5 Types of Customer Satisfaction Surveys + Free Templates
Meaghan has provided content and guidance for indie retailers as the editor for a number of retail publications and a speaker at trade shows. She is Fit Small Business’s authority on retail and ecommerce.
A customer satisfaction survey is a questionnaire that businesses send to shoppers after they have made a purchase or received a service from your business. There are five different situations in which businesses would want to measure customer satisfaction. Each serves a different purpose, so it is important to ask the right questions.
Free Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates
| Type of Survey | |
|---|---|
| Net Promoter Score (NPS) Survey | Use an NPS survey to measure customer loyalty. |
| Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Survey | Use CSAT surveys to determine if your business meets customers’ expectations. |
| Post-Purchase Survey | Use to get feedback on a particular experience. |
| Product or Service Development Survey | Use to gauge customer response to a new product before launching. |
| Usability Survey | Used by online businesses to get feedback on their website. |
The five most common types of customer satisfaction surveys are:
1. Net Promoter Score (NPS) Survey
NPS Survey Template
An NPS, or Net Promoter Score, survey measures customer loyalty by asking a single question: How likely is it that you would recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague? Customers can score from 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely).
Businesses use NPS to measure customer loyalty and overall customer sentiment, instead of feedback on a specific product or experience. NPS is widely used across many industries, so it can be a good tool to measure your customer loyalty and satisfaction against competitors. NPS can also be used to identify detractors, or customers likely to switch to competitors or spread negative feedback about your business.
NPS surveys are typically sent out to customers through email surveys or text messages. However, for online businesses, they sometimes also appear as a pop-up or chat box on the site. AskNicely is one example of a customer feedback software that collects NPS data and provides businesses with NPS insights.
Example of an NPS survey sent in an email through AskNicely
- Detractors. Customers who respond between 0 and 6 are considered detractors. Not only are you at risk of losing these customers, but they are also likely to impede the growth of your business through negative word-of-mouth.
- Passives. Customers who respond between 7 and 8 are considered passive customers. They are satisfied with your business but are not raving fans. Passives could leave your business for a competitor or could be converted into raving fans.
- Promoters. Customers who respond between 9 and 10 are considered promoters. These are loyal customers who are likely helping to grow your business through referrals.
To calculate your Net Promoter Score, subtract the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. For example, let’s say you have 100 survey results and 10 scored between 0 and 6, 20 scored between 7 and 8, and 70 scored between 9 and 10.
You would have:
- 10% Detractors
- 20% Passives
- 70% Promoters
70% Promoters – 10% Detractors = 60%. So, your Net Promoter Score would be 60.
Your NPS score can be anywhere from -100 to 100. Any positive NPS score is considered good, above 50 is considered great, and above 70 is considered world class. For small businesses, NPS is a great tool to identify and reward your loyal customers as well as identify any unhappy customers to improve their experience.
2. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Survey
CSAT Survey Template
Download template in Google Doc, Word and PDF
CSAT, or customer satisfaction survey, is used to measure a customer’s satisfaction with your products or services (unlike NPS, which is used to gauge customer loyalty). CSAT surveys consist of a variation of the question: How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the products/service you received?
Customers would then choose from the following 1 to 5 scale:
1. Very unsatisfied
2. Unsatisfied
3. Neutral
4. Satisfied
5. Very satisfied
Only customers who choose “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” are considered satisfied customers. To calculate your business’ CSAT score, take your number of satisfied customers and divide by the total number of survey respondents, then multiply by 100. Therefore, if you have 100 survey respondents and 70 of them responded “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied,” your CSAT score would be 70%.
(70 / 100 = .7) x 100 = 70%
Businesses should use a CSAT survey to measure whether or not their products and services are meeting customer expectations. CSAT surveys allow businesses to fix individual customers service issues and look at how specific products and services are performing overall. For example, if customers consistently rate a product as a 1 through 3, it needs to be improved. If customers consistently rate an item as a 4 or 5, it’s a strong product that you should promote.
3. Post-Purchase Survey
Post-Purchase Survey Template
Download template in Google Doc, Word and PDF
Post-purchase surveys are sent to customers after they have bought a product or a service from your company. These types of surveys are meant to get feedback on the specific experience the customers had with this transaction (as opposed to a survey like NPS, which gauges overall loyalty).
This type of survey should be used to pinpoint specific areas of the business that need to be improved. For example, if your NPS score is low, using post-purchase surveys helps businesses understand whether they need to focus their attention on their customer service or quality of products.
Post-purchase surveys can be open-ended, but typically they ask customers to rank different aspects of their experience on a scale of “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree” or “Poor” to Excellent.” Since these surveys can be longer than one question, they are typically sent via a link in an email. Constant Contact is a popular email marketing service that offers survey tools. They have a free 60-day trial, and packages with survey features start around $40 per month.
4. Product or Service Development Survey
Product Development Survey Template
Download template in Google Doc, Word and PDF
Also known as Concept Testing, development surveys are sent to customers before businesses launch a new product to get a feel for how likely existing customers are to purchase the product. The goal of a product development survey is to see if the new product or service is profitable and/or receive feedback to make improvements on the product before launching it.
For this survey, you want to show customers a sample of the product you are testing, either in-person or online, including price. Then, ask questions to gauge their reactions to the product and leave space for open-ended feedback. These surveys are best to send to your most loyal customers and your highest spending customers.
5. Usability Survey
Usability Survey Template
Download template in Google Doc, Word and PDF
Usability surveys, or user experience surveys, are used by online businesses to receive feedback on their website to create a better experience for the customer. These surveys usually pop up while a shopper is on your site. They can be multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, or even live messaging that directs shoppers to the information they are looking for.
Sample customer support chat with Freshdesk Messaging
How to Integrate Customer Satisfaction Surveys into Your Business
While there are some specific instructions for each type of survey, there are some general guidelines businesses should follow with any customer satisfaction survey to ensure a smooth and effective process. For example, determining your goal for the survey ahead of time and getting all of your employees on board are crucial steps for a successful survey.
Here are six steps every business should follow when setting up a customer satisfaction survey:
Determine Your Need
Before you begin, it is important to pin down exactly why you need this survey and what insights you want to get out of the survey results. For example, if you are trying to reduce your customer churn rate, a product development survey won’t be as helpful as an NPS survey. By determining your need for the survey first, you can choose the survey type that will give you the most relevant data.
Choose a Medium
After determining your need and choosing a survey type, you need to pick a medium. Will you be sending your survey over email, text, in-app, on paper, or in person? Most surveys are collected over email, but some product development surveys could be done in person. Surveys that measure a website’s ease of use can be done as pop-up surveys on the site itself.
Select a Survey Tool
Once your survey type and delivery method are chosen, it’s time to pick a survey tool that can accommodate the type of survey you are looking to deploy. Obviously, price is a big consideration, but also think about whether this is a one-off survey or if you want to incorporate customer satisfaction surveys into your business indefinitely.
Set a Process
After you have your survey type, medium, and software in place, it’s time to set a process for executing your survey. If you are doing a survey with custom questions, this is when you would sit down and create them. This is also when you determine during which part of the buying process shoppers will receive their surveys. Be sure to show a copy of the survey to your employees, and let them know what their role is in the process if they have one.
Gather Feedback
Now that your survey is in place, start monitoring your results. Check feedback regularly for any common themes or customers service opportunities. If your survey tool gathers and analyzes data for you, make sure your employees have access to see the customer feedback. If your survey tool doesn’t package feedback for you, manage the feedback yourself with a spreadsheet or CRM software and set regular times to share feedback with your staff.
Enact Change
Going through the process of setting up surveys and collecting feedback is only worthwhile if you gain actionable insights for your business. Take the common themes you notice from the surveys to change business policies, better train employees, or adjust your products and services.
Tips for Creating a Customer Satisfaction Survey
Ask One Question at a Time
Make sure there is only one variable in each question. For example, asking “How satisfied are you with our product selection and pricing?” asks customers to rate two separate elements in one answer. This could lead to inaccurate results and customers being unsure of how to answer. The better alternative is to ask separate questions: “How satisfied are you with our product selection?” and “How satisfied are you with our pricing?”
Don’t Require Customers to Answer Every Question
If your survey contains multiple questions, don’t require customers to answer every question in order to complete the survey. If customers are forced to answer a question they are unsure of, they will likely just abandon the survey altogether. Instead, make each question optional and include a space for comments either after each question or at the end of the survey.
Limit Open-Ended Questions
It’s important to have space for comments if customers want to write them, but limit the number of open-ended questions. If your survey feels like work, customers won’t take the time to complete it. Shorter surveys with multiple-choice questions will yield the most response.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I change my survey?
In order to be able to compare survey results over time with accuracy, you need to stick with the same exact survey. So, if you change the introduction to the survey, its delivery method, or any of the questions, you will be essentially starting over with your tracking. That is why it’s important to carefully plan out your customer satisfaction survey before executing.
How often should I send customer satisfaction surveys?
Send out customer satisfaction surveys no more than once per transaction. Sending surveys more frequently than that can become confusing. Generally speaking, you want to send out surveys often enough to have updated information, but not so often that they annoy the customer.
When is the best time to send a customer satisfaction survey?
You want to ask customers for feedback while the experience is fresh in their minds—ideally within 24 hours of their purchase, while they still remember all the details. For online purchases, send the survey a day or two after the customers have received their items.
Bottom Line
Customer satisfaction surveys are an important tool for every business. They collect honest feedback to improve services, increase customer satisfaction, and build loyalty. Customer satisfaction surveys can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be—just make sure that whatever type of survey you use, it is a process you can consistently follow through on. There are many Customer Feedback Software Programs that help automate the process.
