significantly improve your financial performance.
