Designing an effective customer satisfaction survey is essential for obtaining actionable and meaningful feedback. A good survey does more than measure satisfaction: it helps identify key drivers of loyalty and customer experience improvement.
Below are some best practices to help you design a survey that maximises response rates:
Define clear objectives
Before designing your survey, set clear objectives:
What specific information are you looking to collect?
Which aspects of the customer experience would you like to assess?
Which stage of the customer journey are you aiming to measure?
This step is crucial to ensure your survey is focused and relevant.
One survey = one main objective
Avoid trying to measure everything at once.
Create a short survey
Limit your online survey to fewer than 10 questions to avoid taking too much of your customers’ time and discouraging respondents. A shorter survey is more likely to be completed.
UX studies show that:
Surveys with 5 to 7 questions maximise completion rates
Beyond 10 questions, response rates drop significantly
Goal: keep the completion time under 2 minutes.
Structure your questions from general to specific
Start with simple and general questions to ease initial customer engagement.
Step 1: Measure the overall relationship
Begin with a recommendation question by asking for an NPS (Net Promoter Score):
“How likely are you to recommend our brand to a friend or colleague?”
The NPS helps assess customer loyalty and overall perception.
Step 2: Measure the actual experience
Then, follow with specific questions focused on concrete aspects of the customer experience, using CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) questions.
For example:
“How would you rate the quality of the service during your last interaction?”
“Were you satisfied with the response time?”
Ask questions about recent and factual experiences, not general perceptions.
Offer the option for comments
Include an open-ended question to allow customers to express themselves and elaborate on their responses. These direct customer quotes often provide valuable insights and specific examples of the customer experience.
⚠️ Important:
This open-ended question should not be mandatory, to avoid reducing survey completion rates.
Use positive, engaging, and personalised language
The tone used in the survey invitation has a direct impact on response rates. Avoid overly formal or impersonal wording that may discourage participation.
To make your survey more engaging:
Use positive and friendly language
Personalise the message when possible
Address the customer by their first name
Mention the relevant location or service
Adapt certain questions to the context (if applicable)
A personalised and warm message can increase response rates by up to 20%.
Send the survey at the right time
Send the survey shortly after a recent customer interaction, such as:
A purchase
A store visit
Etc.
Customers are more likely to respond when the survey is sent soon after their experience. Ideally, surveys should be sent within 24 to 48 hours after the interaction.
By following these best practices, you can design an effective customer satisfaction survey that collects valuable feedback and supports continuous improvement of the customer experience.
Keep in mind the importance of simplicity, clarity, relevance, and timing to maximise customer engagement and generate meaningful insights.
Access and respond to customer feedback wherever you are, directly from your mobile app. 📱