28 Questionnaire Examples, Questions, & Templates to ...

A questionnaire is a research tool used to conduct surveys. It includes specific questions with the goal to understand a topic from the ... Service|22minread 28QuestionnaireExamples,Questions,&TemplatestoSurveyYourClients WrittenbySwethaAmaresan @swethamaresan Download5freesurveytemplatesforcustomerfeedback.DownloadFreeSurveyTemplates Theadage"thecustomerisalwaysright"hasreceivedsomepushbackinrecentyears,butwhenitcomestoconductingsurveys,thephraseisworthadeeperlook.Inthepast,repsweretaskedwithsolvingclientproblemsastheyhappened.Now,repsarehavingtobeproactivebysolvingproblemsbeforetheycomeup. Salesforcefoundthat63%ofcustomersexpectcompaniestoanticipatetheirneedsbeforetheyaskforhelp.Buthowcanacustomerserviceteamrecognizethesecustomerneedsinadvanceandeffectivelysolvethemonaday-to-daybasis? Acustomerquestionnaireisatried-and-truemethodforcollectingsurveydatathatcaninformyourcustomerservicestrategy.Byhearingdirectlyfromthecustomer,you'llcapturefirst-handdataabouthowwellyourserviceteamismeetingtheirneeds.Inthisarticle,you'llgetfreequestionnairetemplatesandbestpracticesonhowtoadministerthemforthemosthonestresponses. TableofContents: QuestionnaireDefinition Surveyvs.Questionnaire QuestionnaireTemplates ExamplesofGoodSurveyQuestions QuestionnaireExamples QuestionnaireDesign HowtoMakeaQuestionnaire QuestionnaireDefinition Aquestionnaireisaresearchtoolusedtoconductsurveys.Itincludesspecificquestionswiththegoaltounderstandatopicfromtherespondents'pointofview.Questionnairestypicallyincludeclosed-ended,open-ended,short-form,andlong-formquestions. Thequestionsshouldalwaysremainasunbiasedaspossible.Forinstance,it'sunwisetoaskforfeedbackonaspecificproductorservicethatisstillintheideationphase.Tocompletethequestionnaire,thecustomerwouldhavetoimaginehowtheymightexperiencetheproductorserviceratherthansharingtheiropinionabouttheiractualexperiencewithit. Rather,askbroadquestionsaboutthekindsofqualitiesandfeaturesyourcustomersenjoyinyourproductsorservicesandincorporatethatfeedbackintonewofferingsyourteamisdeveloping. In-DepthInterviewsvs.Questionnaire Questionnairescanbeamorefeasibleandefficientresearchmethodthanin-depthinterviews.Theyarealotcheapertoconductbecausein-depthinterviewscanrequireyoutocompensatetheintervieweesfortheirtimeandprovideaccommodationsandtravelreimbursement. Questionnairesalsosavetimeforbothpartiesbecausecustomerscanquicklycompletethemontheirowntimeandemployeesofyourcompanydon'thavetospendtimeconductingtheinterviews.Theycancapturealargeraudiencethanin-depthinterviewscanwhichmakesthemmuchmorecost-effective. Whileitwouldbeimpossibleforalargecompanywithupwardsoftensofthousandsofcustomerstointervieweverysinglecustomerinperson,thesamecompanycouldpotentiallygetclosetoreceivingfeedbackfromtheirentirecustomerbasewhenusinganonlinequestionnaire. Whenconsideringyourcurrentproductsandservices,aswellasideasfornewproductsandservices,it'sessentialtogetthefeedbackoftheexistingandpotentialcustomersastheyaretheoneswhohaveasayinwhetherornottheywanttomakeapurchasingdecision. Surveyvs.Questionnaire Aquestionnaireisatoolthatisusedtoconductasurvey.Asurveyistheprocessofgathering,sampling,analyzing,andinterpretingdatafromagroupofpeople. Theconfusionbetweenthesetermsmostlikelystemsfromthefactthatquestionnairesanddataanalysisweretreatedasveryseparateprocessesbeforetheinternetbecamepopular.Questionnairesusedtobecompletedonpaper,anddataanalysisoccurredlaterasaseparateprocess.Nowadays,theseprocessesaretypicallycombinedsinceonlinesurveytoolsallowquestionnaireresponsestobeanalyzedandaggregatedallinonestep. However,questionnairescanstillbeusedforreasonsotherthandataanalysis.Jobapplicationsandmedicalhistoryforms,amongothers,areexamplesofquestionnairesthathavenointentionofbeingstatisticallyanalyzed.Thisisthekeydifferencebetweenquestionnairesandsurveys—theycanexisttogetherorseparately. Belowaresomeofthebestfreequestionnairetemplatesyoucandownloadtogatherdatathatinformsyournextproductorserviceoffering. QuestionnaireTemplates FreeHubSpotQuestionnaireTemplate HubSpotoffersavarietyoffreecustomersurveysandquestionnairetemplatestoanalyzeandmeasurecustomerexperience.Choosefromfivetemplatesincludingnetpromoterscore,customersatisfaction,customereffort,open-endedquestions,andlong-formcustomersurveys. Fillouttheformtoaccessthesetemplates. 5CustomerSurveyTemplates FeaturedResource ClientQuestionnaireTemplate It'sagoodideatogaugeyourclients'experienceswithyourbusinesstouncoveropportunitiestoimproveyourofferingssothattheybettersuittheirlifestyles.Youdon'thavetowaitforanentireyeartopassbeforepollingyourcustomerbaseabouttheirexperienceeither.Asimpleclientquestionnaireliketheonebelowcanbeadministeredasamicrosurveyseveraltimesthroughouttheyear.Thesetypesofquicksurveyquestionsworkwelltoretargetyourexistingcustomersthroughsocialmediapollsandpaidinteractiveads.   1.Howmuchtimedoyouspendusing[productorservice]? Lessthanaminute About1-2minutes Between2and5minutes Morethan5minutes 2.Inthelastmonth,whathasbeenyourbiggestpainpoint? Findingenoughtimeforimportanttasks Delegatingwork Havingenoughtodo 3.What'syourbiggestpriorityrightnow? Findingafasterwaytowork Problem-solving Staffdevelopment WebsiteQuestionnaireTemplate Whetheryoujustlaunchedabrandnewwebsiteoryou'regatheringdatapointstoinformaredesign,you'llfindcustomerfeedbacktobeessentialinbothprocesses.Awebsitequestionnairetemplatewillcomeinhandytogatherthisinformationusinganunbiasedmethod.   1.Howmanytimeshaveyouvisited[website]inthepastmonth? None Once Morethanonce 2.Whatistheprimaryreasonforyourvisitto[website]? Tomakeapurchase Tofindmoreinformationbeforemakingapurchasein-store Tocontactcustomerservice 3.Areyouabletofindwhatyou'relookingforonthewebsitehomepage? Yes No CustomerSatisfactionQuestionnaireTemplate Ifyou'veneversurveyedyourcustomersandarelookingforatemplatetogetstarted,thisoneincludessomebasiccustomersatisfactionquestions.Thesewillapplytojustaboutanycustomeryourbusinessserves.   1.Howlikelyareyoutorecommendustofamily,friends,orcolleagues? Extremelyunlikely Somewhatunlikely Neutral Somewhatlikely Extremelylikely 2.Howsatisfiedwereyouwithyourexperience? 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10 3.Rankthefollowingitemsintermsoftheirprioritytoyourpurchasingprocess. Helpfulstaff Qualityofproduct Priceofproduct Easeofpurchase Proximityofstore Onlineaccessibility Currentneed Appearanceofproduct 4.Whodidyoupurchasetheseproductsfor? Self Familymember Friend Colleague Onbehalfofabusiness Other 5.Pleaserateourstaffonthefollowingterms: Friendly__________Hostile Helpful__________Useless Knowledgeable__________Inexperienced Professional__________Inappropriate 6.Wouldyoupurchasefromourcompanyagain? Yes No 7.Howcanweimproveyourexperienceforthefuture? ________________________________. CustomerEffortScoreQuestionnaireTemplate ThefollowingtemplategivesanexampleofabriefCESquestionnaire.Thisfreetemplateworkswellfornewcustomersasitmeasurestheirinitialreactiontoyourbusiness.   1.Whatwastheeaseofyourexperiencewithourcompany? Extremelydifficult Somewhatdifficult Neutral Somewhateasy Extremelyeasy 2.Thecompanydideverythingtheycouldtomakemyprocessaseasyaspossible. Stronglydisagree Somewhatdisagree Neutral Somewhatagree Stronglyagree 3.Onascaleof1to10(1being"extremelyquickly"and10being"extremelyslowly"),howfastwereyouabletosolveyourproblem? 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10 4.Howmucheffortdidyouhavetoputforthwhileworkingwithourcompany? Muchmorethanexpected Somewhatmorethanexpected Asmuchasexpected Somewhatlessthanexpected Muchlessthanexpected DemographicQuestionnaireTemplate Here'satemplateforsurveyingcustomerstolearnmoreabouttheirdemographicbackground.Youcouldsubstantiatetheanalysisofthisquestionnairebycorroboratingthedatawithotherinformationfromyourwebanalytics,internalcustomerdata,andindustrydata.   1.Howwouldyoudescribeyouremploymentstatus? Employedfull-time Employedpart-time Freelance/contractemployee Self-employed Unemployed 2.Howmanyemployeesworkatyourcompany? 0-20 21-50 51-100 101-1,000 1,001+ 3.Howwouldyouclassifyyourrole? IndividualContributor Manager Director VP Executive 4.Howwouldyouclassifyyourindustry? Technology/software Hospitality/dining Services Consulting Entertainment ExamplesofGoodSurveyQuestions Whatisyourfavoriteproduct? Whydidyoupurchasethisproduct? Howsatisfiedareyouwith[product]? Wouldyourecommend[product]toafriend? Wouldyourecommend[companyname]toafriend? Ifyoucouldchangeonethingabout[product],whatwoulditbe? Whichotheroptionswereyouconsideringbefore[productorcompanyname]? Did[product]helpyouaccomplishyourgoal? Howwouldyoufeelifwedidnotofferthisproduct,feature,orservice? Ifyoucouldn'tuseyourfavoriteproductfromus,whatwouldyoumissthemost? Whatisonewordthatbestdescribesyourexperienceusingourproduct? What'stheprimaryreasonforcancelingyouraccount? Howsatisfiedareyouwithourcustomersupport? Didweanswerallofyourquestionsandconcerns? Howcanwebemorehelpful? Whatadditionalfeatureswouldyouliketoseeinthisproduct? Arewemeetingyourexpectations? Howsatisfiedareyouwithyourexperience? 1."Whatisyourfavoriteproduct?" Thisquestionisagreatstarterforyoursurvey.Mostcompanieswanttoknowwhattheirmostpopularproductsareandthisquestioncutsrighttothepoint. It'simportanttonotethatthisquestionprovidesyouwiththecustomer'sperspective,notempiricalevidence.Youshouldcomparetheresultstoyourinventorytoseeifyourcustomers'answersmatchyouractualsales.Youmaybesurprisedtofindyourcustomers'"favorite"productisn'tthehighest-sellingone. 2."Whydidyoupurchasethisproduct?" Onceyouknowwhattheirfavoriteproductis,youneedtoknowwhytheylikeitsomuch.Thequalitativedatawillhelpyourmarketingandsalesteamsattractandengagecustomers.They'llknowwhichfeaturestoadvertisemostandcanseekoutnewleadswhoaresimilartoyourexistingcustomers. 3."Howsatisfiedareyouwith[product]?" Whenyouhaveaproductthatisn'tselling,youcanaskthisquestiontoseewhycustomersareunhappywithit.Ifthesereviewsarepoor,you'llknowthattheproductneedstobereworkedandyoucansenditbacktoproductmanagementforimprovement.Or,iftheseresultsarepositive,theymayhavesomethingtodowithyourmarketingorsalestechniques.Youcanthengathermoreinfoduringthequestionnaireandre-strategizeyourcampaignsbasedonyourfindings. 4."Wouldyourecommend[product]toafriend?" Thisisaclassicsurveyquestionthat'susedwithmostNPS®surveys.Itasksthecustomeriftheywouldrecommendyourproducttooneoftheirpeers.Thisisextremelyimportantbecausemostpeopletrustcustomerreferralsmorethantraditionaladvertising.So,ifyourcustomersarewillingtorecommendyourproducts,you'llhaveaneasiertimeacquiringnewleads. 5."Wouldyourecommend[companyname]toafriend?" Similartothequestionabove,thisoneasksthecustomertoconsideryourbusinessasawholeandnotjustyourproduct.Thisgivesyouinsightintoyourbrand'sreputationandshowshowcustomersfeelaboutyourcompany'sactions.Evenifyouhaveanexcellentproduct,yourbrand'sreputationmaybethecauseofcustomerchurn.Yourmarketingteamshouldpaycloseattentiontothisquestiontoseehowtheycanimprovethecustomerexperience. 6."Ifyoucouldchangeonethingabout[product],whatwoulditbe?" Thisisagoodquestiontoaskyourmostloyalcustomersoronesthathaverecentlychurned.Forloyalcustomers,youwanttokeepaddingvaluetotheirexperience.Askingthemhowyourproductcanimprovehelpsyourdevelopmentteamidentifyflawsandincreasesyourchancesofretainingavaluablecustomersegment. Forcustomersthathaverecentlychurned,thisquestionprovidesinsightintohowyoucanretainfutureusersthatareunhappywithyourproductorservice.Bygivingthesecustomersaspacetovoicetheircriticisms,youcaneitherreachoutandprovidesolutionsorrelayfeedbackforconsideration. 7."Whichotheroptionswereyouconsideringbefore[productorcompanyname]?" Ifyou'reoperatinginacompetitiveindustry,customerswillhavemorethanoneoptionwhenconsideringyourbrand.Additionally,ifyouselldifferentvariationsofyourproductorproducenewmodelsperiodically,customersmaypreferoneversionoveranother. Forthisquestion,youshouldprovideanswerstochoosefrominamultiple-selectionformat.Thiswilllimitthetypesofresponsesyou'llreceiveandhelpyouobtaintheexactinformationyou'researchingfor. 8."Did[product]helpyouaccomplishyourgoal?" Thepurposeofanyproductorserviceistohelpcustomersaccomplishagoal.Therefore,youshouldbedirectandaskthemifyourcompanysteeredthemtowardsuccess.Afterall,customersuccessisanexcellentretentiontool.Ifcustomersaresucceedingwithyourproduct,they'remorelikelytoremainloyaltoyourbrand. 9."Howwouldyoufeelifwedidnotofferthisproduct,feature,orservice? Thinkingaboutdiscontinuingaproduct?Thisquestioncanhelpyoudecidewhetherornotaspecificproduct,service,orfeaturewillbemissedifyouweretoremoveit. Evenifyouknowthataproductorserviceisn'tworthoffering,it'simportanttoaskthisquestionanywaybecausetheremaybeacertainaspectoftheproductthatyourcustomerslikeandthey'llbedelightedifyoucanintegratethatfeatureintoanewproductorservice. 10."Ifyoucouldn'tuseyourfavoriteproductfromus,whatwouldyoumissthemostaboutit?" Thisquestionpairswellwiththeoneabovebecauseitframesthecustomer'sfavoriteproductfromadifferentpointofview.Insteadofdescribingwhytheyloveaparticularproduct,thecustomercanexplainwhatthey'dbemissingiftheydidn'thaveitatall.Thistypeofquestionuncovers"fearofloss"whichcanbeaverydifferentmotivatingfactorcomparedto"hopeforgain". 11."Whatwordbestdescribesyourexperienceusingourproduct?" Yourmarketingteamwilllovethisquestion.Asinglewordorashortphrasecaneasilysumuptheemotionsyourcustomersfeelwhentheyexperienceyourcompany,product,orbrand.Thoseemotionscanbetranslatedintorelatablemarketingcampaignsthatusetheexactlanguageyourcustomersuse. Iftheresponsesrevealnegativeemotions,it'slikelythatyourentirecustomerserviceteamcanrelatetothatpainpoint.Ratherthancallingit"abuginthesystem"youcandescribetheproblemasa"frustratingroadblock"forthecustomertokeeptheirexperienceattheforefrontofthesolution. 12."What'stheprimaryreasonforcancelingyouraccount?" Findingoutwhycustomersareunhappywithyourproductorserviceiskeytodecreasingyourchurnrate.Ifyoudon'tunderstandwhypeopleareleavingyourbrand,it'shardtomakeeffectivechangesthatwillpreventfutureturnover.Orworse,youmightalteryourproductorserviceinawaythatincreasesyourchurnrate,causingyoutolosecustomerswhowereonceloyalsupporters. 13."Howsatisfiedareyouwithourcustomersupport?" It'sworthaskingcustomershowhappytheyarewithyoursupportorserviceteam.Afterall,anexcellentproductdoesn'talwaysguaranteethatcustomerswillremainloyaltoyourbrand.Researchshowsthatoneinthreecustomerswillleaveabrandthattheyloveafterjustonepoorserviceexperience. 14."Didweanswerallofyourquestionsandconcerns?" Thisisagoodquestiontoaskafteraserviceexperience.Itshowshowthoroughyoursupportteamisandwhetherornotthey'reprioritizingspeedtoomuchoverquality.Ifcustomersstillhavequestionsandconcernsafteraserviceinteraction,thenyoursupportteamisfocusingtoomuchonclosingticketsandnotenoughonmeetingcustomerneeds. 15."Howcanwebemorehelpful?" Sometimesit'seasiertobedirectandsimplyaskcustomerswhatelseyoucandotohelpthem.Thisshowsagenuineinterestinyourbuyers'goalswhichhelpsyourbrandfostermeaningfulrelationshipswithitscustomerbase.Themoreyoucanshowthatyousincerelycareaboutyourcustomers'problems,themorethey'llopenuptoyouandbehonestabouthowyoucanhelpthem. 16.Whatadditionalfeatureswouldyouliketoseeinthisproduct? Withthisquestion,yourteamcangetinspirationforthecompany'snextproductlaunch.Thinkoftheresponsesasawishlistfromyourcustomers—youcandiscoverwhatfeaturesaremostvaluabletothemandwhethertheyalreadyexistwithinacompetitor'sproduct. It'snearlyimpossibletoincorporateeveryfeaturesuggestion,butit'saconvenientwaytobuildabacklogofideasthatcaninspirefutureproductreleases. 17."Arewemeetingyourexpectations?" Thisisareallyimportantquestiontoaskbecausecustomerswon'talwaystellyouwhenthey'reunhappywithyourservice.Noteverycustomerisgoingtoasktospeakwithamanagerwhenthey'reunhappywithyourbusiness.Infact,mostwillquietlymoveontoacompetitorratherthanbroadcasttheirunhappinesstoyourcompany.Topreventthistypeofcustomerchurn,youneedtobeproactiveandaskcustomersifyourbrandismeetingtheirexpectations. 18."Howsatisfiedareyouwithyourexperience?" Thisquestionasksthecustomertosummarizetheirexperiencewithyourbusiness.Itgivesyouasnapshotviewofhowthecustomerisfeelinginthatmomentandwhattheirperceptionisofyourbrand.Askingthisquestionattherightstageinthecustomer'sjourneycantellyoualotaboutwhatyourcompanyisdoingwellandwhereyoucanstandtoimprove. Below,wehavecuratedalistofquestionnaireexamplesthatdoagreatjobofgatheringvaluablequalitativeandquantitativedata. 4QuestionnaireExamples 1.CustomerSatisfactionQuestions Ireceivedthisquestionnaireafteranannualappointmentwithmyoptometrist.Thisspecificquestionnaireistargetedatpatientsatisfaction.Sincethisisacompanythatspecializesinmedicalservicesandnotproducts,thereisn'talotofinputpatientscangiveonnewthingsforthecompanytoideateandproduce. Thisquestionnaireiseffectivebecauseit'sclearandconcise.Assomeonewithaprettybusydailyschedule,Iwouldn'twanttoinvestmorethanacoupleofminutesinacompanyquestionnaire.Thiswasalsoamobile-friendlyquestionnaire.Allthequestionsfitontoonescreen,whichsavedmefromhavingtoloadseveralpages.Theopen-endedquestionwasoptional,andsinceIhadnostrongfeelingsonthematter,Ileftitblank.However,offeringanopen-endedquestionassuchisagreatwaytogetfeedbackthatgoesmorein-depth. 2.CustomerEffortScore(CES)Questions Recently,ItookaGreyhoundbustoandfromNewYorkCity,andIreceivedthissurveyviaemail.ThisisanexampleofaCustomerEffortScore(CES)question.Thesearequestionsthatmeasuretheeaseofacustomer'sexperience,notjusttheirsatisfactionwiththeoverallexperience. ThisspecificGreyhoundsurveymeasuredhoweasymyexperiencewithcheckingluggagewas,whetherornotanemployeehelpedmeloadandunloadmyluggage,howlongtheloadingandunloadingprocesstook,andhowallofthatexperienceaffectedmyoveralltrip.Withclearclose-endedquestions,itwaseasyformetocompletethequestionnaire.Asaresultofthisquestionnaire,Greyhoundwillmeasurehowmuchefforttheircustomersneedtoputintotheirbusjourneysandpotentiallyfindwaystomaketheirtripseasier. 3.PsychographicQuestions EmersonCollege'sCenterforSpiritualLifesentmetheabovesurveyduringthespringsemester.Sinceitwasdirectedatstudents,itsgoalwastoimprovethedirectionandreachoftheCenterforSpiritualLife Asastudent,Idon'ttypicallyfilloutsurveysbecausemytimeisspentcompletingassignments.EmersonCollegehasrecognizedthisandhasstartedofferingtoenterstudentsintodrawingstowinprizesiftheycompletecertainsurveys.Offeringincentivesinexchangeforgettingcustomerstofilloutyoursurveysisanexcellenttactic.And,often,theprizecanbecost-effectivelikeagiftcardorsmallcashprize. 4.DemographicQuestions Adobesentmycoworker,SophiaBernazzani,thisquestionnairerecently.It'ssolelycomposedofclose-endedquestions.Ratherthanlearningaboutacustomer'sexperiencewiththebrand,itfocusesongainingdemographicinformation.Thegoalofthiskindofquestionnaireisusedtocollectuserdata. Demographicquestionsrequirelesseffortforcustomerstofilloutthancustomerexperienceones.Madeupofmultiple-choicequestions,italsotakeslesstimeandiseffectiveforcustomerswhodon'thavethetimetoprioritizecompanyquestionnaires.Thisisasimplewayforcompaniestocollectdataabouttheircustomerbasewhichwillthenhelpthemunderstandtheirtargetaudienceinthefuturewhenplanningcampaignsandnewproducts. Basedontheseexamples,we'veincludedsometipsandbestpracticesbelowformasteringthedesignofyournextquestionnaire. QuestionnaireDesign Questionnairedesignisacriticalpartofthesurveycreationprocess.Itinvolvescreatingquestionsthataccuratelymeasuretheopinions,experiences,behaviors,oractionsoftherespondents.Questionnairedesignincludesquestiondevelopment,writing,organization,andtesting. QuestionnaireLength Thenumberofquestionsinyourquestionnaireshoulddependontheinformationyou'relookingtocollect.Youshouldalsothinkaboutyourcustomerjourneymapandconsidercustomerneedswhenthequestionnaireispresented.Ifthecustomerisinahurry,itmaynotbethetimetodisplaya10-questionsurvey.Wheretheyareinthebuyer'sjourneywilldictatehowmanyquestionsyou'llbeabletoask. Agoodruleofthumbismostcustomersspendaboutfiveminutesfillingouta10-questionsurvey.Thatmeansyour50-questionformtakesabouthalfanhourtocomplete.Unlessyou'reofferinganincentiveinreturn,that'sabigasktoaskofyourbusycustomers. Presentation Thewayaquestionnaireispresentedcanmakeabigimpactonhowthesurveyisperceived.Justabouteverythingfromtheamountofspacingbetweenquestions,thenumberofquestionsonapage,designandlayout,aswellasthewayinstructionsarewrittencomparedtothewayquestionsarewrittencanaffecttherespondent'sexperiencewiththesurvey. Somepresentationelementsthatmakeagreatquestionnaireincludeaprogressbar,backandforwardbuttons,andcleartextboxes,beckboxes,andradiobuttonsforselectingtheappropriateresponsetoaquestion. Spendsometimeinthequestionnairepresentationanddesignstagetodevelopasurveythatyourcustomerswillwanttocomplete. QuestionProgression Questionprogressionreferstotheorderandlayoutofyourquestionnaire.Mostsurveysbeginwithamultiple-choiceformatorratingscalebecausethesequestionstakelesstimetoanswerandmakethequestionnaireseemtotakeashorteramountoftime.Oncethesequestionsareoutoftheway,thequestionnaireshouldconcludewithshort-answeroropen-endedquestions.Thesesectionstypicallytakemoretimetocompletedependingonhowmuchtimeyourcustomerwillspendonit. Next,let'sdigintosometipsforcreatingyourownquestionnaire. HowtoMakeaQuestionnaire Startwithtemplatesasafoundation.Knowyourquestiontypes.Keepitbrief,whenpossible.Chooseasimplevisualdesign.Useaclearresearchprocess.Createquestionswithstraightforward,unbiasedlanguage.Ensureeveryquestionisimportant.Askonequestionatatime.Orderyourquestionslogically.Consideryourtargetaudience.Testyourquestionnaire. 1.Usequestionnairetemplates. Ratherthanbuildaquestionnairefromscratch,considerusingquestionnairetemplatestogetstarted.HubSpot'scollectionofcustomer-facingquestionnairetemplatescanhelpyouquicklybuildandsendaquestionnairetoyourclientsandanalyzetheresultsrightonGoogleDrive. DownloadNow 2.Knowyourquestiontypes. Asimple"yes"or"no"doesn'tcutit.Togetfeedbackthatactuallymatters,youneedtogivecustomersoptionsthatgoin-depth.There'samethodtogettingaccuratefeedbackfromyourquestionnaireanditstartsbychoosingtheappropriatetypesofquestionsfortheinformationyouwanttoknow.VrndaLeValley,customertrainingmanageratHubSpot,recommendsstartingwithanalignmentquestionlike"Doesthisclassmeetyourexpectations?"becauseitgivesadditionalcontexttoanypositiveornegativescoresthatfollow.Shecontinues,"Ifitdidn'tmeetexpectations,thentherewillpotentiallybenegativeresponsesacrosstheboard(aswellasthereverse)." Hereareafewmoretypesofquestionsyoucanuseinyourquestionnairetocollectdifferenttypesofdata. 1.Multiple-Choice Multiple-choicequestionsofferrespondentsseveraloptionsofanswerstochoosefrom.Thisisapopularchoiceofquestionnairequestionsinceit'ssimpleforpeopletofilloutandforcompaniestoanalyze.Multiple-choicequestionscanbeinsingle-answer—respondentscanonlyselectoneresponse—ormultiple-answer—respondentscanselectasmanyresponsesasnecessary—form. 2.RatingScale Ratingscalequestionsofferascaleofnumbers(typically1-10)andaskrespondentstoratevariousitemsbasedonthesentimentsassignedtothatscale.Thisiseffectivewhenassessingcustomersatisfaction. 3.LikertScale Likertscalequestionsassesswhetherornotarespondentagreeswiththestatement,aswellastheextenttowhichtheyagreeordisagree.Thesequestionstypicallyoffer5or7responses,withsentimentsrangingfromitemssuchas"stronglydisagree"to"stronglyagree." 4.Open-Ended Open-endedquestionsaskabroaderquestion,orpossiblyelaborationonacertainresponsetooneoftheclose-endedquestionsabove.Theyareaccompaniedbyatextboxthatleavesroomforrespondentstowritefreely.Thisisparticularlyimportantwhenaskingcustomerstoexpandonanexperienceorrecommendation. 3.Keepitbrief,whenpossible. Mostquestionnairesdon'tneedtobelongerthanapage.Forroutinecustomersatisfactionsurveys,it'snotnecessarytoask50slightlyvariedquestionsaboutacustomer'sexperiencewhenthosequestionscouldbecombinedinto10solidquestions. Theshorteryourquestionnaireis,themorelikelyacustomeristocompleteit.Inaddition,ashorterquestionnairemeanslessdataforyourteamtocollectandanalyze.Itwillbealoteasierforyoutogettheinformationyouneedtomakethenecessarychangesinyourorganizationandproductsbasedonthefeedback. 4.Chooseasimplevisualdesign. There'snoneedtomakeyourquestionnaireastunningworkofart.Aslongasit'sclearandconcise,itwillbeattractivetocustomers.Whenaskingquestionsthatareimportanttofurtheringyourcompany,it'sbesttokeepthingssimple.Selectafontthatiscommonandeasy-to-read,likeHelveticaorArial,aswellasatextsizethatcanbenavigatedbycustomersofallabilities. Aquestionnaireismosteffectivewhenallthequestionsarevisibleonasinglescreen.Thelayoutisimportant—ifaquestionnaireisevenremotelydifficulttonavigate,yourresponseratecouldsuffer.Ensurethatbuttonsandcheckboxesareeasytoclickandthatquestionsarevisibleonbothcomputerandmobilescreens. 5.Useaclearresearchprocess. Beforeplanningquestionsforyourquestionnaire,you'llneedtohaveadefinitedirectionforit.Aquestionnaireisonlyeffectiveiftheresultsansweranoverarchingresearchquestion.Afterall,theresearchprocessisanimportantpartofthesurvey,andaquestionnaireisatoolthat'susedwithintheprocess. Inyourresearchprocess,youshouldfirstcomeupwitharesearchquestion.Whatareyoutryingtofindout?What'sthepointofthisquestionnaire?Keepthisinmindthroughouttheprocess. Aftercomingupwitharesearchquestion,it'sagoodideatohaveahypothesis.Whatdoyoupredicttheresultswillbeforyourquestionnaire?Thiscanbestructuredinasimple"If…then…"format.Astructuredexperiment—yes,yourquestionnaireisatypeofexperiment—willensurethatyou'reonlycollectingandanalyzingdatanecessarytoansweryourresearchquestionandmoveforwardwithyoursurvey. 6.Createquestionswithstraightforward,unbiasedlanguage. Whenyou'recraftingyourquestions,it'simportanttostructurethemsothatyougetthepointacross.Youdon'twanttheretobeanyconfusionforyourcustomersbecausethismayinfluencetheiranswers.Instead,useclearlanguage.Don'tuseunneededjargon,andusesimpletermsinfavoroflonger-windedones. Youmayriskthereliabilityofyourdataifyoutrytoputtwoquestionsinone.Ratherthanasking,"Howwasyourexperienceshoppingwithus,andwouldyourecommendustoothers?"separateitintotwoseparatequestions.Customerswillbeclearonthequestionyouareaskingandchoosearesponsemostappropriateforeachquestion. Additionally,youshouldalwayskeepthelanguageinyourquestionsunbiased.Youneverwanttoswaycustomersonewayoranotherbecausethiswillcauseyourdatatobeskewed.Insteadofasking,"Somemightsaythatwecreatethebestsoftwareproductsintheworld.Wouldyouagreeordisagree?"itmaybebettertoask,"Howwouldyourateoursoftwareproductsonascaleof1to10?"Thisremovesanybiasandensuresthatalloftheresponsesarevalid. 7.Askonlythemostimportantquestions. Whenyou'recreatingyourquestionnaire,keepinmindthattimeisoneofthemostvaluablecommoditiesforcustomers.Mostaren'tgoingtositthrougha50-questionsurvey,especiallywhenthey'rebeingaskedaboutproductsorservicestheydidn'tuse.Eveniftheydocompleteit,mostofthesewillbehalf-heartedresponsesfromfatiguedcustomerswhosimplywanttobefinishedwithit. Nomatterifyourquestionnaireis5questionsor55,makesureeachonehasaspecificpurpose.Individually,theyshouldbeaimedatcollectingcertainpiecesofinformationthatrevealnewinsightsintodifferentaspectsofyourbusiness.Ifyourquestionsareirrelevantorseemoutofplace,yourcustomerswillbeeasilyderailedfromthesurvey.And,oncethecustomerhaslostinterest,it'llbedifficulttoregaintheirfocus. 8.Askonequestionatatime. Sinceeveryquestionhasapurpose,askthemoneatatime.Thisletsthecustomerfocusandencouragesthemtoprovideathoughtfulresponse.Thisisparticularlyimportantforopen-endedquestionswherecustomersneedtodescribeanexperienceoropinion. Bygroupingquestionstogether,youriskoverwhelmingbusycustomerswhodon'thavetimeforalongsurvey.Theymaythinkyou'reaskingthemtoomuchortheymightseeyourquestionnaireasadauntingtask.Youwantyoursurveytoappearaspainlessaspossible,andkeepingyourquestionsseparatedwillmakeitmoreuser-friendly. 9.Orderyourquestionslogically. Agoodquestionnaireislikeagoodbook.Thebeginningquestionsshouldlaytheframework,themiddleonesshouldcuttothecoreissues,andthefinalquestionsshouldtieupallofthelooseends.Thisflowkeepscustomersengagedthroughouttheentiresurvey. Whencreatingyourquestionnaire,startwiththemostbasicquestionslikethoseaboutdemographics.Youcanusethisinformationtosegmentyourcustomerbaseandcreatedifferentbuyerpersonas. Next,addinyourproductandservicesquestions.Thesearetheonesthatprovideinsightsintocommoncustomerroadblocksandwhereyoucanimproveyourbusiness'sofferings.Questionsliketheseguideyourproductdevelopmentandmarketingteamswhoarelookingfornewwaystoenhancethecustomerexperience. Finally,youshouldconcludeyourquestionnairewithopen-endedquestionsaimedatunderstandingthecustomerjourney.Thesequestionsletcustomersvoicetheiropinionsandpointoutspecificexperiencesthey'vehadwithyourbrand. 10.Consideryourtargetaudience. Wheneveryoucollectcustomerfeedback,youneedtokeepinmindthegoalsandneedsofyourtargetaudience.Afterall,theparticipantsinthisquestionnaireareyouractivecustomers.Yourquestionsshouldbegearedtowardstheinterestsandexperiencesthey'vealreadyhadwithyourcompany. Youcanevencreatemultiplesurveysthattargetdifferentbuyerpersonas.Forexample,ifyouhaveasubscription-basedpricingmodel,youcanpersonalizeyourquestionnaireforeachtypeofsubscriptionyourcompanyoffers. 11.Testyourquestionnaire. Onceyourquestionnaireiscomplete,it'simportanttotestit.Ifyoudon't,youmayendupaskingthewrongquestionsandcollectingirrelevantorinaccurateinformation.Startbygivingyouremployeesthequestionnairetotest,thensendittosmallgroupsofcustomersandanalyzetheresults.Ifyou'regatheringthedatayou'relookingfor,thenyoushouldreleasethequestionnairetoallofyourcustomers. HowQuestionnairesCanBenefitYourCustomerServiceStrategy Whetheryouhaveonecustomeroronethousandcustomers,theiropinionsmatterwhenitcomestothesuccessofyourbusiness.Theirsatisfactionwithyourofferingscanrevealhowwellorhowpoorlyyourcustomerservicestrategyandbusinessoverallaremeetingtheirneeds.Aquestionnaireisoneofthemostpowerful,cost-effectivetoolstouncoverwhatyourcustomersthinkaboutyourbusiness,andwhenanalyzedproperly,caninformyourproductandservicelaunches.Usethefreequestionnairetemplates,examples,andbestpracticesinthisguidetoconductyournextcustomerfeedbacksurvey. NetPromoter,NetPromoterSystem,NetPromoterScore,NPS,andtheNPS-relatedemoticonsareregisteredtrademarksofBain&Company,Inc.,FredReichheld,andSatmetrixSystems,Inc. Editor'snote:ThispostwasoriginallypublishedinJuly2018andhasbeenupdatedforcomprehensiveness.   OriginallypublishedSep16,20215:00:00PM,updatedFebruary152022 Topics: SurveyCreation FormMaker Don'tforgettosharethispost! 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