What makes a good customer satisfaction question?
Ask about one thing the customer experienced, name the time period or interaction, and give them an answer scale that matches the question. Start with a rating you can track. Use one open question to find out what drove it.
Which questions should you use?
| What you need to learn | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Overall satisfaction | How satisfied were you with your recent experience with [Business]? |
| Communication | How satisfied were you with the updates you received while we worked on your request? |
| Ease of getting help | How easy was it to get help with your recent request? |
| Whether the issue was resolved | Was the issue you contacted us about resolved? Fully, partly, no, or still in progress. |
| What drove the rating | What was the main reason for your rating? |
| What to improve | What one thing could we have done better? |
What should you change before sending?
Split a question like “How satisfied were you with our speed and communication?” into two items if both are important. A customer can be satisfied with the speed and frustrated with the updates. Add a “doesn’t apply” option where a customer might reasonably have skipped that part of the experience.
How many questions should you ask?
For an after-service survey, start with overall satisfaction, an explanation, an improvement question, and an optional callback choice. Add a diagnostic item only when the business has a specific decision tied to it. Test the questions with someone who wasn’t involved in writing them and check how they interpreted each one.