How do you create a customer satisfaction form?

You would like to put together a customer satisfaction form for your business, but you are not quite sure where to start…

We will guide you through 7 steps so that you feel more confident about creating your form. ;)

Do have a look at Jotform to build your forms, you will see it is really straightforward.

Set your objectives

To begin with, you need to know your customers.

The aim is to understand your customers better and to assess their needs and expectations through their answers. ;)

Next, you will measure customer satisfaction and the impact of what you have put in place.

Your survey results will give you a clearer view of the added value you offer compared with your competitors.

Decide on the main themes

Once your themes are clearly defined, you need to work out which criteria to assess them against.

Take the example of welcoming customers in person. This can be broken down into several points such as waiting time, how friendly the staff are, how they present themselves, and so on.

The most important thing is to build a solid foundation for your survey to rest on.

Set out the structure

Types of question

There are several kinds. As you know, there is the open question: “What do you think of our new product?” or “Are you happy with our service?”, or conversely closed questions, which give you a simple “yes” or “no”.

And of course, multiple-choice questions are the most widely used.

They are easier and quicker for the customer to answer.

Let us not forget rating-scale questions! They are very common and allow the customer to give a more nuanced answer.

Choose how to distribute it

Paper form

Sending out a paper form to run your survey allows you to cover a wide geographical area.

The cost is low ;)

On the other hand, there is no contact with the customer and you have no idea what percentage of customers will actually fill the form in.

By telephone

Here the costs are moderate and you are in direct contact with the customer. The downside is that it takes up more time, both for the business and for the customer.

By email

The email questionnaire is the most widely used today. It is simple and quick to send out and, above all, far less intrusive for the customer than a phone call.

Test your questionnaire

Before publishing your survey, you need to test it.

That way you are sure to spot any lack of clarity in your questions, as well as a questionnaire length that might put your customers off altogether.

Run the test internally with your colleagues, then try it out with a small group of customers, and only then send your survey out more widely.

Build your questionnaire

Remember to write simple, easily understood questions, so leave the technical jargon to one side!

And above all, avoid making the questionnaire too long, or you risk wearing your customers out.

To round your questionnaire off nicely, remember to finish with an open question so the customer can have their say. They will take more time to share how they really felt and give you more detail.

Once you have collected the reviews, share them!

On review platforms

Whether it is Yelp or TripAdvisor, these are must-haves. Customers do their research before they buy, and these platforms give them the information they need.

So they are also the ideal place for you to share the reviews gathered through your customer feedback form.

Do create a page to boost your visibility ;)

On Google My Business

Google My Business lets you create a business page and provide all the information about it.

Your address, your opening hours and your customer reviews are all visible online.

In practical terms, depending on what people search for, you can appear in the results, and your customer reviews will appear along with you.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I start when building a satisfaction survey? With your objectives, before writing a single question. Decide what you want to learn: who your customers really are, what they need and expect, and what effect your actions have. Then break those objectives down into broad themes, and each theme into criteria you can assess. Face to face reception, for instance, splits into waiting time, staff friendliness and appearance.

Which types of questions should I use? Open questions let the customer speak freely, closed questions give you a plain yes or no. Multiple choice questions are the most widely used, because they are easier and quicker to answer. Rating scales let the customer qualify an answer, which is why they appear almost everywhere. Keep one open question for the end: that is where people explain what they really felt.

How many questions should a satisfaction survey have? Just enough to get what you are looking for, not one more. A survey that runs too long tires customers out and they drop it halfway. Write plain, easily understood questions and leave technical vocabulary aside. Your pilot test will tell you whether the length holds up.

Paper, phone or email: which channel should I choose? Paper reaches a wide geographical area at a low cost, but there is no contact with the customer and no way of knowing what share will answer. The phone puts you in direct contact at a moderate cost, in exchange for the time it takes from both your team and your customer. Email is the most widely used channel today: simple, fast, and less intrusive than a call.

Do I really need to test the survey first? Yes, and in this order. First internally with your own team, then with a small group of customers, and only after that on a wide scale. Testing is what reveals unclear wording and a length that would put people off.

What should I do with the reviews once I have collected them? Publish them where your future customers look before buying. Review platforms such as Yelp or TripAdvisor exist for exactly that, and creating a page there increases your visibility. Google My Business displays your address, your opening hours and customer reviews, and makes you appear depending on what people search for.

Before choosing how to send out your form, here is what the article says about each channel.

Distribution method	Advantage	Limitation
Paper	Reaches a wide geographic area, low financial cost	No contact with the customer, response rate unknown
Phone	Direct contact with the customer, moderate cost	Takes time for both the company and the customer
Email	Simple, fast to send, less intrusive than a call	The most used channel today, but with no guarantee it gets opened