How to Create Client Satisfaction Surveys that Participants Love

Many people have participated in client satisfaction surveys from different companies, but the design of some customer satisfaction surveys often falls short, leading respondents to have negative feelings during the survey, provide inaccurate feedback, or even worse, refuse to participate altogether, making the survey difficult to proceed. 

Therefore, an excellent customer satisfaction survey should be one that is favored by respondents. How can we design a customer satisfaction survey questionnaire that is both liked by respondents and enhances the effectiveness of the survey? The following will comprehensively discuss the principles of survey questionnaire design from several aspects and practical examples.

1. A polite and engaging opening statement

A good client satisfaction survey should begin with a polite and engaging opening line that both outlines the purpose of the survey and gives the respondent a sense of the sincerity of the survey while encouraging participation. Let's look at an example, "Your satisfaction is our priority. Help us understand your needs by completing this brief survey." 

This question not only identifies the customer satisfaction survey, but also promotes a positive understanding of the company. But if you just say: "Please rate our service." This vague question lacks background information, which may lead to unclear feedback and lack of respect for the customer, which can easily cause customer resentment.

2. Set specific questions

The questionnaire should set up specific questions to translate the customer’s experience with the company into specific issues for investigation. The more specific the questions you ask, the more likely respondents are to provide detailed and meaningful feedback. 

For example, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the resolution of your recent support request?" This question requires a specific rating to help get the most accurate customer satisfaction feedback and provide valuable input for service improvement. 

In contrast, the broad question "What was your experience with our service?" can lead to vague answers, making it difficult for companies to identify areas for improvement.

Discover also the 4 tips in crafting effective Likert scale survey questions.

3. Give clear instructions on the problem

Questionnaire questions should be given clear and concise instructions to make the questions easy to understand and follow. This will help respondents understand the meaning of the survey questions, guide them through the survey process, and ensure a smooth survey experience. For example, "Please rate the following aspects of our service on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being very dissatisfied and 5 being very satisfied." Using specific ratings with clear instructions helps respondents provide accurate feedback. But if you set up your survey to “rate our services.” This vague instruction can confuse respondents and lead to inconsistent or inaccurate responses.

4. Set up diverse response options

Service surveys should provide a variety of response options, such as multiple-choice settings, rating scales, and open-ended questions, allowing respondents to provide feedback in a way that best suits their preferences and experience. 

For example, "Which communication channel do you prefer to contact customer service? a) Telephone b) Email c) Online chat d) Social media e) Others" This multiple choice question takes into account different preferences and the options set cover It provides a variety of popular communication channels, and also provides an open "other" option. However, if you only ask: "How do you feel about our service?" This open-ended question lacks structure and may lead to various and difficult-to-analyze responses, which is not conducive to later questionnaire sorting and analysis.

5. Add a personalized touch

This is an interview survey technique in which you personalize the survey by calling the respondent by name or mentioning their previous interactions with the company, which can make them feel valued and increase their willingness to provide feedback. 

For example, "Hi [Respondent's Name], we strive to improve based on your feedback. Can you share any suggestions for enhancing your experience with us?" This personalization approach shows attention to the customer's specific experience and makes the customer feel good about the company Attention to her/him. But if you just say, “Please rate your overall experience.” This generic question lacks personalization and intimacy and may make respondents feel like they are just a number, reducing their motivation to participate in the survey.

6. Stay objective and encourage honest feedback

When surveying, clearly informing respondents that their opinions are important and will remain confidential and encouraging honest feedback can prompt more candid responses and provide real and valuable insights to the company. "Your feedback is important to us and will help us improve our services. 

This survey will be kept confidential, so please feel free to share your thoughts." This guarantee encourages respondents while ensuring their interests are not infringed. Provide honest feedback. But if you say, “Please rate our service positively,” this is too subjective a question and may bias responses and prevent respondents from sharing constructive criticism, thereby limiting the usefulness of feedback for service improvement. At the same time, such questions will make people feel that this questionnaire survey lacks fairness and objectivity and should be avoided.

7. Improve the investigation and follow-up mechanism

Placing follow-up information in the client satisfaction survey, such as giving respondents the option to request further assistance or provide additional comments, demonstrates the company's commitment to addressing follow-up questions raised in the survey and is an additional commitment by the company to do more follow-up for customers.

The following sentence can be included in the survey: "If you have any specific concerns or would like us to follow up on your feedback, please provide details below." This option enhances customer satisfaction by allowing respondents to raise additional concerns or seek assistance Spend. However, ending a survey with just "Survey complete. Thanks for your feedback." This abrupt ending without an opportunity for follow-up may make respondents feel ignored and may be dissatisfied if they have unresolved questions.

8. Set up small rewards for surveys

To increase participation rates and express gratitude to respondents for their time and feedback, offering incentives such as discounts or rewards would be a great way to do this. For example, "Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey. 

As a thank you, you can enjoy a 10% discount on your next purchase." Increase the respondent's willingness to be interviewed by giving them a discount. This gesture of gratitude encourages future engagement and loyalty from the respondent. But if you just say, “The survey is complete. Have a nice day.” This generic closing statement may reduce their willingness to participate in future surveys and lacks the ability to express gratitude to the respondent.

Conclusion

To summarize, a well-designed customer service survey should be clear, polite, responsive, personalized, and encourage honest feedback from the respondent's perspective. 

By incorporating these key elements, companies are often able to glean real and valuable insights that help improve service quality and enhance customer satisfaction.

Need to craft a quick customer satisfaction survey? No need to start from scratch. Use SurveyPluto's free customer satisfaction survey template to quickly gather valuable feedback.