40 Customer Feedback Survey Questions (By Goal)

The best customer feedback survey questions are specific, neutral and tied to a decision you will make with the answers. Start with one standard rating question that fits your goal (NPS for loyalty, CSAT for a specific interaction, CES for ease), follow it with "What is the main reason for your score?", and add only the few extra questions you will actually act on. Below are 40 example questions grouped by goal, with rules for writing them well and keeping surveys short.

Start with the goal, not the questions

Before writing a single question, finish this sentence: "After this survey, we will decide…". Examples:

• "…which part of our delivery process to fix first."
• "…whether new customers understand how to get started."
• "…which product to expand next season."

If a question does not help with that decision, leave it out. Short surveys get more responses and more thoughtful answers.

The core rating questions

These are the three standard metrics. Use one per survey as your anchor question.

1. NPS (loyalty): "On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [company] to a friend or colleague?"
2. CSAT (satisfaction with an interaction): "How satisfied were you with [today's visit / your delivery / the support you received]?" (1 = very dissatisfied, 5 = very satisfied)
3. CES (ease): "[Company] made it easy for me to [resolve my issue / place my order / return the item]." (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree)

Not sure which to use? Our comparison of NPS vs CSAT vs CES explains the differences. For step-by-step methods, see how to calculate NPS and how to calculate CSAT. Once answers come in, you can calculate scores with the NPS calculator and the CSAT and CES calculator.

The universal follow-up

4. "What is the main reason for your score?"

Make it optional, and put it directly after the rating question. It is the most valuable question in almost every survey.

Questions for new customers (onboarding)

5. "How clear was the information you received after your purchase?"
6. "Was anything about getting started more difficult than you expected?"
7. "How long did it take you to [get your first result / use the product for the first time]?"
8. "What almost stopped you from buying from us?"
9. "What made you choose us over other options?"
10. "Is there anything you expected to receive that you haven't yet?"

Questions 8 and 9 are particularly useful for marketing: they tell you what convinces and what worries new customers. For the onboarding process itself, see the customer onboarding checklist.

Questions about a specific interaction

11. "How satisfied were you with the speed of our response?"
12. "Did we fully resolve your issue?" (Yes / Partly / No)
13. "How many times did you need to contact us about this issue?"
14. "How would you rate the friendliness of the person who helped you?"
15. "Was the information you received accurate and easy to understand?"
16. "Is there anything we could have done better in this conversation?"

Question 13 is a simple proxy for effort: every extra contact is friction.

Questions about the product or service

17. "How well does [product/service] meet your needs?" (Not at all / Partly / Mostly / Completely)
18. "Which feature or part of our service do you value most?"
19. "Which feature or part of our service do you use least, and why?"
20. "What is one thing you would add or change?"
21. "How would you rate the quality of [product] compared with what you expected?"
22. "Have you experienced any problems with [product] in the last [period]?"

Avoid asking "Would you use feature X if we built it?"; people tend to say yes to hypothetical features. Asking about current problems and workarounds is more reliable.

Questions about value and price

23. "How would you rate the value for money of [product/service]?"
24. "Compared with alternatives you know, is our price lower, similar or higher?"
25. "Which option would you be most likely to choose next time?" (offer realistic options)
26. "Is there anything included that you don't need?"

Price questions are sensitive. Customers rarely volunteer that they would pay more, so use these to spot dissatisfaction rather than to set prices.

Questions about the overall relationship

27. "How long have you been a customer?" (if you cannot get it from your data)
28. "How likely are you to buy from us again?" (0–10)
29. "How well do we understand your needs?"
30. "How would you describe us to a friend in one sentence?"
31. "What would make you consider switching to another provider?"
32. "Is there anything we used to do well that has changed?"

Question 31 often reveals churn risks before they show up in your numbers. Pair the answers with the signals in customer churn warning signs.

Questions for lapsed or cancelling customers

33. "What is the main reason you stopped [buying / your subscription]?" (multiple choice plus "other")
34. "Was there something we could have done to keep you?"
35. "Where will you be getting [product/service] instead?" (optional)
36. "Would you consider coming back in the future?"

Keep this survey very short, ideally just question 33 with an optional comment. People who are leaving have little patience. The answers feed directly into a win-back email campaign.

Questions about communication

37. "How often would you like to hear from us?"
38. "Which channel do you prefer for updates?" (email, text, phone, none)
39. "How useful are the emails you receive from us?"
40. "Is there any information you wish we sent you, but don't?"

Rules for writing good questions

1. One topic per question

Bad: "How satisfied were you with the speed and quality of our service?" Better: two separate questions, or decide which one matters more.

2. Neutral wording

Bad: "How much did you enjoy our new menu?" Better: "How would you rate our new menu?"

3. Balanced scales

Offer as many negative as positive options, with a clear midpoint where appropriate. A scale of "Good / Very good / Excellent" has no room for an honest negative answer.

4. Plain language

Avoid internal terms. Customers do not know what your "tier 2 support" or "fulfilment SLA" is.

5. Specific time frame

"In the last three months, have you…" is easier to answer accurately than "Have you ever…".

6. Make sensitive or open questions optional

Forcing answers increases drop-outs and nonsense responses.

Choosing scales

Scale	Use for	Notes
0–10	NPS, likelihood questions	Standard for NPS; do not change it
1–5	Satisfaction (CSAT), quality ratings	Easy on mobile; label at least the ends
1–7	Agreement (CES)	More nuance; label every point if possible
Yes / Partly / No	Resolution, completion	Simple and clear
Multiple choice	Reasons, preferences	Always include "Other (please specify)"

Keep the same scale for the same question over time, or you cannot compare results.

How long should a survey be?

Survey type	Suggested length
After a support contact or delivery	1 rating + 1 open question
After onboarding	3–5 questions
Periodic relationship survey	5–10 questions
Cancellation survey	1–2 questions

Before sending, take the survey yourself on a phone and time it. If it takes more than a few minutes, cut questions.

Example survey: after a delivery

1. "How satisfied were you with your delivery?" (1–5)
2. "What is the main reason for your rating?" (optional, open)
3. "Did your order arrive complete and undamaged?" (Yes / No)

Three questions, under a minute, and each one leads to a clear action.

Example survey: twice-yearly relationship check

1. "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" (0–10)
2. "What is the main reason for your score?" (open)
3. "Which part of our service do you value most?" (multiple choice)
4. "What is one thing we could do better?" (open)
5. "How often would you like to hear from us?" (multiple choice)
6. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?" (optional, open)

Common mistakes

• Asking what you already know. Do not ask for order dates or product names you have in your system.
• Surveying too often. Space out surveys to the same customer, and never send two for the same interaction.
• No follow-up. If a customer reports a problem in a survey, someone should contact them.
• Collecting personal data you do not need. Ask only for what serves the survey's purpose, and follow the data protection rules that apply to you.
• Not sharing what changed. Telling customers "You asked, we did" encourages them to answer next time.

Your next step

Write your decision sentence ("After this survey, we will decide…"), choose one anchor question from the core three, add the universal follow-up and at most three questions from the lists above. Send it to a small group first, check that every question produces usable answers, then roll it out. When results arrive, calculate the anchor score with the NPS calculator or the CSAT and CES calculator.