Customer Satisfaction Surveys: What Questions to Ask and Why

Customer satisfaction (CSAT) is one of the fundamental key performance indicators (KPIs), along with efficiency and quality. It measures whether or not customers are happy with your products or services. These customer insights can guide your business improvement strategies.

To measure this key metric, you must offer CSAT surveys after almost every customer interaction. But here's the thing: Are you asking the right questions?

Don't worry; This page covers what you need to know about CSAT surveys and why they are important. Read on to learn what key questions to ask, as shared by some business experts.
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What Are CSAT Surveys, and Why Are They Important?

Customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys are exactly that—surveys revealing whether or not customers are delighted with your products, services, or business in general.  

CSAT surveys are usually offered to one-time or regular customers after product purchases and/or customer interactions. The ultimate goal is to gather valuable insights to make informed business decisions, whether improving products, services, or the customer experience (CX).  

CSAT surveys come in different forms and formats. They are usually sent in print, delivered via email, or answered over the phone. These surveys have a series of questions designed to unravel customer insights—and sentiments, more importantly.  

However, they all boil down to this critical question:  

As a customer, how satisfied are you with our brand, products, and/or services? 

With that being asked, here's why CSAT surveys are essential for your business:

• Uncover customer experience and perceptions. CSAT surveys reveal how customers perceive and feel about your brand based on their business interactions. Is it a good or a bad encounter? Note that over 70% instantly leave after just one negative experience.
• Understand customer needs and expectations. CSAT surveys also help you understand customers deeply. What are their pain points, preferences, goals, and expectations? As only one in 26 unhappy customers complain, customer surveys help!

• Improve your company products or services: As well as brand perceptions and consumer needs, CSAT surveys offer valuable customer insights to guide you in enhancing your business offerings. After all, improving products or services is and will always be a company's top priority!
• Enhance customer interactions and relationships: CSAT surveys help you establish good customer relationships. The feedback obtained lets you understand what they need and how to improve their experience. About 80% of businesses use CSAT scores to assess and enhance the customer experience (CX). 
• Boost your business profitability and growth: As cited, CSAT surveys provide customer insights to help improve your brand, products/services, and the overall CX. With such improvements, customer satisfaction could translate to a boost in profits. That’s why Zendesk cites prioritizing customers to increase your bottom line.

Top CSAT Questions To Ask (According to Business Experts)

Customer satisfaction can make or break a company or organization. That's why running CSAT surveys is crucial to understanding and meeting consumer needs. Over 40% of customer support teams claim CSAT is the most important KPI, according to the same Hiver report.

That said, asking the right questions is key to a successful CSAT survey. But what questions should you ask in your survey?

We've rounded up some thoughts from business leaders to gain valuable insights into customer satisfaction. According to these experts, here are the top questions to ask for your CSAT surveys:

1. Overall Customer Satisfaction: How satisfied are you with our company in general?

Reyansh Mestry, Head of Marketing at TopSource Worldwide, advises prioritizing the question above in the CSAT survey. He believes this key question allows you to gauge the general customer sentiment. He shares holistic client feedback on their payroll service company as an example:

Mestry argues, "It's crucial to ask customers what they think and feel about your brand in general. While they might support your business holistically, there may be some aspects they aren't happy about. After all, no company is perfect." 

Further, leveraging the customer feedback loop gives you a bird’s-eye view of your target market’s general brand perception. This idea lets you clearly understand and strategically situate your business position in the industry on a macro-level. Doing so is important before you can even tackle granular issues.

2. Product or Service Quality: How would you rate the quality of our products or services? 

Businesses exist to offer value—by providing customers with valuable products or services. Customer feedback unravels if these offerings are able to meet consumer needs and wants. That's where CSAT surveys come in to reveal your offers’ quality and guide you in improving them.

Axel Lavergne, Founder at ReviewFlowz, recommends asking customers to rate a product or service quality. He suggests the question above to obtain direct feedback on the perceived value and effectiveness of your offering.

Lavergne explains, "This question reveals if you bring something valuable to the table. It shows whether or not you have the best offer amid the tight market competition. The answers to this question motivate your team to improve your products or services further."

3. Customer Support Experience: How satisfied are you with our customer service? 

Today's customers have become more critical than ever before. Not only do they opt for the best offerings, but they also demand great experiences. About 80% claim that customer experience is as vital as the product or services.

Take it from Albert Kim, VP of Talent at Checkr. He emphasizes the need to ask the question above to assess satisfaction with CX. He says that this evaluates the effectiveness and responsiveness of your customer service or support. 

Kim says, "CX is no longer just a buzzword; it's a top priority in business as a key initiative. That's why companies or organizations are investing in their customer service department. The goal is to provide the best experience possible to boost customer satisfaction and retention."

4. Value for Money: Does our product or service offer good value for the price? 

Jeffrey Zhou, CEO and Founder of Fig Loans, believes in striking a balance between product or service pricing and business value. That's why he suggests adding the critical question above to your CSAT surveys.

Zhou claims this question unravels the customer's perception of the cost-benefit ratio. "Are the costs worth the benefits your customers can get? Do the prices match the quality of your offers? In the end, is it worth buying your products or hiring your services?" 

Let's take a train ticketing office, for instance. Commuters pay a lot for a transport service but have to stand in line for hours, resulting in several complaints. Because of customer feedback, you resolve to manage wait times and reduce customer frustration. Ultimately, you want them to get the best service for what they pay for—CSAT survey is key!

5. Areas for Improvement: How can we improve our business and your experience with us? 

No company is perfect—your business will always have room for improvement. Even if you offer the best product or service in your niche, you must still constantly improve your offerings. This ensures you keep up with market changes, consumer demands, and industry trends. 

That's why Jonathan Feniak, General Counsel at LLC Attorney, recommends focusing on areas for improvement in CSAT surveys. He suggests using the open-ended question above to gather qualitative feedback and actionable steps. He says, "The answers to this question guide you in optimizing your business operations and enhancing your products or services." 

With customer feedback on improvement areas, you can improve your strategies and win unhappy customers back. In fact, resolving customer issues through exceptional service offers higher satisfaction than the satisfaction they feel having no issues at all. That's what you call the service recovery paradox:

​​​​​​​6. Customer Recommendations: How likely are you to recommend our products or services to others?

Chris Aubeeluck, Head of Sales and Marketing at Osbornes Law, believes that the question above goes beyond measuring customer satisfaction. It measures customer retention and loyalty,  not to mention the likelihood of generating word-of-mouth referrals. 

Aubeeluck explains how this applies to their law firm. "We have regular clients who are happy with our legal services, whether personal injury, family affairs, or property-related. They usually refer us to clients who need legal services we can offer. Therefore, it pays to ask clients or customers if they'd be willing to recommend your company to others." 

Suppose you run an order processing company and seek to improve your customer service in retail. Asking customers if they'll recommend your business shows if they are satisfied with your products and services. It also reveals how your brand resonates with your target market. In that case, these customer insights motivate you to improve your business.

Ensuring Customer Satisfaction for Business Success

CSAT is the most important KPI. It's crucial to run CSAT surveys to understand customer needs, improve offerings, and enhance relationships. After all, customer satisfaction is key to business profitability, growth, and success.

Consider the top questions for CSAT surveys shared by business experts before creating your own. These fundamental questions reveal the overall satisfaction, product or service quality, and customer support level. They also uncover the value for money, areas for improvement, and customer recommendations.

By unraveling customer insights, you can improve your products or services and the overall customer experience, helping to drive broader success for your business!