Survey Question Types ~ Add a Little Variety

Superb customer service includes using customer surveys to build a connection with your customers, making their voices feel valued and important.

Survey questions vary according to what type of information they are trying to collect from your consumers and how this information will apply to the goals of the survey. The goal of customer satisfaction surveys should clearly be to satisfy your customers.

 There are two basic types of survey questions: Open-ended and Closed-ended.

Open-ended

This type of question allows participants to respond in any way they choose. Open-ended questions provide primarily qualitative data, and are commonly used in probing research. When you want to know an answer in detail you use an open ended question on your surveys.

Example

What was the best service our company provided on your visit today?

A: [Customers provide answers in their own words]

Closed-ended

In contrast to open-ended questions, closed-ended questions require consumers to choose from a restricted number of responses determined by the researcher or business owner. There are 5 basic types of closed-ended questions: Multiple-choice; Categorical; Likert-scale; Numerical; and Ordinal. Closed-ended questions provide primarily quantitative data. When you have specific answers in mind and you merely want the customers to choose from those, you would use close-ended questions like those shown below:

Multiple Choice

Use a multiple-choice question when you want your respondents to choose the best possible answer among all options presented.

Example

How much did you spend on your visit? (Select one)

__$1.00 - $30.00
__$30.00 - $50.00__ $50.00 +

Categorical

Use a categorical question when the possible answers are categories, and the respondent must belong to one category.

Example

What is your gender?__ Male 

__Female

Likert-Scale

Use a Likert-scale question when you are trying to determine respondents’ attitudes or feelings about something.

Example

How satisfied were you by our customer service? (Select one):

Not Very Satisfied __ 1__   2__   3__   4__   5   Extremely Satisfied

Ordinal

Sometimes you may want your respondents to rank order their responses. A ranking indicates the importance assigned by a participant to an attitudinal object.

Example

Please rank the importance of the following qualities in a team leader. (Please fill in your rank order in the spaces provided using the numbers 1 through 5)

__A team leader that is sincere __ A team leader that gets resources for the team __ A team leader that is an advocate for the team __ A team leader that is a strong disciplinarian __ A team leader that is a good motivator

Numerical

When the answer must be a number, ask a numerical question.

Example

What is your current age? (Select one)
__Less than 18
__18 to 29
__30 to 39
__40 to 49
__50 or older

Remember: How you develop your questions depends on why you are conducting your survey, and how you plan to apply the data from your survey to your survey problem. Educate yourself on the various types of survey questions, and what purpose they serve before developing questions for your own survey project. Know why you are offering the survey, and make sure that it is written to best make your company successful.

Also, pay attention to what questions your customers are answering – it will tell you whether or not they agree with the type of question or the question itself.

Using customer satisfaction surveys to improve your product line and customer service will take you on that enviable road leading to success. 

How to Make a Customer Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a series of questions asked to individuals to obtain statistically effective information about a given topic. When correctly constructed and responsibly administered, questionnaires develop into a vital instrument by which statements can be made about specific groups or people.

Customer Questionnaires are frequently used in quantitative marketing research and social research. They are a valuable method of collecting a wide range of information from a large number of individuals, often referred to as respondents. For example, when your company or business has a group of customers, you want to offer a questionnaire to determine what it is about your company that they like as well as issues that your customers experience while using your product or service.

Inappropriate questions, incorrect ordering of questions, mistaken scaling, or bad questionnaire format can make the survey valueless, as it may not accurately reflect the views and opinions as intended by your customers. 

A useful method for checking a questionnaire and making sure it is capturing the intentional content is to test it often. An example of a successful customer satisfaction questionnaire is posted below.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Questionnaire

1. How did you find out about our products and services?

o   Media (television, newspaper, radio)

o   Internet

o   Word of mouth

o   Other

2. How often do you use our services/products? (Kindly pick one)

____Occasionally

____Frequently

____Never

____Often

____Very often

3. Which products/services do you find most appealing and satisfactory?

_________________________________________________________

4. On a scale of 1-5 when 1 is very bad and 5 is excellent, how would you rate the

above products/services? 1 __ 2__ 3__ 4__ 5__

5. Would you recommend our products and services to another person?

Yes             No

Kindly give a reason for your answer

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. How are the prices of our products and services?

Cheap

Affordable

Expensive

Very expensive

Give reasons for your answer

________________________________________________________________________

7. (i) Are our products readily available?

Yes                 No

Give reasons for your answer

________________________________________________________________________

What recommendations and improvements, if any, would you suggest?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

You see how this questionnaire offers many open-ended questions, leaving room for the customer to vent and explain. This is what you want. The more the customer tells you about the products, the more your company can accommodate and make your customer satisfied.

Customer service is crucial to creating a successful business and with great customer satisfaction surveys and questionnaires you will be able to make your customers happy and make your business successful.

Utilize Your Customer Survey Tool Belt

Do you own your own business? Whether it be a small online business or a quickly expanding company, your customers should be your main priority to maintaining a successful business. Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com relies fully on what his customers think of his company. Because of his outlook he has created a billion dollar company. Jeff states that “If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.”

What your customers think about the business you run or are a part of is essential to whether or not you will be triumphant. This is why it is so crucial to understand the necessities of having excellent customer service.

One of the most efficient ways to create customer satisfaction and build loyalty between you and your customers is by knowing how to utilize your customer survey tool belt. Customer satisfaction surveys are one of the key elements to making your customers happy. They allow your customers to give professional feedback on their experiences, rate your company, review your products, and critique any areas with which they were not satisfied. 

In your customer survey tool belt there are five indispensable tools that you need to use in order to get the most from your customers.

The first one is to keep your surveys short. People don’t want to spend a lot of time answering questions for you, so keep it simple. Ask the vital questions that will help improve your company and show that their input is important to you.

The second is to start with close-ended questions, which ties into keeping it simple. Be direct and straightforward. Get the answers you need and let the customer rank your business.

Next follow up with open-ended questions. This will give your customers the chance to vent and describe specifically what they did or did not like. These answers are the ones that will provide you with the most feedback to allow your company to progress and expand.

Know your audience. Make each question relate to your consumers, products, and your business. Be specific to your own business not generic. This will pull your customers in closer to you. It’s a good opportunity to build product/brand awareness with them.

Finally listen to them. Customer surveys are for your benefit, not the customers. Most of what they say is what you will need to do to be successful in your company.

As you utilize your customer satisfaction survey tool belt, your business will flourish and your profit will increase. Your customers create your company’s value. They can either tear it down or build it up. The choice depends on how you treat them. 

Review Solutions—Creating an Attitude of Legendary Customer Service

Is your business struggling? Even if your company is doing well, it could be doing better. Every day you should be thinking of ways to improve your customer relations until you obtain customer loyalty with every customer.

You see, customer relations and satisfaction is the one most important elements of a successful business. Sam Walton, the creator of Wal-Mart used this philosophy to the core, and look how successful has he become.  Mr. Walton quoted that “The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.” He wanted legendary customer service! Why? Because he knew that without the customer your business is absolutely nothing.

Customer rating and review systems are an efficient way to make your customers happy. They let your customers know that you care about what they have to say, and it indirectly builds rapport with them.

If you already know the importance of customer reviews, but still find yourself lacking in the customer service area, you might want to review these crucial review solutions to help make you and your business more money.

1.      

Focus on your customer. When you know your audience, what they like to hear, and how you can relate to them, you will create a bond that will increase your customer loyalty. Reward your customers for participating in your surveys. This shows them that not only do you want to hear what they have to say, but that you are willing to change things based on their relevant imput. Making your customers feel important will make your profits increase. So spend a little to make a lot.

2.       Don’t waste their time. Keep your surveys short, to the point, and vital. Ask questions that you know will help your business grow. If you think you are lacking in an area, ask the customers what they think. Their opinions could take your company to the next level.

3.       When your customers take the time to fill out a review for your business READ IT!!!! Don’t just set it off to the side to do another day. These reviews are a reflection on your business. If your customers aren’t willing to fill out a survey, they probably won’t be willing be buy again from you and they probably won’t refer your company to their friends and family.

The Vice President of British Airways, Donald Porter, said another great statement about customer service that kind of sums everything up. He said, “Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.” By knowing these review solutions you can fix things when they go wrong and build a business that is going to last for generations. Your company deserves to grow and profit, even in this recession. So make your move; acquire an online customer review survey company to help you make more money more often.