15 Customer Experience Survey Questions & How to Write One From Scratch
Jaby K J
Last Updated: 17 December 2024
13 min read
Whatever the type of survey maybe, asking the right set of questions is what makes it effective. It's the same for customer experience surveys.
Asking the right CX questions can help understand the likes and dislikes of your customers. Moreover, you can understand their expectations.
Now comes the questions - What are the questions to be asked in a customer experience survey?
Don't worry, you have come to the right place!
In this blog, we discuss the importance of CX surveys, how to write questions for them, and, of course, the most asked customer experience survey questions.
Read on!!!
- Why Do Customer Experience Surveys Matter?
- 15 Most-Asked Customer Experience Survey Questions
- How to Write CX Survey Questions?
- Writing CX Survey Questions with AI
TL;DR
- 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience
- It takes an average of 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience.
- Be clear and concise, and avoid jargon while writing CX survey questions.
- Avoid including leading questions to ensure unbiased answers.
- Try to use a mix of open and closed-ended questions to collect detailed feedback.
- Use AI to create survey questions with tools like SurveySparrow.
Why Do Customer Experience Surveys Matter?
Did you know that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience? On top of it, it takes an average of 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience. All the more reason for you to invest heavily in customer experience.
But how do CX surveys come into play? Here are some key benefits of using customer experience surveys.
1. Identifying Customer Needs
Surveys provide insights into what customers value most. This way, it allows businesses to tailor their products and services accordingly. Following such a process can help meet customer expectations and improve satisfaction.
2. Improve Brand Reputation
Regularly asking for feedback shows customers that a business cares about their opinions. This commitment can improve a brand's reputation and set it apart from competitors.
3. Informed Decision-Making
Customer feedback provides a clear idea of what your customers like and dislike. Meaning? You can make decisions to improve your offering that will positively affect the results. Moreover, you will be able to meet or even exceed customer expectations.
4. Tracking Trends Over Time
Conducting surveys regularly allows companies to monitor changes in customer feelings and behaviors. This helps them adapt their strategies proactively rather than reactively.
15 Most-Asked Customer Experience Survey Questions
Before jumping into the questions, below, we’ve got a free customer experience survey template that's ready for you to use. The template is customizable, allowing you to quickly launch the perfect survey for your goal.
Ready to get started? Click below to start using the survey:
Customer Experience Survey Template
Use This TemplateThe following are the fifteen most asked questions in CX surveys. See why they are asked when to ask them, and more.
1. How satisfied are you with our product/service?
Usually scored on a scale of 1 to 5, this question measures how happy your customers are with what you offer. It gives you a snapshot of customer satisfaction and helps you gauge whether your product/service meets their expectations.
A high satisfaction score indicates that you're doing well, while a low score shows where you might be falling short. If many customers give low ratings, you know there’s a pattern worth addressing.
When to use it? Right after a customer uses your product or interacts with your service, such as completing a purchase or calling customer support.
Just keep in mind that satisfaction scores alone don’t give the full picture. Always pair this question with a follow-up (e.g., “Why?”) to get meaningful insights.
2. On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?
This is the famous Net Promoter Score (NPS®) question that measures customer loyalty. It helps you understand whether customers trust you enough to recommend your business to others.
Loyal customers are great advocates, while detractors can highlight problems you need to fix.
- Customers scoring 9-10 are “Promoters” and are likely to spread positive word-of-mouth.
- Scores of 0-6 come from “Detractors” who might switch to competitors or discourage others from using your service.
- Those who score 7 or 8 are "Passives" who are neither happy with the product nor disappointed with it.
You can use it quarterly or bi-annually to track trends in loyalty over time.
3. What’s the main reason for your score?
A follow-up to any scoring question, this one digs into the why behind the numbers. A score by itself doesn’t tell you much. This question lets you discover the specific reasons behind customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
How does it help? It reveals patterns, like recurring issues with product usability or standout features that customers love. The best time to ask this question is immediately after asking a satisfaction or NPS® question.
PRO TIP💡: Try using open-ended feedback. It often uncovers unexpected insights. Pay attention to recurring themes, they’re your goldmine for improvements.
4. Did our product/service meet your expectations?
Expectations are a big part of customer satisfaction. This question evaluates how well you delivered on promises.
The reason to ask this question is to ensure that your product or service is performing as advertised. If the majority of customers say “No,” it’s a clear sign you need to improve your offering or manage customer expectations better.
The right time to ask is after customers have had time to use your product or service.
TIP💡: When customers answer “Somewhat,” it’s often a sign they’re disappointed, but not enough to complain. Proactively address these lukewarm responses.
5. On a scale of 1 (very difficult) to 5 (very easy), how simple was it to interact with us?
This question measures Customer Effort Score (CES), a crucial metric for evaluating how simple or complex it is to deal with your business. The score helps understand the level of effort customers have to put into interacting with your brand.
If interacting with you is too hard, customers will leave, even if they like your product. The right time to ask is right after a key interaction. This can be anything from resolving an issue to completing a transaction.
PRO TIP💡: A low-effort experience builds loyalty faster than a high-effort one, even if the end result is the same.
6. What can we do to improve your experience?
This open-ended question invites customers to share their thoughts on how you can improve. It’s one of the best ways to gather practical, actionable ideas from your audience.
The answer to these questions will help you prioritize changes that will impact customer satisfaction most.
Customers often point out things you’ve overlooked. Even small changes based on their suggestions can lead to big wins. The questions are usually asked at the end of surveys or during customer feedback sessions.
Use AI to Create Your CX Surveys!
Generate questions that are relevant, engaging, and designed to uncover the insights you need to enhance customer satisfaction.
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7. What do you value most about our product/service?
Understanding what customers love about your offering is just as important as fixing what they don’t like. This question identifies your strengths and unique selling points. Thereby, it lets you focus on promoting and enhancing features that customers already appreciate.
The right time to ask this one is periodically or during in-depth feedback surveys. The thing you need to understand is that customers’ perceptions often differ from what you think is your best feature.
Aligning with their views makes your marketing more effective. And this CX survey question helps with that.
8. Have you faced any challenges with our product/service?
Nobody’s perfect, and this question acknowledges that openly. The purpose is to proactively identify and fix issues customers encounter. The question addresses these issues quickly, improves satisfaction, and reduces churn.
After customers have used your product for a while is the right time to ask this question.
Customers might not always be open about their complaints unless asked. This survey question gives them a safe space to share their frustrations.
9. Did our team resolve your issue to your satisfaction?
Customer interactions, especially by the support team, are fruitful only until customer issues are resolved. And that's what this question helps us understand. Was proper support given, and was the quality evaluated?
If many customers answer “No” or “Partially,” it’s a sign that your processes need improvement. A well-handled issue can turn even unhappy customers into loyal ones.
These are usually asked right after a support ticket is closed or a problem is resolved. Just keep in mind that this question is about proactively addressing unresolved issues. Unsatisfied customers often appreciate a follow-up effort to resolve their concerns.
10. How well does our product meet your needs?
This question evaluates how well your product aligns with your customers’ goals and expectations.
It’s important because customers come to you with specific needs. If your product doesn’t meet them, they’ll look elsewhere. Moreover, the answers help you identify gaps in your product offering that can better serve your audience.
When to use it? After customers have had enough time to use your product and experience its features.
Use AI to Create Your CX Surveys!
Generate questions that are relevant, engaging, and designed to uncover the insights you need to enhance customer satisfaction.
14-Day-Free Trial • Cancel Anytime • No Credit Card Required • Need a Demo?
11. Were there any difficulties during your purchase process?
The purchase process is a critical touchpoint for customer experience.
Any hiccups during this stage can frustrate customers and lead to abandoned carts or negative perceptions. This question helps you identify obstacles in the buying journey and make the process smoother and more intuitive.
When to use it? Right after customers complete a purchase or attempt to make one.
PRO TIP💡: Even small inconveniences, like unclear pricing or complex checkout flows, can make a big difference. Fixing these friction points can boost sales and improve customer experience.
12. How long did it take to resolve your issue?
Resolution time is often as important as the resolution itself. Customers value efficiency, and this question helps you measure how quickly your team addresses their concerns.
It gives you insights into bottlenecks in your support processes and helps you improve response times to provide a better overall experience.
Asking after resolving a customer complaint or support ticket would be the best approach here.
13. How well do we understand your needs?
Empathy and personalization are essential to building strong customer relationships. This question measures how well your team or business understands what the customer wants or needs, showing them that their input matters.
When to use it? During ongoing relationships or as part of post-interaction surveys.
Asking this question alone can make customers feel valued, even before you act on the feedback.
14. Is there anything you’d like us to offer that we don’t?
This open-ended question is great for discovering unmet needs and opportunities for innovation.
Customers often have ideas for features, products, or services that you might not have thought of yet. By asking this, you can tap into their insights to guide your development strategy. Periodically or at the end of surveys is the best time to ask this CX survey question.
TIP💡: Look for recurring suggestions. If multiple customers are asking for the same thing, it’s worth exploring its feasibility.
15. How would you rate your overall experience with us?
This is the big-picture question that captures a customer’s general sentiment about their experience with your brand. It serves as a benchmark for tracking customer satisfaction over time and highlights trends in your overall CX efforts.
So when to ask it? At the end of surveys or after significant interactions.
Use AI to Create Your CX Surveys!
Generate questions that are relevant, engaging, and designed to uncover the insights you need to enhance customer satisfaction.
14-Day-Free Trial • Cancel Anytime • No Credit Card Required • Need a Demo?
How to Write CX Survey Questions? Tips & Best Practices
The first and obvious one is to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve from the survey and why you are doing it. So, clarify the purpose of your survey.
Are you measuring customer satisfaction, identifying areas for improvement, or mapping the customer journey?
Knowing your goals will guide your question development. Once you have fixed the goal, follow the listed best practices and prepare the survey questions.
1. Keep the Survey and Survey Questions Clear and Concise
Limit the number of survey questions to avoid overwhelming respondents. A concise survey, ideally 10 questions or fewer, will encourage higher completion rates.
Make sure each question is straightforward and easy to understand. Avoid jargon and complex language. Aim for brevity, questions should be short and to the point, allowing respondents to answer quickly without confusion.
2. Focus on One Topic Per Question
Each question should address a single issue or topic. This prevents confusion and ensures that you receive specific feedback.
For example, instead of asking, "Did you like our service, and would you recommend us?" you should break it into two separate questions.
3. Avoid Leading Questions
Make sure your questions are neutral and unbiased. Leading questions can skew responses by suggesting a particular answer. For instance, never ask, "How great was our service?"...instead ask, "How would you rate our service?"
4. Include a Variety of Question Types
Mix different types of questions to keep the survey engaging. Use closed-ended questions (like rating scales or multiple choice) for quick responses, and include a few open-ended questions to allow for detailed feedback.
5. Provide Clear Answer Options
When using multiple-choice or rating scales, ensure that your answer options are well-defined and cover a broad range of perspectives. This helps respondents choose the option that best reflects their experience.
6. Allow Respondents to Skip Irrelevant Questions
Give participants the option to skip questions that don’t apply to them. This makes the survey experience more comfortable and increases the likelihood of completion.
Writing CX Survey Questions with AI
With everything being done by AI, why not create survey questions with AI as well. The feature comes with the tool - SurveySparrow.
No complex procedures or steps, just add in your prompt and get your survey questions. For example, suppose the prompt goes something like this - Create a survey to measure the overall satisfaction of my product. The tool will do the rest.
The following illustrates the functioning of the feature and how easily you can create surveys with AI.
As you can see, it’s that easy to create survey questions. However, it doesn’t end there. You can delete or add questions to your needs and choose a survey design to create an entire survey.
Meaning?
Create an entire survey from scratch in just seconds…that’s what SurveySparrow is offering. Intrigued yet?
Have a go at the AI feature and see if it lives up to your expectations.
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Jaby K J
Growth Marketer at SurveySparrow
Jaby is a content-led growth marketer with a wealth of experience in the CX content paradigm, crafting and developing B2B SaaS verticals. She excels at turning complex ideas about CX products and digital transformation into engaging stories.
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