Knowing what your customers actually think is hard sometimes. And it hurts when you don’t hear it until that feedback gets posted as public reviews. As the business owner, you can be left feeling betrayed because no one ever directly told you how they felt about your business, until it got left as a permanent mark on the internet.
These feedback questions are designed to help gather that feedback before it goes public, so you can make it right, and grow your business, because a heard customer is a happy customer, and a happy customer brings more customers.
You don’t need to ask all 93 questions. Pick the ones that fit the experience you want to understand. Some give people a few options, some invite a quick answer, and others give your customers room to tell you the whole story.
You can start with one of our feedback form templates and customize it with the questions that fit your business.
Questions about how the experience made your customer feel
- How did you feel about your overall experience with us? Start with the feeling, and then use the other questions to understand where it came from.
- Very positive
- Mostly positive
- Neutral
- Mostly negative
- Very negative
- What word would you use to describe your experience? This gives you the customer’s own language, which might be different from how you describe your business.
- What was the best part of your experience, if anything? Find out what landed well so you know what to keep doing.
- What was the biggest letdown, if anything? Give people a direct opening to tell you where the experience fell short.
- How did your experience with us affect your stress level? Something that seems simple on your end might add pressure to someone else’s day.
- Reduced it a lot
- Reduced it a little
- Had no effect
- Increased it a little
- Increased it a lot
- Tell us about a moment when your feelings about the experience changed. This helps you find the point where things got better or started going wrong.
- What was happening in your day that affected how this experience felt? You’re asking for the context you couldn’t see from your side of the interaction.
- How did you feel after the experience was over, and what stayed on your mind? The interaction might be finished for your team while the customer is still thinking about it.
Questions about expectations and surprises
- How did your experience compare with what you expected? This helps you understand whether the experience matched the picture someone had in their head.
- Much better than expected
- A little better than expected
- About what I expected
- A little worse than expected
- Much worse than expected
- What were you most looking forward to? Sometimes the thing someone cares about most is a small part of what you offer.
- Which promise or claim mattered most to you before becoming a customer? This tells you which of your words they were counting on you to follow through on.
- What did you wish you had known before getting started? Look for information that would have helped someone prepare or make a more informed decision.
- How clear was what was included in your purchase? Confusion about what someone is getting can carry into the rest of their experience.
- Very clear
- Somewhat clear
- Neither clear nor unclear
- Somewhat unclear
- Very unclear
- Describe something about the experience that surprised you, for better or worse. Leave room for the pleasant surprises as well as the ones you need to fix.
- How did the experience compare with the way we described it beforehand? This connects what you say in your marketing with what customers actually experience.
- Was there anything you expected us to handle that you ended up handling yourself? Tell us what happened. This helps you find gaps between your understanding of the service and theirs.
Questions about feeling comfortable with the decision
- How confident did you feel that this was the right choice for you? Ask about the customer’s confidence at the point they decided to move forward.
- Very confident
- Somewhat confident
- Neither confident nor uncertain
- Somewhat uncertain
- Very uncertain
- How well did the available options fit what you needed? A customer might choose something because it fits perfectly or because it’s the closest thing available.
- Very well
- Somewhat well
- Neither well nor poorly
- Somewhat poorly
- Very poorly
- What was the one thing you needed to know before deciding? This gets to the information that mattered most in that moment.
- What, if anything, nearly made you walk away? Give people a chance to tell you about a concern that might still be sitting with them.
- What would have made the decision easier? Their answer might point to clearer information, more time, or a conversation they needed to have.
- Think back to the moment you decided to go ahead. What happened that made you feel ready? You’re looking for the actual moment someone became comfortable moving forward.
- How did your conversation with our team affect your decision? For customers who spoke with someone, this shows you how that interaction felt from their side.
- What was happening in your life or work that made you decide to buy or book at that time? This helps you understand the situation your business was stepping into.
Questions about buying, booking, and receiving what they paid for
- How easy was it to complete your purchase or booking? Start with the overall effort, then ask where that effort came from.
- Very easy
- Somewhat easy
- Neither easy nor difficult
- Somewhat difficult
- Very difficult
- How did the wait for your product or service compare with what you expected? The same wait can feel different depending on what someone was told.
- Much shorter
- Somewhat shorter
- About what I expected
- Somewhat longer
- Much longer
- Which step took the most effort? This gives you a specific part of the process to look at.
- What update did you wish you had received sooner? Find out where the customer was waiting for information you may already have had.
- What, if anything, surprised you about the final amount you paid? Ask directly about costs that weren’t clear before the customer committed.
- Describe the moment your product arrived or your service began. Give people room to talk about the condition, the welcome, the preparation, or whatever stood out to them.
- If your order, booking, or delivery plans changed, how did that affect your day? A change on your schedule can create a whole set of changes on theirs.
- Tell us about an interaction during ordering or booking that you remember clearly. What made it memorable? This helps you understand the human side of what might otherwise look like a completed transaction.
Questions about getting started
- How clear was the first step you needed to take? You know how everything works, but a new customer is figuring it out for the first time.
- Very clear
- Somewhat clear
- Neither clear nor unclear
- Somewhat unclear
- Very unclear
- How did the amount of guidance you received at the start feel? You want to know whether someone felt supported, overwhelmed, or left to figure things out.
- Far too little
- A little too little
- About right
- A little too much
- Far too much
- What was your first impression when you got started? This gives you a quick look at how the beginning felt.
- What did you need help understanding first? Find the question that came up before someone could really get going.
- What helped you feel ready to continue on your own? Look for the explanation, example, or interaction that helped things click.
- Walk us through your first experience, starting with what you wanted to do. This lets the customer explain the sequence in their own words.
- If you got stuck while getting started, tell us what happened next. You’ll learn whether they found help, worked around the issue, or gave up for the day.
- How did getting started fit around the other things you needed to do that day? Setup time comes out of someone’s real schedule, even when it looks short on paper.
Questions about fitting into everyday life
- How well does our product or service fit into your usual routine? Something can work as intended and still be hard to fit into someone’s life.
- Very well
- Somewhat well
- Neither well nor poorly
- Somewhat poorly
- Very poorly
- How has using our product or service affected the effort your usual task takes? This helps you understand whether you’re making the customer’s day easier or adding work.
- Much less effort
- A little less effort
- About the same effort
- A little more effort
- Much more effort
- When during your day do you usually use our product or service? This gives you a practical picture of where you fit into their routine.
- Where are you usually when you use it? The setting can help explain needs you wouldn’t notice from your own workspace.
- What other task do you usually do right before or after using it? You’re looking at how your product or service connects with the rest of their day.
- Walk us through the last time you used our product or service. Ask about a real experience so you can see how it works outside your own assumptions.
- What have you changed about your routine to make our product or service work for you? This can reveal adjustments the customer has quietly made.
- Tell us about a time when our product or service didn’t fit the situation you were in. Let people explain the circumstances where the usual experience breaks down.
Questions about communication
- How easy was it to understand the most recent message you received from us? A message can make sense to your team and still leave a customer wondering what you meant.
- Very easy
- Somewhat easy
- Neither easy nor difficult
- Somewhat difficult
- Very difficult
- How often do you hear from us compared with how often you would like to? Ask whether the amount of communication fits what they need.
- Much less often than I’d like
- A little less often than I’d like
- About as often as I’d like
- A little more often than I’d like
- Much more often than I’d like
- What word would you use to describe our tone when we communicate with you? Find out whether your voice comes across the way you intended.
- What do you usually want to know when you open a message from us? This helps you put the information the customer needs closer to the beginning.
- Which way of communicating with us fits your routine best? A call, email, or message can work very differently depending on someone’s day.
- Think about the last time you needed information from us. Tell us what happened. Look at the whole experience of getting an answer.
- How did the timing of our updates affect your ability to plan? Information might be accurate but arrive too late to be useful.
- If you received different information from different people, tell us how you worked out what to do. This shows you the work customers do when your communication doesn’t line up.
Questions about feeling heard and respected
- How well did our response reflect what you told us? You’re asking whether the customer could see their actual concern in your answer.
- Very well
- Somewhat well
- Neither well nor poorly
- Somewhat poorly
- Very poorly
- How much freedom did you feel to disagree with our recommendation? Someone agreeing with you doesn’t always mean they felt comfortable saying something else.
- No freedom
- A little freedom
- Quite a bit of freedom
- Complete freedom
- We haven’t discussed a recommendation
- What did you most want us to understand about your situation? Let the customer name the detail they wanted you to take seriously.
- What detail did you have to repeat, if any? Repeating yourself can be a small inconvenience or a sign that no one is really listening.
- What word describes how you felt we treated you? This gives people room to describe the interaction without using your company’s language.
- Tell us about a moment when you felt understood or misunderstood. A specific moment gives you something you can discuss with your team.
- If you asked us to do something differently, how did that conversation go? This helps you understand how your business responds when a customer’s needs don’t fit the usual process.
- Describe a time when someone new took over helping you. What did they already understand, and what did you have to explain? The customer experiences the handoff even if your team barely notices it.
Questions about value and the difference it made
- How has our product or service affected the situation you wanted help with? Ask about the actual change in the customer’s life or work.
- Made it much better
- Made it somewhat better
- Made no difference
- Made it somewhat worse
- Made it much worse
- How do you feel about the value you received for what you paid? This gives people a direct way to tell you whether the purchase felt worthwhile.
- Very satisfied
- Somewhat satisfied
- Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
- Somewhat dissatisfied
- Very dissatisfied
- What made this feel worth the money, if anything? The answer might be an outcome, a saved afternoon, or the feeling of finally having something handled.
- What result are you still hoping to see? Find out what feels unfinished from the customer’s point of view.
- What have you been able to stop doing because of this purchase, if anything? Sometimes the value comes from taking something off someone’s plate.
- Tell us about a specific moment when you noticed this purchase making a difference. A real example helps you understand what the outcome meant to them.
- What time, effort, or additional spending did it take to get the result you wanted? The price you charge might only be one part of the customer’s investment.
- How has the value of this purchase changed for you over time? Something might become more useful as someone learns it, or less useful as their situation changes.
Questions about getting help and resolving problems
- How easy was it to reach someone who could help? This looks at what happened before the customer even had a chance to explain the issue.
- Very easy
- Somewhat easy
- Somewhat difficult
- Very difficult
- I haven’t tried to get help
- How well did our response address the concern you raised? A quick response can still miss what the customer actually needed.
- Completely
- Mostly
- A little
- Not at all
- I haven’t received a response
- Which part of getting help took the most effort? This helps you find the step that made an already difficult situation harder.
- What was the first thing you needed from us when the problem came up? They might have needed a fix, an explanation, or simply someone to take ownership.
- What did the problem interrupt or prevent you from doing? This helps you understand the impact beyond the support request itself.
- How did the way we handled the problem affect how you felt about us? The response becomes part of the experience, even when the original issue couldn’t be avoided.
- What happened after we said the issue was resolved? Your team closing the request doesn’t necessarily mean the customer was able to move on.
Questions about sharing honest feedback
- How comfortable would you feel telling us that something about your experience didn’t work for you? Ask whether people feel able to have that conversation with you.
- Very comfortable
- Somewhat comfortable
- Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable
- Somewhat uncomfortable
- Very uncomfortable
- How confident are you that we would take your feedback seriously? This gets at whether the customer expects their effort to matter.
- Very confident
- Somewhat confident
- Not very confident
- Not at all confident
- I’m not sure
- What would you want to know about how we use your feedback? People may want to know who reads it or whether anyone will follow up.
- Where would you feel most comfortable sharing a concern with us? Give customers a chance to tell you which setting makes it easier to be honest.
- If you had something to tell us but kept it to yourself, what held you back? Make room for the feedback that never made it into a conversation.
- If you’ve given us feedback before, what happened afterward? This helps you understand the experience you created the last time someone spoke up.
- What could we do to make it easier for you to tell us when something is wrong? Let the customer describe what would make that conversation feel more comfortable.
Questions about what should happen next
- How clear is what happens next after your most recent interaction with us? Find out whether the customer knows what to expect from here.
- Very clear
- Somewhat clear
- Somewhat unclear
- Very unclear
- No next step was expected
- How would you like us to respond to the feedback you’ve shared? Give people a say in what a useful response would look like.
- Send me a personal reply
- Offer to talk it through
- Let me know if something changes
- A simple acknowledgment is enough
- I don’t need a response
- What would you like us to remember the next time we speak? This gives customers a way to name the detail they don’t want to explain again.
- What, if anything, are you waiting for from us right now? There may be something unfinished that your team thinks has already been handled.
- Think about the next time you might need us. How would you want that experience to go? Let the customer describe the experience in the order that makes sense to them.
- What has changed in your situation since you first became a customer, and how does that affect what you need from us? Give the relationship room to change along with the customer.
- What haven’t we asked that you wish we understood about your experience? End by giving people room to tell you the thing your questions didn’t cover.