A guide to running a customer survey

Putting an end to guessing what your customers think is one of the best gifts you can give your business. And the most direct way to know is to ask. But there's a trap: most surveys are so long, confusing, or boring that almost nobody finishes them. A poorly designed survey doesn't just fail to help, it also annoys. This guide helps you build one people will actually answer.

Pick one thing you want to learn

Before you write the first question, decide what decision you'll make with the answers. Do you want to know if the service was good? Whether they'd come back? What was missing? When the goal is clear, you drop half the questions you were going to add out of curiosity. A focused survey is short by nature.

Keep it short, truly short

This is the most important point. Aim for it to be answered in one to three minutes: that's between four and fifteen closed-end questions and one or two open ones, no more. Once a survey passes three open-text fields, people start abandoning it and writing less and less. Fewer questions almost always means more responses.

Keep your survey as short as possible: the longer it is, the fewer people finish it and the poorer the quality of what they answer.

Choose the question type well

Use mostly multiple-choice questions and rating scales: they're fast to answer and easy to analyze afterward. Pair them with one or two well-focused open questions to understand the why in the customer's own words. Avoid matrix or grid questions: they tire people, invite mindless answering, and lower data quality.

Write clean questions

The way you ask changes the answer. Watch out for these classic mistakes:

• Avoid double-barreled questions: "Was the service fast and friendly?" mixes two things; split them.
• Avoid leading questions: "How excellent was your experience?" already pushes toward yes.
• Use simple, common words, no jargon or acronyms.
• Don't add unnecessary details; go straight to what you want to know.

One question per screen

If the survey is digital, show one question per screen, unless they're closely related or it's a rating followed by a field to comment on the same thing. That way the person gives full attention to each one and doesn't have to scroll up and down. Most people will answer from their phone, so design it for small screens.

When and how to send it

The best moment to ask is shortly after the experience, while it's still fresh: after the appointment, after the purchase, after the delivery. A channel like WhatsApp, where the customer already messages you, tends to get better response than a cold email. If you automate that follow-up message with an agent like Lidia, you can send the survey right after each appointment without having to remember it yourself.

Takeaway

A good survey respects the time of whoever answers it: a clear goal, few questions, simple language, and the right moment. Keep it short and people will tell you the truth; make it long and only the very angry or the very happy will reply. Start with five well-considered questions and improve it with each round.

Sources

• Qualtrics — https://www.qualtrics.com/research/best-practices-question-design/
• SurveyMonkey — https://www.surveymonkey.com/learn/survey-best-practices/survey-question-types/
• Qualtrics Support — https://www.qualtrics.com/support/survey-platform/survey-module/survey-checker/survey-methodology-compliance-best-practices/
• Mailchimp — https://mailchimp.com/resources/survey-design/
• NYU Libraries — https://guides.nyu.edu/survey