Customer satisfaction (CSAT) measures how satisfied customers are with a product or service. The most common way to measure Customer Satisfaction is with CSAT surveys. These surveys are used to collect feedback and one of most common ways to understand customer needs.

CSAT questions are typically short and simple, and they can be administered through various channels, such as email, text message, or in-app. The most common type of Customer Satisfaction Survey example is a rating scale question, where customers are asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.

The response rates and the results of the Customer Satisfaction surveys can be used to identify the general perception of your brand with your customer base. You can further drill the survey results to identify areas where a business can improve its customer experience. 

In this piece, you’ll learn how to craft effective Customer Satisfaction surveys that deliver actionable data and help your organization create exceptional customer experiences. Let’s examine the process behind creating a Customer Satisfaction survey question, where and when we can use it, and some examples. 

Table of Contents

• 11 customer touchpoints where you can use Customer Satisfaction Surveys
• When should businesses use CSAT surveys?
• 11 Best Practices for Creating CSAT Surveys
• 9 Types of Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates
• CSAT Question Examples for People Success (Human Resources) Team
• CSAT Survey Questions for IT Service Management (ITSM) Team
• CSAT Survey Examples for Your Finance Team
• Get Started
  • FAQs

11 customer touchpoints where you can use Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Customer Satisfaction Surveys, when placed strategically across these points of contact, offer valuable insights that can shape business strategies and enhance overall customer satisfaction, and help with customer retention.  

Here are 11 pivotal customer touchpoints where leveraging Customer Satisfaction Surveys can drive impactful and actionable results. 

1. Online Surveys: Online surveys are among the most popular and widely used methods for CSAT surveys. They can be distributed through email, embedded on websites, or shared through social media platforms.

2. Mobile Apps: Mobile apps provide a convenient way to reach customers who prefer to interact with surveys on their smartphones or tablets. Companies with dedicated mobile apps can integrate Customer Satisfaction surveys within the app.

3. SMS/Text Messages: Sending CSAT surveys through SMS or text messages is effective for gathering quick feedback from customers who may not have access to email or online platforms.

4. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems: IVR surveys involve automated phone calls where customers respond to questions using their phone keypad. This method is suitable for businesses with a substantial customer base without internet access.

5. In-Person Surveys: Some businesses conduct Customer Satisfaction surveys in person, either through paper-based forms or tablets or smartphones at the point of sale.

6. Mail-In Surveys: Though less common due to longer response times, mail-in surveys are still used by some businesses, especially for older customer demographics.

7. Social Media Polls: Companies can leverage social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to run CSAT polls to collect quick feedback from their followers.

8. Emails with Embedded Surveys: Including a survey link or embedding the survey directly in the email allows customers to respond to the Customer Satisfaction survey questionnaire directly from their inbox.

9. QR Codes: Companies can display rating QR codes at physical locations or on products, which customers can scan to access and complete the CSAT survey.

10. Web Chat Surveys: During live chat interactions, businesses can send CSAT surveys at the end of the chat session to gather immediate feedback on the support provided.

11. Interactive Kiosks: For businesses with physical stores, interactive kiosks can be set up strategically to allow customers to provide feedback through touch-screen surveys. This method is convenient for gathering on-the-spot feedback in retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and other public spaces.

Using multiple mediums for Customer Satisfaction surveys enables businesses to reach a broader audience and capture feedback through channels preferred by their customers. It’s essential to choose the appropriate method based on the target audience’s demographics, behavior, and communication preferences.

When should businesses use CSAT surveys?

In optimizing the customer experience, discerning “what” to ask is only half the equation. The “when” can be equally, if not more, pivotal to getting actionable feedback. Timing is essential. Administer a CSAT survey too early, and you might miss the full scope of the customer’s experience; too late, and the nuances of their interaction could be forgotten. 

So, when is the golden moment for businesses to deploy these valuable feedback tools?

1. Post Purchase: Send a Customer Satisfaction survey shortly after a customer completes a purchase to gauge their satisfaction with the buying process, product, and overall experience.

2. Post Customer Support Interactions: Following interactions with customer support, whether through phone, live chat, or email, gather feedback to assess the effectiveness and helpfulness of the support provided.

3. Website Experience: Implement CSAT surveys on the website to capture feedback on the user experience, navigation, and ease of finding information.

4. Product Usage: Request CSAT feedback from customers who have used a product or service for a specific period to understand its performance and address any issues.

5. Post-Event: After events, conferences, or webinars, collect Customer Satisfaction feedback to evaluate the event’s success and identify opportunities for improvement.

6. Service Appointments: For businesses that offer appointments or consultations, seek CSAT feedback after each service interaction.

7. Onboarding Process: Survey customers shortly after they start using a service or software to understand their onboarding experience and identify areas needing improvement.

8. Subscription Renewal/Expiration: Gather feedback from customers considering renewing their subscriptions or analyze customer sentiment from those whose subscriptions are about to expire to understand their decision-making process.

9. Post-Delivery: For businesses providing physical products, send CSAT surveys after the product has been delivered to assess the delivery experience and product condition.

10. Transactional Emails: Embed Customer Satisfaction survey questions within transactional emails (e.g., order confirmation, shipping notification) to capture immediate feedback.

11. Follow-Up Surveys: Occasionally, send Customer Satisfaction surveys to customers who previously provided feedback to check if their concerns were addressed and assess overall satisfaction.

11 Best Practices for Creating CSAT Surveys

Understanding how a customer feels is crucial in shaping exceptional products and services that cater to their needs.  From choosing the right question types to avoiding common pitfalls like asking vague or leading questions, let’s look at the best practices to consider for crafting well-designed Customer Satisfaction surveys.

Best Practice #1: Be Clear and Concise

To obtain accurate feedback, clarity is key. Keep your questions simple and concise, ensuring that respondents understand precisely what you’re asking.

Example: “How satisfied are you with your recent purchase of <product name> ?”

Best Practice #2: Use a Balanced Rating Scale

When employing rating scales, ensure they are balanced and allow customers to express their true sentiments accurately.

Example of an Unbalanced Scale:

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love our product?”
1: Not really
2: It’s okay
3: Not bad
4: Good
5: Great
6: Awesome
7: Fantastic
8: Phenomenal
9: Mind-blowing
10: Out of this world

In this example, the response options are heavily skewed towards positive sentiments, with eight out of the ten choices indicating positive feedback. The scale lacks nuance and does not offer enough differentiation for customers with mixed feelings or more moderate opinions. An unbalanced rating scale like this can lead to an inaccurate representation of customer satisfaction levels and limit the survey’s ability to gather meaningful insights.

Example of Balanced Scale:

“On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the overall performance of our customer support team?”
1: Poor
2: Below Average
3: Neutral
4: Above Average
5: Excellent

Best Practice #3: Avoid Leading Questions

Steer clear of questions that guide respondents towards a specific answer, as this can skew the results.

Example (Leading): “Wasn’t our product launch event a tremendous success?”

Example (Neutral): “How would you rate your experience at our product launch event?”

Best Practice #4: Embrace Open-Ended Questions

While structured questions provide valuable data and customer insights, include open-ended questions to allow customers to express their thoughts freely.

Example: “Please share your suggestions on how we can improve our service to better meet your needs.”

Best Practice #5: Time Questions Appropriately

Don’t ask the CSAT question right after your customer has started using the product or service. Ensure they’ve had sufficient time to use your offering so that they can form an opinion.

Example: “After using our software for one month, how satisfied are you with your experience? Please rate on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being extremely dissatisfied and 10 being extremely satisfied.”

Best Practice #6: Make “Other (Please Specify)” optional

If users select or check the “Others (please specify) in your Customer Satisfaction survey questionnaire, don’t force them to specify a reason. 

For example:

What was your main reason for choosing our product/service?

1. The price was right.
2. The product/service met my needs.
3. I was familiar with the brand.
4. A friend or family member influenced me.
5. I was looking for a specific feature/benefit.
6. Other (please specify)_________________

By making the open-ended answer optional, you give them the choice to provide a more detailed explanation or skip it if they do not have any additional comments or don’t want to spend more time giving feedback.

Best Practice #7: Avoid Double-Barreled Questions

Ensure each question addresses only one specific aspect of the customer experience. Combining multiple topics in a single question can confuse respondents and lead to ambiguous responses.

Example (Double-Barreled): “How satisfied are you with our product quality and customer service?”

(Separated): “How satisfied are you with our product quality?” “How satisfied are you with our customer service?”

Best Practice #8: Provide a “Not Applicable” Option

Include a “Not Applicable” option for situations where respondents might not have experienced the particular aspect being questioned. This allows for more accurate responses and prevents guesswork.

Example:

“How satisfied are you with our in-store customer service?” 

1. Very Satisfied
2. Satisfied
3. Neutral
4. Dissatisfied
5. Very Dissatisfied
6. Not Applicable

Best Practice #9: Consider Including NPS (Net Promoter Score) and CES (Customer effort score)

By adding an NPS question to your CSAT questionnaire, you can get a more complete picture of your customer’s overall satisfaction. This is because CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction, while NPS survey measures customer loyalty.

For example, a customer might give you a high customer satisfaction score for a recent purchase, but a low NPS score. This could indicate that the customer is happy with the product they purchased, but they are not satisfied with your company’s overall customer experience.

By adding an NPS question to your customer feedback survey, you can identify these customers and take steps to improve their experience. This could involve providing better customer service, improving your product offerings, or making changes to your website or mobile app.

Similarly, by adding a CES question to your CSAT survey, you can get a more complete picture of your customers’ overall satisfaction. This is because CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction, while CES metric measures the ease of use of your product or service and how frictionless is their customer journey.

For example, a customer might give you a high CSAT score for a recent purchase, but a low CES score. This could indicate that the customer is happy with the product they purchased, but they found it difficult to use or difficult to get help when they needed it.

Best Practice #10: Utilize Conditional Logic

In online surveys, leverage conditional logic to display relevant questions based on respondents’ previous answers. This ensures a personalized experience and prevents irrelevant questions.

Example: If customers rate their satisfaction below a certain threshold, a follow-up question could ask for specific feedback or the reason for dissatisfaction.

Best Practice #11: Offer Anonymity Option

Respecting customer privacy and encouraging honest feedback is paramount to the success of your Customer Satisfaction survey. Provide respondents with the option to remain anonymous, fostering an environment where customers feel comfortable sharing their true sentiments.

Example: “Your feedback is valuable to us. This survey can be completed anonymously, ensuring your responses remain confidential.”

By offering anonymity, you create a safe space for customers to voice their opinions without fear of repercussions. Anonymity can lead to more candid responses, providing deeper insights into customer satisfaction and enabling you to address issues more effectively. 

Clearly communicate the anonymity option in the survey introduction to build trust and encourage participation.

9 Types of Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

By using a variety of CSAT survey templates, you capture the voice-of-customer and get a more comprehensive understanding of how your customers feel about your business. Their survey responses can help make improvements to your products, services, and overall customer experience. Check out these 9 specialized CSAT survey templates and examples to harness feedback effectively.

Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions are useful when you want customer opinions on various aspects of their experiences or want to find reasons for certain behaviors, understand customer preferences, get feedback on specific service aspects, or identify common pain points.

Sample Customer Satisfaction Survey questions using Multiple Choice Questions

1. How would you rate the overall experience of using our product?

• Excellent
• Good
• Okay
• Poor
• Terrible

2. How would you rate the quality of our customer service?

• Excellent
• Good
• Okay
• Poor
• Terrible

3. What was the most helpful thing our customer service team did for you?

• Provided clear and concise information
• Was responsive to my needs
• Was knowledgeable about our products
• Was friendly and helpful
• Other

4. What was the main reason for your purchase?

• The product met my needs
• The price was right
• I was familiar with the brand
• A friend or family member influenced me
• Other

5. What could we have done better to make your experience more enjoyable?

• Provide more information
• Be more responsive
• Be more knowledgeable
• Be more friendly
• Other

Rating Scale Questions

Importance: Rating scale questions provide a quick and standardized way to quantify customer satisfaction levels, making it easier to track trends and compare data across different time periods or segments.

Sample CSAT Survey examples using Rating Scale

6. “On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied were you with our customer support?”

7. “Please rate the quality of our product on a scale of 1 to 10.”

8. “How likely are you to purchase from us again?
(0 = Not likely at all, 10 = Very likely)”

9. “Rate the ease of navigation on our website:
Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent.”

10. “How would you rate the friendliness of our staff?
(1 = Very unfriendly, 5 = Very friendly)”

Yes/No Questions

Importance: Yes/No questions help solicit straightforward answers and are easy for customers to respond to, making them ideal for obtaining initial impressions or addressing specific binary concerns.

Sample CSAT Survey questions using Yes/No Options

11. “Did our product meet your expectations?”

12. “Was our service delivered on time?”

13. “Have you contacted our customer support in the past month?”

14. “Did you find the information on our website helpful?”

Open-Ended Questions

Importance: Open-ended questions allow customers to provide detailed feedback in their own words and offer valuable insights into specific pain points, suggestions for improvement, or positive experiences. It also reduces bias and misinterpretation that might be unintentionally introduced in close-ended questions.

Sample CSAT Survey examples using Open-ended options

15. “Please share any additional comments or suggestions about our service.”

16. “Tell us about a memorable experience you had with our product.”

17.  “How did our customer support team exceed your expectations recently?”

18. “Describe a situation where we fell short of meeting your needs and how we can improve.”

19. “Explain what led you to choose our brand over competitors.”

Likert Scale Questions

Likert scale questions enable customers to express their level of agreement or disagreement with a statement, allowing organizations to gauge sentiment and identify areas of strengths or concerns and even reduce customer churn.

Sample CSAT Survey questions using Likert Scale

20. Indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: ‘Our website is easy to navigate.’ 
Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree.

21. To what extent did our service meet your expectations?
Not at all | Slightly | Moderately | Very much | Completely.

22. How satisfied are you with the variety of products we offer?
Very Dissatisfied | Dissatisfied | Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied | Satisfied | Very Satisfied.

23. Please rate your level of agreement with the statement: ‘Our customer support team was helpful and knowledgeable.’
1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).

24. To what degree did our product meet your needs?
Not at all | Somewhat | Moderately | Very much | Completely.

Semantic Differential Scale Questions:

Importance: Semantic differential scale questions help measure customer perceptions and attitudes towards a particular product or service using opposing adjectives, providing a nuanced understanding of their sentiments.

Sample CSAT Survey examples using Differential Scale

25. “How would you rate the reliability of our service?
Unreliable — — — — — Reliable.”

26. “Please indicate your perception of our pricing:
Expensive — — — — — Affordable.”

27. “Rate the accessibility of our customer support:
Difficult to Reach — — — — — Easy to Reach.”

28. “Describe our product’s user interface:
Complicated — — — — — Intuitive.”

29. “Evaluate the speed of our website:
Slow — — — — — Fast.”

Star Rating

Star rating is a CSAT survey that uses a star rating system to measure customer satisfaction. The customer is asked to rate their satisfaction with the product or service on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 1 being “very dissatisfied” and 5 being “very satisfied.”

Star-rating customer satisfaction surveys are simple to administer and understand, and they can be a quick and easy way to get feedback from customers. However, they can also be relatively shallow, and they may not provide as much detailed feedback as other types of CSAT surveys.

Emoji Rating

Emoji ratings are becoming increasingly popular, as they are seen as a more engaging and fun way to get feedback from customers. They can also be a more effective way to get customer feedback, as emojis can express a wider range of emotions than star ratings.

Ranking Questions

Importance: Ranking questions allow customers to prioritize their preferences, providing businesses with insights into what matters most to their customers and where to focus their improvement efforts.

Sample Customer Satisfaction questions using the Ranking method

30. “Rank the following features in order of importance, with 1 being the most important and 5 being the least:

• Performance
• Design
• Battery life
• Camera quality
• Price
  

31. “Please prioritize the following aspects of our service, with 1 being the most crucial and 4 being the least:

• Response time
• Resolution time
• Friendliness of staff
• Availability of support channels

32. “Rank the aspects of our online store that you value the most, with 1 being the most valued and 5 being the least:

• User interface
• Product descriptions
• Search functionality
• Checkout process
• Payment options

33. “Please prioritize the following customer benefits, with 1 being the most important and 4 being the least: 

• Quick delivery
• Hassle-free returns
• Loyalty rewards
• Personalized recommendations

CSAT Question Examples for People Success (Human Resources) Team

The People Success, or Human Resources (HR) team, plays a pivotal role in nurturing a thriving and motivated workforce. To achieve this, understanding employee sentiments and perceptions is paramount. 

Through well-crafted Employee Satisfaction questions, the HR team can gain invaluable insights that help them optimize the recruitment process, foster a positive work environment, and deliver exemplary employee experiences.

1. How satisfied are you with the recruitment and hiring process at our company?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

2. Did the onboarding process adequately prepare you for your role? (Yes/No)

3. How would you rate the effectiveness of our performance evaluation and feedback system?

• Excellent
• Good
• Fair
• Poor
• Very Poor

4. Were your training and development needs addressed promptly and effectively? (Yes/No)

5. How satisfied are you with the HR team’s responsiveness to your inquiries or concerns?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

6. Did the HR team provide clear and helpful information regarding company policies and benefits? (Yes/No)

7. How would you rate the HR team’s support during critical employee life events (e.g., promotions, transfers, leaves)?

• Excellent
• Good
• Fair
• Poor
• Very Poor

8. Were your concerns or grievances addressed in a fair and timely manner by the HR team? (Yes/No)

9. How satisfied are you with the HR team’s efforts to foster a positive company culture and employee well-being?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

10. Would you recommend our company as an employer to your friends or acquaintances? (Yes/No)

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CSAT Survey Questions for IT Service Management (ITSM) Team

The efficacy of IT services directly impacts overall operational efficiency and user satisfaction. To gauge and improve their service delivery, ITSM teams turn to Customer Satisfaction questions. These targeted surveys allow IT professionals to assess their responsiveness, technical expertise, and the alignment of services with organizational needs.

1. How satisfied are you with the speed of response to your IT support requests?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

2. How would you rate the IT team’s ability to resolve your technical issues effectively?

• Excellent
• Good
• Fair
• Poor
• Very Poor

3. Did the IT team provide clear and easy-to-understand explanations for technical solutions? (Yes/No)

4. How satisfied are you with the level of communication and updates provided during IT incidents?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

5. Were IT services delivered in alignment with the agreed-upon service level agreements (SLAs)? (Yes/No)

6. How would you rate the IT team’s knowledge and expertise in handling complex technical challenges?

• Excellent
• Good
• Fair
• Poor
• Very Poor

7. How satisfied are you with the IT team’s efforts to proactively identify and prevent potential IT issues?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

8. Did the IT team meet your expectations regarding implementing new IT solutions? (Yes/No)

9. How likely are you to recommend our IT services to your colleagues in other departments?

• Extremely Likely
• Likely
• Neutral
• Unlikely
• Extremely Unlikely

10. What improvements or additional services would you like to see from the ITSM team in the future? 

[Open-text field for the respondent to provide their feedback or suggestions]

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CSAT Survey Examples for Your Finance Team

Responsible for financial management, budgeting, and compliance, the Finance Team plays a pivotal role in driving the company’s financial health and stability. 

To gauge their effectiveness in delivering accurate and timely financial support, the Finance Helpdesk Team employs client satisfaction survey questions. These carefully crafted surveys allow stakeholders to provide feedback on financial processes, reporting accuracy, and overall satisfaction with financial services.

1. How satisfied are you with the accuracy and clarity of our financial reports and statements?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

2. Did the finance team provide timely and comprehensive support for your financial inquiries or concerns? (Yes/No)

3. How would you rate the finance team’s ability to streamline financial processes and transactions?

• Excellent
• Good
• Fair
• Poor
• Very Poor

4. Were your expense reimbursement and approval requests handled efficiently by the finance team? (Yes/No)

5. How satisfied are you with the finance team’s guidance and assistance during budget planning?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

6. How would you rate the finance team’s adherence to financial compliance and regulatory standards?

• Excellent
• Good
• Fair
• Poor
• Very Poor

7. Were your vendor payments processed promptly and without errors by the finance team? (Yes/No)

8. How satisfied are you with the finance team’s efforts to optimize financial performance and cost management?

• Very Satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Unsatisfied
• Very Unsatisfied

9. How likely will you recommend our finance services to other departments or external partners?

• Extremely Likely
• Likely
• Neutral
• Unlikely
• Extremely Unlikely

10. What areas of improvement do you suggest for the finance team to enhance their support to the organization?

[Open-text field for the respondent to provide their feedback or suggestions]

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Remember, whatever the type of question, the key to successful CSAT surveys is to keep the questions concise, relevant, and easy to understand. It is also important to regularly analyze the feedback received and continuously improve your customer support practices.

By utilizing these Customer Satisfaction survey question templates, you can empower your customer support team to gather valuable feedback, measure customer satisfaction, and make data-driven improvements that lead to happier, more loyal customers.

Did you know you could easily collect customer feedback inside Gmail? Hiver’s CSAT too effortlessly helps you gather customer satisfaction in real time, evaluate feedback, and monitor team performance.

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FAQs

How do I create a CSAT survey?

​​To create a CSAT survey, follow these steps:

• Define Objectives: Determine what you want to assess—product, service, or overall experience.
• Choose Questions: Use a simple question to gauge customer satisfaction on a scale of 1-5 or 1-10. Then include one or two follow-up questions for more context on the rating.
• Keep It Short: Don’t have more than 5 questions in the survey. This ensures higher response rates.
• Ensure Clarity: Use clear, simple, jargon-free language.
• Optimize for Mobile: Ensure the survey is responsive on mobile devices.
• Test and Distribute: Test the survey with a small group, then distribute via preferred customer channels.
• Analyze Feedback: Analyze responses to identify trends and areas for improvement.

Select a suitable tool like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to create surveys and analyze the results.

What are some best practices for creating effective CSAT surveys?

Some of the best practices include using rating scale questions, timing the survey at the right time, optimizing it for mobile, and including open-ended questions, amongst other things.

When should businesses use CSAT surveys?

Businesses can use CSAT surveys at several strategic moments to effectively measure customer satisfaction:

• Immediately after a customer interacts with your support team
• Right after customer onboarding
• Once every quarter – to gauge overall satisfaction.
• After key customer lifecycle events (renewal, major updates)
• Transactional emails
• When a user interacts with your website (completes a purchase, downloads a resource, signs up for a trial)

How does Hiver facilitate support teams in creating CSAT surveys?
With Hiver, customer support teams can track and improve satisfaction scores. Here’s how:

• Embed CSAT surveys in emails you send to customers.
• Customize the survey questions.
• Enable selective activation of surveys for certain emails or support agents.
• Get detailed reports on how satisfied your customers are and how the trends in CSAT scores vary across different periods.