Customer Survey Examples: 15 Popular Use Cases

What's worth more than your customers' money? Their opinions!

• How likely are you to recommend us to a friend? (NPS)

• What was the main reason...(its important to follow up with a question to understand the score given - that where you best insights are!)

In today's business world, data drives real improvements because with data we can make factual decisions that reasoned and will help drive improvement and growth.

One brilliant way to collect data to drive this decision making is from customer perspectives collect from surveys. However, with so many types of surveys out there, it can be downright overwhelming to decide which one to use. At SmartSurvey, we have over 150 survey templates to choose that in itself is a lot - so lets drill down into that number and look at some key cusomer survey teamplates.

In this post we will be exploring 15 customer survey examples that provide actionable insights businesses can use.

Why customer surveys are essential

Surveys let customers tell you, in their own words, what they like, dislike, and need. That insight helps you keep existing customers happy and attract new ones.

Even a small 5% rise in retention can boost profits by 25%-95%. By asking the right questions you spot problems early, fix them fast, and reduce churn.

Feedback also fuels innovation. Data-led decisions mean you improve products, stay ahead of rivals, and keep your business moving forward.

Survey Types for Customer Experience

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Surveys

With the "why" covered, let's explore 15 go-to customer survey examples that deliver results. Each type serves a distinct purpose to help businesses learn and progress.

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Surveys

A Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) survey measures how happy someone is with a specific interaction, product or service. It asks customers to rate their experience and add quick comments, giving you an instant health check on overall sentiment.

Happy customers stick around. You want to send a CSAT survey after any significant interaction to keep your finger on the pulse of customer satisfaction.

Example: "How would you rate your experience with us today? What made you feel that way?"

Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys

Want to know if your customers are your biggest fans? NPS surveys measure loyalty by asking one simple question: "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?"

NPS surveys use a 0-10 scale, followed by an open-ended question to understand the reasons behind the score. It's a quick and easy way to gauge how your customers feel about you.

The average NPS score for SaaS companies is 30 (Retently, 2024).

Customer effort score (CES) surveys

Nobody wants a complicated process when they're trying to buy from you. If your product or service is up to par, you want to make it as easy as possible for customers to complete their desired action.

That's where CES surveys come in. They measure how easy (or difficult) it is for customers to do business with your company, use your product, or get help when they need it.

A Likert scale is a rating system commonly used in surveys to measure attitudes or opinions on a 5- or 7-point scale.

They're convenient after customer service interactions. Using a Likert scale, you might ask: "The company made it easy for me to solve my problem." (Strongly agree to Strongly disagree)

Product Feedback Surveys

Want to improve your products? The best way to know what customers want is to ask them directly. Product feedback surveys use a mix of open-ended questions and rating scales to gather feedback on specific features or overall satisfaction with the product. You can ask about things like:

• Price

• Usability

• Features

• Design

• Quality

As for timing, you want to give customers enough time to use the product, but not so long that they've forgotten their initial impressions. A good rule of thumb is about 2-4 weeks after purchase.

Here's an example question: "What feature of our product do you find most useful? Why?"

Customer Loyalty Surveys

It's hard to guess if customers will stick around unless you ask them. Even if they loved your product, there could be other factors that influence their decision to stay, like price, customer service, or competitors' offerings.

Loyalty surveys focus on gauging a customer's long-term commitment to a brand. They explore factors such as repeat purchases, brand advocacy, and likelihood to stay with the brand, providing insights into customer retention.

The best time to send these surveys is after a customer has had multiple interactions with your brand. This could be after several purchases or after they've been a customer for a certain period of time.

Example question: "How likely are you to choose our brand for your next purchase? Why?"

Customer Service Surveys

Up to 89% of consumers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience.

Customer service surveys are best given after a customer interacts with your support team. They gather feedback on the quality of the service provided, assessing things like responsiveness, professionalism, problem resolution, and overall satisfaction with the service.

Ask things like "How would you rate the helpfulness of our customer service representative on a scale of 1-5? What could we have done better?"

• How satisfied were you with the support you received?

• Did our team resolve your issue?

• How easy was it to get help?

• Would you contact us again if needed?

• Is there anything we could have done better?

Voice of the Customer (VoC) Surveys

Voice of the Customer (VoC) surveys capture expectations, preferences, and pain points directly from customers in their own words, usually through open-ended questions. VoC surveys might be one of the lesser-known types, but they're equally important for uncovering insights you didn’t think to ask about.

VoC surveys are typically more open-ended, allowing customers to freely express their opinions about the brand, products, or services. This can provide rich, qualitative data that might uncover insights you hadn't even thought to ask about.

Example: "If you could change one thing about our product, what would it be and why?"

Use these to uncover hidden pain points and send them at various stages of the customer journey.

Post-purchase Surveys

A post-purchase survey checks how buyers feel about the checkout, delivery and first use of their new product, right after they receive it.

These surveys often focus on elements such as ease of ordering, delivery speed, product quality, and overall satisfaction.

Here's an example of a post-purchase survey question: "How satisfied are you with the speed of delivery? What could we improve about our delivery process?"

This goes without saying, but the best time to send a post-purchase survey is, well, post-purchase. However, you don't want to wait too long, so it's best to do it shortly after the customer receives their order.

Exit Intent Surveys

Exit -intent surveys pop up when someone is about to leave your site or cancel a service. They capture the “why” behind the decision so you can fix hidden blockers and retain more customers.

These surveys are used when customers are about to leave a website or cancel a service. They aim to uncover the reasons for their departure, helping businesses identify barriers that are causing customers to abandon the site or service.

With this information in hand, businesses can make improvements to their website or service to prevent future exits and retain more customers.

As an example, let's say a customer hasn't used your app for a week or more. That could signal exit intent. You might ask them how likely they are to renew their membership next month and what you could do to make them more likely to stay.

Website Usability Surveys

A clunky website can cost you customers. In fact, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return after a bad experience.

These surveys focus on how easily customers can navigate and use a company's website. Feedback on layout, speed, accessibility, and overall user experience helps businesses improve their website's functionality.

You'll want to submit them after a potential customer has interacted with your site for a little while.

Example of a website usability survey question: "How easy was it to find what you were looking for on our website today?"

Market Research Surveys

This one is often associated with R&D departments and done before a product launch. Market research surveys collect data about customer preferences, behaviour, and trends within a target market. These surveys help businesses understand customer needs, identify opportunities, and stay competitive.

Launching a product or service that nobody wants to use is costly and frustrating. Market research surveys can help you avoid this pitfall. One question you can ask is, "What features would you most like to see in a new [product type]?"

Onboarding Surveys

First impressions count. Customer onboarding surveys collect data about the customer's initial interactions with your company, including registration, setup process, and any challenges they may have faced.

It sounds like a little thing, but it has a big impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. A smooth and streamlined onboarding process can set the tone for the entire customer relationship.

Here's an example of an onboarding survey question: "How would you rate the ease of setting up your account? What could we do to improve this process?"

Event Feedback Surveys

This one is straightforward. After a company hosts an event whether online or in-person event feedback surveys gauge attendee satisfaction. These surveys assess aspects like content quality, organisation, and the overall experience to improve future events.

It's important to use these surveys because they help you understand what worked well and what didn't, allowing you to make each event better than the last. You should send these surveys as soon as possible after the event while the experience is still fresh in attendees' minds.

Try something like this: "On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the overall quality of the presentations at our conference? What was your favourite session and why?"

Churn Surveys

Remember the exit intent survey we covered earlier? Churn surveys are similar, but they're sent to customers who have actually gone through and cancelled a subscription or service. The aim is to understand the reasons behind their decision and what, if anything, could have changed their mind.

You usually submit this survey after or right before they cancel a subscription. If you're selling a regular product, you can also ask why they haven't ordered from you in a while.

You'll often see: "We're sorry to see you go. What was the primary reason for cancelling your subscription?" Then, list possible reasons and leave a blank box for them to write a different reason, if applicable.

Transactional Surveys

Finally, we have transactional surveys. The name might be a bit misleading because it's not just about the act of transacting. These surveys are triggered by specific interactions or transactions, such as completing a purchase, visiting a store, or contacting customer support. They focus on that single event to gather targeted feedback on the customer's immediate experience.

Transactional surveys can provide concrete, actionable insights about particular touchpoints in the customer journey.

You should send these surveys immediately after the transaction or interaction takes place.

For instance, you could ask, "How would you rate your experience with our in-store staff today?"

Wrapping up

Have more questions about customer surveys? You're not alone. ...

Customer perspectives provide the insights needed to propel our businesses forward. By deploying well-crafted surveys during key moments along the customer journey, we gather feedback to strengthen our offerings.

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