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Customer Feedback Strategy: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need

Customer feedback is a fundamental pillar of success. And without a strong customer feedback loop, your customer service strategy is incomplete.

Think of it this way: 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies that offer excellent customer service. But what qualifies as 'excellent' to your customers?

If we don’t know what’s right, we can’t do more of it. If we don’t know what’s wrong, we can’t do less of it. Without customer feedback, we are destined to fail.

And the world's top business leaders agree:

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.

We see our customers as invited guest to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little better.

Customer feedback is the ultimate truth. If you read customer feedback and listen to call center calls, you will really get grounded.

Julia Hartz

On this page, we're discussing the importance of the customer feedback loop in more detail.

Keep reading or select one of the modules below to jump ahead:

Why is customer feedback important?

Why is customer feedback important to your business? What's the benefit of gathering customer feedback?

Well, loyal customers grow a business faster than sales or marketing. 

If we never ask for customer feedback, we'll never understand what drives   customer satisfaction . If we don't know what drives satisfied customers, it will be impossible to create   customer loyalty . 

Don’t believe it? Here are the facts: 

• Consumers are 2.6x as likely to purchase more from a company after a 5-star experience.
• For 94% of consumers , a good customer service experience heavily impacts positive recommendations.
• Increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by between 25% and 95% .

Returning customers, or customer loyalty, is what grows a business. Not a 30-second, $300,000 commercial on NBC.

Here are some other customer feedback benefits:

• Customer feedback helps you understand what you're doing right. What do your customers love and appreciate that keeps them coming back? Well, only your customers can tell you.
• Customer feedback also helps you understand what you're doing wrong. This information can benefit your sales team, service and support agents, your customer success specialists — even your product design team. Have you been seeing lots of product returns or service refund requests? Are you struggling with churn or overall growth? Your customers can tell you why.
• Customer feedback is your best copy. Use your customer's words and opinions to fuel your homepage or landing page copywriting , as it can best connect with what other customers may be looking for.
• Customer feedback makes for great content marketing. You can repurpose customer feedback for blog posts, Q&As, and even knowledge base articles.

It all starts with gathering customer feedback. Before we talk about how to do that, let's unpack some types of customer feedback.

Types of Customer Feedback

• Customer Loyalty Metrics
• Customer Satisfaction Feedback
• Sales Feedback
• Customer Service or Support Feedback
• Customer Preference Feedback
• Demographic Information

All customer feedback is valuable. The type of feedback you collect, however, may vary based on what you're wanting to learn from your customers. Here are six types of customer feedback you may want to ask for.

1. Customer loyalty metrics

Customer loyalty metrics tell you how loyal your customers are to your brand and how likely they are to promote and advocate for it. 

Collect this type of feedback through Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) surveys and similar measures. 

2. Customer satisfaction feedback

Customer satisfaction feedback examines how satisfied your customers are with your products, services, and other interactions with your brand. This type of feedback looks at both functional and emotional metrics, e.g. answers to questions like "How did you use...?" and "How did you feel about...?"

Collect this type of feedback through comment boxes, pop-up forms, and post-purchase forms.

3. Sales feedback

Sales feedback allows customers to share how they felt about their experience with your sales team and throughout your sales process. This type of feedback is critical to helping your sales reps, training, and leadership improve and better connect with your leads and prospects.

Collect this type of feedback through direct, post-purchase phone or email surveys, as well as through follow-up with prospects who didn't close.

4. Customer service or support feedback

Customer service or support feedback is similar to sales feedback, but it instead examines a customer's experience with a service or support rep. It's critical to improving your customer service and support experience and can also provide unique feedback for your product teams regarding design, functionality, and use cases.

Collect this type of feedback through phone or email surveys following customer support tickets.

5. Customer preference feedback

Customer preference feedback simply tells you what products or services (either yours or your competitors') that your customer prefers. This information is helpful in understanding how to better position your products and better target your customers.

Collect this type of feedback by browsing online forums, holding focus groups , and monitoring purchase activity and trends.

6. Demographic information

You may not consider demographic information (such as geographical location) as feedback, but this data can be important for improving your sales and customer service as well as how you position and advertise your products. Demographic information may include location, gender, education level, marital status, and more.

Collect this information through website pop-up forms and post-purchase or post-service surveys.

Now, let's discuss how to collect customer feedback using the customer feedback loop.

What is a customer feedback loop?

There’s a strategic system for gathering and implementing customer feedback:  The A.C.A.F. Customer Feedback Loop.

The customer feedback loop allows businesses to collect customer feedback and then use that feedback to improve the customer experience.

Here’s how it works: 

• Ask for customer feedback
• Categorize the feedback
• Act on the feedback
• Follow-up with customers who shared feedback

Before we dive into the specific steps, let's discuss some customer feedback loop best practices.

Customer Feedback Loop Best Practices

As you work to build out your customer feedback strategy, here are a few best practices for how to create a customer feedback loop that works.

Make sure you are using the right channels to reach your customers.

It's important to ensure you're meeting your customers where they are. After all, you're not going to get a lot of informative feedback if you're running your surveys on social media unless your customers are heavy social media users. If you don't know already, do some research to determine which platforms your audience use the most, and use that data to inform your customer feedback strategy.

Use customer feedback to improve your product or service.

When you collect feedback from your customers, it's important to actually act on that feedback. Customers want to feel like businesses are listening to what they have to say — and that you're invested in making the necessary changes to keep them happy.

Implement changes quickly.

Next, act on customer feedback with a sense of urgency. Try to address the low-hanging fruit (e.g., broken links on your website or outdated knowledge based articles) as quickly as possible. And where you can, be clear about timing for any of the big adjustments (e.g., product improvements or service additions) you're planning to make.

Communicate changes to customers.

Once you make improvements based on customer feedback, let them know. This is your chance to brag about how good you are at giving your customers a voice in their experience with your business.

And don't forget to communicate these changes on all the right channels.

OK, now let's dive into the customer feedback loop steps.

Customer Feedback Loop Steps

Step one: asking for customer feedback.

• Do we need to understand overall trends in our customer satisfaction over time?
• Do we need to identify customer service issues that frustrate customers?
• Do we need to uncover product issues  to improve our product?

In the following sections, we’ll uncover best practices for all scenarios.

1. Questions to Understand Overall Trends in Customer Satisfaction Over Time

1. Understanding overall trends in customer satisfaction over time

To identify overall trends in customer satisfaction, we first have to get a benchmark on how happy (or unhappy) our customers are today . Then we can ask the same question at set intervals to understand how our customer satisfaction changes  over time . This will help us identify trends and solve new customer issues.

The most popular ways to measure overall customer satisfaction trends are:

• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
• Social media monitoring

Let’s break down the pros and cons of each option.

a) Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is growing in popularity for measuring the likelihood a person will recommend your product or service. It’s one question with a scale of 1 to 10:

Not gathering feedback today? Learn more about HubSpot Service Hub's  customer feedback tool .

NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors (customers who would not recommend you) from the percentage of promoters (customers who would recommend you). It’s commonly used as a tactic for measuring customer loyalty . In fact, customers who fall into the "promoter" category tend to have a customer lifetime value (LTV) that's 600% - 1400% higher than those in the “detractor” category.

In addition, according to data from Bain and Company , companies with the highest NPS in their industry tend to outgrow their competitors by at least 2x.

Here are the pros and cons of using NPS:

b) Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is a measurement of how satisfied a customer is with a specific interaction with a company. The question looks like this:

Not gathering feedback today? Try HubSpot’s  free customer feedback tool .

CSAT questions are often asked at the end of live chats or knowledge base articles to get an idea of how helpful the solution was for the customer. We've wrote extensively about the strategy for building a knowledge base , so we’re just skimming the surface here regarding measuring the performance.

Here are the pros and cons for using CSAT:

c) Social media monitoring

Outside of gathering data from NPS and CSAT surveys, you can also listen to what your customers are really thinking about you by using tools like Google Alerts or Mention . They help you identify social and forum mentions of your brand on websites like Facebook, Twitter, Quora, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other third-party review sites.

We asked Joei Chan , Content Marketing Manager at Mention, for her take on why social media monitoring is so valuable:

“People are talking about you and your competitors constantly. They could be asking for help, complaining about a bug, or raving about how much they love you. And you want to stay on top of all those conversations. Your customers' opinions matter, not just to PR & marketing, but to every team — from customer support to product development to sales. But sifting through irrelevant posts on multiple channels is overwhelming and can be a huge time drain. Sometimes it's not even possible when they don't tag or link to you. That’s where monitoring comes in. Monitoring tools make it easy for you to find people talking about you, but not necessarily to you (when they don't @mention your account) — and reach out or take notes when necessary. There are so many business opportunities to uncover if you know where to look.” 

Although there isn’t a specific survey question you can ask, it’s important to get a general pulse on what your customers are saying over time about your company.

Here are the pros and cons of social media monitoring:

[VOTE] How do you monitor trends in customer satisfaction over time?

What's the best way to measure trends in customer satisfaction over time? Vote to see the results from others:

At HubSpot, we use NPS as our primary metric to measure customer satisfaction over time.

However, there are plenty of great arguments against NPS  as well. It’s entirely up to weighing the pros and cons of each potential surveying method and figuring out which method works best for you. Regardless of the question we choose, it’s important to ask the same question at set intervals over time. At HubSpot, we choose to ask our NPS question monthly to keep a pulse on our customer happiness over time.

Asking on a the same question (i.e. NPS) on a consistent basis has two core benefits:

• It identifies specific pain-points in the customer journey.
• It identifies common patterns in happy/unhappy customers.

First, asking the same question helps us spot pains during the customer journey. For example, let’s say after asking the same question we see these results:

The next question to ask is, “Why did customer satisfaction drop during onboarding?”

However, if we didn’t consistently our customers via customer feedback surveys , we would NEVER realize that satisfaction dropped specifically during onboarding.

Second, asking the same question helps us identify common patterns in happy (or unhappy) customers. For example, let’s look at this fake NPS data: 

Let’s say this company wanted to understand demographic patterns of the 3,643 NPS respondents who rated them a 9 or 10 (a.k.a. their NPS Promoters).

They analyze their data and notice that 90% of their promoters were SaaS companies with 200+ employees. Now they use this data to inform their marketing & sales strategy, doubling down on companies that fit this demographic, and start seeing a 20% lift in close rates and a 54% lift in retention.

If they didn’t consistently ask for customer feedback they would not have uncovered these patterns. 

Next, let’s narrow our customer feedback to identify trends from our customer service team.

2. Questions to Identify Customer Service Issues That are Most Frustrating for Customers

The next set of questions are for the customer support and/or customer success leader. They are focused on analyzing how their team is performing.

The most common questions, “ How is my team doing at servicing our customers? Are our customers happy? Are we delivering fast, high quality service?”

For example, after a support rep answers a question, is the customer satisfied? Here are the most common types of questions to ask to find out:

• Customer Effort Score (CES)

As a reminder, Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures the likelihood a person will recommend your product or service.

Not gathering feedback today? Try HubSpot’s free customer feedback tool .

However, does this help us analyze the effectiveness of our support team? Is it an accurate measurement tool compared to other options out there?

Potentially. Here are the pros and cons:

As a refresher, the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) question measures how satisfied a customer is after a specific interaction with a company.

CSAT questions are often asked at the end of live chats or knowledge base articles to get an idea of how helpful the solution was for the customer.

This question shows how happy your customers were with the whole support interaction — from finding your contact information, how long it took for you to answer, the conversation they had with your team, and other follow-up conversations.

Here are the pros and cons: 

c) Customer Effort Score (CES)

Customer Effort Score (CES) helps you measure how much effort was required by your customers to get their problem solved. Here’s the question:

Measuring the difficulty of a problem resolution versus a customer’s satisfaction after the resolution is a slightly different modification to the standard CSAT question we discussed in the previous section. And unlike the NPS question, which emphasizes gaining “promoters” to recommend your business to others, the CES focuses on creating an “effortless experience” for customers.

[VOTE] How do YOU identify customer service issues that are most frustrating for customers?

What's the best way to identify customer service issues that are most frustrating for customers? Vote to see the results from others:

Whether you choose NPS, CSAT, or NPS, the key is asking for customer feedback after a support ticket and/or a live chat is closed.

This helps improve the response rate and reduce bias that could alter the response if the customer feedback survey is sent later.

Aside from improving the customer experience, it also gives Customer Success leaders insight into what team members are the highest performing. You can then reverse engineer qualities of top-performing CSMs to improve training and hire other top-performers.

3. Questions to Uncover Product Issues to Improve Your Product

The final set of questions are typically for the founders, executive teams, and/or product team leaders.

The most common questions include, “ How is my product doing at delivering value to our customers? Are they able to accomplish their goals with our product? How do they like X new feature? Are there any key features missing?”

Success teams and their product counterparts also want to use feedback mechanisms to identify opportunities for improvement in their product. They can do this in a few ways:

• In-app surveys
• Suggestion board

However, does this help us analyze product issues our customers are experiencing?

Potentially. Let’s look at the pros and cons:

The biggest issue with NPS, however, is that it doesn’t dive deep enough into specific product issues. That’s where in-app product surveys can be helpful.

b) In-App Surveys

If you sell a software product, asking for feedback directly inside the app is a fantastic method for collecting product feedback.

It helps you narrow in on specific issues your customers are experiencing. However, it can also feel like paradox of choice since you can ask ANY question. Here are a few example questions that may be helpful to ask:

• “What is {insert product feature} helping you accomplish?”
• “What issues, if any, are you having with {insert product feature}?”
• “What features do you think we’re missing today for {insert product}?”

Regardless of what questions you ask, in-app surveys often help support other commons surveys like NPS. For example,  Steve Palmer , Customer Success & Growth at Knack, likes to combine a quantitative score from something like NPS with qualitative feedback, too:

”NPS is important but we’re interested in more than just a quantitative score. For these reasons, we prefer the Net Promoter Score combined with custom survey questions.”

There are hundreds of in-app questions you can ask. Here are the pros and cons:

c) Feature Request Board

A massive part of build a product is identifying new features customers desire. The easiest way to figure it out? Ask them!

Creating a “feature request board” is a common tool for gauging product feedback from existing customers. For example, here’s the customer feedback board we use at HubSpot to help build our product.

We’ve also seen other companies use Trello as a tool to publicly share their product roadmap. It’s an incredible way to crowdsource feature requests.

Here’s a great example from Loom  — the Google Chrome extension for recording videos in seconds — who shares their roadmap publicly .

According to Joe Thomas , a cofounder at Loom, publicly sharing the product roadmap has these benefits:

"There are two major reasons for publicly sharing what we plan to build for the people using Loom. First, it builds confidence with the people and companies using our software about what will be available and when. Second, it elicits more feedback from people using our software because they see what you're building which means they can agree or contest what is coming next."

Here are a few pros and cons:

[VOTE] How do YOU gather customer feedback to improve your product?

What's the best way to gather customer feedback that improves your product? Vote to see the results from others:

We actually use a mixture of all three of these methods at HubSpot. But we’re always looking for new and interesting ways to gather customer feedback.

The next step in the A.C.A.F. Customer Feedback Loop is categorizing the feedback.

Get early access to free customer feedback software

Step Two: Categorizing Customer Feedback

Congrats! Now you’ve learned how to ask for customer feedback. The next step is finding a scalable system for categorizing the feedback.

If you don’t organize your feedback, it'll probably turn into an endlessly scrolling spreadsheet. Yikes, this hurts my brain just thinking about it.

How do you organize your customer feedback? There are a typically three main categories you can bucket customer feedback into:

• Product feedback
• Customer service feedback
• Marketing & sales feedback

You can also break down each macro category into different subcategories which we’ll cover below. It’s quickly worth noting you’ll save time by using customer feedback software  to help with organizing your feedback — versus compiling data into spreadsheets and running time-consuming PivotTables and VLookups to dissect trends. 

According to Scott Tran, founder of  Support Driven , it's vital to factor in both positive and negative feedback (regardless of category). 

"How can you make good decisions for the customer without listening to customers? You need to listen to the good, the bad, and the ugly feedback to make good decisions."

1. Product Feedback

After you ask for product feedback (the first step in the A.C.A.F. Customer Feedback Loop), you’ll get a massive spreadsheet of information.

However, you’ll want to bucket that into different subcategories. Here are a few of the most common ones:

• Major product bugs.  These are extremely urgent issues that prevent users from getting the core value out of your product. For example, if you have an instant messaging product and users cannot send a message.
• Minor product bugs.  These are minor issues that don’t distract from the core product value. For example, using the same hypothetical messaging product, this would be if your users couldn’t insert a specific emoji into their message.
• Feature requests. We covered feature requests extensively in the previous section of the A.C.A.F. Customer Feedback Loop framework. The next step is prioritizing feedback based on a mixture of volume of requests, potential impact of building that feature, and opportunity costs associated with each choice. Here’s a  great guide from Trello on how to manage feature requests.

You can manually categorize this feedback using a spreadsheet, assigning labels to specific columns, then creating a PivotTable or V-Lookup … but this can be time-consuming.

An easier way is leveraging a customer feedback tool that helps you categorize the feedback by assigning smart tags and bucketing everything into categories automatically. HubSpot offers  customer feedback tool  to help with exactly this.

2. Customer Service Feedback

The next main category is getting feedback about your customer service. The three most common places to ask for feedback is:

• Knowledge base articles
• Email follow-up (after support case is closed)

When you end a live chat you’ll often see a survey:

Or at the bottom of a knowledge base article when you’re done reading:

Or after you closed a support ticket and you get sent a follow-up email:

Regardless of how the feedback survey is sent, all the data will get aggregated into a central place to analyze your customer feedback.

This makes it easy to identify patterns in your reporting to find answers to these common questions:

• "What are the most commonly asked questions?"
• "What knowledge base articles don’t give users the answers they’re looking for?"
• "What is our average response time in live chat?"
• "During what stage in the customer journey do people get stuck?"

Building a sustainable system for analyzing customer service is vital for our business growth. If we don’t know where people are frustrated, we can’t improve our customer service.

If we can’t improve our service, our customers will leave for another company who will.

3. Marketing & Sales Feedback

The final category of organizing customer feedback is focused on your marketing and sales.

Let’s say one of your sales reps mistakenly promised a feature that wasn’t ready for the next six months. After a customer signs a contract, or submits their first monthly payment, that will likely elicit this customer response:

Your customer success team is now destined to get practice on dealing with angry customers . They were promised something by sales that didn’t deliver.

The same can happen with marketing. For example, pretend your marketing team mistakenly writes that your product is compatible with Microsoft Outlook on the website. A customer purchases your product, because it’s supposedly compatible with Microsoft Outlook, which they later learn is not true. That will cause massive headaches for your Support team later down the road.

If you have a tight customer feedback loop for your marketing and sales teams, these headaches will be entirely avoided.

Another strategy for categorizing customer feedback comes from Justin Wilcox of Customer Development Labs . He suggests using Post It Notes to visually categorize different buckets of feedback. 

”The first thing I do is go through my notes and bold the salient points. Then I write up an (online) Post It note for each of the nuggets in one of my interviews. As I create the Post Its, I group common themes together. Once I’m finished creating the Post Its, I usually have quite a mess. To clean that up, I get rid of any Post It that was only mentioned by one customer and keep everything that was mentioned twice or more.  Next, I prioritize the groups of Post Its based on how many customers mentioned those concepts. Finally, I create a summary with the core concepts and screen shots of the Post Its. Now I have an easy to read report of the findings, in order of importance, complete with real customer quotes!"

Step Three: Customer Feedback Analysis

Now that you’ve categorized your customer feedback, it’s time to act on it. The first step is sharing the feedback with these three teams:

• Product team
• Customer Support team
• Marketing and Sales team(s)

You can either share feedback in real time by using email alerts or Slack alerts.

Or you can share the customer feedback at set intervals such as daily, weekly, or monthly digests.

Regardless of when you share the feedback, it’s vital that you do share the feedback. We’ve found that too many times companies ask for feedback but don’t do anything with it.

Why ask for customer feedback if it’s just going to sit idle in a spreadsheet?

We asked  Ellie Wilkinson , Sr. Manager of Customer Success at Moz , how she implements customer feedback from surveys:

”Customer satisfaction survey data is an invaluable source of new ideas to test as well as a great gauge at how to prioritize improvements. Having this kind of data helps us get into the mind of our customers, make a case to try something new, and even estimate the impact that an improvement will have on user experience."

The key is sharing it with the correct teams at intervals (real time, daily, weekly, monthly) they prefer ... regardless of whether it's a new product idea or making improvements on existing products.

Another consideration is who are the people filling out these surveys in the first place. Yes, we should always share customer feedback with the right teams, but sometimes the decision-maker isn't who ends up being surveyed.  We asked  Matt Hogan , Head of Customer Success at Intricately , to weigh in on this topic: 

“The #1 mistake is understanding who controls the power on your customer's end.  The end users could be giving you 10's, but the decision-maker doesn't get surveyed and isn't seeing the ROI. The decision-maker ultimately makes decisions based on quantitative results and not the end-users feedback.  The best way to handle this is to maintain the perspective that this could be happening, and use the end-user's feedback as leverage for getting on the phone with the decision-maker.”

It's important to know who is making decisions on the customer’s side. All too often, we survey people who don’t hold decision-making power, which gives us a skewed view of our data and what we can do about it

The final step is then following-up with customers that have provided feedback.  That’s where most companies fall short.

Step Four: Following Up on Feedback

Regardless of what type of feedback we share with a company, we simply desire two things:

• That it's easy for us to give feedback
• That we feel like our voice is being heard

The first can be solved with customer feedback software . The second is a little tougher.

What's the core problem? People don’t share feedback with companies because they feel like they’re talking to a wall. It's true: 53% of shoppers believe their feedback doesn't go to anyone who can actually act on it.

THAT IS CRAZY!

If we don’t make our customers feel appreciated for their feedback, both positive and negative, they simply won’t give feedback. If we don’t get customer feedback we risk our business failing.

When asked  Curtis Morris , CEO at Qualaroo , he agreed it’s vital to follow up with survey respondents:

“Closing the loop with customers that complete your satisfaction survey is both the most important and most ignored step in a good customer satisfaction campaign.  Ensuring that your team can acknowledge and thank anyone that completed the survey (close the loop) is critical to ensuring that customers will continue to provide you feedback."

If we don't routinely follow-up with customers, we risk losing trust with them. We asked   Nils Vinje , VP of Customer Success at Rainforest QA , to elaborate on this topic: 

” Whether you use NPS or a general customer satisfaction survey, the most common mistake I see people make is doing a lot of work to put the system in place without doing the work to get teams/the company ready to act on the feedback that is collected.  If a customer tells you the exact same feedback twice, meaning you didn't address the issue after they raised it in the first survey, you will lose credibility and they may not be willing to keep filling out your surveys in the future.  You can't act and deliver on every piece of feedback that comes through but you can address every piece of feedback that comes through in some way. Providing a response, even if what the customer is requesting is not something you will do, is always better than no response at all or 'it's on the roadmap.' Be very clear and you will build trust."

But what makes our customers feel like they're being heard?

Well, first things first, they desire a prompt response time. We can do this by:

• Publishing a report with our customer feedback so far and how we’ve implemented it
• Using a public feature request Trello board (like this example from Loom )
• Mailing thank you letters to people who gave you incredible feedback
• Personalizing an email response (beyond a canned template) genuinely thanking them for taking time out of their busy schedules to give feedback

Closing the Customer Feedback Loop

When customers feel like their voices are being heard — and that something will be done about it — they aren’t afraid to share their opinions.

It’s our responsibility as a business to follow up with customers who share feedback. If we don’t, they won’t share feedback later on, and we run a higher risk of business failure because we’re not capturing the good and bad feedback from our customers.

Additionally, if you have thoughts on gathering customer feedback, we’d love to hear from you. Send us a   Tweet over at @HubSpot about how you gather customer feedback.  Good luck!

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Customer Feedback

What is customer feedback?

Types of customer feedback, why is customer feedback important, the customer feedback loop, how to gather customer feedback, when to collect customer feedback, what should you do after you gather customer feedback, handling good and bad customer feedback, omnichannel customer feedback, try qualtrics for free, customer feedback: what, when and how to collect.

30 min read Customer feedback is the best way to gain insights into what drives your customers to buy (and keep buying) from you – but how should you collect it, and which metrics should you use to track your customer experience?

Customer feedback is the information customers provide about their experience with you. It can take a few different forms – customer reviews, social media comments, star ratings, chat interactions, spontaneous email messages, or face-to-face conversations between customers and employees.

Sometimes customer feedback will tell you exactly what is wrong and suggest a solution – or explain what went right and what they loved about the experience. At other times it can take a little more work, through techniques like data processing and key driver analysis , to understand exactly what customer feedback is telling you so you can translate that information into action.

Start collecting customer feedback today with our free survey software

Often when we talk about collecting customer feedback, it’s assumed that the customer feedback in the discussion is explicit. This is where a brand asks a specific query with the aim of generating a score, which we’ll touch upon later.

However, this type of feedback only offers one view of the customers’ opinions – and often, it represents what a customer says they think or will do, not the reality. This is where implicit feedback can be helpful, as it offers you insights into how customers really feel, think, and their actual actions

Customer feedback you can collect includes:

• Structured feedback
• Unstructured feedback
• Solicited feedback
• Unsolicited feedback

There’s often crossover between the above types.

Structured, solicited customer feedback

There are a number of different customer metrics to benchmark and monitor customer feedback that provide us with data that is structured and solicited . These are useful for creating benchmarks and for seeing how your brand is performing on a high level. The most common are:

Net Promoter Score (NPS®)

NPS measures customer loyalty by asking the question: ‘How likely is it that you would recommend X to a friend or colleague?’ It is the most common feedback survey metric – easy to understand, quick to complete, and gives a big-picture gauge of customer loyalty. However, NPS doesn’t provide insights into how customers feel.

CSAT (Customer satisfaction)

CSAT evolved from market research surveys, and is easy to understand, simple to use, and can be rich in insight. By asking: ‘How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the goods/service you received?’ you’ll find out how satisfied your customers feel. Customer satisfaction is vital to retain interest – so this metric is particularly important.

CES (Customer effort score)

CES , as the name suggests, focuses on the effort your customer needs to put in to interact with you. The theory is, that the lower the effort, the happier the customer. CES asks a question like: ‘How easy was it to deal with our company today?’

Learn more about our customer feedback software

Structured, unsolicited customer feedback

This type of feedback is represented in your operational data. Your customers aren’t asked for this directly when you collect customer feedback, but you gather information about your customers when they interact with you.

Unstructured, solicited customer feedback

You request this type of feedback when you allow an open text response on a survey, ask for a response on social media, or conduct an interview with your customers. Although you’ve requested it, it is free in form and driven by your customers.

Unstructured, unsolicited customer feedback

Unstructured, unsolicited customer feedback is the hardest to collect – but it can often be the most indicative of a customer’s true feelings. This feedback will happen organically when a customer calls you, mentions you on social media, types queries into a chat conversation, or leaves a review on a third-party site.

Using all four methods of collecting feedback means you get the full picture of your customers’ views, feelings, and actions. Rather than trusting one type of feedback data to inform you correctly on actions to take, you can see where your customer’s truth lies.

There are so many benefits to collecting customer feedback. Here are just a few:

Alert system

Customer feedback can alert you to failings and inefficiencies in your processes and systems. When you’re tuned into feedback and set up to act on it quickly, it can save you a lot of time and effort by warning you of issues early. In fact, you’ll even be able to solve widespread issues before they arise, meaning customers will remain satisfied .

Performance indicator

When you gather customer feedback at scale across a large base, it becomes a data source that can highlight regions or departments that are doing better or worse than others. You’ll be able to build on what works and fix what doesn’t.

Relationship builder

Inviting, collecting, and responding to customer feedback makes the people who buy from you feel connected and listened to. When you’re visibly engaged with customer feedback on public channels, people can see what kind of business you run and what your values are. They’ll see you care about the customer experience .

Detractor-transformer

When customer feedback is unfavorable, you have a golden opportunity to turn a failing relationship around by closing the loop .

Brand booster

When you listen to and act on customer feedback, you’ll see the results in your brand’s reputation . Along with customer service and product quality, how you handle feedback is a core part of a great customer experience, which in turn builds loyalty and brand value .

Market research tool

Feedback helps you understand your customers better. Not only what they want and what they don’t, but who they are, what drives them, what their lives are like and what they value most. Learn more about market research tools here .

Career development vehicle

Getting feedback on interactions with your employees can provide you with a basis for career development , helping team members build their skills and understand their strengths.

Idea generator

Whether it’s direct suggestions from individual customers or a trend that emerges from your data at scale, customer feedback can act as a springboard for new ideas and directions for product and service development.

There are numerous avenues today for collecting this feedback – from customer communities, to email outreach, to on-site surveys and market research .

An important phrase you’ll hear often in customer feedback programs is the ‘customer feedback loop’ – so before we move on, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with what it is and why it matters.

What is the customer feedback loop?

The ‘loop’ refers to the circular process of gathering feedback, acting upon what you’ve learned, and then asking for feedback again. Because this journey is circular, it describes an ongoing process that never really ends, but that should result in continuous improvement.

The main components of the loop are as follows:

–       Gather

Here you’re looking to gather as much customer feedback as possible, via any or all of the methods we’ll discuss in the next section. You should be collecting feedback that can be interpreted through the lens of “how can we improve?”

–       Segment

New customers might have a different experience from repeat buyers or long-time subscribers, and customers in different locations might be dealing with different customer support teams. So it’s important to be able to segment your feedback into groups that tell a consistent story.

–       Analyze

What are your customers saying about their experiences? Where were they let down? What left them happy? And where along the buying journey were there areas of friction? In this stage, you’re looking for new information, as well as to see how things have changed since your last round of feedback.

–       Act

Running a customer feedback survey or other feedback method is a waste of time if you don’t use the information proactively. At this stage in the customer feedback loop, your number one goal is to ensure that the customer feels listened to by making changes that can streamline processes or fix things that they tell you are problems.

Remember: the end of this four-step process is actually just the beginning of the next one; ongoing improvement is a cyclical endeavor.

Why is the customer feedback loop important?

Implementing a customer feedback loop is how you’ll drive positive change within your organization’s core processes. And doing that has a bunch of important knock-on effects, but these are perhaps the two most important:

It can identify hidden problems

Listening to feedback can sometimes result in a vital reality check. People outside your business, who buy or use your products, are the only people with a truly objective eye on how things operate – so they’ll often point out pain points that people inside the organization overlook.

It reduces customer churn

Fixing issues that you know customers are facing is a surefire way to stop losing them. Customer churn is directly influenced by how satisfied people are with the buying or onboarding process, as well as product quality and the kind of aftersales support on offer. So doing what you can to continually tighten the screws at every stage will make customers want to come back, driving up loyalty.

Did you know…

• 63% of consumers said companies need to get better at listening to their feedback
• 62% of consumers said that businesses need to care more about them
• 60% of consumers would buy more if businesses treated them better

In short? What makes customer feedback important is that acting upon it in the right way can hugely impact customer satisfaction, loyalty, and behavior.

There has never been more choice available for how to collect customer feedback of all types. Omnichannel conversational analytics software like Qualtrics allows companies to engage with customers wherever they are and capture feedback at every customer touchpoint throughout their journey. Developing and enacting a customer feedback strategy is more cohesive than it has ever been.

The benefit is linking customer, market, and employee data together. This provides a more holistic view to the traditional approach where companies engage through just a few channels, often leading to incomplete information about customer preference, behavior, and satisfaction. Below are a few channels you can collect customer feedback.

Reaching customers via their inboxes is a trusted, cost-effective, and familiar way to gather customer feedback. Most people have an email account that they regularly check, meaning your reach potential is large.

Your customer will be used to seeing invitations to give feedback arrive by email, which means they’ll be comfortable seeing your request appear. Another benefit is that they’re likely to feel confident clicking through to a feedback survey from you when it’s from a familiar and trusted email address, and relates directly to a purchase they can remember making.

Like email, SMS is a channel that a lot of people use, even if they’re not enthusiastic users of digital communications – and that means it’s a method that offers plenty of reach within your customer base. It’s also simple and low-cost to implement, although there is more of an expense than with email or social media due to network charges. SMS is great for collecting a small amount of feedback at a time, e.g. for obtaining an NPS score for a single purchase. Quick and easy.

Social media and review sites

One in three consumers opts for sharing their concerns over social media, instead of phone and email support. More and more businesses are now listening actively on social media and using its capacity for measurement and metrics to their advantage.

Besides answering customer complaints, social media and third party review sites are a great place to collect customer feedback via listening and sentiment analysis . Whereas SMS provides an active response to a direct question (for example, how satisfied are you with your recent purchase?), social media and review sites also help yoou gather feedback from customers that was provided indirectly (where a question was not asked). They might tag the brand directly, or share their opinion indirectly with their followers.

But that’s not to say survey feedback isn’t an option, in fact, many consumers are willing to voice their opinions and take short surveys via channels like Facebook and Twitter.

In-product feedback

One of the best ways to understand if your digital product is meeting your customer’s needs is to add a feedback request feature directly in the product interface – i.e. on a home screen or main dashboard. If there’s a product malfunction or issue, this method will allow you to receive a notification about it right away.

Website feedback

There are a few ways to ask for feedback on your website. You could have a feedback tab or dedicated page on your site, or use a web intercept. Dedicated pages are best used for general feedback or to act as a landing page for an email survey link. You can also have a feedback tab, where customers can quickly answer a two-question survey without interrupting their browsing journey.

Web intercepts are best for sites that have a high volume of visitors so you can get feedback while consumers are browsing your site.

In-app feedback

Mobile customer interactions are becoming increasingly popular and companies must capitalize on the ease of submitting in-app feedback . This allows organizations to seamlessly embed key questions and feedback forms in the app itself. Profile and action criteria can ensure the right feedback is solicited at the appropriate time

Interviewing

When you need in-depth, qualitative feedback from your customers, one-on-one interviews with a researcher can be valuable. Although they’re labor-intensive, meaning you can only reach a relatively small number of people, interviews can help you to validate hypotheses and observations you’ve made based on data from a broader population.

They can also help with gaining an understanding of a complete customer experience, as opposed to a part like a checkout or a contact center interaction.

Focus groups

Focus groups offer similar benefits to interviews but are likely to be more in-depth and more structured, as they are led by a moderator who will guide the discussion. You’ll get the benefit of multiple points of view, and may uncover deeper thoughts and ideas than you would with a single interviewee thanks to discussion and debate between participants.

Panel research

Need feedback data in a hurry? Looking for insights from a hard-to-reach population? Or perhaps you want to conduct a customer feedback program over the long term, using answers from the same people (or types of people) each time.

Recruiting or hiring a survey panel gives you the kind of consumer feedback you want when you want it. Panel members are more likely to answer surveys thoroughly and to respond to survey invitations, since they are committed to panel membership rather than taking surveys on an ad hoc basis.

Operational data

Your operational data can give you clues for understanding customer feedback – both the responses customers give you and the actual actions they take. If, for example, your NPS score is high when collecting feedback but you see no recommendations taking place and your customer base isn’t growing, there is a disconnect between what your customers are saying and what they are doing. Unsolicited feedback can help pinpoint this type of gap.

Before collecting feedback, it’s important to determine your goal to ensure you’re getting the data you need. Your survey questions and timing could be drastically different, depending on what you’re trying to measure.

Typically, there are three optimal periods to collect customer feedback:

• Post-purchase evaluation – is feedback from an individual customer at the time a product or service is delivered (or shortly afterward). This type of satisfaction evaluation is often part of a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system and its goal is to cement a long-term relationship with that customer. These kinds of surveys are best delivered within 24 hours of the engagement.
• Periodic satisfaction surveys – provide period-specific feedback from different customer segments. The annual customer satisfaction survey is a good example; these surveys offer occasional snapshots of customer experiences and expectations.
• Continuous satisfaction – tracking uses regular post-purchase surveys (daily, monthly, quarterly), so you can assure a high level of quality over time. This approach lets you capture feedback over the entire customer lifecycle, and you can keep a pulse on how the customer experience is performing. It identifies precisely what to do and when to have the biggest impact on your customer experience.
• Conversational analytics actually continually monitors feedback so you don’t have to worry when and how you’re doing it. The beauty of this approach is that you get ahead of issues before it’s too late and can understand how the journey is affecting emotion, effort and sentiment as and when customers go through it. You’re listening to every customer and getting an accurate picture of what is happening, and why, pretty much in the moment.

Act on it . While it’s great to collect customer feedback and understand your customers, it only makes an impact if you put the data to use. Customer feedback can help improve every aspect of your business, creating outcomes like better product design, marketing that really connects with its audience, more motivated employees, and an increased share of wallet.

Your customer feedback program can help you:

Share customer feedback data with the right people, right away

Customer-centric organizations have buy-in from every department, including the executive team. They understand that one department is not responsible for great customer service , but relevant information must be provided throughout the organization to make better decisions.

Using an experience management system that provides key analytics is essential to getting everyone in the company involved. Using an analytics dashboard you can:

• Track progress against key customer experience and operational targets
• Understand customer behavior, identify friction points and prioritize the key drivers of satisfaction
• Coach teams with data and real-time metrics
• Predict customer behavior and drive customer loyalty

Reports and dashboards can also be sent to individual customer service agents so they can set personal goals and see how they can improve. This creates standards within your organization and holds everyone accountable.

Close the loop with customers

It’s important to always follow up with customers when they initiate a question or complaint. This is called closed-loop feedback and it’s best practice to use ticketing and case management systems to ensure no customer gets missed. By following up with unhappy customers, you can work as a team to resolve the issue quickly and turn detractors into promoters.

Closing the loop has the potential to turn bad experiences into memorably positive ones – expectations that have been lowered by a poor experience can be hugely exceeded when you quickly and effectively reach out and make the problem right. Unhappy customers can be converted with the right approach, and customer feedback is important for informing your strategy.

Closing the loop looks different for different parts of your customer base. When you’re able to segment your customers, you can choose to take a different approach with high-value customers – who might receive a personal contact – than with lower-commitment, more casual customers where an automated contact might be more suitable.

Enhance employee experiences

There is an established link between CX (customer experience) and EX ( employee experience ). It stands to reason that happier and more engaged employees result in happier customers, but what about the other way around?

Customer feedback can benefit your employees in a few different ways. Firstly, it can provide the basis for training and career development – customer input may highlight areas for improvement in how employees offer service, highlight outdated systems or policies that prevent employees from helping customers, or help generate ideas for new approaches or processes.

It can also create value for the employees who work face to face with customers. When an employee receives feedback and is empowered to act on it, they can feel a greater sense of agency and satisfaction in doing their job, as well as a sense of connection to the customer.

Improve your products, services, and processes

As we previously mentioned, collecting customer feedback and gathering data only becomes useful when you use it to make changes within your organization. The ultimate aim of your customer feedback strategy is to not only collect customer feedback but to improve customer service.

To truly extract value from your customer feedback strategy, you need to leverage customer feedback. However, your customer service team might not be familiar with how to address good and bad feedback correctly – and transform customer responses into actionable feedback.

Addressing Unhappy Customers

Though negative feedback is often difficult to receive, it can be very useful for sourcing problems and taking targeted action.

The key to addressing negative feedback is to show empathy and resolve problems. A good strategy for handling bad feedback is as follows:

• Address the customer personally, and thank them for their feedback. Customers don’t want to feel like just another number – and their feedback, even if it is negative, is welcome.
• Apologize and show sympathy. Your support team needs to show they can sympathize with the customer – even if they can’t put themselves in the customer’s shoes. An apology doesn’t mean it was your fault, but it will go a long way to making a customer feel more positive.
• Take responsibility. It might be that the issue wasn’t down to your team – but acknowledging that the customer has had a bad experience that’s caused lousy feedback to be given is important. Reassure the customer that this experience is isolated and that you continue to maintain high standards.
• Correct the issue. Be specific in how you address the issue – and make sure you actually resolve it. Give details and communicate to the customer any changes you’re making as a result of their feedback. If the issue can’t be fixed, inform the customer of resolutions you’re making to avoid it happening in the future.
• Request another chance for their business. The fact that you have received feedback from your customer is encouraging – so ask them if they’d be willing to continue to do business with you. If you’ve used a proactive method of approaching their negative feedback, they may think you’ve done enough of an outstanding job to warrant returning.

Addressing Happy Customers

Positive feedback is always welcome – but you can transform a singular customer success story into an opportunity to increase customer loyalty.

The trick to improving your chances of customer retention is to reward loyal customers for their efforts – and for their responses to your request for customer feedback. A solid strategy to leverage customer feedback is to:

• Address the customer personally, and thank them for their feedback. Customers who have taken the time to give you feedback are much more likely to continue to do so. It’s important to thank them for taking the time to inform you of a customer success story.
• Reward them for providing feedback. Offer your customer a reward for responding to incentivize them to get back to you the next time you’re collecting customer feedback.
• Request further feedback. Ask them about a different aspect of their experience to get a fuller picture.
• Encourage them to follow through on their feedback. Often, even if a customer says they would recommend you, they don’t – so encourage them to do so, making it easy for them to share their view on your brand.
• Offer them further products and services. If they love one product or service and are happy enough that they give you positive feedback, build on that customer success by offering them more of the same.
• Share the positive review with your team and with the wider world. Your customer care team needs positive reinforcement too – and great feedback from real customers helps cement your brand’s good reputation.

Whether feedback is direct or indirect feedback, it’s key that you think in ‘ omnichannel ’ terms. What that means is understanding that feedback doesn’t exist in a vacuum, because neither do your customer interactions.

The relationship you have with your customers spans every touchpoint you can think of – across your owned channels, social media, third-party review sites, support phone calls, and email – and all those interactions combine to paint a picture that’s easy to miss if you’re only focussed on a couple of feedback sources.

The key to bringing all that sometimes disparate feedback together is to employ the right tools…

Omnichannel customer feedback tools

Ok, so you need to collate customer opinions from multiple sources and use it to inform actionable feedback – where do you start? Customer and experience management suites that use AI and natural language processing can automate that daunting task, and use machine learning to help you close the feedback loop.

Using a program like Driver iQ , for example, can help identify key drivers to make your business better. Driver iQ uses financial impact and advanced regression analyses to automatically recommend improvements you can make that have the highest ROI.

If you’re looking to learn more about customer emotion, effort, and intent across interactions and touchpoints, conversational intelligence software can make that a simple process – and one that happens automatically, rather than through rigorous outreach.

Qualtrics is designed to make customers feel heard no matter where or how they speak, turning the complicated minefield of customer reviews, feedback, and conversations into a straightforward route towards improvement  – with clear analytics and pragmatic, actionable suggestions.

How omnichannel customer feedback affects customer satisfaction

Collecting and analyzing any customer feedback is a good start, but tapping into metrics like customer effort score, as well as being able to monitor emotion and intent at specific parts of their journey – and across every touchpoint – is what really separates businesses that listen to their feedback and those that don’t.

That’s because doing so will give you a much clearer view of how certain experiences elicit different responses, which will, in turn, show you what to prioritize, what double down on, and – crucially – how your actions to change those experiences affect customer retention.

What does Omnichannel mean, exactly?

In other words, customer feedback is not only instrumental in generating powerful insights, but also in its ability to inform changes and improve customer satisfaction. After all: happy customers are loyal customers, and they’ll help convince the people in their circles to purchase from you.

That loop – of making positive changes based on a deep understanding of your customers’ experiences – is what drives customer satisfaction. And it’s customer satisfaction that drives organizational success in the long run.

Related resources

Closed-loop feedback 9 min read, listening to customers 14 min read, unsolicited feedback 11 min read, voice of customer analytics 14 min read, customer complaints 12 min read, feedback loop 13 min read, social media feedback 8 min read, request demo.

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How to Ask for Customer Feedback + 20 Free Customer Feedback Templates

• March 4, 2021

Updated: December 12, 2023

Collecting customer feedback is key to knowing what customers think about your business. The way you ask for feedback varies based on your business type and when you interact with customers. 

Ahead, we’ll guide you on the best times and methods to ask for customer feedback. This includes in-person chats, emails, and text messages. Plus, we’ve got 20 free customer feedback templates ready for you to use right away.

When Is the Best Time to Ask Customers for Feedback? 

When and how to ask for customer feedback depends on your industry and business model. 

You can ask customers for feedback at multiple points during the customer journey, including: 

• Following an interaction
• Post-purchase or post-service
• When a customer cancels their service

In real life, you may choose to ask customers for feedback after they’ve signed up for your gym, bought a house, or had their dog groomed.

Following an Interaction 

It’s best to catch customers when their experience with your business is fresh in their minds. Make it a habit to follow up after any interaction a customer has with your business. That could be a conversation with your bookings manager or a treatment at your beauty salon. 

Asking for feedback right away usually means you’ll get a more honest and open opinion. Plus, if you receive negative feedback, it’s easier to rectify it and provide your customers with a satisfactory solution too.

Here are some examples of how you could ask for feedback following a customer interaction depending on your business type: 

• Doctor’s Office (dentists, therapists, and other healthcare providers) – Following an initial consultation, you could ask the prospect whether their questions were answered and if the experience addressed their health concerns. 
• Real Estate – Buyers and sellers have different needs, so it’s important to tailor your feedback request to each segment. Ask buyers following property visits if it matched their preferences as well as when the deal is closed or the search is off. Ask sellers for feedback once they have sold their property or called off the sale. 
• Home Services (plumbers, landscapers, and HVAC) – Service businesses should ask customers for feedback right after a service to check that customers are happy with the result.
• Insurance Agency – Brokers should check in with customers after confirming their plan or making a claim to check that they’re happy with the outcome. 
• Law firm – Lawyers could ask for feedback following an initial consultation, once a case is resolved, or when a client leaves their service. 
• Assisted living facility – Receptionists and caseworkers should ask for feedback from both patients and relatives. They could ask for feedback once a person has moved into the facility, a few months after, every couple of months, and if someone leaves their service. 
• Storage facility – Salespeople and receptionists should request feedback when a new customer joins the service, a few months into a subscription, and if someone leaves the facility for a competitor. 
• Salon – Beauticians or receptionists should ask customers for feedback right after treatment. 

It’s important to train your staff on how to ask customers for feedback in a polite, natural, and personal way. Team members should regularly ask customers for feedback and consider how to best approach them. They can then supplement feedback requests with software like GatherUp to help them follow up, gather, and manage feedback types in real-time.

Post Purchase or Post Service Completion

Another key moment for asking for customer feedback is following a purchase of a product or service from your business. 

For example, local grocery stores could send out a quick customer feedback request following a customer’s weekly shop. A quick “How did we do today?” can go a long way. You could also ask customers more specific questions about wait times, the quality of customer service, and if they found everything they were looking for. 

Real estate agents should ask customers for feedback once the deal is complete or the search is over. It would feel a little premature to ask for feedback midway through the process. 

Read more: The Untapped Value of Real Estate Agent Reviews

Customer satisfaction surveys are a great way of getting specific feedback from customers.

Check out our guide to creating an effective customer satisfaction survey and try out our 20 recommended survey questions.

When a customer cancels their service 

For many businesses, the absence of negative feedback is a sign of customer satisfaction. But, only 1 in 26 unhappy customers complain, the rest often say nothing and then leave your business for a competitor. 

While unhappy customers are more likely to leave quietly than provide negative feedback, proactively asking them for feedback may help you understand where your business may be falling short of expectations. 

If you’re able to quickly identify solutions, you may even be able to prevent those initially unhappy customers from churning and going elsewhere. 

Understanding why customers dropped your business can also help you implement better customer experience strategies moving forward so that you retain future customers.

For example, gyms should always ask for feedback via an exit survey if a regular visitor drops off or cancels their subscription. Law firms and doctors’ offices that may have a set of regular visitors should remember to ask for feedback if a customer suddenly leaves the service.

Tag your exit surveys within GatherUp to help identify the type of customer feedback you’re dealing with. 

How can you ask for customer feedback? 

Now you know when to ask for feedback, let’s look at how to ask for customer feedback through different communication channels.

Each type of feedback is better suited to different businesses. For instance, a doctor’s office may be best suited to requesting feedback on flyers while a reservation-only restaurant may prefer to text customers feedback requests using the number that was used to make the reservation.

It’s important to test out different communication methods to see what your target audience prefers. 

Some feedback types work best for certain businesses: 

• Law Firms – Email
• Restaurants – TextBack, text
• Real Estate – Text, Email 
• Home Services – Text, Email, TextBack
• Doctors’ Offices – Face-to-face, TextBack, email 
• Gyms – Face-to-face, text, email 
• Salon – Text 
• Assisted Living Facilities – Face-to-face, email 

Asking for feedback face-to-face

If your business is customer-facing, you could ask customers directly how they feel about your business or provide them with a paper questionnaire.

At a local grocery store, the cashier could ask if the customer found everything they were looking for. Simple exchanges like this can be valuable for understanding how customers generally feel about your business. 

You can also use face-to-face exchanges as an opportunity to remind customers that they will receive a text or an email later requesting feedback from them.

Some businesses like home health services or doctor’s offices may deal with older customers who are less familiar with the technology. So ask them to share their thoughts via a paper questionnaire. 

Asking for feedback on social media

If a customer posts about your business on social media, you could leave a link to a feedback form for them to fill in. Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook also make it easy to run simple polls. You could use these as an opportunity to gauge satisfaction around new location openings or new product launches.  

Requesting a third-party review

When customers leave positive feedback, via a survey or email, ask them to leave a quick review on a third-party website. These reviews help market your product or service to potential customers. 

Identify the best third-party review websites for your business. For example, Google Reviews is popular with local businesses. Yelp is another site that’s popular with restaurants. 

To encourage people to leave reviews, you could add a call-to-action button to the footer of your email newsletter. 

Posting a feedback form on your website 

Adding a pop-up survey or feedback form on your site is a great way to encourage customers to leave feedback anytime. Make the form short and easy to fill in to increase your chance of responses. 

Stick to around five questions and consider offering an incentive to customers. An incentive could include entry to a prize draw to win a $200 Amazon voucher or similar. 

Requesting feedback via email

When you send out feedback surveys by email, make sure to personalize requests to your customer or a segmented customer group. Address it to the customer’s first name and sign the email off with a team member’s name. Always send your customer feedback request from a real person and not from the customer support team through a generic email like [email protected] . 

If you have an email subscriber list of loyal customers, consider sending out feedback requests at regular intervals. 

10 Email templates for requesting Feedback

1. post-sale email template .

Strike while the iron is hot and send a customer this request for feedback immediately following a purchase:

Dear Alice, 

Thank you for purchasing a Toyota Corolla at Smith’s Car Dealership – we hope you’re happy with your new car! 

We’d love to know how you found the experience of purchasing a car with us, so would like to invite you to take our customer satisfaction survey – it will only take 2 minutes and will be invaluable for helping us improve our service!

Thank you so much,

Joe Smith, Founder of Smith’s Car Dealership

2. General feedback email template

After someone has been a customer of your business for a while, send out this email to encourage them to share their valuable insights. Include an incentive to increase the chance of them completing the customer satisfaction survey:

Dear Bill, 

We’re always looking to make ABC Insurance exactly what you need for your insurance needs. As a valued customer, your feedback helps us decide which services to improve and which new features to add to our insurance policies. 

We would love some feedback to help us make ABC Insurance the best it can be. Take our survey before March 15th, and we’ll enter you into a giveaway for 3 months of free home insurance (terms and conditions apply). 

Thank you, 

Mark, Director of ABC Insurance

3. Post-hotel stay email template

Send out a quick request for feedback no later than a few days after a guest’s stay in your hotel. Personalized details help your message stand out and may encourage guests to complete the survey: 

Dear Chris, 

Thanks for staying at Swan Lodge. We appreciate you choosing us for your Thanksgiving Holiday plans. 

To help us improve, we’d love to ask you a few questions about your stay. It’ll only take 5 minutes, and it will help us make Swan Lodge even better for you and future guests. 

Lindsey, Bookings Manager at Swan Lodge

4. Review request email template 

Local reviews are a great way of publicizing your customer feedback and boosting your business’s credibility in the local area. Request an online review with this template: 

It’s been great doing business with you. Thank you for being a loyal customer for the past 2 years! 

As you may know, lots of people like you rely on online reviews to find great local doctors. With that said, we would love it if you could leave us a quick review on Google. 

You can find the page by clicking on this link to leave your review and help other people like you find a doctor who cares about their wellbeing. 

Thank you again! We appreciate it. 

Dr. Matthew Smart

5. Lost customer feedback request email template

Customers often leave businesses in silence, but catching them before they go to a competitor is key to accessing some valuable customer insights. It can be tough to write to customers who have left your business, so try this simple template: 

We’re sorry to see you cancel your subscription with us at CrossFit Xtreme. As a small locally-owned gym chain, I care deeply about our gym goers’ experience and wanted to take the chance to see if there’s anything we could do to improve our classes. 

If you have 2 minutes to spare, I’d love for you to complete our survey. If you have any other details to share that aren’t on the survey I’d love to schedule a call with you. 

We hope to see you at CrossFit Xtreme again soon!

Brad, Founder and Owner of CrossFit Xtreme

6. Post-service completion email template

As soon as your business completes a service for a customer, make it a habit to send out a quick personalized survey requesting some quick feedback: 

Thanks again for trusting Boston Air Conditioning Services to install your brand-new unit. Your business means a lot to us, and as a loyal customer, we’d love to know your thoughts when it comes to what we could do to improve our services. 

We’d appreciate it if you could answer a few questions about our quality of service and your overall satisfaction with the job. Here’s a link to our survey – don’t worry, it won’t take more than 5 minutes. 

Have a great rest of your day!

Andrew, Lead Technician

7. New business feedback request email template 

If your business is new and welcoming its first few customers, it’s a great moment to reach out for a few lines of customer feedback about your initial offering:

Hey Gavin, 

Thanks for giving Jake’s Juice Bar a try! We’re new to the area and would love to know your thoughts on our bar. Let us know anything from our juice menu to our music choice. 

Complete this quick survey and be in with a chance of winning a three-month supply of daily juice! 

Jake, Founder of Jake’s Juice Bar 

8. New customer feedback request email template

New customers can provide a fresh perspective on your business and help you understand why customers are choosing you instead of the competition: 

Hi Harvey, 

Welcome to May Law and Partners. We’re always interested in learning what new clients look for when they choose us to represent them. If you’re open to sharing, I’d love to know what initially brought you to our site. When you have a moment to spare, I’d appreciate you taking our survey. 

Anything that you’d like to share would be much appreciated!

Jessica, Partner of May Law

9. Post-meal customer feedback request email template

Following a restaurant reservation, send out a simple feedback request that may include a survey asking customers if they’d recommend your restaurant to a friend and how they rated the meal: 

Hey Isabel, 

It was great to see you at Jones Grill & Bar this evening. We hope you had an awesome time and that we’ll see you again soon. 

It’d be great to hear what you felt we did and what could be improved for next time. If you have a moment to fill in our survey we’ll enter you into a prize draw for a three-course dinner for two. 

Carly, Jones Grill & Bar Restaurant Manager

10. Regular customer feedback request email template

If you have a subscription-based business, you should check in with your customers every few months to see how they feel about their subscription and its value:

We’re curious to find out how you feel about the gym membership you started three months ago. Do you think it’s helping you reach your fitness goals? 

Take a moment to fill in our survey, and we’ll give you a personal training session with us to say thanks!

Keep up the great work!

Chad, FitnessOne Gym Manager

Read more: 10 Ways to Get More Reviews

25 Customer feedback templates for requests

5  steps for getting valuable customer feedback.

Knowing how to approach customers in the right way makes all the difference when it comes to gathering meaningful customer feedback. 

First, you must understand why customers don’t automatically leave feedback. People are busy and don’t always want to spend 5 or 10 minutes providing your business with free insights. 

Help customers to see their input means a lot to your business, and you’ll receive more feedback.

Step 1: Personalize your approach 

If you’re relying on text messages or emails to request feedback, always personally address them to customers and make them relevant to each individual. 

Instead of asking open-ended questions like ‘How do you feel about our business’, make them specific to the service or product the customer bought. Ask customer feedback questions along the lines of ‘What would you like to change about our product?’ or ‘How could we improve our in-store customer service?’

Step 2: Explain why customer feedback is valuable 

Everybody likes to feel helpful. Highlight how feedback is invaluable for improving your business’s offering. You could say that you plan to launch a new line of products or add new features to your services. 

Step 3: Keep it brief

Most people don’t relish the idea of completing 20-question long customer satisfaction surveys. To ensure higher completion rates and lower drop-off rates, keep your survey to around 4 or 5 questions. 

NPS surveys (net-promoter-score) are also a great way of keeping feedback requests short and sweet. All customers need to do is to say on a scale of 1-10 how likely they are to recommend your company to a friend. 

Include an option at the end to provide more feedback if customers want to, but don’t make it obligatory. 

Step 4: Provide an incentive 

Providing customers with an incentive like a discount, entrance into a prize giveaway, or similar can be a great way of encouraging them to provide meaningful feedback. Rewarding customers will help encourage them to invest some time into completing your survey. 

Remember that you can only offer incentives for internal feedback. You cannot incentivize a 3rd party review as this goes against the regulations set out by most review sites. So if you’re using GatherUp and asking for feedback with an incentive, turn off the review request links. 

Step 5: Say thank you and follow-up

Always thank your customers for taking the time to provide their valuable insights and opinions. You should follow up with any critical feedback to clarify any details and get further insights. 

Who should ask for customer feedback? 

Depending on your business’s structure and industry, certain people will be best placed to ask customers for feedback. Generally, team members in a customer-facing role should ask for customer feedback. 

Here are some examples of who that person could be depending on your business type: 

• Real Estate – Agent or receptionist
• Doctor’s Office – Receptionist or doctor
• Home Services – Technician or doctor
• Car Dealership – Salesperson, receptionist, or customer support agent
• Insurance Brokers – Salesperson or receptionist
• Restaurant – Waitstaff, restaurant manager, or booking manager

Once customer feedback is collected, it’s then important that it’s properly logged and reported to the right person. 

GatherUp can help you store all of your customer feedback, data, reviews, and surveys in one place. Get a full picture of your business through the eyes of your customers and begin to implement customer feedback and better manage customer experience. 

Collect customer feedback and ask the right questions with GatherUp

Asking for customer feedback in the right way is vital for survey and review completion rates When done right, you’ll also receive more meaningful insights and even boost customer loyalty. When customers feel valued and that their insights will improve your business, they’ll be more likely to share their honest thoughts. 

Asking for valuable feedback doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by choosing the right moment in the customer journey and then use one of our templates. 

Ask for feedback regularly, and you’ll be on your way to improving the customer experience.

How to ask for customer feedback FAQ

What is the best way to ask for feedback .

The best way to ask for feedback is to make it easy and convenient for your customers. You can use methods like short online surveys, feedback forms on your website, or quick polls on social media channels. It’s important to ask clear questions that are easy to understand. 

Also, let your customers know that their opinions are valuable and will be used to improve your products or services. Remember, the easier and more straightforward it is for customers to give feedback, the more likely they are to respond.

How do I write a customer feedback survey? 

When writing a customer feedback survey, follow these steps: 

• Start with clear and simple questions that focus on what you want to know. 
• Use a mix of question types like multiple choice, rating scales, and short answer questions. 
• Make sure the survey isn’t too long––about 5-10 questions usually keep response rates high. 
• Begin with more general questions and then move to specific ones. It’s also a good idea to include a question at the end that lets customers share any additional thoughts or suggestions. 
• Always thank them for their time and feedback, and assure them that their opinions will help you improve your product/service.

How do you ask for feedback if it’s not a good experience? 

When asking for feedback after a not-so-good experience, follow these steps:

• Acknowledge that their experience wasn’t up to the mark and express your commitment to making things better. 
• Ask specific questions about what went wrong and how it affected them. This shows that you’re genuinely interested in learning from their experience.
• Encourage honest feedback by saying that all customers’ opinions are valued and will be used to prevent similar issues in the future. 
• Remember, handling negative feedback well can turn an unhappy customer into a loyal one.

Holly Stanley

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24 powerful customer satisfaction survey questions (+ templates)

Customer feedback surveys are important because they give you an insight into what your customers are thinking and feeling. This information can help you make decisions about your product, your customer service, and your overall business strategy. Customer satisfaction surveys (CSAT) are an important way to measure how your customers feel about their experience with your company.

Creating customer satisfaction surveys is reasonably straightforward, but you have to make sure you’re asking the right questions. If you ask too many questions, customers won’t fill out the whole survey. Ask the wrong questions, and they won’t tell you what’s really happening with your business.

To help you create a survey that will get you the high-quality customer feedback you need, we’ve put together a list of more than 20 customer satisfaction survey questions. We’ve also included some example CSAT survey templates you can use to measure customer satisfaction and get started today.

Why customer satisfaction surveys are important

Customer satisfaction surveys help you to understand your customer’s needs and wants. They also allow you to track customer satisfaction over time, so you can see if your company is making improvements. Additionally, customer satisfaction surveys can help you identify areas where your company needs to make changes.

This is important, because customer satisfaction data shows that satisfied customers are more likely to be repeat customers and continue doing business with you. They’re also more likely to refer new customers by telling their friends and family about your company. On the other hand, dissatisfied customers are more likely to take their business elsewhere.

We’ve written a “What Is CSAT?” guide that explains the customer satisfaction survey format in more detail.

What makes a good customer satisfaction survey question?

The questions you ask in your survey can make a big difference in the quality of the data you collect. There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re creating customer survey questions:

Make sure the questions are relevant to your business

You want to ask questions that will help you understand your customer’s experience and how you can improve it. For example, “How easy is it to find the customer service number on our website?” is a relevant question for a company that offers customer service.

Keep the questions short and simple

The survey should be quick and easy for customers to fill out. Customers are more likely to answer short, simple questions than long, complicated ones. So avoid long, complicated questions. For example, “How would you rate the customer service you received on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best?” is a simple question that can be easily answered.

Aim to make questions specific

Vague questions won’t give you the specific data you need to improve your customer’s experience. For example, “How was your customer service experience?” is too vague. A better question would be, “How satisfied are you with the customer service you received?”

Avoid asking leading questions

Leading questions are those that suggest a particular answer. For example, “Was our customer service friendly?” is a leading question because it suggests that the customer service was friendly. Leading questions can bias your results.

Make sure that questions are clear

Ambiguous questions can be confusing for customers and lead to inaccurate answers. For example, “How do you feel about our customer service?” is an ambiguous question. A better question would be, “How satisfied are you with the customer service you received?”

Now that you know what to keep in mind when creating your survey questions, let’s take a look at some customer feedback survey sample questions you can use to measure customer satisfaction.

20+ customer satisfaction survey questions to get better feedback

CSAT surveys can unlock valuable insights for companies that use them, but if you’re not asking the right questions, you won’t get the accurate data you need to make better decisions. Or, as we like to say, “The quality of the data is only as good as the quality of the questions.”

It’s important to remember that sharing good feedback is hard. Customers rarely enjoy filling out surveys, so it’s your job to make sure that questions are clear, concise, and relevant.

Writer’s block is common when it comes to customer satisfaction surveys, so we’ve compiled a list of consumer satisfaction survey questions that you can use as a starting point.

Questions to understand the experience

Understanding how people experience your product or service is key to understanding customer satisfaction. By asking these types of questions, you can identify areas where your customer experience could be improved. This can also help you better meet your customer’s needs.

• 1. How satisfied are you with the quality of the product/service?
• 2. Did our product/service meet your expectations?
• 3. How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or family member?
• 4. How satisfied are you with the speed of our product/service?
• 5. How satisfied are you with the price of our product/service?

Questions about specific touchpoints

These questions can help you understand how your customer feels about specific touchpoints in their customer journey. By asking these types of questions, you can identify moments of delight, points of friction, and customer pain points.

• 1. How easy was it to find what you were looking for?
• 2. How easy was it to purchase the product/service you were looking for?
• 3. Did you experience any issues when using our product/service?
• 4. What was your overall impression of our product/service?
• 5. What was the most memorable part of your experience?

Questions about customer demographics

By understanding your customer’s demographics, you can tailor the customer experience to better meet their needs. These types of questions can also help you segment your customer base and target your marketing efforts.

• 1. What is your age?
• 2. What is your gender identity?
• 3. Where do you live?
• 4. What is your approximate annual income?
• 5. What is your employment status?
• 6. What is the highest level of education you have completed?
• 7. Do you have children under the age of 18?
• 8. What is your marital status?
• 9. What is your primary language?

Questions about personal preferences, behaviour and desires

While demographic data can help you understand your customer base, it’s also important to understand how they behave and what motivates them. Taking psychographic information into account, like personal beliefs and values, allows you to develop experiences that people will remember.

• 1. What is the most important thing to you in a product/service?
• 2. What type of product/service do you usually purchase?
• 3. What would motivate you to purchase our product/service again?
• 4. What is your favourite thing about (the industry related to your product/service)?
• 5. Is there anything you don’t like about (the industry related to your product/service)?

Customer satisfaction survey templates

Now that you know what customer satisfaction questions to ask, it’s time to put together your survey. To make things easier, we’ve created some customer satisfaction survey examples and templates that you can use as a starting point.

Basic CSAT survey template

This basic customer satisfaction survey template can be used to collect feedback about any type of product or service. Choose this customer satisfaction questionnaire template if you need a great starting point for creating your own customer satisfaction survey.

Get template

Retail survey template

This CSAT template is designed specifically for retail businesses. It covers all the key areas that are important to customers when they’re shopping, such as customer service, product selection, and value.

Restaurant survey template

This template is designed specifically for restaurants and the food service industry. It covers all the key areas that are important to customers when they’re dining out, such as food quality, service, and value.

Hotel survey template

This guest survey template is designed specifically for hotels. It covers all the key areas that are important to customers when they’re staying at a hotel, such as cleanliness, comfort, and value.

Banking survey template

This customer satisfaction survey is designed specifically for banks. It covers all the key areas that are important to customers when they’re banking, such as customer service, fees, and accessibility.

Event survey template

This CSAT template is designed specifically for events. It covers all the key areas that are important to customers when they’re attending an event, such as the venue, food, and entertainment.

Spa/Salon survey template

This CSAT survey template is designed specifically for spas and salons. It covers all the key areas that are important to customers when they’re getting a spa or salon treatment, such as customer service, cleanliness, and value.

Barbershop survey template

This customer satisfaction survey is designed specifically for barbershops. It covers all the key areas that are important to customers when they’re getting a haircut, such as customer service, quality of the haircut, and value.

Client satisfaction survey template

For client satisfaction survey examples specifically designed for businesses that work with clients, check out this template. It covers all the key areas that are important to clients, such as customer service, quality of work, and value.

IT help desk survey template

This questionnaire covers the essential IT help desk customer satisfaction survey questions. IT department customer satisfaction survey questions can be very specific, so it’s a great starting point for creating your own customer satisfaction survey for an IT help desk or support team.

We add new customer satisfaction survey samples every week. Sign up to get alerts whenever new a customer satisfaction survey form sample is added.

Sign up — It’s free

Remember, the survey is just the start. Once you’ve collected customer feedback, it’s important to take action on the results. Use customer satisfaction survey results to improve the customer experience, increase customer loyalty , and boost your bottom line.

How do you write a customer feedback survey?

Follow these four principles to write a good customer feedback survey.

• Keep it short: customer surveys should be short and to the point.
• Ask the right questions: make sure you’re asking questions that will actually give you useful insights into customer satisfaction.
• Make it easy to respond: make sure the survey is easy to complete, with clear instructions and obvious answers.
• Follow up: once you’ve collected customer feedback, make sure you take action on the results.

What are some good customer satisfaction survey questions?

The best customer satisfaction survey question is usually the most obvious - “How satisfied are you with our product/service?” - allow customers to answer this using a rating scale, then follow-up with additional questions that allow them to tell you greater details using their own words.

How effective are customer satisfaction surveys?

Customer satisfaction surveys are a powerful way to collect customer feedback. The insights that you gain from a good customer experience survey/questionnaire can help you improve customer satisfaction, increase customer loyalty, and boost your bottom line.

Why are surveys good for customer satisfaction?

Surveys alone aren’t going to magically improve customer satisfaction. But they are a powerful tool that, when used correctly, can give you valuable insights into your customer’s needs and wants.

Using surveys as part of your customer success and marketing strategy will enable you to make data-driven decisions that will improve customer satisfaction

How often should you send customer satisfaction surveys?

How often you should survey customers will depend on your business and customer needs. If you’re just starting out, you may want to send a survey after each customer interaction. As you get more data, you may want to send surveys less frequently.

A good rule of thumb is to send a customer satisfaction survey at least once a quarter, or after any major customer service interaction.

How do you create a customer satisfaction survey?

Creating a customer satisfaction survey is easy with a dedicated feedback platform, such as TRACX . The benefits of using an all-in-one tool are that it’s easy to create beautiful surveys that are optimised for customer engagement, and you can easily track and analyse customer feedback over time.

What are the types of survey questions?

Most survey questions will fall under one of three main categories:

• Open-ended questions - These are questions that allow the customer to answer in their own words. They’re great for understanding customer sentiment, but can be difficult to analyse.
• Closed questions - These are questions that can be answered with a yes/no or multiple choice answer. They’re easier to analyse, but may not give you as much detail as open-ended questions.
• Likert and Rating scale questions - These are questions that ask the customer to answer on a scale, such as “Very Satisfied” to “Very Unsatisfied”. They’re easy to analyse and a good way to segment customer feedback quickly.

Read more about the different types of survey questions .

Does customer satisfaction impact your Net Promoter Score?

Your Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric that measures how likely your customers are to recommend your product or service to others. It’s calculated using a special survey, called an NPS survey.

Customer satisfaction is just one of the factors that can impact your Net Promoter Score. Other factors can include customer engagement, customer effort, and customer retention.

Does customer effort impact your Customer Satisfaction Score?

Yes, your customer effort score can have a big impact on customer satisfaction. In fact, customer effort can be as good as NPS when it comes to predicting customer loyalty.

How do you improve customer satisfaction?

There are many ways to improve customer satisfaction. One of the easiest ways to start is simply by asking for feedback on a regular basis, and making sure that you act on it.

How do you guage customer satisfaction?

A good way to gauge customer satisfaction is through the use of CSAT surveys. To learn more about what CSAT means, we recommend starting with our “What is CSAT” guide .

Co-founder, TRACX

Tom is the co-founder of TRACX, a no-code marketing platform that allows local business owners to collect customer feedback and create engaging marketing campaigns. With over 17 years of experience in entrepreneurship, product development, and marketing for businesses large and small, Tom is currently responsible for developing product and marketing strategies for TRACX.

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The customer feedback guide: analyzing and collecting customer feedback (and using it to grow)

At Hotjar, customer feedback is at the core of what we do. We want all of our team members to obsess over the wants, needs, and opinions of our users and customers, and in turn, we encourage our users and customers to obsess over their users and customers. It’s a virtuous cycle where everybody can have the best experience possible.

There are no quick hacks or fancy solutions here: the most direct way to find out what’s working (or not) for customers is by simply asking them. In this article, we show you why you should collect feedback from customers, how to do it, and how to use that information to make positive changes.

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Table of contents

What is customer feedback, 11 reasons why collecting customer feedback is important, which customers should you collect feedback from.

13 ways to collect customer feedback

6 follow-up actions for customer feedback

How to start collecting customer feedback with hotjar.

Customer feedback is the information a business collects directly from its customers about their preferences and experiences with a product or service. Customers can share their opinions through surveys, interviews, and other channels to tell a company whether they’re satisfied or dissatisfied. Customer feedback allows any business to learn directly from its customers; the information can then be used to enhance products, optimize  sales funnels , and  improve the customer experience .

Nobody has better firsthand knowledge of your business than your customers. Collecting customer feedback gives you the opportunity to leverage that expert knowledge into better service, better sales, and a better product in at least 11 different ways:

Understand what drives customers to your website

Understand what stops your customers from converting

Understand what persuades your customers to convert

Improve your product

Improve your website

Improve your sales and customer service

Measure customer satisfaction through customer feedback surveys

Build customer relationships and show you care

Improve customer retention

Fine-tune your pricing strategy

Understand your competition

1. Understand what drives customers to your website​

Instead of guessing or assuming why your visitors have reached your site, learn about what drove them there.Collecting feedback in the form of  psychographic data  on your customers’ goals, desires, and interests gives you a better understanding of why they need your services. By looking beyond your metrics and asking respondents to describe what they are looking for, and why they want it, in their own words, you can find out what problems your visitors are trying to solve—and how you can help.  

2. Understand what stops your customers from converting

Barriers are the obstacles that prevent your customers from engaging with your product as planned. They could be physical (website errors), practical (a lack of information), or even psychological (shame or fear).

Collecting feedback in the form of  open-ended questions  (“What is stopping you from buying today?”, “How easy did we make it for you to do what you wanted to do?”) helps you determine how much effort a customer has to exert to use a product or service, find the information they need, or get an issue resolved—so you can focus on removing these barriers.

3. Understand what persuades your customers to convert

In contrast to barriers, hooks are the aspect of your website that persuade potential customers to take action. When you get feedback from your customers about what convinced them, you can discover the most effective hooks and emphasize them on your website to increase  conversion rates .

4. Improve your product

If you don’t know how to improve your product, let your visitors tell you! With feedback, you’ll hear directly from your users and customers where your biggest room for growth is. 

Ultimately, the most useful and intuitive products are created through a customer-centric design process (here is  an example of the process we use to build and improve Hotjar ) that uses customer feedback to align products perfectly to the customer’s needs.

5. Improve your website

The easier it is to use your website, the more likely visitors are to convert or recommend you to others. You can collect customer feedback about your website in a variety of ways and use it as a roadmap for how to optimize your website—from placing a small feedback widget on each page of your site to running full-scale  usability testing .

6. Improve your sales and customer service

Polling customers helps you evaluate the effectiveness and helpfulness of your sales and/or customer service representatives. In this context, a  Customer Effort Score calculation  helps you determine how easy, or difficult it is for customers to resolve any issues they encounter when doing business with you—studies show that  low effort is the strongest driver of customer loyalty , so this is something you definitely need to be on top of.

7. Measure customer satisfaction

You can use customer satisfaction outside of customer support! By running  customer satisfaction surveys  across your site or via email, you can find out how happy your customers are with individual pages or functions. With this information, you’ll constantly make improvements to their experience.

8. Build customer relationships and show you care

As humans, we love it when we know we are being heard. Responding to the concerns that your customers share with you in a proactive manner allows you to close the feedback loop and make sure they know you take their issues seriously. On the other hand, companies that don’t go the extra mile to understand and address customer concerns are left with higher churn rates and unhappy customers.

9. Improve customer retention

On-page or exit-intent surveys can help you understand why customers leave, downgrade, or cancel. This information is crucial when you need to address specific customer concerns and boost your future retention rates.

10. Fine-tune your pricing strategy

If your pricing plans are confusing, or if your prices are simply too high, that will negatively impact sales. Asking for customer feedback on your pricing pages or surveying customers  after  they’ve converted helps you determine if customers think your pricing is clear and reasonable, or there is room for improvement.

11. Understand your competition

In order to compete in your industry, you need to know how your services measure up in terms of pricing, quality, and service. Surveying your customer base on their past experiences might give you a clear indication of who your major competitors are and how you stack up against them.

📚 Read more : want to get a better sense of the questions you can ask? Get started from this handy list of  28 customer feedback questions .

Ask for feedback on your website today 🔥

Sign up for Hotjar to start collecting feedback on your website, and answer burning questions like: why is my website not converting? Why are visitors leaving without buying? How can I improve?

People in different parts of the   customer lifecycle  will have different perspectives and information to share with you. Some customers have long histories with your product, while others may be trying it out for the first time. Whom you survey and when depends on the type of information you want to collect.

New customers

New customers can offer a fresh perspective on your product that’s different from more seasoned users. They’ve also just gone through the decision-making and purchasing process, so they are the perfect people to poll for information on customer drivers, barriers, and hooks—which in turn can help you improve both the  customer experience  and your  conversion rates ,  optimizing buying experiences and overall customer success.

Survey new customers after they complete their initial transaction and again during onboarding to make sure they are able to understand and implement your services.

Pro tip : while their information is very valuable, you don’t want to ask too much of new customers right off the bat. Use quick pop-up polls and brief surveys to gather information.

Active customers

Consistent or regular customers will be more knowledgeable about the ins and outs of your product or services and can give you informed feedback on specific features and processes. Routinely ask regular users to rate their satisfaction using  Net Promoter Score (NPS) or  Customer Effort Score  (CES) polls, and send them email surveys or onsite surveys asking their opinions on specific aspects of your product or service.

Long-term customers

Your most loyal long-term customers are a great source for collecting more nuanced feedback. They know your product extremely well, which makes them best equipped to explain in-depth what they like or would improve. They can also speak to bigger picture issues, such as changes in service or quality over time.

In addition to routine surveys or pop-up questions, identify your most dedicated users and personally reach out and ask them for feedback via a longer survey or phone interview.

13 methods of collecting customer feedback

There are many different methods for collecting feedback, from pop-up polls to chat logs. You may want to employ a variety of customer feedback methods to increase the likelihood of getting a response and to evaluate different aspects of the customer experience. Here, we're going to cover 13 different systems:

On-page feedback widgets

On-page surveys

On-page pop-ups

Email surveys

Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys

Customer Effort Score (CES) surveys

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) surveys

Customer contact/service

Usability testing

Social channels

Unscripted interviews

1. On-page feedback widgets

On-page feedback widgets like  Incoming Feedback  help you collect in-the-moment feedback from your visitors and customers about what they love or hate about a page or any of its elements. The results give you a useful mix of qualitative and quantitative data, as the comments can be read individually to keep track of specific issues, and the overall love-to-hate scores are aggregated and can be visualized as trends over time.

2. On-page surveys

Unobtrusive  on-page surveys  invite customers to share feedback about a particular page or feature. You can ask open-ended questions or scaled questions like NPS or CSAT (see below).

3. On-page pop-ups

Pop-up surveys appear in the middle of the screen, forcing users to either respond or close the box before moving on. They should be used sparingly to minimize the chance of annoying people, but they can be useful for getting answers to quick-and-specific questions such as “Not making a purchase today? Why?”

Pro tip : you can have the same result with on-page surveys (see #2 again), and cause a far less disruptive experience for your visitors. 

4. Email surveys

Send email  surveys  to your customers when you want to ask several questions at once. Ask almost any kind of question here, like: open-ended, multiple-choice, or rating scale questions are all fair game. The return rate is usually low for email surveys, but it’s possible to boost participation by promising a reward (like a discount) or prize (a chance to win a gift card) to participants.

5. Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a measure of customer loyalty and satisfaction, where customers are asked how likely they are to recommend your brand to others on a scale of 0-10. This is a terrific indicator of general satisfaction and  customer engagement ; bonus points for pairing the score question with a few follow-up questions that investigate the context behind your customers’ score.

Read more  → our  complete guide to Net Promoter Score

6. Customer Effort Score (CES) surveys

Customer Effort Score (CES) is a measurement of how much effort a customer felt they had to put into an action or interaction with your business. Customers who find your product easy to use are more likely to continue using it and report overall satisfaction.

Read more  → here is our complete overview of  Customer Effort Score

7. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) surveys

Customer satisfaction surveys are brief polls designed to measure customer satisfaction with a product or service in a single specific moment, usually by ranking their satisfaction or through a binary choice (happy face/sad face). CSAT scores are usually high, so a sudden negative dip is an indicator that something has gone wrong; they’re useful for pinpointing specific problem areas or issues within your website.

Read more  → here is our complete overview of  Customer satisfaction surveys

8. Customer contact/service

Reading through old customer support tickets or service emails can help you see what time-sensitive problems or complaints your customers have dealt with recently. This is great feedback for pinpointing pressing issues or recurring problems that can affect customer happiness.

Practical example from my experience at Hotjar: when users reached out to your support team looking for a feature/functionality we didn’t have, we sent them to our feature request tool where they would submit the request themselves. After reviewing several negative CSAT ratings, we learned that this process was incredibly frustrating for our users. Solution: instead of sending them to another tool, we now submit the request on their behalf.

9. Usability testing

Usability testing is a method of  testing a website’s functionality  and ease of use by observing users as they attempt to navigate it. There are many different methods of testing you can employ and many  user testing tools , but the end goal is gathering user and customer feedback that helps you build a functional and efficient user experience. Read more → our starter’s guide to  Usability testing

10. Social channels

Many customers consider your social media channels a direct line of communication to your brand. Monitor Twitter, LinkedIn, and any other social media platforms for complaints, issues, and compliments.

11. Live chat

A live chat function on your website can help you close sales, assist with troubleshooting, and act as a forum for user feedback. Review live chat transcripts to collect data about customers’ experiences and issues.

Read more  → here is a practical example of how reviewing live chat transcripts can  help optimize a landing page . 

12. Reviews

Reviews left by customers , either on your own site or on third-party sites, are another place to look for constructive feedback. Customers are likely to be very honest when writing for other potential customers, and you may learn something new that didn’t surface when you were collecting internal feedback.

13. Unscripted interviews

Interviews are more labor-intensive than an on-site survey, but they also provide an opportunity to dig deeply into a customer’s beliefs and ideas. Sit down with some of your ideal potential customers (or invite them for a virtual cup of coffee) to learn more about their motivations, or spend time talking to long-term customers to learn about their experiences and views on your brand.

You'll be able to uncover pain points and customer insight into new ideas and maybe even get their take on new features for your product. Although these kinds of customer interactions are time-consuming, you'll be gathering feedback that can help you close the loop on any problems customers have been having.

You can collect mountains of feedback, but it’s all useless unless you find a way to categorize and understand it, respond, or use that feedback to  improve your customers’ experience .

1. Identify areas that need to be fixed or improved

Gather customer feedback to highlight areas of your site, services, or products that need improvement. Make a list of issues and prioritize them in order of urgency. Tackle the ones that will have a large impact on customer experience first, then work on smaller micro- and macro-level issues .

2. Listen to customers’ suggestions

Instead of just using feedback to create a laundry list of issues, listen to your customers’ suggestions on how to fix or improve things. You don’t need to execute on all of their advice, but hearing their suggestions could lead to better features or outside-the-box solutions.

3. Share the good and bad feedback with internal teams

The more people who are involved in reading and addressing customer feedback, the better. Make sure that the appropriate teams have a chance to review both positive feedback and detractors.

4. Follow up with your customers

Many customers don’t bother to leave feedback because they think that companies either don’t care or won’t address their concerns. If you find a piece of customer feedback particularly helpful, follow up and thank them for their advice. Or respond to a customer who presents a serious concern with assurances that you’re working to fix their issue. This increases your credibility and strengthens the relationship.

5. Share with the community

Another way to bolster your reputation and create loyal customers is to publicly respond to concerns either in release notes or on social media. Let the community around your product know what you are doing, how you’re improving, and why you appreciate their feedback.

6. Track feedback trends over time

Keep track of the trajectory of your customer feedback over time. Ideally, you want to see an increase in satisfaction over time as issues are identified and addressed. Take note of negative spikes and drill down to find out the underlying causes.

If you’re ready to get started, Hotjar has the tools to help you plan, implement, and analyze customer feedback.

Incoming Feedback

Hotjar’s  Incoming Feedback  feature helps you get instant visual feedback on any page of your website. Your customers can rate their satisfaction using visual icons, then provide follow-up comments or suggestions.

These micro-polls can give you an insight into what people love, or hate, about your site, and measure changes in performance over time.

Feedback polls/on-page surveys

Customizable  feedback surveys  can be used on any page you choose to gather information from customers about their experiences with your website, products, or services. Use online surveys to ask open-ended questions or scaled questions, like an NPS poll, with follow-up paths based on the user’s answers. You can also hyper-target questions to users based on their demographic information or how long they’ve spent on your page.

Our  survey  editor tool makes it simple to build your own user/customer surveys using open-ended, multiple-choice, or scaled questions; you can then distribute your surveys via email, web links, or through a pop-up on the site, and read the answers directly inside the Hotjar dashboard.

Use feedback to maintain, and improve, your relationship with customers

Collecting customer feedback should be a part of every business’s operations. Building a customer-centric business, one that truly strives to support and help customers means routinely asking for and evaluating feedback from your customers.

Help them help  you  to be the best.

FAQs about customer feedback

Why is customer feedback important.

Getting direct customer feedback is important because it gives you a first-hand view of the customer journey and how the customer perceives your website, product, or service. Oftentimes, companies speculate about the customer experience from quantitative data, but direct customer feedback provides unique insight on what makes customers convert (or not convert) and ultimately shows you how to optimize your product/service and boost growth.

How do you collect customer feedback?

There are various different ways to collect customer feedback: on-page feedback widgets and surveys, email surveys, NPS surveys, CSAT surveys, and usability testing are all ways to elicit different kinds of feedback from customers.

How do you use customer feedback?

It’s important to understand how you want to use customer feedback before you create and disseminate your surveys or tests. Have clearly specified goals for what you want to know and make sure the questions are tailored towards that goal. Then, you collate the data you’ve collected and organized it to get a broader-picture of how users use and perceive their experience with your product or service.

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22 Impactful Customer Service Survey Questions to Ask in 2024

When it comes to understanding your customers' perception of your brand, there is arguably nothing as powerful as a well-crafted customer service survey. Running these surveys regularly enables you to engage directly with your customers and gain insights into their experiences, which will then provide valuable data to assist in improving your products, services, and overall operations.

In this guide, we'll provide a list of questions you might want to include in your customer surveys and why, and we’ll share tips on best practices for requesting customer feedback. Additionally, you'll learn how to interpret and use those results to drive improvement and growth.

What are customer service surveys?

Customer service surveys are essentially check-ins with your customers. Imagine being able to conduct a one-on-one conversation with each customer — these surveys are a time-efficient way of doing that. They're designed to gather meaningful feedback on your customers' experiences with your service or product, often resulting in actionable data that you can put to work right away.

Integrating customer service surveys into your brand’s strategy can be a powerful gauge of customer needs and satisfaction. The insights gained help you make informed decisions, whether that’s enhancing your product, streamlining your service, or reshaping the customer journey. They're not just about collecting data; they're a way to show your customers that you're actively listening and willing to make changes that matter to them.

Understanding common customer service survey terms

If you’re new to customer service surveys, you're going to encounter a variety of terms. Let's explore some of these terms.

CES (customer effort score): This measures the effort your customers have to go through to do something, like getting an issue resolved or finding a product on your website. The easier, the better.

CSAT (customer satisfaction score): This is the go-to indicator of how satisfied customers are with a specific interaction or with your service overall. High CSAT scores are your aim here.

NPS (Net Promoter Score): This helps identify how many of your customers are fans (promoters) and how many are less enthused (detractors), calculated by asking how likely they are to recommend your product or service.

Dropout rate: This is the percentage of respondents who start but don't finish your survey. You want this to be low, so always strive for engaging and concise surveys.

Feasibility: This considers how practical your survey is. Can the questions be easily understood? Is the survey an appropriate length? Feasibility ensures your survey is as respondent-friendly as possible.

Explicit/implicit: Explicit feedback is direct — your customer specifically says what they liked or didn't like. Implicit feedback is read between the lines, derived from behavior or choices.

GIGO (garbage in, garbage out): Simply put, the quality of your survey's outcomes depends on the quality of what you put into it. This includes your survey design, question clarity, and answer options.

Incompletes: Surveys that aren’t finished fall into this category. Tracking and minimizing incompletes is crucial to maximizing the feedback you collect.

Margin of error/confidence interval: This statistical term represents the degree to which your survey results could differ from the overall population's feelings. Smaller margins of error indicate more confidence in your survey's representation of your customer base.

Population: This is the group you're ultimately interested in learning about. In the case of a customer service survey, your population is likely all your customers or a specific segment of them.

Psychographics: While demographics tell you who your customer is, psychographics tell you why they buy. This might include personal beliefs, values, and motivators.

Quantitative/qualitative: Quantitative data gives you the numbers like how many, how much, and how often. Qualitative data gives you the narrative — thoughts, stories, and reasons behind behaviors.

Response rate: This is the portion of people who completed your survey out of those who were asked. The higher the rate, the more solid the data you can glean from your survey.

Sample: This is the part of your customer population that’s selected to represent the whole in your survey. The key is to ensure that your sample matches the diversity of your entire customer base for accurate feedback.

Recommended Reading

How to Improve Customer Loyalty With Customer Effort Score

Why Customer Satisfaction is Important for Your Business

An Overview of NPS for Customer Service Teams

The benefits of conducting customer service surveys.

Understanding your customers' needs and experiences is like having a road map for your business's journey toward improvement and success. Conducting customer service surveys is a crucial step in gathering this essential feedback. Let's take a look at two key reasons why these surveys are so important and how they can provide valuable insights for product and process improvement.

Product and process improvement

Feedback is the cornerstone of growth for any business. It serves as a mirror, reflecting not only the strengths of your products or services but also areas that need enhancement. By actively seeking feedback through customer service surveys, you're telling your customers that their opinions matter, fostering a sense of value and loyalty. This process allows you to identify specific aspects of your product or service that customers are happy with and those that may require adjustments.

Moreover, in today’s fast-paced market, the ability to quickly adapt and refine your offerings based on customer feedback can set you apart from competitors. It encourages continuous improvement, ensuring that your product or service evolves in alignment with customer expectations and emerging trends. This proactive approach can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately contributing to your business's long-term success.

Valuable customer insights

Customer service surveys offer a direct line to your customers’ thoughts and feelings about their experiences with your company. They can uncover not just superficial reactions but deep insights into how your products or services are actually being used, perceived, and valued. These surveys can provide quantitative data that highlight trends and patterns as well as qualitative feedback that offers deeper understanding into customer sentiments.

Furthermore, the structured nature of surveys allows you to ask targeted questions that address specific areas of your business operations. This can range from product features and usability to customer support and overall satisfaction . By analyzing the responses, you can pinpoint exactly where your business excels and where there is room for improvement. This level of insight is invaluable in shaping decision-making processes and strategic planning.

22 customer service survey questions to ask

Customer survey questions can be categorized based on their purpose, the nature of the data they seek to collect, and the way they engage respondents. We recommend creating a customer service survey template for each type of feedback you need. Here’s a list of customer survey questions broken down into five types to help you get started.

Customer satisfaction survey questions

Customer satisfaction questions are used to measure how well a company's product or service meets, exceeds, or falls short of customer expectations. They offer direct insight into what's working well and what areas may require improvement. These questions can show the likelihood of repeat business, the potential for positive word-of-mouth promotion, and serve as early indicators of market trends.

By regularly assessing customer satisfaction using ratings and yes or no customer service survey questions, businesses maintain a customer-centric approach, which helps in building loyalty and long-term relationships. Additionally, this feedback can be used to benchmark performance over time or against competitors.

How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the product/service you received? (Scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being very unsatisfied and 10 being very satisfied.)

Considering your complete experience with our company, how likely are you to recommend our products or services to a friend or colleague? (NPS surverys run on a scale from 0 to 10.)

What did you like most about your experience with our product/service?

Was our product/service able to meet your needs effectively? (Yes/No; If no, please explain.)

What, if anything, would you change about our product/service to better meet your needs?

Product/service usage questions

Product/service usage questions enable you to understand how customers are actually interacting with your products or services. This makes it possible to identify which features are most popular and which may require more attention or improvement.

Understanding usage patterns also aids in product development and innovation, as real customer data can be used to prioritize which new features or changes might be most impactful.

How often do you use our product or service? (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely)

Which features of our product/service do you use the most?

In what context or situation do you most commonly use our product/service?

Did you find our product/service user-friendly when you first started using it? (Yes/No; If no, what was difficult?)

Compared to our competitors, how do you rate our product in terms of usability? (Better, About the same, Worse; Please explain.)

Customer effort score (CES) questions

Customer effort score questions measure the ease with which customers can achieve their goals when interacting with your product or service. Lower effort typically indicates higher customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repurchase intention.

CES feedback can be pivotal for streamlining processes, reducing customer pain points, and ensuring that the provided solutions are user-friendly. By focusing on reducing customer effort, you can not only enhance your customer service but also differentiate your company in a competitive market.

When you contacted us for support, how easy was it to interact with our customer support team? (Very difficult, Somewhat difficult, Neutral, Somewhat easy, Very easy)

After purchasing, how easy was it to set up and start using the product? (Very difficult, Somewhat difficult, Neutral, Somewhat easy, Very easy)

When you contacted us for support, did we resolve your issue promptly and with minimal effort on your part? (Strongly agree, Somewhat agree, Neutral, Somewhat disagree, Strongly disagree)

Customer expectations and desires questions

Asking customers about their expectations and desires enables you to align product offerings with customer needs. You can use this feedback to refine your value proposition, ensuring that marketing and communication strategies set accurate customer expectations.

Understanding customer desires can also drive innovation and help prioritize the development of new features, services, or products. By keeping the customer's voice at the center of development, you can increase the likelihood of market acceptance and continued engagement.

Before purchasing our product/service, what was your top expectation, and did we meet it?

What additional features would you like to see in our product/service in the future?

How well does our product/service align with what was promised in our marketing or advertising? (Not at all, Somewhat, Very well; Please provide more detail.)

What other services or products do you wish our company offered?

Post-purchase feedback questions

Post-purchase feedback questions provide an understanding of the customer journey after the point of sale. This feedback is great for assessing the overall buying experience, identifying any roadblocks in the purchase process, and improving after-sales support.

Collecting post-purchase insights can also show the perceived value of the product or service, which enables you to maintain competitive pricing and offers. This feedback can also help you develop loyalty-building opportunities and effective customer retention strategies.

What motivated you to choose our product/service over our competitors?

How smooth was the purchasing process on our website or in our store? (Very difficult, Somewhat difficult, Neutral, Somewhat easy, Very easy)

If you experienced any issues with your product/service after purchase, were they addressed efficiently? (Yes/No; If no, please provide more detail.)

How satisfied are you with the after-sales support you received? (Very unsatisfied, Unsatisfied, Neutral, Satisfied, Very satisfied)

Did you find our product/service to be a good value for your money? (Yes/No; If no, why not?)

Best practices for requesting customer feedback

Knowing what to ask is only part of the customer survey equation. Here are some best practices and strategies for developing a beneficial customer service survey process.

Choose the right time to ask

Timing can be everything. Reach out for feedback when the experience is fresh in the customer's mind, whether it's immediately after a purchase, after an interaction with customer service, or at the end of a significant project. This ensures that the feedback is both reflective of the customer’s true experience and includes details that can guide improvements.

Customer service tools like Help Scout’s microsurveys are a great way to gather customer insights without being intrusive. This tool lets you reach out for feedback at specific points in the customer journey, which means you can gather feedback while the customer’s experience is top of mind.

Keep it simple

The key to getting customers to respond is making it as easy as possible for them. Long surveys can be overwhelming, so keep questions clear, concise, and relevant. It’s about striking the right balance between getting the information you need and respecting the customer’s time and effort.

Be specific with your questions

Vague questions lead to vague answers. Instead of asking if they're happy with your service, pinpoint aspects you want feedback on, like the checkout process, product range, or customer support.

Follow up on feedback

Customers who take the time to provide feedback are engaged in your brand, and they’ll appreciate knowing that their voice is heard. A simple acknowledgment can go a long way toward fostering trust with your customer base.

How to use survey results

Gathering feedback from your customers is like striking gold, but striking gold is only the first step. Whether through direct changes based on CSAT feedback, strategic shifts informed by report trends, or internal education spurred by documentation insights, each step you take based on feedback is a step toward a more customer-centric business model.

Here’s how you can apply customer feedback effectively.

Identify patterns and trends: Look beyond individual comments and identify recurring themes or concerns. These patterns can highlight areas in need of improvement or potential opportunities you might not have considered.

Prioritize action based on feedback: Not all feedback will require immediate action, but some might highlight critical issues. Use customer feedback to prioritize changes that will have the most significant impact on customer satisfaction and business success.

Share insights across teams: Feedback shouldn't be siloed within the customer service team. Sharing customer insights across departments ensures that everyone understands customer needs and how they can contribute to meeting those needs.

Track changes and outcomes: After implementing changes based on feedback, track the outcomes. This will help you understand the impact of your actions and guide future decisions.

There are several Help Scout reporting features that make the process of deciphering customer feedback a whole lot easier.

Happiness report: This report can give you a high-level view of customer satisfaction over time. Use it to identify trends in satisfaction and correlate them with specific actions or changes within your business.

Microsurvey reports: Microsurveys can yield specific insights into various aspects of your customer experience. Analyzing the results can help you understand customer sentiment on new features, customer service interactions, and more. Pay attention to changes in responses after implementing new processes or updates.

Docs article reports: If you use customer self-service options like a knowledge base , understanding which articles are helping (or confusing) your customers can be incredibly valuable. These reports can inform you which areas of your product or service need clearer documentation or highlight topics that may require more in-depth customer education.

Leveraging customer service surveys for growth

For customer service and marketing teams, few things are as precious as the voice of your customers. CSAT surveys, microsurveys, and feedback reports all play crucial roles in this process.

Help Scout's customer feedback tools are designed to seamlessly integrate into your interactions, be it via email, chat, or docs . While you create remarkable experiences for your customers, these tools work silently in the background, gathering valuable insights without interrupting the customer journey. 

Whether it’s the simplicity and directness of CSAT surveys, the timeliness of microsurveys, or the impactful insights from different reports, Help Scout's functionalities are designed to help you understand your customers better.

Sign up for a free trial of Help Scout today, and start having better conversations with your customers.

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Jacinda santora.

Jacinda Santora combines marketing psychology, strategy development, and strategy execution to deliver customer-centric, data-driven solutions for brand growth. Connect with her on LinkedIn .

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Sep 15, 2022

How to write a customer feedback email with sample email flow and templates

Check out these 5 feedback email samples and templates and read our guide on how to write customer feedback emails.

Saku Kahkonen

Growth Lead

Table of contents

One of the most valuable things you can do for your customers is show them you care about what they have to say. Customer feedback emails are designed to nurture connections and foster a deeper sense of appreciation with your customers.

You likely already know how important it is to consider your audience’s thoughts and feelings. After all, they’re the ones you make your products for! 

But how do you get the information you need without coming off too strong? And how can you get customers to respond to feedback requests, like surveys and questionnaires?

The answer lies in crafting a personalized customer feedback email. In this guide you have everything you need to start.

This is where Flowrite comes in handy, as you can create personalized feedback emails super fast. For example, check out our thank you for feedback template in action:

How to write a customer feedback email

To kick things off, every customer feedback email needs 3 key elements:

• An attention-grabbing subject line
• An engaging but brief body
• A strong call-to-action

Subject line gets your customers to open an email, but the body and CTA will be what makes them take the next steps. 

How many companies have hit a roadblock trying to get their customers to do more than simply open their emails? And how many more struggle to even get their messages seen in the first place?

With Flowrite’s AI-powered technology, you can put these tips into practice and craft irresistible copy your customers will love.

Before we dive deeper, let’s go over some customer feedback email etiquette, shall we?

How to ask a customer for feedback by email

There is a right and wrong way (actually, many right and wrong ways) to ask for customer feedback. Here’s what you don’t want to do:

All of these subject lines feel like commands. They give recipients obligations when they should be providing options . To politely and effectively ask for customer feedback, you need to align your request with a benefit that motivates your audience to respond.

Benefits needn’t be over-the-top. It can actually be something as small as saving someone time. What matters is that you demonstrate, right off the bat, that you value your customers’ input, and you want to show your gratitude.

Here are some polite, non-salesy examples for requesting customer feedback:

Why are these effective? In example one, you offer a clear benefit through a small credit. Not only does this encourage a customer to buy again, but it also makes them more likely to open your email. Half the job is already done!

In example two, you provided a clear purpose and demonstrated that you value your customers’ time. They can make a difference in your company without compromising their own schedule to answer lengthy questionnaires.

Now, let’s move onto some of the finer points of customer feedback emails. 

Customer feedback email format

1. customer feedback subject line.

Your subject line is the most critical part of your email. Why? Because if people don’t resonate with it, they’ll never bother to read the fantastic copy you’ve tucked inside your email.

Our previous examples covered why some subject lines are ineffective and provided two alternatives. 

Whenever you write a subject line for a customer feedback email, ensure that you are clear about your purpose and provide some value. Worlds like “Help” and “Reminder” are less effective than you might think. 

Instead, opt for terms like “Invite” or “Share”. These are less demanding of the recipient and immediately give them an option to engage. 

People who feel like you value their choices are more likely to engage. 

Also, personalization goes a long way. Using the recipient’s first and last names, when appropriate, can make a difference. Consider the contrast between these two subject lines:

Subject line 2 is personal, to-the-point, and focuses more on the consumer’s feedback than your desire for it.

2. Customer feedback email body

The email itself should be under 300 words. You’re there to make a simple request and extend the opportunity to provide feedback, nothing more. Start off with a friendly salutation, then follow up with your proposal.

If you’re offering an incentive, such as a discount, then make sure you include this early on. The goal isn’t to bribe your audience, however. You really want them to share their thoughts because it helps your company improve its service.

So, the email body should accomplish 5 things:

• Let the customer know why you’re writing
• Express why you want their feedback
• Let them know how you’ll apply their feedback (aka how it benefits them)
• Tell them how long it will take
• Provide a clear CTA they can engage with on their own terms

3. Customer feedback email signature

Closing off your email should be short and sweet. Include a large CTA (preferably a clickable button) that they can interact with if they want to proceed. It should be undeniably clear where they need to go and what they need to do if they decide to share their thoughts. 

It’s best to sign off before your CTA, leaving the button as the last thing the customer sees on the page.

Avoid placing any text after the CTA. This can serve as a distraction that discourages participation.

Customer feedback email examples and templates

Now that you know how to write a customer feedback email let’s look at some examples you can use for your own company.

We’ve crafted an example email sequence with 5 emails you can use for inspiration. From first reaching out to following up, this series illustrates how to navigate the entire customer feedback process, or just the step you need to take.

Beyond simply stating a request, we’ve included a thank you email to customer for feedback template and emails to send when you receive positive or negative responses. 

5 Customer feedback email samples

1. sample email requesting feedback from customer, 2. reply to customer feedback email sample, 3. thank you email to customer for positive feedback, 4. sample email response to customer for negative feedback, 5. sharing customer feedback with employees email sample, 2 customer feedback email templates.

Now that we’ve looked at a customer feedback email flow, here are two customer feedback email templates you can use for your own brand. We’ve included one requesting feedback via email, and another requesting feedback via survey. 

Let us know how these templates work for you! Please adjust the tone, style, and verbiage to suit your business’s tone. 

1. Customer feedback request email template

2. customer feedback survey email template, final words.

The best way to request customer feedback through email is to be specific, direct, and polite.

You want to avoid coming off as demanding or placing any obligation on your audience. Instead, open a line of communication that encourages them to share what they feel — the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

All of it helps your brand improve and become a better business. Using these free customer feedback email templates can help you easily craft compelling copy people relate to.

And as always, you can take your emails a step further by exploring Flowrite’s AI writing tool, that works like this:

Flowrite is hands-down the fastest email writing experience, that can help you scale your email outreach, while keeping the personal touch.

And the best part is that you can get started for free, so signup today!

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The Art of the Customer Visit: How to Plan One + Why You Should

When was the last time you visited a customer? On the surface, customer visits might seem extravagant and unnecessary.

Why not just get on a phone call or Zoom meeting? Or follow up with them via email? You could send them a survey or even dig into your product analytics to surface insights.

If I talk to another entrepreneur and say, "It's super crucial you physically visit your customers," they all look at me as if I just said the most obvious thing in the universe.

Visiting customers is like working out or eating healthy: everybody knows they should do it, but very few people do.

And we’re not excluding ourselves here: We launched Close in January of 2013, but our first customer visit was over a year later!

Some businesses put off visiting customers because it takes time, and it’s easy to put it off their long to-do list. Or, it may seem more urgent to focus on getting new customers to sign on rather than visiting existing customers.

If this sounds like you, let’s discuss the benefits of visiting your customers and how you can set up successful customer visits.

What are the Benefits of Visiting Your Customers in Person?

It’s true: COVID has permanently altered the way B2B sales work. Studies by McKinsey show that companies have reduced their in-person efforts as a go-to-market strategy by more than 50 percent since the pandemic started.

That said, many B2B buyers still prefer in-person contact during the customer journey.

And this is exactly where the opportunity lies—fewer companies are vying for your customer’s attention in person. This opens the playing field for your company to perform more customer visits.

And trust me—it’s worth the effort. Here's a quick rundown of the value we got from our first customer visits.

Motivate Your Team to Serve Customers Better

Seeing real people use your product is incredibly inspiring. It energizes you, recharges your batteries, and gives you a visceral sense of how your work actually impacts the lives of your users rather than just an intellectual understanding. It's like pouring gasoline on the fire that fuels your engine.

Everybody on your team—from the CEO to the intern—should visit a customer for this reason alone.

It differs from hearing customers tell you how much they love or think your product is great. You have to experience customer satisfaction happening in real-time. You need to see real human beings depending on what you build. You need to witness how your product helps them to operate better, to be better at what they are doing.

Your impact on other people's lives is a much stronger driver than any number on a spreadsheet can ever be. Do not underestimate how much this affects you. It's powerful.

Build Better Customer Relationships

Meeting someone in person adds another dimension to your relationship with your customer. You can do a lot of relationship-building via email, chat, phone, and Zoom, but nothing has the same effect as meeting someone in person. It creates a human bond between the two of you.

Jason Lemkin of SaaStr says he never lost a customer he had personally visited while he was CEO of EchoSign. Spending time with your customers transforms a transactional relationship into a partnership. It builds empathy on both sides, which ultimately leads to better business.

In-person customer visits are one of the best ways to build customer intimacy . They deepen the commitment on both sides. If one of the people we met needs help one day, we'll be more eager to support them. I'm pretty sure they'll be more forgiving if there's ever an issue with Close and more loyal to our product.

Get In-depth Product Feedback on the Customer Experience

Your customers are more than the sum of all their clicks on your product. Yes, you might be monitoring product usage and reading all the feedback people send you via email or even tell you on the phone. Still, you're missing a lot of crucial context if you can't see your customers using your product within their work environment.

• How exactly are they using your product?
• What's happening around them?
• What else is on their screen?
• What's competing for their attention?
• What's their workspace like?

When you visit your customers, you see the environment in which they use your software. You experience your product embedded into a user's workday and get a sense of the entire puzzle rather than just a single piece of it.

And it's little things, like...

• What kind of headsets /chairs/desks are they using?
• What other software/apps are they using during their day?
• Which little hacks did they come up with to make them more productive and efficient?
• What makes them smile, and what makes them frown when interacting with your web or mobile app ?

It just gives you a better picture of what's working and what's not.

Here’s a real example: during one customer visit, we saw the customer using a TV to display our reporting in Close . But at the time, our reporting page wasn’t optimized for full-screen display—it looked crappy.

I remembered that one of our engineers had worked on a quick fix that would make this look better, but we had never released it. I sent a message to the team, and within an hour, this feature was released by our VP of Engineering, Phil Freo . It looked fantastic, and our customers loved it.

While visiting customers, you can gather more in-depth feedback about how they use your product and where they would like to see improvements in the customer experience. Product managers can then use this information to build out improvements.

Find Opportunities to Upsell

Years ago, during one customer visit, we found the customer was on a basic plan that didn’t include a specific feature. Instead, they were using a third-party provider to get this feature for their sales team.

Talking with the founder, we faced some resistance to upgrading their plan. But we gained an internal champion during that customer visit by chatting with the sales team manager. We gave him everything he needed to make the transition happen, and they soon upgraded their plan to start using this feature again.

Visiting customers in Germany in 2015

This is the power of in-person visits—not only did the extra revenue help us, but the customer’s success with our product was significantly increased by upgrading their plan.

Create New Case Studies and Customer Stories

Using case studies and real-life examples of how your customers use your product is an excellent digital marketing strategy that will help build trust in your brand.

When planning customer visits, consider the customers you may want to interview for video testimonials or case studies on your website. Having these real customer stories also helps build better marketing alignment with your ideal customers and their needs.

All of these are examples of the kinds of benefits you can get from visiting your customers. You can't predict which benefits precisely you'll get—but you will always get value from a customer visit!

GET YOUR COPY OF TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS→

How to Plan a Client Visit That Boosts Customer Loyalty in 7 Steps

By now, you should be sufficiently motivated to visit your customers. But what do you say and do? How do you get the most value out of these visits? How do you prepare for them? How do you wrap them up? How do you get started when you visit their office?

1. Identify Which Customers to Visit

Whether you have 10 customers or 10,000, visiting everyone is probably not feasible. So, which customers should you visit?

To start, make a list of the customers who already have a good rapport with you—your partners, advocates, and best customers overall.

Next, include customers using your product or purchasing from you regularly. Learning how they use your products and services or why they keep returning to you will be great for your team.

Finally, include the customers who consistently give you critical feedback. These customers are already pushing your team to do better, and they will likely have super valuable insights to share with you when you visit in person.

2. Decide Who You’re Meeting With

Once you know which companies you’ll visit, decide which individuals you’ll need to meet with inside the company.

First, you set up a meeting with the founders or CEO. That's the person you'll be officially meeting. But it's not necessarily the person you'll spend most of the time with.

For SaaS companies, focus on the person managing the team using your product and the end-users. If you’re a service-based business, talk to the people mainly affected by using your services.

The Close team visiting customers in Ottawa, Canada, 2014

3. Spend Time Getting to Know the Business Beforehand

Just like when prospecting, spend time doing research before the meeting—whether on social media sites like LinkedIn, on the company’s website, or in B2B databases like Crunchbase.

When you walk into that client visit, you should know exactly who you’re talking to, what kind of business they are, which customers they serve, and how your product or service fits into that workflow.

4. Prepare and Share an Agenda

Having a clear agenda for your customer visit is essential to getting the most out of your time with them.

Start by setting out the agenda for your main meetings with the C-suite and the managers of the teams that use your product. Set up talking points, such as updates to your product pricing or upcoming feature launches. Also, leave room in the agenda for their team to add questions or comments. Leave a clear space for them to give you feedback.

Once your customer visit agenda is prepared, share it with their team. Let them have editing access so they can include their ideas. Make sure that expectations between you and your customers are aligned before you start asking them many questions. Create a setting that encourages them to discuss and share their concerns openly.

Also, make sure to discuss confidentiality. If you plan to report back to your team after your customer visit, explicitly ask them if they're fine with you sharing their business processes, revenue numbers, etc, with your team. (If not, that's fine too—you can still share the learnings, without actual specifics, with your team.)

That way, both teams will be ready to start when the day comes.

5. Learn About the Customer Experience in Real Time

So, the day of your customer visit has finally arrived! Start by talking, in general, in broad terms about their business and your business. Then, progress to more specific topics and product use cases.

Be both a student and a mentor. Learn as much as you can about your customers and look for opportunities to help them. Learn about their workflows and how your product fits into those workflows.

Here are some questions you might ask during a client visit:

• How often do you use our product?
• Which team members use our product the most? How often do they use it?
• Are there secondary users that only use our product occasionally? If so, for what? How often?
• What are your business goals?
• How do you implement our product in your daily workflow?
• What bugs have you encountered?
• What features are you missing from our product?
• What do you like most about our product?
• What do you hate about our product? Which limitations do you find particularly frustrating?
• Which metrics does your team track within our product? (Or which KPIs does our product impact for your team?)
• If our product ceased to exist tomorrow, what alternatives would you consider to replace us?
• Are there any industry trends or changes that could affect how you use our product in the future?

These questions and others like them will give you a clearer picture of how your customers use your product, and how it impacts their business.

6. Ask for and Give Referrals

Visiting customers is an excellent opportunity to get referrals . And refer them to others as well. Don't just limit referrals to potential customers—any reason to put them in touch with other people is fair game as long as you can see potential value for both parties.

Sometimes, we see companies serving the same audience with complementary services—that's potential for a co-marketing initiative. If you introduce two happy customers to each other, and they collaborate, and both get a ton of value out of it, you generate a lot of goodwill and, oftentimes, very vocal brand advocates.

If you have a partner program set up, try to see if the customer you’re visiting would be a good candidate for that program and help them understand how it works and the benefits they could get.

7. Create a Customer Visit Report for Your Team

If you do conduct a customer visit, make sure to document your learnings and take note of memorable moments. Then, you can share these insights with your team.

All the insights you gain during a customer visit must become organizational knowledge—otherwise, your customer visits are useless.

So, set up a structured customer visit report that your team can peruse and learn from, both now and in the future. Inside this document, note specific items that will be of interest to the different teams in your company—for example, product feedback that your product managers may want to look at, customer journey insights that the marketing team should keep in mind, or product knowledge gaps that the customer success team may need to address.

To ensure everyone in the company benefits from customer visits, we try to share some pictures or highlights from our customer visits in Slack. Then, during our weekly team meeting, a team member might give a quick 2-minute summary of their customer visit.

How Often Should You Plan Customer Visits?

There's no one-size-fits-all formula. It depends on your startup, but you should generally meet them more often than you're meeting them now.

Jason Lemkin recommends that every co-founder, CEO, and Customer Success Manager meet on-site with five customers monthly.

Seeing the environment in which your customers use your product, the atmosphere at their workplace, and talking with the people who use your product daily is always an insightful experience.

Customer visits have been a crucial market research method for traditional businesses for many decades—but they're even more crucial for startups and SMBs . Your most powerful asset when you're in a market with established, large companies is your ability to understand your customers better and focus on their needs better than a large corporation can.

Michael Seibel, Managing Director at Y Combinator, said : "If you look around the startup ecosystem, you can find too many founders who believe that famous investors + lots of employees = winning. I bet most of our VC-backed competitors feel this way, and you can use this to defeat them (they aren't talking to customers nearly enough).”

Want more insights on talking to your customers? Get my book and learn more about building customer intimacy.

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35 Essential Questions for Your Next Customer Feedback Questionnaire

Creating an insightful customer feedback questionnaire can seem daunting. What questions do you include to not only garner responses but also drive your business forward? Our guide walks you through crafting a compelling questionnaire with 35 essential questions you can use immediately. Dive into the steps for effective questionnaire design, crucial areas for feedback, and tactics for maximizing the valuable data you collect without the fluff.

Key Takeaways

• Customer feedback questionnaires are a valuable resource for understanding customer expectations and experiences, shaping products/services, and fostering brand loyalty, all of which fuel business growth.
• Effective customer feedback surveys require setting clear objectives, choosing suitable question types (e.g., open-ended, multiple-choice, and scale questions), and balancing quantitative and qualitative data for a comprehensive view.
• To gather actionable customer insights, surveys should cover key areas such as product/service satisfaction, customer support experience, pricing perception, and brand loyalty and further be analyzed to drive improvement.

The Importance of Customer Feedback Questionnaires

Customer feedback surveys, also referred to as customer surveys, are not only a means of measuring satisfaction levels but also an opportunity to look into your customers’ thoughts and experiences with your brand. These invaluable insights can steer the course of your products/services to align closely with what truly matters to your customers. In doing so, you’ll elevate the quality of your offerings and foster brand loyalty in the long run.

Moreover, customer satisfaction surveys can turn satisfied and loyal customers into advocates for your brand. By sharing their positive experiences through word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals , they boost both credibility and cost-effective acquisition of new customers for businesses.

Ultimately, feedback from these questionnaires lays the groundwork for informed decisions that drive positive changes within your company and contribute to sustained success.

Designing an Effective Customer Feedback Questionnaire

Crafting a successful questionnaire for collecting customer feedback is a deliberate task that requires careful thought. It is essential to personalize your survey in terms of visuals and tone so it effectively connects with your target audience while also reflecting your brand’s identity. Defining specific goals, selecting appropriate question formats, and striking a balance between quantitative and qualitative data are all crucial elements in this process.

Each aspect will be discussed in depth below.

1. Determine Your Objectives

When crafting a survey, start by clarifying the purpose of gathering customer feedback. Whether it’s for refining products, gauging satisfaction with services, or assessing responses to new features, defining this objective ensures that all questions remain relevant and focused on the respondent’s experience. Asking irrelevant questions can lead to disengagement, potentially resulting in less accurate responses.

Setting the right tone at the beginning of the survey is equally crucial, as it encourages respondents to share honest feedback. Reassuring them that constructive criticism is valued creates a valuable means for pinpointing areas for improvement and identifying strengths within the products/services offered.

2. Choose the Right Question Types

To capture a wide range of customer opinions, it is essential to incorporate various question types in your questionnaire. You can achieve this by using different formats, such as open-ended questions – the “tell us more” type of questions – where customers are encouraged to provide detailed feedback in their own words. Multiple choice questions – the “pick one or more from a list” type of questions – allow for quantification of specific aspects of the customer experience. And Likert scale or rating scale questions – ask customers to rate their agreement, satisfaction, or frequency regarding a statement on a scale, typically from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” or from 1 to 5 (or 10) – which offer insight into changes over time and measure satisfaction levels.

Combining these gives you a more rounded understanding of your customers. However, it may also prove beneficial to include additional question types that enhance these basic formats:

• Change-Impact Inquiries : These questions are designed to assess the tangible benefits that customers experience from using your products or services. Essentially, they aim to uncover how it has changed the customer’s life or business operations.
• Emotional Response Prompts : This type of question focuses on understanding customers’ emotional reactions when interacting with your company, products, or services. The goal is to gauge the emotional impact of your customer experience , whether it’s positive, negative, or neutral.
• Matrix-Style Formatting: This format presents a series of statements and asks customers to rate each one, usually on a scale. It’s like giving them a table with different aspects of your service and asking for their opinion on each. This method helps compare several items at once, providing a comprehensive view of customer attitudes towards various aspects of your business, from quality and usefulness to customer support and pricing.

Experimenting with different scales or changing how rating questions (like Likert scales) are set up can make it easier to get precise customer feedback. This can also help better understand how customers feel about their overall satisfaction with what they’re getting from you.

3. Balance Quantitative and Qualitative Data

To gain a thorough understanding of customer experiences and behaviors, use both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative methods can measure how involved users are in their journey with your business, helping you align your goals accordingly. Meanwhile, through qualitative feedback , one can delve into the reasons behind customer actions, adding depth to your analysis.

The mix of these two data types helps spot patterns and connections that can be further tested to improve the overall customer experience. By incorporating quantitative and qualitative information into an effective feedback loop system, ongoing collection and analysis become possible, ultimately leading to regular product updates based on customer input.

4. Tailor Questions to Audience Segments

To further enhance the relevance and impact of your questionnaire, consider segmenting your audience and personalizing questions accordingly. Tailoring questions to reflect the diverse experiences and perspectives of different customer segments can uncover deeper insights.

Segmentation can be based on customer demographics, purchase history, or interaction patterns. Personalized customer surveys can improve response rates and also yield more precise insights into specific customer groups. Incorporating questions that resonate with the unique experiences of each segment ensures that feedback is directly applicable to improving targeted aspects of your product or service.

For instance, questions designed for first-time buyers might differ from those engaged with long-term customers to capture the nuances of their experiences. This approach improves the relevance of your questions and shows your customers that you value their unique relationship with your brand.

5. Incorporate Visual Elements

Kick off your survey by weaving in your brand’s identity – use your unique colors and text styles for customization. This approach makes customers feel connected, boosting engagement and response rates. It transforms the survey into an extension of their relationship with your brand, elevating their experience from the get-go.

Dive deeper by incorporating interactive and visual elements that resonate with the mobile user. Sliders for satisfaction, image selections for preferences, and clickable options turn feedback into an engaging conversation, making the process not just easy but enjoyable.

You can enrich this experience further with visual aids like infographics, charts, and videos to clarify the scope of the survey and add a visual punch. This breaks up the text and ensures your survey is appealing and easy to understand.

Make sure your survey software supports these features and is responsive across all devices. This seamless experience across desktops, tablets, and smartphones enhances feedback quality and shows your audience they’re truly valued. Personalizing and streamlining your survey invites deeper insights while reinforcing the bond with your customers.

6. Ensure Ethical Practice and Data Privacy

When data breaches are all too common, ensuring the privacy and security of respondent information is not just a legal requirement but a fundamental component of customer trust. Be transparent about your data use, informing participants how their feedback will be used and safeguarded. This transparency reinforces their confidence in your brand and encourages more honest and valuable responses.

Implement strict measures to protect customer data, including secure data storage, encrypted survey submissions, and restricting data access to authorized personnel only. Additionally, offer anonymity options and ensure the confidentiality of survey responses, further assuring participants of their privacy.

Regularly review and update your data protection practices to comply with evolving regulations like the GDPR. Putting privacy first when you collect feedback shows how much you value customer opinions. It’s a great way to build a strong relationship with them, which can lead to lasting loyalty.

Key Areas to Cover in Your Customer Feedback Questionnaire

To acquire valuable information, it is essential for your customer feedback survey questions to address important aspects, including:

• satisfaction with the product
• experience with customer support services
• perception of pricing
• loyalty towards the brand

Each category offers crucial data that can inform business strategies and enhance overall customer experience. It is imperative to thoroughly analyze these areas to gain insights that will benefit your company.

Product/Service Satisfaction

Evaluating satisfaction with a product or service is essential to any customer feedback form. It allows you to determine how well offerings meet customer needs and address their issues through targeted questions on satisfaction levels. A basic inquiry like “How pleased are you with our [product/service]?” can yield valuable insights as to where they stand in terms of Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) . A ready-made customer satisfaction survey template designed specifically for this purpose can streamline the process and ensure that relevant queries covering all aspects of your offering are being asked.

Another way to measure product or service quality is by asking about the likelihood of recommending it to others via NPS surveys . Open-ended questions focused on goals such as “Can you provide insights into what prompted you to use this [product/service]? Understanding your objective will enable us to tailor our services better towards meeting your requirements.” helps understand why customers choose certain products/services and set expectations accordingly. 

You can effectively refine your value proposition by understanding the challenges your offerings help address. Open-ended questions allow room to explore how consumers perceive the fulfillment levels of core needs met by your products or services.

Customer Support Experience

The feedback questionnaire should include a section dedicated to evaluating the customer support experience. One way to assess this is through the Customer Effort Score , which measures how easily customers can resolve their issues. Additional questions could focus on support teams’ speed and efficiency of resolution, as well as perceived professionalism and empathy.

Hence, among the main areas for measuring satisfaction with customer service representatives are hold times, problem resolution effectiveness, and both knowledgeability and attitude of customer service representatives. It’s also relevant to gauge whether or not customers feel that their feedback is valued and leads to tangible improvements in the quality of support services. This data can inform future strategies to enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Pricing and Value Perception

Gaining an understanding of how your customers view the price and value of your product or service is crucial in influencing their purchasing decisions and fostering loyalty. Asking questions such as “Do you believe our [product/service] justifies its cost?” can directly assess the perceived value customers associate with your offering.

Using rating scales to gauge customer satisfaction with pricing, comparing competitors’ offerings, and surveying opinions on pricing plans are effective ways to measure a customer’s perception of value for money. These insights into their satisfaction levels can guide strategic price adjustments while ensuring the delivery of satisfactory quality at competitive rates, ultimately improving the overall value proposition.

Brand Loyalty and Advocacy

The success of your business hinges heavily on brand loyalty and advocacy. A crucial aspect in measuring these factors is evaluating the alignment between customers’ personal values and those of your brand, as well as understanding why they choose to purchase from you over competitors. One effective way to gauge customer likelihood for recommending a product or service is through specific questions like the Net Promoter Score found on feedback questionnaires.

When seeking insights into the overall market perception of your brand, it can be beneficial to include advocacy questions that explore both positive and negative sentiments among customers. By understanding these perceptions, businesses can shape their strategies accordingly in order to foster loyal customers who actively advocate for their products or services.

Alternative Approach to Customer Survey Questions

As we shift our focus to specific question types aimed at comprehensively gauging customer sentiment, here is another approach to various inquiries tailored to uncover insights into the customer journey:

• questions to understand customer satisfaction
• questions to measure customer experience
• questions digging into customer loyalty
• questions fueling future progress

We’ll go through all of them for more details.

Questions to Understand Customer Satisfaction

1. general satisfaction questions.

When it comes to the health of your business, customer satisfaction sits right at the heart. It’s the pulse that tells you how well you’re delivering on expectations and where you need to improve. Starting with general satisfaction questions in your customer feedback questionnaire is like asking, “How are you feeling?” . It’s a broad question that opens up the conversation.

These queries offer a snapshot of customer sentiment and can highlight areas that require a deeper dive:

• “On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with our product/service overall?”
• “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague?”

2. Specific Product/Service Feedback

After establishing a general understanding of customer satisfaction, let’s zoom in further with questions focused on particular aspects or features of your product/service. This section of your customer feedback questionnaire is where you get to the heart of what works, what doesn’t and why.

These questions should be carefully designed to extract detailed feedback about the different components of your offering. For instance, if you’re a software company, you might ask about the user interface, speed, or specific functionalities like data integration. If you’re in retail, questions might target product quality, variety, and the shopping experience. This approach helps you understand customer satisfaction at a granular level and identifies strengths to build on and weaknesses to address.

Here are some questions ensuring a nuanced understanding of customer preferences:

• “How satisfied are you with the level of customization options available for our software?”
• “How would you rate the clarity and effectiveness of the instructions provided with our product?”

3. Promise & Delivery Gap

Moving further into the depths of understanding customer satisfaction, these questions encourage customers to reflect on their initial expectations versus their experiences, providing clear insights into where you stand.

Understanding these gaps is important for several reasons. First, it provides an opportunity to realign your offerings with customer expectations, either by enhancing the product/service or adjusting the messaging to set more realistic expectations. Second, it can guide your marketing team to craft messages that more accurately reflect the customer experience, thus building trust and credibility with your target audience. Moreover, this feedback acts as a direct input into your improvement processes.

Peering into the gap between promise and delivery, here are some question examples that gauge whether the product or service met or exceeded customer expectations:

• “Were there any features or functionalities that fell short of what you expected?”
• “Did our product/service meet your expectations based on our marketing materials?”

Questions to Measure Customer Experience

Now, let’s delve into questions that gauge the overall customer experience. From ease of use to interactions with customer service representatives, these inquiries provide valuable insights into every aspect of the customer journey.

4. Ease of Use and Accessibility

The rationale behind focusing on ease of use and accessibility is straightforward. When customers find your product or service easy to navigate and use, their overall experience improves. This not only boosts their satisfaction but also significantly increases their likelihood to stick with your brand. A low-effort experience can be a key differentiator in markets where competition is fierce.

Here are some question examples on how easy it is for customers to navigate and use the product/service:

• “How easy was it for you to find the information you were looking for on our website?”
• “On a scale of 1 to 5, how straightforward was it to set up your account with our platform?”

5. Customer Service Interaction

Customer service representatives are often the human face of your brand during critical moments of the customer journey. Incorporating these dimensions into your customer feedback questionnaire offers a dual benefit. It provides actionable insights to improve customer service quality and communicates to your customers that you value their opinions and are committed to providing exceptional service. This commitment can strengthen customer relationships and their perception of your brand as one that genuinely cares about their experience.

Questions aimed at evaluating customer service interactions should delve into both the effectiveness and the emotional aspects of the experience (how customers felt about the interaction). For example, you might ask:

• “How satisfied are you with the response time of our customer support team?”
• “How satisfied are you with the level of expertise demonstrated by our customer support team?”

6. Problem Resolution

Feedback in this area can reveal much about the operational strengths and weaknesses of your customer service team. These questions can help identify if your processes are streamlined and effective or if there are bottlenecks and areas needing improvement. Questions in this section can be structured to gauge both the timeliness and the outcome of the resolution process:

• “Were you able to resolve your issue with our product/service in a timely manner?”
• “How satisfied are you with the solutions provided to address your problem?”

Questions Digging into Customer Loyalty

In the attempt to understand your customers better, measuring customer loyalty is akin to discovering a treasure map that guides your business toward long-term success. This is where Net Promoter Score (NPS) comes into play, a powerful tool that helps you see beyond the horizon of customer satisfaction to gauge the strength of your customer relationships. Our journey begins with questions that identify Promoters, Passives, and Detractors with NPS. 

7. Customer Loyalty: Identify Promoters, Passives and Detractors

NPS simplifies the complex landscape of customer loyalty into a single, understandable metric. By asking one straightforward question, you can measure customers’ willingness to become brand ambassadors. Typically scored on a 0 to 10 scale, the responses categorize your customers into Promoters, Passives , and Detractors .

Why is this important? Because Promoters are more than just satisfied customers; they are the ones who will fuel your growth by recommending your brand to others. On the other hand, Detractors are unsatisfied customers who can harm your brand’s reputation through negative word-of-mouth. Understanding the balance between these groups gives you a clear indication of your company’s health and customer loyalty levels.

These queries gauge customer likelihood to recommend your product or service and delve into the reasons behind their score:

• “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product/service to others?”
• “What is the primary reason for your score?”

8. Repeat Business and Recommendations

After understanding the broad strokes of customer loyalty through NPS, it’s essential to zoom in on the specific behaviors that signal strong loyalty: repeat purchases and recommendations. These indicators reflect the health of your customer relationships and directly impact your business growth and sustainability.

These inquiries might serve as an example:

• “How likely are you to purchase from us again in the future?”
• “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to friends or family? Why or why not?”

9. Customer Sentiment and Future Intentions

Beyond loyalty metrics and the likelihood of repeat business, understanding the broader sentiment customers hold towards your brand and their future intentions is essential for long-term engagement and growth. This segment of your customer feedback questionnaire focuses on capturing the emotional and forward-looking aspects of customer relationships with your brand.

Asking about future intentions allows you to gauge customer commitment and identify upcoming trends or changes in preferences that could affect your market position. Meanwhile, asking direct feedback on potential areas for improvement can provide a roadmap for innovation and refinement. It encourages customers to share their ideas and suggestions, making them feel valued and part of your brand’s journey.

Here are just a couple of examples:

• “How do you feel about the direction our company is heading in?”
• “What improvements would you like to see from us in the future?”

Questions Fueling Future Progress

These inquiries encourage honest feedback, invite suggestions for improvement, and gather contextual insights, empowering businesses to evolve and excel.

10. Open-Ended Feedback for Qualitative Insights

In the quest to truly understand and serve your customers, the richest insights often come not from checkboxes and scales but from the unfiltered, open-ended feedback they provide.

Gathering actionable insights from open-ended feedback involves careful analysis to identify common themes, suggestions, and areas of concern. It requires a willingness to read between the lines, recognize patterns, and prioritize changes that will significantly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Our exploration begins with questions designed to elicit honest and constructive criticism of the customer experience:

• “Do you have any additional comments or suggestions about your experience with our product/service?”
• “What one thing could we do to improve your experience with us?”

11. Suggestions for Improvement

Actively seeking suggestions for improvement from your customers is not just about identifying what needs to be fixed; it’s about opening the doors to innovation with those who use your products or services daily. This part of your customer feedback questionnaire should include open-ended questions encouraging customers to share their ideas and visions for brand improvement.

These types of questions serve multiple purposes. They signal to your customers that their opinions are valued and considered while providing a treasure trove of ideas to drive your business forward. Customer suggestions can highlight unseen opportunities, suggest new features, or point out areas of friction that your team might not have previously identified. You might use:

• “How can we enhance our product/service to meet your needs better?”
• “Is there a feature or service you wish we offered that we currently don’t?”

12. Demographic and Contextual Questions

Tailoring your questions to gather context-specific insights allows for more targeted improvements. It ensures that changes are not just based on general feedback but are informed by a deep understanding of how different customer segments use and benefit from your product/service. This approach can lead to more meaningful and impactful updates.

And here are some questions examples to explore:

• “Which devices do you primarily use to access our product/service?”
• “What is your preferred method of communication for receiving updates or promotions from us?”

35 Essential Customer Feedback Question Examples

In the quest to understand customer satisfaction, strategic questioning is paramount. Businesses can uncover invaluable insights to refine their offerings and fortify customer retention by delving into specific areas and gauging feedback across various touchpoints.

Below are some additional practical customer feedback questions that can be used to gain insights into your products or services.

• Which aspects of our product/service do you find most beneficial?
• Which specific feature of our product/service could you not do without, and why?
• How often do you use our product/service in your daily activities?
• In what scenarios or environments do you find yourself most frequently using our product/service?
• Can you share your challenges while navigating our product/service?
• What is your favorite feature of our product/service, and why?
• In what ways has our product/service made a positive impact on your daily routine or work?
• Can you share a specific instance where our product/service significantly benefited you or your business?
• What key factor led you to choose our product/service over competitors?
• Compared to other options you’ve tried, what aspects of our product/service do you find more beneficial or lacking?
• Can you describe what specifically prompted your decision to purchase from us?
• Were there any hesitations or concerns you had before purchasing with us?
• How did you first learn about our product/service, and what influenced your purchase decision?
• Looking forward, what are the must-have features or improvements you would like to see in our product/service?
• If you could request one feature or improvement that isn’t currently available, what would it be?
• Have you encountered any significant issues or limitations while using our website or product/service?
• Are there any concerns or questions you have about our product/service that we can address? Please name them.
• Do you know someone who might benefit from our product/service? What are their needs or interests?
• How can we exceed your expectations and deliver an exceptional experience with our product/service?
• What differentiates our product/service from others in the market?
• How would you describe the quality of the customer support you’ve received from us?
• How would you rate your experiences with our customer support team? What improvements, if any, would you suggest?
• Could you share an instance where our product/service exceeded your expectations?
• Is there a feature you expected to find in our product/service but didn’t? What is it?
• In terms of pricing, how do you perceive the value of our product/service compared to its cost?
• Do you feel our product/service offers good value for the price? Why or why not?
• What personalized experiences or customizations do you wish our product/service offered to suit your needs better?
• What factors influence your decision to renew or not renew your subscription with us?
• How do marketing communications influence your perception of our product/service?
• How user-friendly do you find our product/service? Any suggestions for improvement?
• Could you provide feedback on the onboarding process for our product/service?
• Have any features of our product/service negatively impacted your experience? How can we improve?
• Can you share a feature you rarely use or find unnecessary? Why?
• Are there any industry-specific features you wish our product/service included?
• How satisfied are you with the updates/maintenance frequency of our product/service?
• What’s the one thing you wish you had known before you started using our product/service?
• Is there anything else you’d like us to know about your experience with our product/service?

Analyzing and Acting on Customer Feedback

Effectively leveraging customer feedback involves more than just examining it. Taking action is even more important. This includes identifying patterns, sharing findings with appropriate departments, and monitoring results.

These measures guarantee that the gathered information is successfully implemented into plans and initiatives to improve the overall experience.

1. Identify Trends and Patterns

Understanding customer perceptions and experiences is key to any business and achievable by identifying trends and patterns in their feedback. There are useful features available, such as word clouds or text analytics, which can help visualize common terms used by customers, as well as sentiment analysis of their feedback. These allow businesses to prioritize areas that need attention based on root causes or impact.

Analyzing customer feedback yields numerous advantages, from streamlining operations and strategic improvements to uncovering customer challenges and aligning with broader business objectives through customer experience metrics. By qualitatively analyzing responses, businesses can pinpoint recurring themes and pain points, fostering ongoing product and service improvements.

2. Share Results with Relevant Teams

Effective communication of customer feedback among teams is crucial for promoting a customer-focused approach within your organization. Qualitative data offers valuable insights for sales, marketing, product development, and customer success strategies. Directly sharing unfiltered comments with employees maximizes the feedback’s impact.

Using a centralized dashboard or reporting system enables real-time distribution of customer feedback across teams. Regular cross-departmental meetings to discuss this information and develop collaborative plans ensure that all areas focus on enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

3. Close the Feedback Loop with Effective Communication

After gathering and analyzing customer feedback, it’s time to close the loop with your respondents. Communicate your actions in response to their feedback to reinforce their value to your business and your commitment to excellent experiences. This follow-up not only strengthens customer relationships but also encourages future engagement. Whether through email updates, website announcements, or social media posts, keeping your customers informed about taken action demonstrates transparency and accountability.

Here’s how you can transform customer insights into meaningful improvements and communicate these changes effectively:

• Whenever possible, personalize your follow-up communications. A personalized email thanking a customer for their feedback and detailing the steps you’ve taken in response can significantly impact them. It shows a genuine appreciation for their input and reinforces their value to your business.
• For broader feedback trends or suggestions that have led to significant changes, consider public acknowledgment through your blog, newsletter, or social media channels. Sharing stories about how customer feedback has shaped your product or service builds a community around your brand.
• Be transparent about the feedback process. Share not just the changes made but also insights into the decision-making process. If certain suggestions cannot be implemented, explain why. This level of transparency builds trust and helps customers understand the complexities and limitations that businesses face.
• Invite customers to continue the conversation. Whether through a follow-up survey to gauge their reaction to the changes made or a forum where they can share ongoing thoughts, keeping the lines of communication open is key to a responsive customer feedback loop.
• Highlight customer success stories that have resulted from this feedback loop. Sharing real-life examples of how feedback led to improved customer experiences can be powerful in demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction.

4. Monitor Progress and Iterate

The implementation of a feedback loop for continuous improvement allows for consistent monitoring and iterative enhancement of progress. This process incorporates both quantitative and qualitative data, enabling ongoing collection, analysis, and implementation of improvements. Sharing direct customer feedback within the company encourages a strong culture of learning and results in more impactful changes in attitudes and actions compared to feedback delivered by management.

To promote a customer-centric approach among the team, you can integrate customer satisfaction metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), or Customer Effort Score (CES) into decision-making processes. Regularly reviewing these metrics will help identify any shifts in overall sentiment from customers. It is important to have systems in place that track the impact of implemented enhancements on satisfaction levels based on insights gained from customer feedback.

5. Leveraging Digital Tools

Building on the capabilities of specialized survey software, integrating advanced digital tools into our feedback mechanisms takes our customer engagement strategies to the next level. Beyond just collecting responses, interactive technologies embedded within these platforms can delve deeper into customer emotions and preferences, providing instant, actionable insights.

This evolution in feedback collection, powered by AI and machine learning, allows for nuanced analysis of open-ended responses, quickly identifying underlying sentiments and trends. It transforms feedback from a static input into a dynamic source of strategic intelligence, enabling businesses to adapt and respond quickly.

Social listening capabilities further extend the reach, capturing spontaneous conversations and opinions shared across social media platforms. This adds an invaluable layer of insights and offers a broader perspective on customer sentiment.

This integrated approach marks a significant leap forward, positioning businesses as leaders in customer-centric innovation and continuous improvement.

Tips for Maximizing Response Rates

Ensuring a high response rate is crucial in obtaining enough data for effective analysis. This can be achieved by minimizing the length and complexity of questionnaires, selecting an appropriate method of distribution, and strategically timing their administration. But let’s dive deeper into each:

Keep It Short and Simple

To improve customer engagement, it is essential to keep surveys concise and straightforward. It is recommended to limit the number of questions in a questionnaire to 5-10 for optimal length. Keeping surveys brief (around 3 minutes) or even just asking a single question can prevent respondents from dropping out mid-survey and increase completion rates.

In order to encourage customer participation, keep survey questions clear and easy to understand. For example, the use of simple rating scales such as five-star ratings can make it easier for customers to browse through the survey and provide feedback. This approach also shows value towards the customer’s opinion by acknowledging their honest feedback upfront and highlighting its importance in shaping future improvements.

Choose the Right Delivery Method

Choosing the appropriate platform for survey distribution is crucial in effectively reaching customers and aligning with their communication preferences. For example, younger demographics may respond better to SMS surveys, while in-app messages can generate higher participation rates and offer valuable contextual feedback from active mobile users.

Maintaining a clean email list ensures that surveys are only sent to engaged customers. Integrating surveys into various communication channels makes participation easier. By combining multiple survey channels such as email, web links, SMS messaging, and even on-site kiosks, businesses can cater to the preferences of different customer segments.

Employing a diverse range of platforms allows companies to gather insights from a wider pool of respondents without limiting themselves solely to one channel or age group’s perspectives. This multi-channel approach also enhances user convenience by meeting consumers where they prefer to engage, whether through traditional methods like emails or newer options like text-based interactions.

Time Your Questionnaire Appropriately

It is important to have a good understanding of the behavior and availability of your target audience in order to determine when it is best to send surveys for maximum engagement. Sending surveys immediately or within 24 hours after an interaction occurs has proven most effective in gathering transactional feedback. On the other hand, for relationship NPS feedback , intervals of every 30, 60, or 90 days are suitable.

For more relevant and timely customer feedback, survey distribution should occur right after purchase completion, following any customer support interactions, and promptly upon completing specific tasks such as online bookings. 

Furthermore, in regards to B2B/SaaS customer journeys , it would be most beneficial to wait between two weeks and one month post-implementation before sending out a survey. This timing ensures that customers have enough time since their initial experience with the product/service to evaluate its effectiveness fully. It is also recommended that ecommerce companies gather information through surveys approximately seven days after delivery.

Wrapping up

A customer feedback questionnaire is more than a tool for gathering data – it’s a strategic asset, helping businesses understand their customers’ experiences, needs, and expectations. They offer valuable insights that can guide business decisions, drive product improvements and foster customer loyalty. To ensure meaningful feedback is gathered, they need to be well-designed with areas such as product satisfaction, customer support experience, and pricing perception covered.

However, the effectiveness of a feedback questionnaire depends on its ability to cater to different customer needs and touchpoints across the customer journey. From initial interaction to post-purchase experiences, different stages require tailored questions to capture relevant insights. This might involve measuring the customer effort score (CES) to assess ease of use, leveraging the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to gauge loyalty and the likelihood of recommendations to others, or measuring the customer satisfaction score (CSAT) to explore the nuances of the customer service experience.

Incorporating a blend of question types, from quantitative ratings to open-ended prompts, is essential. It paints a complete picture of customer sentiment across every interaction with your product or service.

But the journey doesn’t end with data collection. Thorough analysis, team collaboration, and strategic action turn insights into impactful change. Specialized survey software optimizes this process, empowering you to build deeper customer connections and drive sustained growth.

Ready to harness the power of customer feedback? Start today by incorporating Retently into your strategy and unlock the invaluable potential of data. Gather actionable insights that inform better decision-making and improve customer satisfaction for existing customers.

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The Importance of Customer Visits: Tools & Tips

By Kishana Citadelle & Coralie Petit

Updated: May 23, 2024, first publication: August 4, 2021

Table of contents

Nowadays, with people being so connected, companies often or completely forget the importance of customer visits. A digital tool can show you statistics, but can it read the true interests or intentions of a client?

The answer to that is most likely… No, it doesn’t.

Usually, the more customers you gain or have to deal with, the more it’s essential to keep a close relationship with them.

And wouldn’t you like to be considered more than data or a click on an ad? I’m pretty sure you would!

Let’s unveil the importance of customer visits and how to plan it efficiently. 👇

Why are Customer Visits Important?

What are the benefits.

Customers are constantly being solicited by your sales team or your competitors.

In fact, they are likely to appreciate talking with a salesman who is not trying to sell goods, and instead, someone who is invested in hearing about their problems and preferences.

By meeting with them:

• It helps customers feel appreciated ;
• It creates a certain bond .

👉 Meeting clients in their environment shows you how they integrate your software into their workday. And by doing so, you’d be able to study their behavior and show them your support.

• It detects needs or problems that would not have been obvious on the telephone or by e-mail;
• Company workers will feel more motivated as they will get honest and personal feedback on their product or service.

You must keep in mind that you are not the only one soliciting customers. It’s a competitive market, so getting as much personal information as possible will keep you ahead of the game.

And eventually, seeing their smile and satisfaction in person can be quite a reward. 🏆

Who Does it Concern, and Why?

You might want to bring your whole team such as the marketing and analytics members to the meeting, but remember: the goal here is not to sell, but to listen and be understanding.

Therefore, it should only concern the most profitable customers.

Here is how to do it:

• Refer to your CRM tools to highlight via the sales dashboard (or cross tables) those who have ordered the most often or with the best average basket;
• Profile your customers . For instance, by using a progression metric, which assumes that the most interesting customers are those who have the best potential (good contact, several exchanges to date), but who have not yet made many purchases.

In a logic of cost reduction, there’s a strategy to take into account: the optimization of b2b sales funnel .

👉 You organize your customer visits by geographical area , and link them to lose as little time as possible between each appointment.

This method can only boost your notoriety amongst customers and build customer loyalty. Once it is done properly, your efficiency to read and better understand the customer is increased.

💡 Our tip: Check out our lead generation in digital marketing and lead conversion to know how to best generate and convert lead into customer !

• bulleted The Best B2B Sales Lead Generation Strategies
• bulleted The 7 Fundamental Steps of a B2B Sales Cycle

Why is Customer Attraction Important?

Customer attraction is vital for:

• business growth ,
• brand development ,
• and maintaining a competitive edge .

In fact, it ensures a steady revenue stream and promotes brand awareness through word-of-mouth, enhancing the company’s reputation. ☝️

Also, effective customer attraction strategies enable businesses to:

• lead in competitive markets ,
• drive innovation ,
• and secure long-term viability .

In essence, attracting customers is foundational to not only immediate financial health, but also to the sustained success and adaptability of a business in a dynamic market environment.

What is a Customer Visit Program?

Customer visits provide an opportunity for interaction between the parties involved to reach a settlement.

Discussions may include:

• advertising,
• and 'team' approaches to visits.

Strategizing is very essential and should not be omitted! It gives you a true insight into a customer’s perspective.

Customer visits can be divided into four classes:

• Customer visits with the senior management team: owners, presidents, general managers, and so forth;
• Customer visits with the sales managers;
• Customer visits with a team of two or more people;
• Customer visits with an individual: a member of the sales management team, or a salesperson, for instance.

4 Strategic Steps for Effective Customer Visits

1- planning visits.

Preparation is key: it helps with your confidence and organization.

Scheduling the Visit

The first step is to make an appointment with the person or people in charge:

• Ask them when they will be available and set a time and date;
• Make sure that each party is aware of what the meeting will be about beforehand;
• Speak to them about confidentiality, and that everything you report back to your team will be done with their consent.

Preparing Your Approach

On your end, if you haven’t already, keep studying your customer :

• See what has changed in the use of the product from now up until the day of the meeting;
• Study their company! You could visit their website to learn more about their products, services, and their world.
• Build a client portfolio , or a persona.

Organizing Your Team

At the same time:

• Make sure each attendee on your team knows their role;
• Review and reread your files as well as the history of exchanges and purchases, if applicable, to have all the keys in hand;
• Do not forget to have a backup plan ! It shows your professionalism in case something goes wrong.

Pay attention to CAC customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value calculation to balance your fee.

2- Provisioning Excellent Customer Service During Visits

Once every concerned individual is informed about the meeting, this is where you get into the gist of things.

Start with light conversations before getting to the purpose of the meeting.

💡 Our tip: Make them feel comfortable , as you do not want to seem too keen to get down to business.

Keep in mind that this is a mutual agreement . That way, the customer, or client, won’t run away.

Topics to Come Up With

• pay attention to them,
• try to find the best solution to their problem;
• ask open-ended questions,
• allow the customer to take the lead and talk;
• Focus on who uses your products or services the most. And if so, how often and what are the main reasons?
• Once you have determined their necessity for said products and services, ask them what they would like to be changed . Are there any bugs?

Good Practices

• Above all, take notes! Whether the information seems useful to you, this data might be useful later or will speak to one of your colleagues.
• Don’t leave the room without summarizing what was said and mentioning the next steps you will take to ensure their needs are met.

Many benefits can come out of this! 🧐

• bulleted Guide to Business Negotiation: Clinch Deals in 6 Steps

3- Personalizing the Customer Visits

Personalizing customer visits and interviews is a powerful strategy to:

• enhance the customer experience ,
• increase engagement ,
• and ultimately drive sales and loyalty .

Data-Driven Personalization

First, you should use your collected data and analyzes to come up with customized greetings and recommended products or services.

👉 Using CRM systems or AI automates data management and allows for personalized recommendations.

Customized Offers

Secondly, you could create personalized offers and loyalty programs that offer exclusive deals based on customer history and preferences. Ultimately, you could adjust the physical or digital environment to suit individual customer preferences, enhancing their overall experience.

By personalizing the visit, you will enhance satisfaction and encourage loyalty! 🤝

4- And… Share Feedback After the Visits

In one word: debrief .

Review what happened:

• What did you learn?
• Were some of your questions answered?
• Did you reach your goals?
• What was the most helpful?

Following-up

Then follow up with the customer and your team !

💡 Our tip: Send the customer a thank-you note , so they can know you appreciate the time spent together and the feedback they have given you.

It doesn’t need to stop there, as keeping a close relationship and giving your customer or client the best experience is not a daily process. It’s a constant and ongoing contact with them , which is why your next steps should involve:

• Making a new appointment;
• Drawing up a diagnosis or a commercial proposal ;
• Preparing for the negotiation based on the customer's specific requests:
• Identifying trends in the marketplace : If a number of your customer visits reveal the same concern, this may be an area that you need to focus on;
• Communicating important elements to the relevant teams, e.g., the after-sales team.

How to Simplify the Customer Visit?

There are interesting tools for note-taking and customer visit reports, as it allows you to create any business document, tailored to your image.

👉 Your documents are unified and 100% dematerialized , which is best for consistency. Also, centralization benefits the whole company, especially the sales representatives in the field, who no longer lose any of their work.

Depending on the different email scenarios configured:

• The managers receive a summary and the customer a recap by email;
• If the visit is successful, you can even have the customer digitally sign an order in the same breath!

By using flexible and customizable software, your sales representatives have all the necessary tools at their disposal on their smartphone or tablet:

• Customer files are updated in real-time ;
• Connection to your ERP ;
• Generation of sales documents (quotations, order forms, invoices);
• Access to order history , stocks , and your catalog .

Have you tested any digital tools for your customer relations? 🤔

• bulleted Which is the best CRM for me?

Customer Visits: In Summary

💡 Here is one last piece of advice: Always look to the future , but do not forget that customer satisfaction is crucial to a company’s success.

Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting as hidden gems can be said. And to take advantage of this meeting, help yourself with the appropriate tools .

Take the time to know who you are catering to, as customers buy when they feel loyalty and consideration .

Great relationships lead to great opportunities !

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Table of contents

9 effective customer feedback email templates to unlock better insights.

An interesting way of looking at customer feedback is to picture it as a compass that guides your business towards improvement. It’s the unfiltered voice of your customers, offering insights into their experiences, preferences, and expectations. 

Leveraging this invaluable resource not only strengthens customer relationships but also fuels organizational evolution.

In this blog, we’ll delve into some email templates that are to help you gather valuable insights from your customers, fostering a culture of improvement and customer-centricity. 

Let’s explore these templates and discover how to tailor them to your business needs.

Table of Contents

9 best customer support feedback request email templates.

Here are 9 of the best customer support feedback request email templates that you can use to gather valuable feedback from your customers. Remember to customize these templates to suit your specific business and customer interactions:

Template 1: Express Gratitude

This feedback request email template is all about expressing gratitude to your customers for choosing your business and using your products or services. It sets a positive tone and emphasizes the importance of their feedback in helping your business improve. The template encourages customers to share their thoughts and experiences with your brand. Make use of free ai email writer to create personalised emails and additions to ensure that it perfectly reflects what you want to convey.

Subject Line: Thank You for Choosing [Your Company] – We’d Love Your Feedback! Dear [Customer’s Name], We sincerely appreciate your choice in [Your Company] for your [product/service] needs. Your satisfaction is paramount to us, and we’d like to hear about your experience. Please take a moment to share your feedback through our brief survey: [Feedback Survey Link] Your insights are crucial in helping us improve. As a token of our appreciation, we’re offering a gift voucher worth X. Thank you for choosing [Your Company]. Your feedback drives our commitment to excellence. Warm regards,  [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Recommended Read: Best Practices for Writing Awesome Customer Service Emails

Template 2: Quick Feedback Request

This feedback request email template is designed for customers who prefer a shorter, more straightforward message. It focuses on prompting them to provide feedback quickly and efficiently. The template emphasizes the ease and convenience of sharing their thoughts.

Subject line: Help us improve with one click Hi [Customer’s Name], We hope you’re enjoying your experience with [Your Company]! Your opinion means a lot to us, and we’re interested in hearing your feedback. Would you be willing to spare just a few seconds to rate your recent experience with us? It’s a quick, one-question survey: [Feedback Rating Link] Your feedback is invaluable and helps us make improvements that matter to you. Thank you for your time! Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Template 3: Personalized Request

This feedback request email template adds a personalized touch by addressing the customer by name in the subject line. Moreover, it seeks feedback specifically on their recent interaction with your product or service, making it more relevant to their experience.

Subject Line: [Customer’s Name], We’d Love Your Feedback on Your Recent [Product/Service] Experience Dear [Customer’s Name], We hope you’re well and that you’ve been enjoying your [product/service] from [Your Company]. We value your opinion, and we’re interested in hearing about your recent experience. Your feedback can help us continue to improve and deliver the best possible [product/service]. Would you mind taking a moment to share your thoughts with us? [Feedback Survey Link] Your input is greatly appreciated, and as a token of our gratitude, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing to win [Incentive or Prize]. Thank you for being a valued member of our [Your Company] community. We look forward to hearing from you! Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Recommended Read: 5 Tips for Delivering Personalized Support

Template 4: Buying Experience

This feedback request email template focuses specifically on the customer’s recent purchase experience. It seeks feedback on the entire process, from browsing and selecting products to the checkout process and post-purchase support.

Subject Line: Tell Us About Your Recent Purchase Experience with [Your Company] Dear [Customer’s Name], We hope your recent purchase from [Your Company] met your expectations. We value your feedback on every aspect of your purchase experience. Could you take a moment to share your thoughts with us? Your insights will help us enhance the overall shopping experience for you and other valued customers. Please consider the following aspects of your purchase experience: -Ease of browsing and finding products -Clarity and accuracy of product information -Checkout process and payment experience -Delivery and packaging -Post-purchase support (if applicable) [Feedback Survey Link] Your feedback is crucial in helping us continue to provide you exceptional service. As a token of our appreciation, you’ll be entered into a monthly draw to win [incentive or prize]. Thank you for choosing [Your Company], and for sharing your valuable insights. Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Template 5: Customer effort Survey

This feedback request email template focuses on the effort customers have to put into their interactions with your company. It seeks feedback on the ease and convenience of doing business with your organization.

Subject Line: How Easy Was Your Recent Experience with [Your Company]?  Dear [Customer’s Name], At [Your Company], we’re committed to making your interactions with us as effortless as possible. Your feedback is essential in helping us achieve that goal. Could you spare a moment to share your thoughts on the ease and convenience of your recent experience with us? Your insights will guide us in simplifying and enhancing your journey. [Feedback Survey Link] Please consider the following aspects of your recent interaction: -How easy it was to find the information you needed -The simplicity of placing an order or contacting support -The responsiveness and helpfulness of our team [Feedback Survey Link] Thank you for choosing [Your Company], and for helping us make your experience even more effortless. Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Here are 53 Customer Effort Score Questions

Template 6: Loyalty Rewards

This feedback request email template focuses on building loyalty by showing appreciation for customers’ continued support. It encourages customers to provide feedback in exchange for exclusive benefits or rewards.

Subject Line: Your Loyalty Matters – Share Your Feedback, Earn Exclusive Benefits! Dear [Customer’s Name], At [Your Company], we value your loyalty above all else. Your continued support means the world, and we want to show our appreciation in a special way. Would you be willing to share your feedback on your experiences with us? Your insights help us tailor our offerings to meet your needs even better. [Feedback Survey Link] As a token of our gratitude, you’ll receive exclusive benefits: -[Benefit 1] -[Benefit 2] -[Benefit 3] Your feedback will not only help us enhance your future experiences but also help us improve the experience for all our valued customers. Thank you for being a part of the [Your Company] family. Your loyalty drives us forward, and we can’t wait to continue serving you. Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Template 7: Customer Service Feedback

This feedback request email template is designed to gather feedback from customers who have recently interacted with your customer service team. It is typically sent after the customer’s support ticket or issue has been resolved. The purpose is to gauge their satisfaction with the assistance provided and to identify areas for improvement in your customer service process.

Subject Line: How Was Your Experience with Our Customer Service Team? Dear [Customer’s Name], We hope this message finds you well. At [Your Company], our commitment to providing outstanding customer service is at the heart of everything we do. We want to ensure that every interaction with our customer service team exceeds your expectations. To help us achieve this goal, we would greatly appreciate your feedback on your recent experience with our customer service representatives. Your insights are invaluable in helping us continuously improve and provide you with the best support possible. [Feedback Survey Link] Thank you for choosing [Your Company]. We look forward to hearing about your experience and using your feedback to serve you better. Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Recommended Read: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Customer Surveys

Template 8: Email List Subscribers

This email is designed to gather feedback from your email list subscribers about the content you send them. It’s important to gauge their satisfaction and understand their preferences to improve your email marketing strategy.

Subject Line: Share Your Thoughts on Our Email Content Dear [Subscriber’s Name], We hope this message finds you well. We want to express our gratitude for being a valued member of our email list. Your engagement and feedback matter greatly to us. We’re constantly working to deliver content that’s informative, relevant, and engaging. To ensure that we’re meeting your expectations, we’d like to hear directly from you. Would you be willing to share your thoughts on the content you receive from us? Your feedback will help us tailor our emails to your interests and preferences more effectively. [Feedback Survey Link] Thank you for being a part of our community. We’re committed to delivering content that enriches your inbox and adds value to your day. Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Template 9: Exit Survey

This exit survey request email is designed to collect feedback from customers who have decided to end their relationship with your company. It aims to understand the reasons behind their decision and identify areas for improvement in your products, services, or customer experience.

Subject Line: We’re Sorry to See You Go – Help Us Improve by Sharing Your Feedback Dear [Customer’s Name], We hope this message finds you well.  We understand that you may be disappointed or dissatisfied with your recent experience with [Your Company]. But we genuinely value your feedback and want to learn from your perspective. Your insights are invaluable in helping us improve, and we’d appreciate it if you could take a few moments to share your thoughts with us by completing this exit survey: [Exit Survey Link] Your feedback will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of improving our products and services.  Thank you for your past support and for helping us make the necessary improvements to serve our customers better in the future. Warm regards, [Your Name]  [Your Title]  [Your Company Name]  [Contact Information]

Wrapping Up

Writing emails that spur your customers into giving you feedback is an art. Some tips to keep in mind while reaching out to customers for feedback are –

And lastly, remember that you can use these insights to continuously improve your feedback process as well. Try Hiver for Free and collect customer feedback accurately and effectively.

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8 Best Customer Feedback Email Templates and Examples

• August 17, 2023

Ready to embark on a voyage to the mystical realm of customer feedback emails? 

Buckle up. We’re diving deep into a treasure trove of templates and tips to make your customers spill the beans in the most delightful ways.

Forget those snooze-worthy feedback forms of yesteryears; today, we’re serving up a masterclass with a side of humor. 

So, fasten your seatbelt, stow that tray table, and let’s sail into the world where feedback is an art, a science, and a dash of fun!

Understanding Customer Feedback

Understanding customer feedback is like unlocking a treasure chest for your business . When you dive into feedback emails or scour through customer feedback email templates , you’re tapping into what your audience truly wants.

Think of it this way: every customer feedback email you receive is a chance to enhance your services.

And if you’re wondering how to ask for feedback from customers template-style or hoping to perfect your customer feedback request, you’re on the right track. Because, let’s face it, every “your feedback is important to us” you come across isn’t just a cliché; it’s a testament to how businesses thrive .

By valuing feedback from customers and adjusting your strategies, you set yourself up for success . After all, customer feedback emails provide insights that no market research can offer, making them an invaluable tool in your business arsenal.

So, next time you send out a customer feedback request email template, remember: you’re not just seeking opinions, you’re shaping the future of your brand .

Key Elements of an Effective Customer Feedback Email

Crafting the perfect customer feedback email is an art. Let’s dive into the essential elements that make your feedback email effective and engaging:

• Subject Line : This is your first impression, and it has to be captivating. A good subject line , like "Your Voice Matters: Share Your Experience with Us!", piques curiosity and encourages the recipient to open the email.
• Personalization : Personalization makes all the difference. Ditch the one-size-fits-all "customer feedback email template" and address your customer by name. Recalling their recent purchase or interaction can make them feel truly valued.
• Clear Purpose : Clarity is golden. State outright whether you're sending a "customer feedback request" or gathering "customer service feedback examples." A crystal-clear intent ensures the recipient knows what's expected.
• Short and Sweet : Brevity remains king. Although your feedback email needs to be comprehensive, keeping it concise ensures that it holds the recipient's attention from start to finish.
• Gratitude : Everyone loves to be appreciated. Genuine thank you phrases or sentiments, like "we cherish your insights," can make your customers feel their feedback is valuable and worth sharing.
• Easy Response Mechanism : The response process should be as smooth as butter. Embed clickable stars, a feedback slider, or a simple form within your "email template for customer feedback " to make sharing thoughts a breeze.
• Closing Line : Wrap things up with warmth. Your closing line is the lasting impression you leave. Something like "Your insights light our way forward. Thanks for shaping our journey!" resonates and fosters a sense of belonging.

Essential Templates for Customer Feedback

Diving into the world of customer feedback can be a breeze when you have the right templates at your fingertips. Let’s explore some must-haves:

Basic Customer Feedback Email Template

This is more than just your standard email; it’s your entry point. It’s ideal when you want to keep things casual and general . Here, you’ll aim for simplicity , using a blend of conversational tones to encourage your customer to share their overall experience.

A good example includes a quick greeting, followed by an invitation to share recent experiences, and a warm closing remark.

Here’s an email template:

Subject: We’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts!

Hey [Customer Name],

Hope you’re doing great! We’re always striving to improve, and we’d love to hear about your recent experience with us. Your insights help us do better.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Warm regards, [Your Name/Company Name]

Customer Service Feedback Request

This one’s special. Designed with precision, it zeroes in on the interaction your customer had with your service team. Did they get the help they needed? Was the response time fast? This template helps you find out.

It usually starts with referencing a recent support interaction , offering multiple-choice questions or scales to rate the experience, and then concludes with a thank-you note for their time .

Subject: Quick Check-in About Your Recent Support Experience

We noticed you reached out to our support team recently. We hope your concerns were addressed promptly!

Please take a moment to let us know how we did, and if there’s anything else you’d like to share about the interaction.

Thanks for helping us improve!

Best, [Your Name/Company Name]

Product Review Email

It’s all about the product here. Maybe you’ve launched a new item, or you’re evaluating an existing one. This template asks your customers for their hands-on experience , insights , and suggestions .

It would typically highlight the product in question, ask for a rating, provide space for detailed feedback, and then wrap up with appreciation for their input.

Subject: How’s [Product Name] Treating You?

Hi [Customer Name],

We noticed you recently purchased [Product Name]. How’s it going? We value your opinion and would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Thank you for choosing us!

Cheers, [Your Name/Company Name]

Customer Satisfaction Survey Email

The ultimate tool to measure your brand’s pulse. Comprehensive in nature, this template is tailored to fetch insights spanning various touchpoints of your business.

By incorporating diverse questions—ranging from the quality of products to website navigability—it provides a 360-degree view of customer sentiment.

Subject: Help Us Serve You Better!

Hello [Customer Name],

We’re on a mission to provide the best for our customers, and who better to guide us than you? We’ve prepared a short survey to gauge your experience across various aspects of our service.

Thank you for helping us grow!

Take care, [Your Name/Company Name]

Positive Feedback Email

When things go right, and customers are thrilled, this is your celebratory template. Designed to capitalize on positive moments , it invites customers to share their glowing reviews.

A typical template would acknowledge any positive feedback already received, invite more detailed testimonials, and conclude with heartfelt gratitude.

Subject: We Heard You Loved [Service/Product]!

Thank you so much for the kind words about [Service/Product]. We’re thrilled to hear you had a great experience!

If you have any more thoughts or stories to share, we’re all ears.

With gratitude, [Your Name/Company Name]

Negative Feedback Email

Facing challenges head-on is essential. With this template, you proactively address issues , offering a platform for customers to voice concerns.

It usually starts with acknowledging that not every experience might be perfect , provides a space for detailing the issues, and ensures the customer that their feedback will be acted upon.

Subject: Let’s Make Things Right

Dear [Customer Name],

We came across your feedback and truly regret that your experience wasn’t up to the mark. Please share more about your concerns so we can address them directly.

Your insights are invaluable to us.

Thank you for your patience, [Your Name/Company Name]

Feedback Reminder Email

This is your gentle nudge. If you’ve sought feedback but the silence is deafening, this template steps in.

It’s crafted to gently remind customers of the previous request , often highlighting the importance of their voice and input, and ends with an understanding tone, respecting their time.

Subject: A Little Nudge on Your Feedback

We sent over a request for feedback a little while ago and would genuinely appreciate your insights. Your voice matters a lot to us. Whenever you find a moment, do share your thoughts.

Miscellaneous Feedback Templates

There’s a whole range of other feedback areas: website usability, in-store ambiance, or even post-event surveys. These templates are versatile , adaptable , and built to cater to specific, sometimes unique, feedback needs .

They’re tailored to the particular scenario at hand, ensuring the feedback gathered is both relevant and actionable.

Subject: We Value Your Opinion on [Specific Area]

We’re currently reviewing our [Specific Area – e.g., website usability] and would love to get your take on it. Every bit of feedback, big or small, helps us create better experiences for you.

Thanks in advance, [Your Name/Company Name]

The Art of Responding to Feedback

Navigating the landscape of customer feedback can be a journey, right? When you’re on the receiving end of feedback, whether positive or negative, crafting the perfect response is an art .

Take a moment to genuinely appreciate the feedback ; a simple thank you for your feedback email to a customer can go a long way. Being sincere is your golden ticket.

Whether you’re addressing positive customer feedback examples or handling negative feedback, showing that you value their opinions makes all the difference.

Remember, every piece of feedback offers an opportunity to grow , improve , and strengthen your bond with customers . When you craft your responses, sprinkle in that genuine appreciation vibe like “we value your feedback” or “we cherish your insights” .

It’s those authentic touches that can elevate your relationship with customers to the next level.

Leveraging Feedback for Business Growth

You know, feedback isn’t just words on a screen; it’s a goldmine for your business. Every customer feedback example, whether glowing praise or constructive criticism, is a stepping stone to better your brand. But how, you ask? Let’s break it down:

• Product Improvement : Use product feedback examples to understand what's working and what's not. It’s a roadmap to perfecting your offerings.
• Boost Customer Relations : When you respond to customer feedback, especially with a heartfelt thank you for your feedback email to customers, you're building trust and loyalty.
• Strategic Decisions : Dive into feedback report insights to make data-driven choices for the future.
• Identify Trends : Customer feedback examples can highlight patterns, helping you stay ahead of the curve.
• Training Opportunities : Negative email examples can be valuable, pointing out areas where your team can grow and excel.
• Marketing Insights : Positive customer feedback examples can guide your marketing efforts, showcasing real success stories.

So, the next time you skim through a feedback email or analyze customer feedback reports, remember: it’s a treasure trove of insights just waiting to propel your business forward. Dive in and let it guide your growth journey!

Frequently Asked Questions on Writing a Customer Feedback Email

Alright, diving into the world of Frequently Asked Questions on Writing a Customer Feedback Email, you’re bound to run into a plethora of queries! Crafting the perfect feedback request is no small feat.

Let’s address a few questions that might still be lingering in your mind:

How frequently should I send feedback request emails to my customers?

Balance is key here. Sending feedback requests too often can annoy your customers and decrease response rates. Ideally, request feedback shortly after a significant interaction or transaction .

For regular customers, quarterly feedback requests or after major updates and product launches might be apt. Remember, every touchpoint with your customer should add value. It’s less about the frequency and more about the timing .

Should I incentivize my feedback emails to increase response rates?

Incentives can certainly boost response rates. Offering discounts, gift cards, or exclusive previews can be enticing. However, it’s crucial to ensure that the incentive doesn’t bias the feedback . You want honest insights.

Make sure the reward doesn’t overshadow the primary purpose of the email. If you decide to offer an incentive, communicate it transparently and ensure the process is hassle-free.

How long should my feedback survey be?

Keep it concise. The length of your survey should respect your customer’s time . If it takes more than 5-7 minutes, you might start seeing drop-offs. Focus on the most critical questions.

Using a mix of multiple-choice questions and one or two open-ended queries can help you get both quantitative and qualitative insights without overwhelming the respondent. Always pilot-test your survey with a smaller group to gauge the average completion time.

Key Takeaways on Writing a Customer Feedback Email

So, delving deep into customer feedback emails, we uncovered the profound impact they can have on business insights.

At the heart of it, feedback is a treasure trove of insights , revealing how your customers truly feel. The right approach, frequency, and even incentives play pivotal roles in getting genuine responses.

And the variety of templates? They ensure you’re targeting the feedback right , whether it’s a product review or addressing negative feedback head-on.

Remember, every feedback request is an opportunity for growth , so timing is everything. And while incentives can boost responses, honesty remains paramount. Finally, the length of your survey is crucial.

If it’s too long, you risk losing the customer’s interest. Mastering the feedback email isn’t just about asking questions; it’s about cultivating stronger relationships with your customers.

So, armed with these insights, here’s hoping your next feedback request is a resounding success!

To achieve the best results with email outreach, we recommend using a professional email automation software

13 best cold email platforms rated and compared

Edgar Abong

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Last Updated on August 17, 2023 by Edgar Abong

How to Conduct the Perfect Customer Visit

By Natsha Ness

Customers are the lifeblood of any organization. Whether you have the ability to meet with them face-to-face, or are required to so over Zoom due to our ever-changing reality, customer visits require intentionality. They also provide a golden opportunity to make your customers the North Star they should be – and improve literally everything about your organization as a result. Why a Customer Visit is Worth Its Weight … in Actual Gold

How do we know a customer visit is critical to success? In 2019, we conducted research into sales and marketing alignment, in partnership with DRIFT . In it, we found a significant correlation between the most aligned sales and marketing teams (which were also the most revenue-generating teams) and their focus, not only around customers-centric metrics, but also regular visits with customers.

Planning Customer Visits is Key

Sometimes customer visits are inexpensive (like when they happen on Zoom ). Still, just because you’re  remote doesn’t mean the interaction has to feel inexpensive. In fact, you can still invest in the same sorts of things you did on-site. Think about buying lunch with an UberEats code. Or sending your customers a box with a bunch of goodies for the meeting. In other words, think about how you can make the “visit” an experience.

If someone falls into your target account list, and is likely to have a strong lifetime value in your business, they’re worth visiting. But you have to first make sure there’s mutual agreement around the desired outcome of such a meeting. In other words, why are you getting together?

There could be plenty of possibilities, but three main reasons almost always necessitate a customer visit:

• You’re close to creating a proposal. If you’re about to put together a proposal, a customer visit will help you achieve the tight alignment you need to make sure what you’re offering is a good fit with what the customer needs. This will likely come after multiple discovery calls and deep dives. You’ve figured out which challenge you want to solve, and have had conversations with various people that lead you to believe it’s time to create an official proposal.
• You recently created a proposal. (My recommendation is to make the customer visit happen before the creation of the proposal, but it’s better to go after than not at all).
• Upsell. An often underutilized function of customer visits are to the folks who already invested with you, but of course, this can be leveraged to further the relationship and ensure it stays. It can also be used to uncover additional insights into other products or services that may fit additional, previously undiscovered, challenges. You can also work to prevent customer churn by conducting a customer visit.

Who should be involved in a client visit?

After the “why” comes the “who.” Who needs to attend your customer visit to achieve your desired outcome? There could be a wide variety of internal stakeholders that you want to include. You might have people from business development, marketing, analytics, general managers or directors and/or someone from the C-Suite. There should only be people there who have direct input into and/or influence over the subject matter at hand; no one extra. Once you figure out who should be there, think about each of their differing priorities. If you’re unsure of someone’s priorities, ask them in advance. This will help you show up prepared.

Then consider who should be there from your side. Again, don’t bring anyone who doesn’t have a clear role. There’s no dedicated team that should go to customer visits; it varies based on the goal and the customer. You should know what the customer cares about before you head there. This helps you decide whether you need your CEO present or whether the principal on the account is sufficient.

Before the Visit 

One of the best tips I can give you is to get all the skeletons out of the closet before you get in front of someone. For example, if your customer’s marketing leader beams about his 600 pieces of content, but the business development group complains they are out of date and impossible to find, do you want the first time the marketing leader hears that to be real-time, while you’re onsite? Trust me; you don’t. The whole meeting could go downhill fast. You can work through potential issues by asking if there will be multiple budget stakeholders in the room. If so, as it relates to this project, find out whether they will be contributing some of their budget to the meeting’s desired outcome. If so, what does that look like? These questions can help you spot any areas of potential friction before you’re ever in the room.

Preparation is Prince

The content of your meeting is king, but preparing properly to share that content is certainly a strong runner up. Make sure each attendee has a very specific role, and then prepare the right presentation. Consider the following question to guide your preparation:

• Are you sharing a slideshow? Audio? Video?
• What assets will you use before the meeting, during the meeting and after the meeting?
• How will you leverage small, breakout rooms to facilitate conversations vs. all-together, large group dynamics?
• Do you need slides, overheads, pens, markers, etc.? If so, it’s a good idea to send these ahead!
• Do you need a backup plan? For instance, what if your computers don’t work; do you have a hard copy of your presentation?

Then, it’s time to rehearse. Spend time with your team actually going through the presentation before heading to the customer. Talk about who will cover which slides, and how the flow will go. Make sure you’re bringing value to the customer and the tone of the meeting will be what they’re expecting. Finally, send over a message summarizing the purpose of getting together. I like to call this the DOGMA – Details Outlining Goals & Meeting Agenda. I tell them this is what we agreed to, and offer them a chance to come back and add to it or edit what I’ve sent.

During the Client Visit

Here are a few tips for the meeting itself:

• Watch for signs of misalignment. This often looks like one person repeatedly whispering to another, or in Zoom world, obviously Slacking. If someone is smiling during your presentation and you’re being serious, they’re probably talking about something else with someone on their computer. Even if you notice this, don’t mention it in front of the whole group. Instead, note it for later.
• What you can explore directly and immediately are the subtle expressions that indicate someone doesn’t buy into what’s being presented. If these things happen, try to draw it out so it can be addressed in the room. Don’t be afraid to just say, “Sally, it looks like you might have something to share.” If there are corporate politics involved and you can’t draw out the issue, try to have a conversation privately in person or via  a private Zoom chat. But stay in tune with all parties as much as you can by reading body language, tone of voice and so on.

Note: This insinuates that when on Zoom everyone has their camera on. Everyone should have their camera on.

• Record the meeting. Some people get weird about recordings, but having your meeting recorded can go a long way in helping you clarify issues later or capture something that even the best notetaker might miss. If you think someone might not like the idea, have a colleague dial into the meeting and record the call. You can say something like, “Peter couldn’t be here in person, but he wanted to call in.” It’s an easy, subtle way to get a recording to happen without making anyone feel uncomfortable. Enlist a dedicated note taker, but ask all attendees to take notes.
• Leverage a “Parking Lot.” If someone brings up an idea or thought that isn’t perfectly relevant to where you are in the agenda, jot it down in a “Parking Lot” that you can revisit at the end of the meeting – or afterward.
• Don’t leave the room without recapping what went on, with details and next steps. “This was our desired outcome and here are the five things we discussed. Numbers one through four have been hashed out, but we need to spend more time on number five so let’s set up a call ASAP to flesh that out more.” Make sure to spell out who owns what, and the agreed upon timeline so you set the expectation for accountability.

After the Visit

You had your meeting.  Now what? This is where you make or break the trust and credibility you worked so hard to create. I suggest sending a quick email to all involved parties, again reiterating what was discussed and the next steps. But take it a step further and get a handwritten thank-you note in the mail that same day. The content should be different – make it personal and send it out fast, and you’ll blow your customer’s socks off. Really.

After you’ve sent the customer a summary, create a customer visit report for your internal teams. A customer visit report should include:

• Action items
• Positive highlights
• Risks and opportunities
• Any other key observations and notes

Customer visit reports can also be given to clients, or sent in lieu of the email suggested above. After you’ve written up the most important information, it’s time to start taking action.

Take the lead by holding up your end of the bargain. Take care of any items for which you’re responsible, and set up any follow-up meetings that were discussed immediately. The power of a customer visit can quickly be deflated by distraction – and a lack of action – when it’s over.

How We Can Help Your Client Visit Planning

So, which customers or prospects deserve your time and attention onsite? Make a list, and get to scheduling. It’s the step you’ve been missing toward better alignment and better results too. Need support with any of these tactics? Shift Paradigm is a full-service partner for any organization that wants to stay agile in the current digital landscape. Our customer engagement services provide the complete package to keep your customers invested in your products and organization. Interested? Contact Shift Paradigm today!

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Top 11 Customer Feedback Tools for Customer Service in 2024

Customer feedback tools need to be an integral part of your customer service arsenal. Do you know why? 77% of customers view brands more optimistically if they seek customer feedback and implement them.

What’s more?

Gathering and implementing customer feedback is the bedrock of customer-centricity as it helps align people, processes and products to customer needs and aspirations. Used effectively, customer feedback platforms give direction, momentum and competitive advantage to your business strategy. Without it, business growth is impossible to attain as you’re shooting in the dark and hoping to hit the elusive customer satisfaction target.

We understand reviewing a plethora of customer feedback tools is a task with many pitfalls, so we reviewed the 11 best tools for you. We have covered each platform’s standout features, customer reviews, pricing information and pros/cons in this honest review that you can trust to guide your purchase decision. But before we proceed, let’s understand what a customer feedback tool is and how it elevates customer service operations .

What is a customer feedback tool?

Why is customer feedback software important for businesses today, 11 best customer feedback tools for customer service in 2024, 9 types of customer feedback platforms, how to choose the right customer feedback solution, 2024 trends for customer feedback tools.

A customer feedback tool is a software application designed to gather, analyze and manage customer feedback from channels like email, phone calls, social media and live chat. It helps organizations understand customer experiences, identify areas for improvement and enhance overall service quality. 

Customer feedback management is done by gathering customer responses via surveys, feedback forms, social listening, website heatmaps, call recordings and reviews/ratings. These tools then analyze the collected data to identify trends, areas for improvement and actionable insights for enhancing customer satisfaction.

Customer feedback is the lifeblood of your business, but many people do think "Why on earth would I invest in software to listen to more of this?" Behind every piece of feedback— be it a detailed review or a scathing critique — lies a lot of insights with the potential to evolve your business. Let’s see in detail why customer feedback software is no longer optional but essential.

1. ROI of implementing customer feedback software

Studies prove companies that prioritize customer experience outperform their competition by a staggering 5:1. With every additional point on their Customer Experience (CX) Index , businesses can add millions to their revenue.

Capturing and analyzing feedback can help businesses increase customer satisfaction and customer retention , which are key drivers of revenue growth.

By deploying feedback software, you’re not just collecting data — you’re unearthing insights that could lead to higher CSAT and retention rates. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want customers who stick around amidst being spoilt for choice from cheaper competitors?

The return on investment (ROI) here isn’t just about what you spend on software. It’s about what you gain — loyal customers who’ll sing your praises, attract referrals and buy repeatedly from you.  

2. Impact on business metrics

When you take customer feedback seriously, you start to notice something magical happening to your business metrics. Revenue goes up and customer churn goes down almost instantly. Cross-sell and upsell opportunities? They come rolling in — delightful and never-ending.

And let’s not forget customer satisfaction . A happy customer is not just a returning customer; they’re a walking, talking billboard for your brand. They’ll shout about your business from the rooftops — or, more realistically, tweet about it to their thousands of followers. 

The best part? 

All of this can be measured and quantified, making it easier to justify those crucial investments in your customer support strategy . Now, if you’re convinced that customer feedback tools are a must-have, let’s discuss the top 11 tools in 2024 and help you pick your best fit.

Picking out the right customer feedback tool needs analysis and time because you need to align your business needs and budgets with available tool options. And how do you even do that when there is a plethora of options in the market? For our 2024 rundown, we've sifted through the clutter to handpick some top-notch customer feedback tools for you. Read through our review, find your best-fit tool and stride confidently towards exemplary customer feedback management.

⚠️ Important Note for Readers

The tools below are in no particular order of ranking or popularity. Still, they are independent picks by Sprinklr’s editorial team based on our research and publicly available information on the review sites. It is crucial to note that software or platforms may evolve over time and the company may address some of these concerns in newer updates or versions.

SurveySparrow

Zoho survey, survey monkey.

Sprinklr Service stands out as a leading customer feedback tool, designed to revolutionize how businesses listen to and engage with their audience. With its powerful suite of features, Sprinklr offers a comprehensive approach to managing customer feedback and customer service , setting new standards in the industry.

It offers omnichannel surveys, allowing businesses to gather insights from email, SMS, in-app interactions, and more. Feedback from social media is also seamlessly integrated, enabling real-time responses to customer sentiments expressed on platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Advanced features such as predicted CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) and sentiment analysis provide deeper insights into customer emotions and experiences. This helps businesses anticipate issues before they escalate and refine their services proactively.

🚀 Top features

1. Customer Surveys

With Sprinklr, you create one unified survey that works across channels. Sprinklr surveys are:

• Omnichannel: Design omnichannel surveys centrally and deploy them across 35+ digital and social channels, including voice. These surveys are automatically customized to meet channel-specific requirements, ensuring consistency and relevance, no matter where the customer interacts.

• Scalable: Track customer feedback seamlessly across all conversations, whether they happen on social media, email or even voice channels. With AI-powered CSAT predictions, businesses can anticipate customer satisfaction and intervene early to prevent issues, ultimately enhancing the customer experience.
• Conversational: Transform your traditional surveys into dynamic conversations. By automatically converting survey questions into chatbot interactions, Sprinklr enables businesses to gather feedback in a more engaging way. This conversational approach not only increases response rates but also provides richer insights by asking follow-up questions in real time.

• Auto-prompted: Multiply your response rate with Sprinklr’s contextual survey prompts on websites and apps. Sprinklr analyzes visitor behavior and proactively surfaces relevant survey questions, capturing feedback at the most opportune moments. This ensures that you gather insights when customers are most engaged, leading to more accurate and valuable feedback.

2. Feedback from social media

• Social listening

In today’s digital world, customers are constantly talking about brands across multiple platforms. Sprinklr’s social listening capabilities allow businesses to capture all relevant conversations in real time, ensuring that no piece of feedback slips through the cracks. 

By accessing billions of conversations, businesses can gain a holistic view of their brand’s perception and respond to customer needs more effectively.

• Social media monitoring

Beyond just listening, Sprinklr empowers businesses to act on social feedback with real-time insights. By understanding audience engagement, preferences and emerging trends, companies can tailor their social customer service , improving customer relationships but driving measurable business outcomes.

3. Advanced features

• Predicted CSAT

Traditional customer surveys often fall short of providing a complete picture of customer satisfaction. Sprinklr’s CSAT Prediction feature leverages advanced AI to analyze customer conversations in real time, assessing sentiment, intent and emotion to predict customer satisfaction. This predictive capability allows businesses to proactively address issues, improve service quality and ultimately drive higher satisfaction scores.

• Sentiment analysis

Understanding customer sentiment is crucial in today’s fast-paced business environment. Sprinklr’s sentiment analysis goes beyond basic metrics by evaluating the sentiment of individual phrases within customer messages.

• Escalation prediction

Sprinklr’s escalation prediction feature is designed to keep customer service teams one step ahead. By monitoring ongoing conversations and analyzing key signals such as tone, intensity and sentiment, Sprinklr can predict potential escalations before they occur. This allows businesses to intervene early, de-escalate situations and ensure that customer issues are resolved promptly and effectively.

4. Integration & scalability

Sprinklr’s platform is built for scalability, allowing businesses to integrate feedback collection seamlessly across all channels. Whether you’re running a small customer service team or a global operation, Sprinklr’s flexible and scalable infrastructure ensures that you can capture, analyze and act on customer feedback efficiently and at scale.

Overall Verdict

Sprinklr Service is a powerhouse when it comes to customer feedback. It combines advanced social listening, customizable reporting and seamless integration to deliver a tool that meets the diverse needs of modern businesses. Its strengths in real-time data analysis and user customization make it an invaluable asset for organizations aiming to enhance their customer engagement and service quality.

However, while Sprinklr Service is packed with powerful features, its extensive functionality can present a steep learning curve, especially for new users. Sprinklr Service mitigates the steep learning curve by offering a wealth of in-depth training resources and 24/7 customer support.

💪 Strengths

The best part about this tool is its attention to every minute detail. From case history to reply codes, it offers everything at once. Another great aspect is that users can customize the tool to their needs; creating a new dashboard or adding widgets is very easy, even for those without a technical background. Source:G2

💡 What could be better

There isn't much to say here, but the only issue the team could address is the occasional late assignment of cases. Source:G2

• Self-Serve Customer Service Solution (Monthly): $249.00 per seat
• Self-Serve Customer Service Solution (Annual): $199.00 per seat, billed annually
• Custom CCaaS Solution (Enterprise): Contact us for a quote

SurveySparrow is a versatile and user-friendly tool designed to create engaging surveys that yield valuable insights. With its intuitive interface and customization options, it helps businesses gather and analyze feedback efficiently, making it suitable for a variety of industries.

• User-friendly design and customization 
• Logic and conditional questions
• Integration and workflow automation 

SurveySparrow is a robust tool that excels in user-friendliness, customization and integration capabilities. Its intuitive design and conditional question features make it easy to create engaging surveys that collect valuable feedback. The platform’s seamless integration and automation options further enhance its utility, making it a great choice for businesses of all sizes.

Despite some minor limitations in advanced features and pricing complexities, SurveySparrow provides excellent value for money and is highly recommended for those seeking an efficient and effective feedback solution.

The UI/UX is clean, simple and easy to use for both admins and participants. Customer service is fantastic and supports you every step of the way. If a feature is missing, you can ask your sales partner, who will speak to the developers about implementing it. They remember all the conversations you've had and are available to answer any questions at any time. Source:G2

Without the ability to export data to Google Sheets, the product wouldn't have been worth it for us. The default data presentation didn't work for us and required significant manipulation to get the insights we needed. This isn't unexpected, but more flexibility or at least optimized data export to Google Sheets, Excel, etc., would be helpful. Source:G2

• Basic: $19.00
• Starter: $39.00
• Business: $79.00
• Professional: $249.00

Trial : 14-day free trial available

Hotjar is a robust platform designed to provide insights into user behavior on websites. It offers tools that help businesses understand how visitors interact with their site, identify areas for improvement and enhance overall user experience. Heatmaps visualize where users click, scroll and hover on a webpage, allowing businesses to identify which areas capture attention and which are overlooked. This helps in optimizing page layouts and improving user engagement.

• Session recordings
• Feedback polls and surveys 

Hotjar is a powerful tool for analyzing user behavior and improving website performance. Its heatmaps, session recordings and feedback collection features offer comprehensive insights that help businesses understand and enhance the user experience. Although some users have pointed out drawbacks, including higher costs and difficulties with tagging and filtering, the essential features of Hotjar deliver considerable benefits for enhancing website usability and engagement. For businesses aiming to boost their online presence, Hotjar provides effective tools to gain deeper insights into user behavior and improve responsiveness.

The Hotjar widget provides an easy way for users to give feedback directly within our SaaS product, either anonymously or by leaving their email information. We also appreciate being able to observe user behavior on our platform and during marketing campaigns, which helps us better understand our users and enhance their experience with our product. Source: G2

I would like to see more opportunities to enhance the feedback widget, such as adding the ability for customers to access support help directly within the widget. This would allow us to assist them in resolving issues on the spot. Currently, users have to go to the support widget or switch to website chat to access help. Additionally, we recently experienced some login issues and hope they will be resolved soon. Source: G2

• Observe Basic : Free for 35 Daily sessions
• Observe Plus: $35.20 for 100 daily sessions
• Observe Business: $88.00 for 500 daily sessions
• Observe Scale: $188.10 for 500 daily sessions

Trial : 15-day free trial available

Medallia is a powerful tool designed to capture and analyze customer experiences in real time. It helps businesses gain valuable insights from customer interactions, enabling them to make data-driven decisions to enhance customer satisfaction. Medallia's comprehensive platform is suitable for large organizations looking to implement robust customer feedback systems.

• Transactions
• Foot traffic

Medallia is a robust and versatile tool that offers advanced analytics, real-time feedback and comprehensive support. Its user-friendly interface and powerful integration capabilities make it a valuable asset for large organizations aiming to enhance their customer experience programs. Despite some minor issues with survey format flexibility and occasional support inefficiencies, Medallia's innovative solutions and continuous improvements make it a highly recommended platform for businesses seeking to gather and analyze customer feedback effectively.

I think Medallia is a complete tool with many features that help us collect feedback from our clients and understand their desires and demands. It has easy usability and several dashboards. Source:G2

Sometimes this web/system has issues. Most of the time, I know it's under maintenance, making it difficult to follow up with the team's customer feedback and complaints. Source:G2

Trial & pricing information: Contact vendor

HubSpot Service Hub stands out as a versatile and user-friendly tool designed to enhance customer support and satisfaction. Users consistently praise its ease of setup, comprehensive automation features and seamless integration with other HubSpot tools. Whether for managing tickets, conducting surveys or leveraging extensive

• Easy setup and intuitive UI
• Comprehensive automation and reporting
• Seamless CRM Integration

HubSpot Service Hub is an incredible tool that excels in ease of use, automation and integration. It provides businesses with the tools needed to manage customer support efficiently, collect valuable feedback and maintain seamless communication. While some users have noted areas for improvement, such as form submissions and ticket integration, the overall functionality and benefits make HubSpot Service Hub an asset for enhancing customer service and satisfaction.

The most helpful thing for our small business in Service Hub is seeing real-time feedback from our clients. This helps us drive business and take our marketing efforts to the next level by actually listening to our customers. It has enabled our software company to take great leaps forward in delivering the right content to the right people at the right time. Source:G2

The menu items are a bit messy but still manageable to navigate. There could be more customization options for the feedback surveys. Source:G2

• Service Hub Free: $0.00 Per Month
• Service Hub Starter: $20.00, 1 Core Seat Per Month
• Service Hub Professional: $100.00, 1 Service Seat Per Month
• Service Hub Enterprise: $150.00, 1 Service Seat Per Month

🔮 AI can predict escalations by analyzing feedback!  

AI-powered customer service software monitors interactions for tell-tale signals of escalation and satisfaction. They identify positive, negative or neutral sentiments based on past conversations and algorithmic logic, giving a predicted CSAT score to the ongoing conversation.

Watching the predicted CSAT, agents can change their resolution approach when things go haywire. Likewise, they can capitalize on “positive moments” by pushing surveys or upsells confidently.  

Care to try Sprinklr’s predicted CSAT for free? Hit the button below now 👇   

Zendesk Support Suite is a comprehensive and customizable tool designed to enhance support services through its robust features and continuous innovation. It offers a centralized platform for managing customer inquiries, tickets and feedback across multiple channels, providing businesses with the tools needed to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

• Centralized platform for feedback management
• Customizable interface and frequent updates
• Automated feedback workflows

Zendesk Support Suite is a powerful and flexible tool that offers a wide range of features to enhance customer support services. Its omnichannel capabilities, customization options and comprehensive reporting make it a valuable asset for businesses looking to improve customer service operations.  While some users note areas for improvement, such as reporting platform usability and integration with certain CRM tools, the overall benefits and continuous innovation make it a strong choice for managing customer feedback and support.

💡 Pro Tip : More integrations, better the feedback ecosystem!

If your teams are constantly switching between tools and data is scattered across platforms, it’s time to rethink your approach. 

Sprinklr’s powerful integrations bring everything together, allowing your engagement, sales, marketing, advertising and care teams to collaborate effortlessly on a single platform. 

Imagine the impact of having all your data unified and easily accessible, driving smarter decisions and better results. Ready to elevate your team’s productivity and collaboration? Request a demo today!

Easy-to-use tools. It was turnkey to train my team and we are already seeing the impact of a centralized system for customer feedback. Source:G2

I really dislike the Explore reporting platform. Insights was much more robust and user-friendly. Creating your own dashboard is painful (slow, clunky, glitchy) and feels outdated. Source:G2

• Support Only (Team): $19.00, 1 user per month billed annually
• Support Only (Pro): $55.00, 1 user per month billed annually
• Suite Team: $55.00, 1 user per month billed annually
• Support Only (Enterprise): $115.00, 1 user per month billed annually

Zoho Survey is a powerful online survey platform designed to streamline the process of collecting and analyzing feedback. With its user-friendly interface and robust functionality, it integrates seamlessly with Zoho CRM and other Zoho applications. This integration enhances its value for businesses aiming to gather valuable insights through customized surveys.

• Intuitive survey creation
• Integration with the Zoho ecosystem
• Online poll creator

Zoho Survey is an effective tool for conducting surveys and gathering feedback. Its user-friendly interface, seamless integration with Zoho applications and strong data analysis make it a valuable asset for businesses, despite some room for improvement in design flexibility. Zoho Survey delivers strong overall performance and is recommended for efficient survey solutions.

Zoho Survey is a powerful tool that offers numerous benefits for conducting surveys and gathering valuable insights. One of its standout features is its user-friendly interface, which simplifies survey creation and customization. Users can choose from a wide range of question types and design options to create engaging and visually appealing surveys. Source:G2

One drawback is the limited number of responses allowed per survey in lower-tier plans, which can be restrictive for users with large sample sizes or frequent survey needs. Additionally, while the design options are customizable, they may not offer as much flexibility or creativity compared to some other survey tools. Another potential downside is the learning curve for advanced features and reporting, which may require time and effort to fully grasp. Lastly, customer support can sometimes be slow or less responsive, which can be frustrating for users seeking timely assistance. Source:G2

• Plus: $20/user/month
• Pro: $25/user/month
• Enterprise: $60/user/month

Trial : Seven-day free trial available

Typeform stands out as a versatile and user-friendly tool for creating and managing surveys. It excels in delivering a sleek and intuitive experience for both survey creators and respondents. Designed to facilitate engaging and interactive surveys, Typeform is especially effective for gathering customer feedback and conducting market research . It offers seamless integration with various CRM tools, making it a valuable asset for businesses looking to streamline data collection and analysis.

• Survey maker
• Form builder

Typeform is a powerful and aesthetically pleasing survey tool that excels in ease of use and integration with other platforms. It is particularly beneficial for businesses seeking a user-friendly interface and effective data collection mechanisms. While it may have limitations in handling complex survey logic and its free plan restrictions, its strengths in design, analytics and integrations make it a solid choice for both basic and advanced survey needs.

It's a very cost- and time-effective platform with great UI and features. One of the best survey tools I have come across in the market, with affordable pricing and service. Source:G2

I haven't seen any new updates or improvements in the platform compared to when I started using it two years ago. Source:G2

• FREE: with unlimited forms, 3000+ templates
• Plus: $59.00 Per Month
• Business: $99.00 Per Month
• Enterprise: Contact Us

SurveyMonkey is a well-established and versatile tool for creating, distributing and analyzing surveys. It is widely appreciated for its user-friendly interface, extensive customization options and powerful analytical capabilities. SurveyMonkey enables organizations to gather detailed insights from various stakeholders, enhancing decision-making processes and improving overall operations. It is particularly popular in educational, marketing and business environments due to its reliability and ease of use.

• Survey templates
• Recurring surveys
• Survey logic

SurveyMonkey is a powerful and user-friendly survey tool that excels in customization, reporting and integration. It is highly effective for gathering feedback from diverse audiences and provides valuable insights that drive decision-making. While the pricing may be steep and some basic features require a subscription, the platform’s extensive capabilities and ease of use make it a worthwhile investment for businesses and educational institutions alike. Overall, SurveyMonkey remains a top choice for conducting professional and effective surveys.

Easy to set up and distribute surveys with many options. The user interface and experience are very easy to use. There are many features and capabilities available. You can easily copy or import questions to begin a survey. The customer support is adequate but only available via email communication. Source:G2

You need to pay for a higher-level plan to access all capabilities. Source:G2

💡Growth hack time

With feedback pouring in from all channels, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose track. What’s the solution? 

An AI-powered survey platform (Sprinklr is one) that uses AI to detect the top contact drivers or pain points of your customers. These become your “categories” which can be tracked over time to understand which issue irks your customers the most.  

Take a demo of Sprinklr and observe how it categorizes your feedback and survey responses with AI.

Qualtrics is a versatile tool known for its comprehensive survey capabilities and advanced data analytics. It allows organizations to capture, analyze and act on customer feedback to enhance customer experiences. Qualtrics is widely used across various industries due to its ease of use, extensive customization options and robust reporting features.

• Customer surveys on every channel
• Expert-designed surveys 
• Customer churn prediction

Qualtrics stands out as a top-tier tool due to its dynamic survey design, advanced analytics and excellent customer support. Its intuitive interface and extensive customization options make it suitable for various use cases, from academic research to corporate feedback collection. While some users noted challenges with certain advanced features and the need for better code accessibility, the platform's overall functionality and support make it a highly recommended solution for businesses looking to gather and analyze customer feedback effectively.

Qualtrics is very dynamic, allowing for various survey styles and attachments, making it versatile with wide usability. It allows changes to the survey at any point and records important details like the systems used and the date/time of completion. Source:G2

When creating an email response format in the settings, codes need to be used for calculations that are not easily available or well-documented. I had to find that out through a different source. This was not easy. Source:G2 Trial: 30-day free trial available

Contact their sales team

Trustpilot is a review aggregator and not your typical customer feedback tool. Since it plays a crucial role in the feedback ecosystem, it deserves to be on this list. It is a prominent platform for managing and analyzing what customers say about brands. It provides businesses with tools to collect and respond to reviews, enhance their online reputation and gain valuable insights into customer experiences. 

• Claim and display reviews 
• Integration capabilities 
• Review invitation management 

Trustpilot is a powerful tool for businesses looking to gather and manage customer reviews. Its features, such as review claiming, integration options and extensive review invitation capabilities, provide valuable tools for enhancing customer trust and managing online reputation. While some users have noted issues with customer support and high costs, the platform’s core functionalities offer significant benefits for businesses aiming to leverage customer feedback effectively.

Trustpilot has helped me solve various problems, including selecting editing software and browsing applications. I also purchased a great CMS software for hospital management based on its recommendations. Its genuine feedback and customer reviews help us choose the best apps to work efficiently in our organizations. Source:G2

t's not easy to challenge unjust reviews. We're happy to accept negative feedback when we're at fault, but when we can prove with recorded calls that a customer has lied in their review, it hasn't been overturned, affecting our overall score. Source:G2

• Plus plan: Starting at $259.00
• Premium plan: Starting at $629.00
• Advanced plan: Starting at $1,059.00
• Enterprise plan: Contact the vendor

Customer feedback tools come in many forms, each serving a specific purpose based on the needs of your business. Some tools like heatmaps visually track user interaction on your website, revealing where customers are most and least engaged. Others rely on customer surveys , offering structured questions to capture detailed responses from your customers. Then there are advanced feedback tools capable of performing sentiment analysis , interpreting the emotions behind customer comments to provide deeper insights. 

Based on functionalities, below are nine types of customer feedback platforms: -

1. Survey-based tools

Survey-based tools are designed to collect structured feedback through questionnaires and polls. They are ideal for gathering detailed insights on customer satisfaction, product preferences and areas for improvement. The key differentiator here is the ability to ask specific questions and gather quantitative data, making it easier to analyze and compare responses.

2. Review-based tools

Review-based tools aggregate customer reviews from platforms like Google, Yelp and TripAdvisor. Unlike surveys, these tools collect organic feedback from customers who voluntarily share their experiences. They provide a broader view of customer sentiment and help identify trends and common issues that might not be covered in structured surveys.

3. Net Promoter Score (NPS) tools

NPS tools are specialized for measuring customer loyalty by asking a single, focused question: "How likely are you to recommend us?" The simplicity of NPS makes it distinct from other tools as it quantifies loyalty into a score that can be tracked over time. NPS tools help identify promoters who can advocate for your brand and detractors who may need attention.

4. Social media monitoring tools

Social media monitoring tools track mentions, discussions and trends across platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Unlike other tools, they provide real-time insights and enable businesses to engage with customers directly. These tools are particularly valuable for understanding public perception and responding to emerging issues quickly.

5. Live chat and in-app feedback tools

Live chat tools collect feedback during live interactions with customers, either through chat sessions or in-app prompts. They stand out by offering immediate insights into the customer experience, allowing businesses to address issues on the spot. This immediacy sets them apart from tools that gather feedback after the fact.

6. Voice of Customer (VoC) tools

VoC tools compile feedback from multiple sources, including surveys, social media and support interactions. They provide a comprehensive view of customer sentiment, combining both structured and unstructured data. The ability to aggregate and analyze feedback from various channels differentiates VoC tools, making them essential for strategic decision-making.

7. Visual feedback tools

Visual feedback tools allow customers to provide feedback directly on specific elements of a website or app, often using screenshots or annotations. This visual approach differs from traditional text-based feedback, offering a more intuitive way for customers to communicate issues or suggestions.

8. User testing tools

User testing tools are focused on evaluating the usability and functionality of a product. These tools gather feedback through user sessions, where customers interact with the product while providing commentary. The emphasis on usability and user experience makes these tools distinct from those focused purely on sentiment or satisfaction.

9. Community feedback tools

Community feedback tools engage customers through forums, discussion boards and idea-sharing platforms. Unlike other tools, these foster a sense of community and collaboration, where customers can interact with each other and the brand, often leading to more organic and detailed feedback.

👉 Read More: Why Build a Brand Community?

With numerous options available, it's essential to find a customer feedback solution that aligns with your unique business needs. A well-chosen solution should offer more than just data collection, namely.

• Actionable insights
• Seamless integration with existing systems
• Flexibility to adapt and scale

By focusing on functionalities, scalability and scalability, you can ensure that your chosen solution will empower your team to make data-driven decisions that build customer loyalty and satisfaction. Below are eight criteria to evaluate for finding the right customer feedback solution: -

Not just evaluation criteria, you need to keep in mind the 2024 customer trends for customer feedback tools and they are as follows:

🔁 AI integration

Artificial Intelligence is becoming central to customer feedback tools, enhancing both the collection and analysis of feedback. AI-driven platforms as you could offer personalized surveys and advanced data analysis.

📱 Mobile accessibility

With the increasing use of mobile devices, customer feedback tools are being optimized for mobile leveraging responsive design and in-app feedback. It will help in improving response rates and data accuracy.

📺 Remote support trends

The shift towards remote work and virtual interactions has influenced feedback tools to support remote engagement. Customer feedback tools need to deploy features like video feedback and virtual assistance to provide a more personal touch and deeper insights.

💻 Automation

Automation is streamlining the feedback collection process leveraging triggers based on user actions, such as post-purchase or after customer service interactions, capturing real-time insights. You can deploy automated feedback widgets to appear based on user behavior, such as completing a checkout, to gather feedback without interrupting the user experience.

Ready to excel at customer feedback management?

You’ve discovered the power of customer feedback tools in enhancing customer satisfaction and building a customer-centric brand.   To ensure you manage customer feedback and understand the voice of your customer with impeccable precision, a powerful solution like Sprinklr Service can be your partner.  With Sprinklr, you can:  

• Create, launch and deploy online surveys in minutes   
• Deploy unified surveys across 35+ channels
• Predict CSAT scores for ongoing conversations 
• Convert survey results into readable reports 

Impressive, isn't it? Understand your customers better with Sprinklr Service and witness the power of effective customer feedback management (CFM). Hit the button below and claim a FREE 30-day trial of Sprinklr today ⏬ 

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50 positive review response examples [+15 negative cases]

Table of content:, why should you reply to positive reviews, how to respond to positive reviews, 1. the product/service was great, high-quality, 2. responding to a positive review from a local influencer, 3. responses to positive reviews that mention an employee, 4. positive reviews that mention your location, 5. service was fast and efficient, 6. positive review from a first-time customer, 7. positive review from a long-time customer, 8. general positive review, 9. great customer service, 10. promoting a discount or offer, 11. when a customer mentions their friends or family, 12. ask them if they need anything else, 13. mention your team in the response, 14. ask for more questions, 15. urge them to share their experience, how to respond to a 5-star review without comments, how to respond to a 4-star review, how to respond to 2- and 3-star reviews, how to respond to 1-star reviews, 1. thanking for a 5-star review and highlighting features, 2. personalized thanks for regular use, 3. celebrating a milestone with the app, 4. encouraging feedback for improvements, 5. thanking for app’s practicality, 6. appreciating long-term users, 7. grateful for boosting productivity, 8. addressing minor concerns in a positive review, 9. celebrating a unique app experience, 10. thanking for simple praise, generic review responses, how appfollow can help you manage reviews, faq on responding to positive reviews, 50 positive review response examples [copy and paste].

You know when you're sitting in front of a screen, staring at yet another customer review, wondering how to reply without sounding like a robot or a broken record? Every manager feels it. There's the thrill of getting praised by a happy customer, the relief when you find out all your hard work paid off, and that tiny bit of pressure knowing you've got to respond.

Case 1: A five-star review, nice! I got this!

Case 2: Oh, they mentioned the customer service team by name? Perfect, I'll make it personal.

Case 3: Wait, this review is just three words. How do I stretch that into a thoughtful reply?

For me, responding to positive reviews has always been trickier than replying to the negatives. Luckily, I've had a lot of positive feedback over the years. But with every review, I feel I need to come up with something fresh and unique. It’s like you want to give the customer the same amount of love they gave you without sounding like you’ve copied and pasted from a script.

Let’s talk about in-depth positive feedback. Say someone drops a gem like this:

You can’t just give them a thumbs-up emoji and call it a day.

My personal nightmare is those 5, 4, and even 3-star reviews with no comments. Just numbers. No clues on what went right or what went slightly off. You’re left in the dark, trying to decipher what that means.

After years of trial and error (and trust me, lots of error), I’ve built up a treasure chest of responses, and I’m ready to share the love. Time to make replying to reviews as smooth as that perfect latte.

I wish it were enough to just drop a “thank you for your review” under a 5-star review and call it a day. But we all know that’s not how the game works. Responding to positive reviews is about more than just being polite; it’s a chance to boost your brand, build loyalty, and keep that customer coming back. Here’s why:

• It shows you care. 5-star ratings are great, but a thoughtful review reply shows you really care. 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews. I’m sure it’s true for your fine self as well—do you check the rating of a restaurant you’d like to visit before going? Indeed. Customers want to see if you’re paying attention to feedback, too. Just saying “thank you for your review” is like sending an automatic response email—cold and impersonal.
• It boosts your SEO. Google favors active businesses. Responding to positive reviews examples can help with your rankings. According to Moz, review signals make up 15.44% of local search ranking factors. More reviews + responses = better chances of ranking higher in search results. Don’t you want to be at the top when someone searches for your business?
• It encourages more reviews. People are 1.7x more likely to leave a review if they see you respond. They think, “Hey, this company actually listens!” Who wouldn’t want more 5 stars review?
• Google likes it. From my experience, businesses that reply to Google reviews get more visibility. One study by Womply showed that businesses replying to reviews earned 35% more revenue. That’s not a small number! A thoughtful Google review response example might just bring in more than you think.
• It’s a chance to upsell. A well-placed review reply can mention other products or services. You don’t have to be salesy. But it’s an opportunity to keep the conversation going with an already satisfied customer.
• It builds trust with potential customers. 92% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision. If new customers see thoughtful feedback response examples, they’re more likely to trust your business. And we all know trust leads to sales.
• It makes you look professional. A business that responds to reviews just seems more put together. If you can handle a 5 stars review well, it builds your reputation.

Responding to reviews on app platforms is just as critical. I’ve seen apps with high 4-star rating rise in rankings even more simply because they were actively replying to reviews.

While it’s tempting to throw out a quick “thank you,” a thoughtful and strategic response does a lot more. Here’s the flow I use when handling positive reviews examples from satisfied customers, and I’ll break down why each step works.

So how do you write a good response to a review?

1️⃣ Respond quickly

Timeliness matters. You’ve just received a 5 star review? Jump on it. Ideally, you should respond within 24-48 hours. This quick turnaround shows that you value your customer’s feedback and pay attention. Waiting too long can make your response feel like an afterthought, which is not the vibe you want to give off.

Use AppFollow to make sure you don’t miss any reviews. It’s a great tool that tracks reviews across multiple platforms, ensuring you can jump on them as soon as they come in.

Google reviews or app store feedback—it doesn’t matter. AppFollow will help you stay on top of things. That way, no glowing review goes unnoticed, and you can respond promptly. The best bit—you can use AI automation to automatically respond with a unique message to every single positive review, and you don’t have pay extra for it.

cta_get_started_purple

2️⃣ Start positive review with gratitude

Always begin with a heartfelt thank you. The customer took the time to leave a glowing review, and you should match their effort. A simple “thank you” sets the tone for the rest of your response.

Example: "We’re so grateful you took the time to share your thoughts, Mike!"

Saying thank you builds goodwill. It’s the foundation of every positive review response example.

3️⃣ Make It Personal

The quickest way to sound robotic? Use the same canned reply for every review. Mention the customer’s name and reference details from their review. That’ll be a lot more personal, and that’s what you want.

Example:  "We’re so glad you loved our new feature—it’s our best one yet, we think!"

Feedback responses that include personalized details build a stronger connection.

4️⃣ Highlight specifics

Don’t be generic. If they mentioned something specific they liked—whether it’s your quick service, a favorite product, or a great experience with a team member—highlight it. This reinforces the user’s positive feelings.

Example: "We’re thrilled that our fast delivery exceeded your expectations! Our team works hard to make sure your orders always arrive quickly."

5️⃣ Invite Them Back

Encourage repeat business by inviting the customer to return. This is a subtle way to keep them thinking about you. It also shows that you’re not just interested in their one-time experience but in building a long-term relationship. I would recommend a good balance here, however, if you are also in contact with these users over other channels.

Example: "We look forward to seeing you again soon, John! Don’t forget to check out our seasonal specials next time you stop by. Cheers!"

6️⃣ Add a Little Extra Value

While you’re at it, give a little something extra. Maybe mention a tip or an insider secret related to what they liked. This adds value and makes the customer feel like they’re in on something special.

Example: "Pro tip: Next time you buy, try this promocode: HELLYEAH96. Apply once you’re in the app and you’ll see our soon-to-be-released selection. Pick something ahead of anyone else! A little thank you, from us to you. Enjoy!"

Adding extra value keeps things fresh and keeps your response interesting. It also turns a simple 5-star review template into a memorable interaction.

7️⃣ Keep positive review replies fun and professional

Even though you’re keeping things casual, don’t lose your professionalism. Typos or errors in your reply can make you look careless. Always double-check your response. But don’t be afraid to throw in some fun language or emojis (if your brand voice allows). You want to match the vibe of the review while still maintaining a professional tone.

Example: "Thanks for being awesome, Emma! ?We can’t wait to have you back!"

Positive review response examples like these strike the right balance. So, let’s take a look at the 15 examples that you can yoink and use freely yourself.

15 Positive Review Response Examples

Here are my best examples of how to reply to a positive review in a way that gets customers talking and coming back for more. These examples are designed to build relationships, spark loyalty, and make customers feel like they really matter.

We’ve studied these long and short positive review response examples in our own work, and they’ve boosted repeat business.

So, let’s get into it—15 killer responses that’ll make your positive review replies stand out.

This is perfect for customers who comment on the overall quality of your product or service.

• "Thank you, [Customer Name], for sharing your experience with us. We’re thrilled to hear that you loved our [product/service] and that it met your expectations. We can’t wait to welcome you back soon!"
• "We’re so happy you enjoyed our [product/service]! Your feedback made our day."

Pro Tip: Always mention the product or service they praised to make it more personal.

• "Thank you so much for the review, [Influencer Name]! It’s a pleasure to hear you enjoyed [product/service]. We hope to see you again soon, and don’t forget to try our [additional product/service] next time!"
• "It’s an honor to receive your feedback. Thanks for the shoutout!"

Perfect for Google review responses or feedback from influencers or bloggers. Highlight the product or service they enjoyed, and use it as an opportunity to recommend something new.

This is great for reviews that mention individual team members. Sharing feedback internally is key, and customers love knowing their compliments are heard.

• "Thank you for the amazing review, [Customer Name]! We’ve shared your feedback with [Employee Name], and they were so happy to hear it. We’re lucky to have a team that cares as much as they do."
• "[Employee Name] is thrilled to hear your kind words! Thank you for the shoutout."

Pro Tip: Always include the employee’s name when it’s mentioned in the review.

• "Thank you for the kind words about our location, [Customer Name]! We’re so glad you enjoyed the ambiance here at [location]. We hope to see you next time you’re in the area!"
• "We’re glad to hear you loved our space. Looking forward to welcoming you back!"

This is a great positive feedback response example when customers mention how much they liked your physical space or location.

Perfect for reply to positive feedback when customers mention speed. It shows you’re attentive to their time.

• "Thank you for your review, [Customer Name]! We know your time is valuable, and we’re thrilled to hear that we could provide fast service. We look forward to serving you again soon."
• "We’re happy to hear that our service was quick!"
• "We’re so glad you chose us for your first visit, [Customer Name]! We’re delighted to hear it was a great experience, and we hope to see you again soon."
• "We’re thrilled you enjoyed your first visit. Hope to see you back soon!"
• "Thank you for your continued support, [Customer Name]! We love seeing familiar faces, and we’re honored to have earned your loyalty over the years. Can’t wait to see you again soon!"
• "We appreciate your loyalty and love having you as a customer!"

This is a catch-all positive reply for any general sample good reviews. It works well when a customer leaves positive feedback but isn’t too specific.

• "Thank you for your five-star review, [Customer Name]! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a positive experience and hope to see you again soon."
• "Thanks for your glowing review! We’re so happy you enjoyed your time with us."

Perfect for responding to a positive review example when customers compliment your customer service.

• "Thank you for the kind review, [Customer Name]! We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service, and we’re so happy to hear we met your expectations."

This works well when you want to tie in a promotion to encourage the customer to come back.

• "Thank you for your review, [Customer Name]! We’re so glad to hear you had a great experience, and just so you know, we’ve got a special offer coming up that you won’t want to miss! Visit us again soon!"
• "Thanks for the review! Check out our latest offer next time you’re here."
• "Thank you for bringing your [friends/family], [Customer Name]! We’re so happy they enjoyed their time with us too. Spread the word!"
• "We’re thrilled that your [friends/family] had a great time as well!"
• "Thank you for your review, [Customer Name]! If there’s anything else we can do to improve your experience, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [contact info]."
• "We’re always here to help. Feel free to reach out anytime!"
• "[Team Member Name] was so happy to hear your feedback, [Customer Name]! Your review made their day, and we’re excited to welcome you back soon."
• "[Employee Name] loved hearing your review!"
• "Thank you for your review, [Customer Name]! If you have any more questions about our [product/service], don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help!"
• "Thank you, [Customer Name], for your kind review! We’d love it if you could share your experience with your friends and family, and we can’t wait to welcome you all back!"

This is great for encouraging word-of-mouth referrals after a positive reply.

15 Response examples to star rating feedback without comments

Responding to star ratings without comments can be a bit of a puzzle. You’ve got a rating, but no context. How do you respond when the customer hasn’t given you much to work with? The default response is usually a “thank you for the 5-star review,” but you can do better than that. I’ve put together some creative responses to handle these star ratings—whether they’re 5 stars or 1. Let’s get into how to respond in a way that makes your business stand out.

Responding to a 5-star review without comments gives you the chance to thank the customer, encourage further engagement, and reinforce loyalty. Even without specific feedback, you can use this opportunity to build a stronger connection.

• Example 1: "Thank you for the 5-star rating, [Customer Name]! We’re thrilled to see that you enjoyed your experience. We’d love to hear more about what made your visit great, so feel free to share details next time. Looking forward to welcoming you back!"
• Example 2: "Wow, thank you for the 5 stars! We’re so glad you had a fantastic time with us. If there’s anything we can do to make your next visit even better, let us know! We can’t wait to see you again soon."
• Example 3: "Thanks so much for the perfect rating! We love seeing our customers happy, and we hope to keep delivering the best for you. If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out."

A 4-star review without comments suggests the customer had a generally positive experience but didn’t feel it was perfect. This is your opportunity to encourage feedback for improvement and show your commitment to making things even better.

• Example 1: "Thank you for your 4-star review, [Customer Name]! We’re happy you had a good experience, but we’d love to hear how we can make your next visit a 5-star one."
• Example 2: "Thanks for the great rating! We’re glad you enjoyed your time with us. If there’s anything we can do to bump that up to 5 stars, please let us know."
• Example 3: "We appreciate your 4-star review! It sounds like you had a good experience, but we always aim for 5 stars. Let us know what we can do to earn that extra star next time!"

For 2- and 3-star reviews, the customer likely had a mixed experience. They weren’t entirely satisfied, but there’s potential to win them back. Use your response to ask for more information, apologize, and offer a way to improve their next visit.

• Example 1: "Thank you for your rating. We’re sorry to hear that we didn’t fully meet your expectations. Could you share more about what went wrong so we can improve?"
• Example 2: "Thanks for the review, [Customer Name]. We strive for excellence, and we’re sorry that we fell short this time. If you could let us know what happened, we’d love to make things right."
• Example 3: "Thank you for your 3-star rating. We know we didn’t quite hit the mark this time, and we’d appreciate hearing more details so we can improve. Tell us more?"

1-star reviews are tough to handle, but the key is to remain calm, apologize, and offer a way to resolve the issue. Whether it’s compensation or a personal discussion, your goal is to show the customer that you care and are willing to make amends.

• Example 1: "We’re truly sorry to hear about your experience. Our goal is to provide the best service possible, and we clearly missed the mark. Please reach out to us directly at [contact info] so we can make things right for you."
• Example 2: "We’re sorry to see this 1-star rating, and we take your feedback seriously. We’d like to hear more about what went wrong so we can address the issue and ensure it doesn’t happen again."
• Example 3: Acknowledge the Problem and Offer Compensation "We’re sorry to hear about your negative experience, [Customer Name]. We always aim for 5 stars, and we regret that we didn’t meet your expectations. We’d love to offer you [discount/free product] as a way to make up for it. Please reach out to us so we can discuss further."

10 App Reviews Response Templates

I wish there was some secret knowledge on how to reply to app reviews that were different from Google reviews, but the truth is, it's pretty much the same deal.

Whether you're dealing with the App Store or Google Play, the goal is to thank your users, address any feedback, and build relationships with those who took the time to leave a review. So, if you’re stuck thinking about how to thank someone for a review of your app, I’ve got you covered.

Below, I’ve pulled together some of the best positive review response examples crafted for app feedback.

"Wow, five stars! ???? We’re so happy to hear that [App Name] is helping you [specific app feature]. Your feedback motivates us to keep pushing updates and improving the app. If you ever have suggestions, feel free to reach out!"

This is perfect for showing your enthusiasm and thanking the user for their review. Highlighting a feature reinforces the value of your app.

"Hey [Reviewer Name], thank you for the awesome review! We’re thrilled that you’re finding [App Name] so useful in your daily life. If there’s anything we can improve, just let us know!"

If the user mentions they use the app regularly, make it personal and thank them for their loyalty.

"We’re so glad you hit that milestone with [App Name], [Reviewer Name]! It’s users like you who keep us inspired to bring the best features and updates. Thank you for your five stars!"

Use this when a user mentions hitting a milestone within the app. Celebrate with them and make it clear that their success with the app is your success too.

"Thank you for the 4-star review, [Reviewer Name]! We’re excited that you’re enjoying [App Name]. Is there anything we can do to make your experience a 5-star one?"

When a user leaves a 4-star review, acknowledge the positives but also ask what can be improved.

"Thank you so much for your positive feedback, [Reviewer Name]! Our team is dedicated to making [App Name] as practical and user-friendly as possible, and we’re so glad to hear that it’s working for you. Keep enjoying the app, and let us know if there’s anything else we can do!"

For apps that focus on functionality, this response reinforces your commitment to practicality.

"Wow, [Reviewer Name], thank you for sticking with [App Name] for so long! We’re beyond excited to hear it’s become such a regular part of your routine. Let us know if there’s anything new we can do to keep making your experience even better!"

This is great for when users mention they’ve been using your app for a while. Show them you appreciate their long-term commitment and that you’re still working to impress them.

"Thank you for the five stars, [Reviewer Name]! We’re thrilled to hear that [App Name] has boosted your productivity. We’re always working on new updates to keep that momentum going!"

For productivity apps, this response is ideal. You’re acknowledging the practical impact your app has on the user’s life while promising future improvements.

"Thank you for the review, [Reviewer Name]! We’re glad you’re enjoying the app overall and appreciate your feedback on [specific issue]. We’re already working on improvements, so stay tuned for future updates!"

Even in a positive review, there may be some constructive criticism. Use this response to show that you’re listening.

"Wow, [Reviewer Name], we’re so happy you’re loving the unique features of [App Name]! Our goal has always been to offer something different, and it’s fantastic to know we’re hitting the mark. Thanks for the five stars!"

If your app offers something unique, celebrate that with the user. This type of response shows that you’re proud of what sets your app apart.

"Thanks for the 5 stars, [Reviewer Name]! We’re so happy to hear that you’re enjoying [App Name]."

This is a great appreciation feedback example for when the user didn’t give much detail. Keep it simple, warm, and appreciative.

When it comes to replying to app reviews on the App Store or Google Play, there’s no magic formula—it's just like handling any other platform. The key is to express genuine gratitude, show you’re listening, and invite further feedback.

A thoughtful response can go a long way in building a loyal user base.

Sometimes, we’re all just a bit tired and need a good, simple response example that feels human—not like it was auto-generated by ChatGPT. Here are some easy, short, and long review response examples to keep handy for those days when creativity feels low but you still want to be unique.

Simple Thank You for a Review

"Thank you for your review!"

Thank You for a Review Template

"Thanks for the feedback, [Customer Name]! We appreciate your support and are always here if you need anything!"

Thank You with Specific Product Mention

"Thank you for the review! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed [specific feature]!"

5/5 Star Rating Reply

"Wow, five stars! Thanks so much for the perfect rating!"

Great Yelp Review Reply

"Thank you for your kind words! We’re excited to hear you loved [product/service], and we look forward to having you back."

Google Reviews Example

"Thanks for the 5/5 rating! We hope to continue delivering great service."

Short Review Example

"Thanks for the review! We’re so glad you had a great experience."

Longer Review Response

"Thank you so much for your thought-out review! We’re thrilled that [feature] made your experience even better."

Excellent Review Examples

"Your review made our day! Thank you for sharing your experience and supporting us!"

Monitoring user feedback can be exhausting, and trust me, I know the struggle. AppFollow.io is designed to tackle this exact challenge. If you’re managing reviews from the App Store, Google Play, or anywhere else, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the comments, star ratings, and suggestions.

Companies use AppFollow to bring everything together in one place. No more bouncing between platforms or missing out on important feedback. It’s all right there, organized, and easy to manage.

The automation features are a lifesaver. You can tag reviews, sort them, and set up personalized responses that actually sound human. It saves so much time, and I never have to worry about sounding repetitive or robotic.

My favorite tool is sentiment tracking. It lets me see exactly how users feel about the app over time and across different regions.

Plus, keeping an eye on competitor reviews has never been easier, giving me insights on how to stay ahead.

If keeping up with user feedback feels like a never-ending task, AppFollow’s AI can automate up to 50% of your responses, freeing up time to focus on feedback or other important tasks. Plus, with customizable rules, you can set the AI to prioritize and respond to reviews based on star ratings or keywords.

You can even automate tagging and categorization—the right reviews will go to the appropriate team.

cta_free_trial_yellow

Responding to reviews matters more than ever. Using thoughtful, personalized responses turns simple feedback into an opportunity to build stronger connections. With the right approach and tools, like the ones I've shared here, you can handle everything from excellent review response examples to tricky situations. So, next time you see a "thank you for the review" moment, make sure you seize the chance to improve.

What is an example of a good response to a positive review?

"Thank you for the review! We're thrilled you had a great experience with our app and hope to keep delivering great service." Always personalize your response by mentioning details from their review if possible.

What are 5-star positive reviews examples?

"Fantastic app! It’s user-friendly and has really improved my workflow. Highly recommend it!" When responding to these, always emphasize your commitment to continued improvement.

How do you respond to a 5-star Google review?

"Thank you for the 5-star rating! We’re so happy you enjoyed the app and look forward to continuing to improve your experience." Acknowledge the review, mention features they enjoyed, and invite them to reach out with more.

Should I respond to both positive and negative reviews?

Absolutely! Responding to both shows you care about all feedback and helps build trust with users. Ignoring negative reviews can hurt your reputation, while thoughtful replies can turn things around.

Is it okay to ask customers to change their negative review after resolving their issue?

Yes, but ask politely after resolving the issue, and focus first on making things right. Once the customer is satisfied, you can request an updated review.

Growth Marketing Manager

Olivia is responsible for all brand activities at AppFollow. As an experienced marketer and continuous learner, she wants to inspire people to make the most of technology in their personal and professional lives.

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23 Feedback Form Templates and Examples

Published: July 24, 2024

Around 75% of customers will pay more for a great customer experience. Are you using a feedback form to help you find out exactly what they're looking for?

Many businesses use feedback forms to collect customer insights , but my experience has shown me that not everyone uses them effectively. The feedback forms you use, the questions you ask, and the timing of your surveys all have an impact on customer satisfaction.

Just asking for your customers‘ opinions can already have a positive effect on how they feel about your business. So, if you aren’t already using a feedback form, I recommend starting as soon as possible.

In this guide, I'll teach you how to create a feedback form using HubSpot’s professional form tool, offer examples of some great feedback forms and survey templates , and point you toward some great resources to borrow or build your own feedback form.

Keep reading or click below to jump ahead to the topic you’re looking for:

Table of Contents

What is a feedback form?

How to create a feedback form, what does a good feedback form have, what to include in your feedback forms, feedback form templates, best customer feedback form builders, feedback form examples, what do you want to learn about your customers today.

A feedback form is a structured questionnaire or survey that you can use to gather insights about your business, product, service, and so on. You can use these insights to learn what you're doing well, along with the areas where you might need to improve.

While there’s no “right way” to collect feedback, there are several common frameworks.

For example, open-ended feedback forms allow customers to name their issue or concern, relate it to a general category, and then describe it at length.

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A website feedback form, meanwhile, might use checkboxes or drop-down lists to gauge consumer interest, while a survey-based feedback form lets them answer questions about specific, recent interactions.

Bottom line? The type of form you choose isn’t as important as how you design and use it. And no matter the framework, your feedback form should contain clean-looking elements, clear questions, and easy-to-understand instructions.

• Navigate to Service > Feedback Surveys HubSpot Service Hub.
• Click Create Survey in the top-right corner.
• Select the Customer Support card and then click Next.
• Choose the delivery method, then click Create.
• Customize the appearance of your survey email.
• Click the feedback tab at the top to create follow-up questions.
• Write customized thank you messages using score values.
• Click the Recipients tab at the top to choose who should get your survey.
• Manage your settings.
• Add automation to ensure the right people on your team are notified.
• Click Review and Publish.

Below, I‘ll show you a step-by-step guide to creating a survey-based feedback form with HubSpot. If you’re not a HubSpot customer, you can get started with HubSpot here .

Step 1. Navigate to Service > Feedback Surveys HubSpot Service Hub.

The HubSpot customer feedback forms tool is available to Service Hub Professional and Enterprise users. If necessary, upgrade your account to access this function.

Step 2. Click Create Survey in the top-right corner.

From this screen, you can create a new survey or edit/clone existing surveys. For now, I'm just going to create a new survey.

However, for future feedback forms, I recommend cloning one of your existing forms, as it will let you save some time.

Make each feedback form about your customers and meeting their needs, not about your business goals or strategy.

2. Make it short whenever possible.

Limit your customer survey to a few questions whenever possible. They’ll appreciate that you‘re thinking about saving them time. And a shorter survey improves the chances you’ll collect more responses and get better engagement .

It's also a good idea to auto-fill responses for your customers when you can. Again, this saves them time and makes it easy for them to share the data that matters most.

3. Make it simple and consistent.

A great feedback form should be easy to scan and read. This means a clear survey design, with consistent formatting and structure.

Most of the work of a feedback form is in the writing. Use easy but specific words and phrases that make the point of each question quick to understand.

Remember, simple takes work. You might need to draft each question several times, and run tests to make sure each question is easy for customers to respond to.

4. Offer it at the right time.

You‘ll get different feedback a week after purchase than you will at the time of purchase. And don’t just send customers a survey after a great conversation with your customer support team.

If you want honest and useful feedback, take a thorough look at your buyer journey. Then, set up a workflow that sends the right feedback form at pivotal moments for your customers.

In addition to the tips above, I think it's also important to focus on which questions to include in your feedback form.

In a nutshell, I recommend keeping your feedback form as short as possible ( so that more people will answer it ), while still asking enough questions to get meaningful insights.

To that end, here are some specific elements that you should consider including in your feedback form:

• Rating fields for areas that you want to measure — Giving people a quick way to rate various metrics lets you gather helpful qualitative data while making it as easy as possible for people to fill out your feedback form.
• Overall satisfaction rating — In addition to collecting ratings for specific features/areas that you want to measure, I also recommend adding an overall satisfaction rating so that you can get a good feel for how people feel about your business as a whole.
• At least one open-ended question — Even if you're primarily trying to collect quantitative feedback, I still recommend adding at least one open-ended question so that people can share their unfiltered thoughts.
• Contact information of the person submitting the form — This one is optional, and anonymous feedback forms can have their place. However, collecting contact information can be especially great for qualitative feedback, as it gives you a chance to follow up with people (or even just to thank them for their feedback).
• A progress bar (for long feedback forms) — If you have a longer feedback form, I recommend including a progress bar so that people can know what to expect from filling out the form.

If you’re looking for free feedback form templates, here are a few great options I think are worth considering.

1. Smartsheet

Smartsheet offers free website feedback forms, customer feedback forms, and even employee feedback forms. Download them in Excel or PDF formats — they’re ready to use when you’re ready to engage your customers.

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