CSAT score at its lowest in two quarters? It’s time to get some first–hand feedback to know what you could be doing better. You know the drill: choose one of the many survey templates you created years ago, click ‘send’, and off they go. So far, so good. However, if the response isn’t as great as you’d hoped, it probably isn’t just bad timing; there could be other underlying reasons too.

Here’s an unpleasant fact: the average person on the street thinks customer satisfaction surveys are a waste of time.

To be sure, no one really doubts the intent behind them – collecting feedback to make products and services better – but they have a way of putting off even the most engaged customers. Why? For one, most are written in a vague and impersonal way. For example, ‘what was your recent shopping experience with us like?’ Some are full of leading questions instead of encouraging honest feedback. For example, ‘what did you like most about our website?’ Almost always, the reason isn’t spelled out clearly, and readers are quick to ignore it completely.

For e-commerce brands, getting customer feedback is non-negotiable. It is the only way to deliver greater value while keeping a firm grip on operating costs. Done well, it can turn first-time visitors into repeat buyers and gradually into brand advocates, bringing in referrals and boosting customer lifetime value along the way. In other words, measuring customer satisfaction can have a clear impact on ROI. So, it is more critical than ever for online brands to crack the code of making customer satisfaction surveys engaging.

Things to avoid when creating a customer satisfaction survey:

Before looking at some examples of effective survey questions, it would be useful to analyze common mistakes companies tend to make.

1. Limited answer options:

Close-ended survey questions allow quantitative data to be collected. However, they must have suitable answer options to be effective. For example, a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response may appear to be enough for a basic question like ‘Do you like shopping on Acme.com?’. However, for more accurate response, you can allow users to score their shopping experience on a 5 point scale, with the lowest score being ‘very dissatisfied’ and the highest being ‘very satisfied. On the same note, multiple-choice options are ideal for questions comparing different products or services.

For example, ‘how many credit cards do you use?’ This will help you get accurate and objective responses. For detailed feedback, add a comment box for customers to provide greater context to their answers. In a nutshell, it is important to provide sufficient answer options.

2. Long, confusing questions:

Let’s face it: attention spans are limited, and scrolling on smartphones isn’t always easy. This explains why customers tend to skip questions that are confusing or simply too long. Thus, it is important to keep them short and to the point.

3. Leading questions:

A leading question is one that implies a positive or negative aspect of a product or service. In doing so, it forces customers to respond in a way that you want them to. This defeats the whole purpose of conducting a survey in the first place. For example, instead of asking ‘What do you like best about our secure online payment options?, an objective approach would be to ask, ‘How comfortable  are you with using our online payment options on a scale of 1-5?’

3 Powerful Customer Satisfaction Questions to include in your CSAT survey:

Across the different stages of the buyer journey, ‘Voice of Customer’ or CSAT surveys can help you stay focussed on the things that matter most to customers. Here are a few sample questions that ecommerce brands can use:

1. How satisfied are you with the overall shopping experience at [Acme.com]?

This question is ideal for asking customers who made a purchase on your ecommerce store in the last 24-48 hours. The reason: the shopping experience is likely to be fresh in their minds, and a quick survey is likely to give you valuable feedback. In case it’s a repeat customer, this can also be a good time for a question typically used in NPS surveys: ‘Based on your recent shopping experience, how likely are you to recommend Acme.com to your friends and family, on a scale of 1 to 5?’

2. How easy was it to find the information you were looking for?

Easy navigation is a big part of the user experience of any website, especially when it’s a smartphone. Given that 79% of users have made an online purchase using their mobile devices in the last 6 months alone, it is critical to design self-service portals, knowledge base, chatbot, checkout pages, etc., for maximum responsiveness and speed. This question can help you identify any areas of your store, such as log-in/registration, terms, and conditions, product descriptions, payment, etc., in need of further optimization.

3. What attracted you most to Acme.com?

Most people search for product reviews and testimonials online before making a purchase. This question can help you understand visitors’ intent to your website, such as comparing product prices and descriptions, free shipping, warranty terms, conditions, etc. You can further check how much of a role online reviews had to play in driving traffic to your website.

A good question to ask would be: ‘How much did the customer reviews on our website help you in deciding to buy?’

Last Words

To get honest feedback, you need to ask the right questions. However, it is also a matter of choosing the right priorities. For example, if you focus exclusively on meeting SLAs, the customer experience of your online store can be impacted. Outsourcing to an experienced customer support provider like Helplama can help you do both cost-effectively.

The plans are customized to suit your specific needs and come without the hassle of long-term contracts. Besides, the Zero Risk Money Back Guarantee has you covered in case you aren’t satisfied for any reason. Contact us today to know more! Additionally, you can also go for the AI-powered live chat solution of Saufter to provide real-time engagement. It also comes with customized pricing plans.

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