The 6 Most Important Types of Survey Questions

Survey questions are the building blocks of customer feedback surveys which organisations to gather valuable insights from their customers. Feedback is crucial not only because it provides an understanding of how your customers feel about your products and services but also because it reveals areas of improvement and generates actionable data for that improvement. Customer feedback surveys generate useful information, especially when you construct them properly and ask the right questions. Ultimately, the content of each question should reflect the company which is running the questionnaire and the purpose of the survey.

However, there are certain types of questions that have proven to increase response rates, and, after analysis, provide a deep and accurate understanding of the responses:

Customer Feedback Survey Questions

Demographic questions

Demographic questions, such as age group, marital status, employment status, etc. are particularly important when the purpose of the survey is to compare and analyse different groups or examine how responses vary between customer segments.

Questions with pre-selected answers

Questions with pre-selected answers are easy to reply to because they do not require a lot of effort and thought. A lengthy questionnaire consisting of essay-like questions usually leads to “Respondent Fatigue” and questionable results. By offering pre-selected answers to your survey questions, you will boost response rates and save your customers time. Questions as such are also much easier and faster to analyze.

Ranking scale questions

Ranking questions are a simple and effective way to collect feedback using rating scales. With this type of question you can ask customers to rate their experience with your product or service or rate single interactions with the company or its representatives. A ranking question can generate useful information about the customers’ journey through the different aspects of everyday business.

Clarification questions

Clarification questions should not be included as stand-alone questions in a survey. This type of question has a complementary function. Take for example, a ranking scale question. A survey respondent might give a very high or a very low score to his experience. It is, however, important to pinpoint the reason why a customer is extremely satisfied or extremely dissatisfied. Use a clarification question to allow the respondent to shed some light on the reasons that drove his score.

Net Promoter® Score (NPS)

The Net Promoter Score is a measurement closely connected to the customer journey and is a great indicator of growth. The NPS® score is calculated using the answers to a single, 0-10 scale question. The metric helps you gain a better understanding of how your customers feel about your company and how satisfied they are with their overall experience doing business with you.

Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions will provide you with the most valuable feedback from your customers. Allow the respondents of your survey to give you their honest opinion about your product or service formatted in their own words. This type of question will generate useful insights but do not overuse it – one open-ended question per survey should be more than enough.