Understanding and improving customer satisfaction is crucial for business growth — it’s simple; the higher your customer satisfaction, the more reviews, repeat business, and referrals you’ll receive. However, many businesses struggle to create effective customer satisfaction surveys that measure how customers feel and provide actionable insights to improve satisfaction. To help, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to the art of customer satisfaction surveys, complete with free downloadable templates so you can hit the ground running. 

What is a customer satisfaction survey?

Customer satisfaction surveys help gauge how happy (or unhappy) a customer is after an experience. 

The goals of customer satisfaction surveys include:

• Gauging overall satisfaction: Understanding how satisfied customers are with your product or service.
• Identifying areas for improvement: Pinpointing specific aspects that need enhancement.
• Understanding customer preferences: Learning what your customers value most about your service and offerings.

There are various ways to conduct these surveys, such as online forms, phone interviews, and in-app questionnaires. Among these, real-time surveys are the most scalable option, allowing businesses to reach a larger audience efficiently and conveniently.

Customer satisfaction survey templates

To help you get started, we've created a variety of templates for different types of customer feedback surveys. These templates serve as a starting point, but it's important to customize them to fit your specific requirements and the context of your business. 

3 essential templates to use to survey customers

NPS survey template

The net promoter score (NPS) survey is designed to measure customer loyalty and the likelihood that customers recommend your product or service to others. This template includes questions that can help you understand the overall sentiment of your customer base and identify your promoters and detractors.

Customer service satisfaction survey template

A customer satisfaction survey (CSAT) focuses on assessing customer satisfaction levels. It includes questions about the customer's recent interactions with your support team, the resolution of their issues, and their overall satisfaction with the service provided. In the end, you can calculate your customer satisfaction score. Use this template to pinpoint areas where your customer service can be improved and to recognize where it excels.

List question survey 

A list question survey asks questions and provides a list of reply options. List question surveys are useful for categorizing which areas your team is performing well in and which areas need improvement. 

Benefits of customer satisfaction surveys

Your survey responses provide teams across your organization — including product, customer support, and marketing teams — with valuable insights that drive continuous improvement and lower churn.

Here are some of the key benefits that all translate to business success: 

• Improve customer retention and loyalty by addressing issues promptly.
• Identify areas for product or service improvement based on customer insights.
• Enhance overall customer experience by demonstrating responsiveness to feedback.
• Gain insights into customer preferences and behaviors, aiding in strategic decision-making.
• Foster a customer-centric culture within the organization.

By leveraging the insights from customer satisfaction surveys, your business can make informed decisions that enhance customer satisfaction, drive loyalty, and ultimately contribute to long-term success.

Customer satisfaction survey examples

Asking the right questions in your feedback forms is crucial to obtaining valuable and actionable insights. The types of questions you choose can significantly impact the quality and depth of the feedback you receive.

Open-ended questions

Why: Open-ended questions allow customers to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words, providing deeper insights into their experiences and opinions.

Examples:

• What do you like most about our product functionality or service?
• How can we improve your experience with us?
• Describe a recent positive experience you had with our customer service team.
• What features would you like to see added to our product?
• Do you have any additional comments or suggestions?

Likert scale questions (satisfaction scale questions)

Why: Likert scale questions help quantify customer satisfaction and other sentiments by asking respondents to rate their level of agreement with statements.

Examples:

• On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with our product or service?
• How likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague? (1 = Not likely, 5 = Very likely)
• How satisfied are you with the quality of our customer service?
• How strongly do you agree with the following statement: "Our product meets your needs." (1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agree)
• How easy is it to complete onboarding with our product? (1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy)

Multiple choice questions

Why: Multiple choice questions offer a range of predefined answers, making it easy for respondents to provide specific feedback and for you to analyze the results.

Examples:

• Which of the following features do you use the most?some text
  • Feature A
  • Feature B
  • Feature C
  • Feature D
• What prompted your purchase today?some text
  • Recommendation
  • Advertisement
  • Online search
  • Other
• How often do you use our product/service?some text
  • Daily
  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Rarely
• What is your preferred method of communication with our support team?some text
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Live chat
  • Social media
• How did you hear about us?some text
  • Social media
  • Search engine
  • Word of mouth
  • Advertisement

Net promoter score (NPS) questions

Why: NPS questions measure customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend your product or service to others. This metric is linked to business growth and customer satisfaction. 

Examples:

• On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?
• What is the primary reason for your score?
• What can we do to improve your score?

Behavioral questions

Why: Behavioral questions provide insights into how customers interact with your product or service, helping to identify patterns and pain points.

Examples:

• How often do you use our product or service?
• What was the last feature you used on our website?
• Describe a recent problem you encountered with our product and how you resolved it.
• What factors influence your decision to continue using our product or service?
• How do you typically use our product or service in your daily routine?

Demographic questions

Why: Demographic questions help segment your customer base and understand how different groups experience your product or service.

Examples:

• What is your age range?some text
  • Under 18
  • 18-24
  • 25-34
  • 35-44
  • 45-54
  • 55+
    
    
• What is your gender?some text
  • Male
  • Female
  • Non-binary
  • Prefer not to say
    
    
• What is your occupation?
  
  
• What is your household income?some text
  • Under $25,000
  • $25,000 - $50,000
  • $50,000 - $75,000
  • $75,000 - $100,000
  • Over $100,000
    
    
• Where are you located?some text
  • North America
  • South America
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Africa
  • Australia

By incorporating these types of questions into your customer satisfaction surveys, you can gather an understanding of customer needs, experiences, and preferences leading to better business decisions and improved customer satisfaction.

Best practice tips for creating customer satisfaction surveys

Building a customer satisfaction survey can be challenging, but following best practices, and our customer satisfaction survey templates, can help you gather meaningful and actionable feedback.

Here are some tips to guide you:

• Keep surveys short and concise to improve completion rates. Long surveys can be overwhelming and lead to lower completion rates. Aim to keep your survey focused and to the point, asking only the most essential questions.
• Use clear and simple language to ensure understanding. Avoid jargon and complex wording. Your questions should be easy to understand so that respondents can provide accurate and honest feedback.
• Include a mix of question types to gather diverse feedback. Using a variety of question types — such as open-ended questions, Likert scale questions, and multiple-choice questions — can help you collect a broad range of insights from your customers.
• Test surveys with a sample group before full deployment to identify any issues. Conducting a trial run with a small group can help you spot any confusing questions or technical issues, allowing you to make necessary adjustments before launching the survey widely.
• Provide an incentive or reward for survey participation to increase engagement. Offering a small reward, such as a discount or entry into a prize draw, can motivate more customers to complete your survey, leading to higher response rates.

For more best practice tips, check out: AskNicely's Customer Survey Best Practice Guide - New & Improved for 2023

Implementing your survey results

Creating the survey is just the first step. To truly benefit from the insights gathered, it's essential to take action with the results as well. Here’s what to do to maximize the impact of your surveys and market research:

• Analyze survey data to identify trends and patterns: Look for recurring themes and common feedback points in your survey data. Utilizing AI and automation tools can streamline this process, providing deeper insights and saving time.
• Prioritize areas for improvement based on feedback: Not all feedback will carry the same weight. Identify the most critical issues impacting customer satisfaction and prioritize them for action. Focus on changes that will have the most significant positive effect on your customers' experience.
• Share results with relevant teams or departments for action planning: Ensure that the insights are shared with the teams who can act on them. Whether it's the product team, customer service, or marketing, collaboration is key to implementing effective changes.
• Communicate changes or improvements made based on customer feedback: Let your customers know that their feedback has been heard and acted upon. Communicating the changes or improvements you’ve made shows that you value their input and are committed to enhancing their experience.
• Follow up with customers who provided negative feedback to address concerns and regain trust: Reach out to dissatisfied customers to address their concerns directly. This proactive approach can help rebuild trust and demonstrate your commitment to resolving issues.

By taking action you can turn customer feedback into insights that drive continuous improvement and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

How can AskNicely help?

AskNicely is a simple solution that helps you build loyalty through staff, not systems. Survey customers, uncover service gaps impacting profits, and drive the changes in the field needed to deliver five-star experiences, every time.

Collect

Understanding your customers’s business-critical feedback starts with collecting the right data. Streamline customer experience data collection to inform strategy, improve retention, reduce employee turnover, and increase revenue.

Assess

Easily run NPS and CSAT measurement programs and centralize performance tracking to bring CX insight to every level of the company. With data that shows exactly where to focus, you've got a clear path to retention, growth, and revenue.

Grow

Generate more positive online reviews across every review site for your multi-location business. Put current customers in the spotlight to acquire new customers efficiently. Build a feedback loop that truly comes full circle.  

Respond 

When your customers tell you what they want, can you take meaningful action quickly? Automate your response workflows and gain insight into customer satisfaction, identify areas for service improvement, foster loyalty, and enhance overall customer experience.

Transform

Don’t keep your CX feedback locked in the boardroom. Inspire every member of your team with customer feedback to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Deliver consistently exceptional experiences that set you apart.

Ready to elevate your customer experience? Book a demo today and discover how AskNicely can revolutionize your approach to customer feedback. 

Plus, don't forget to download the NPS Benchmark Study to gain valuable insights into industry trends and best practices.