35+ Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions That Actually Get Answered

1. Awareness Stage Questions

When someone first discovers your brand, focus on first impressions. This stage sets the tone for everything that follows. A bad first experience cuts potential relationships short before they start.

1. "How did you first hear about our company?"
2. "What problem were you trying to solve when you found us?"
3. "How easy was finding information on our website?"
4. "Did our content answer your initial questions?"
5. "Was our website easy to use on your device?"

These questions help optimize marketing channels and website experience.

2. Consideration Stage Questions

This critical decision-making phase determines if people choose you or your competitors. The right information can tip the scales in your favor. For prospects comparing options, use these customer satisfaction survey examples:

1. "What other solutions did you consider before choosing us?"
2. "What feature mattered most in your decision?"
3. "How clear was our pricing compared to competitors?"
4. "Did our sales team answer all your questions?"
5. "How would you rate the product demo experience?"
6. "Was there any information you couldn't find when deciding?"

These insights strengthen your sales process and competitive positioning.

3. Purchase Stage Questions

After someone buys, check if the process worked smoothly. The purchase moment represents the peak of customer excitement and expectation. Any friction here creates doubt and buyer's remorse. Studies show that 70% of customers abandon carts due to complicated checkout processes, making this feedback critical:

1. "How would you rate the checkout experience?"
2. "Did anything almost stop you from completing your purchase?"
3. "How clear were the next steps after buying?"
4. "Did the purchase process take longer than expected?"
5. "How could we make buying easier next time?"

These questions reduce friction points that cause cart abandonment.

4. Onboarding Stage Questions

First impressions post-purchase matter tremendously. The onboarding phase determines the entire customer relationship trajectory - effective onboarding prevents 67% of customer churn when issues are solved during first interactions. Use these online customer satisfaction surveys to gauge the setup experience:

1. "How easy was setting up our product?"
2. "Did you need to contact support during setup?"
3. "How long did it take to start using our product?"
4. "Did you find all the training resources you needed?"
5. "What one thing would have made getting started easier?"

Poor onboarding often leads to high return rates or cancellations.

5. Product Usage Questions

For established customers, focus on how they use your product. This phase reveals the true value customers extract from your solution day-to-day. Understanding usage patterns helps identify both power users and those at risk of churning. The questions here often uncover opportunities for upselling and feature development that customers actually want—not just what your team thinks they need.

1. "Which features do you use most often?"
2. "Which features have you never used?"
3. "Has our product helped you achieve your goals?"
4. "What's missing from our product?"
5. "How likely are you to keep using our product?"
6. "What would make you use our product more?"

These questions help prioritize product improvements that customers actually want.

6. Support Experience Questions

Support interactions directly impact customer retention and loyalty. Check your service quality assessment with targeted questions that measure both efficiency and empathy. Studies show that 97% of customers would change their buying behavior with just one bad service experience, while happy customers tell nine people about positive experiences on average. Your support team often determines if customers stay or go.

1. "How quickly did we resolve your issue?"
2. "Did our support team understand your problem?"
3. "Was the solution helpful?"
4. "How many times did you need to contact us about this issue?"
5. "What could we have done better during this support interaction?"

Quick, effective support builds trust; poor support drives customers away.

7. Loyalty and Retention Questions

This stage represents your most valuable relationships—acquiring a new customer costs 5-25 times more than retaining existing ones. These loyal customers typically spend 67% more than new customers and act as brand advocates. The questions here help identify what truly drives long-term value and emotional connection with your company.

1. "How likely are you to recommend us to others?" (Net Promoter Score or NPS)
2. "What's the main reason you continue using our product?"
3. "What would cause you to stop using our product?"
4. "How does our product compare to others you've tried?"
5. "What's one thing we could do to serve you better?"

These questions assist with client retention analysis and show what builds genuine loyalty.

CSAT Survey

The classic customer satisfaction survey:

"How satisfied were you with your recent purchase?"

• Very satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Dissatisfied
• Very dissatisfied

"What's the main reason for your rating?" (Open text field)

NPS Survey

The standard Net Promoter Score survey:

"How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" (Scale of 0-10)

"What's the main reason for your score?" (Open text field)

CES Survey

For measuring effort:

"How easy was it to solve your problem today?"

• Very easy
• Easy
• Neither easy nor difficult
• Difficult
• Very difficult

"What would have made this easier?" (Open text field)

Q: How many questions should I include in a customer satisfaction survey?

A: Keep surveys between 5-10 questions. Shorter surveys have higher completion rates and still provide valuable insights when questions are carefully chosen.

Q: When is the best time to send customer satisfaction surveys?

A: Send surveys right after key interactions (purchases, support tickets, etc.) when the experience is fresh. For general satisfaction, quarterly surveys work well for most businesses.

Q: How can I improve survey response rates?

A: Keep surveys short, mobile-friendly, and relevant. Consider offering small incentives, personalizing your invitation, and explaining how you'll use the feedback to improve.

Q: What's the difference between CSAT, NPS, and CES surveys?

A: CSAT measures satisfaction with specific interactions, NPS measures loyalty and likelihood to recommend, and CES measures how easy your company is to do business with.

Q: How do I turn survey feedback into actions?

A: Look for patterns across responses, prioritize issues with the biggest impact, create specific action plans for improvements, and follow up with customers about changes you've made.