Product Surveys Guide

Ken Blanchard, a prominent author, and business consultant, once stated, ‘Feedback is the breakfast of champions.’

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The art of feedback has received similar praise from Bill Gates, who opined, ‘We all need people who give us feedback; that’s how we improve.’

By communicating with customers, companies get to know what consumers like or dislike about their services or products.

And the best part? With so many online and offline channels today, gathering feedback isn’t a great challenge anymore. As a result, more and more companies are practicing it.

Great companies have been the first to latch on to this trend, and today they answer queries, appreciate feedback, and proactively help clients.

Look at this communication thread from Starbucks:

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As a result, improvement areas get highlighted, eliminating the need for assumptions or guesswork.

Companies can focus on specific stress points, which is an excellent use of limited resources. Customer experience, in turn, gets better, and they tend to stick longer on your website as well.

The customer lifetime value also increases, which positively impacts the long-term sustainability of companies.

Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? But how do companies get to know what the customer is thinking? How do they know about the customer’s unhappiness about some aspect of the service/ product?

You guessed it! Product surveys!

Table of Contents

Product Surveys Guide
What are Product Surveys?
Tips to Create Product Surveys (Stages of Product Cycle)
Top 10 Product Questions for Product Surveys.
What are the Different Types of Surveys?
Product Surveys Based on Specific Domain.
Regular Product Surveys
That’s a Wrap!

What are Product Surveys?

Product surveys are surveys or set of questions aimed at generating actionable insights for a company to improve its service/product experience.

The idea is to ask questions about the product or service to its first-hand users. And the intention is to gather feedback about the service or the product.

Companies can even use negative feedback for improvement, which will refine the customer experience. In other words, it helps create a data-centric picture of clients.

By understanding who their customers are and what they need, companies can design, develop, and release highly consumer-focused offerings that drastically improve customer satisfaction.

Tips to Create Product Surveys (Stages of Product Cycle)

As a company, you will have questions on how to improve the customer experience. The ones with the answers, however, are the customers.

Unless companies get those, their marketing efforts will never hit the target. In other words, you will keep trying to improve or bring to the market a new aspect/ feature that’s unimportant.

And this is where product/ feedback surveys help companies.

Considering the importance of product surveys, even Facebook launched a successful feedback campaign in 2019 to crack down on e-commerce businesses that used dishonest shipping times.

But in the case of feedback, there’s the problem of deceit. Some respondents are inherently biased and will refrain from providing accurate answers. Many respondents will mistakenly provide the wrong answers.

As a result, an inadvertent bias is generated once the company starts analyzing the feedback results. It is in the company’s interest to minimize the bias, allowing them to target customers efficiently.

To avoid such issues, here are some tips for creating product surveys aimed at maximizing the value:

1. Your Product Survey Should be Short and Succint.

A recent study demonstrated that when surveys grow in length, the abandonment rate for them is likely to increase. The surveys that took more than 7-8 minutes to complete witnessed a decrease in the completion rate by 5% to 20%.

The inference? People lose concentration while filling out a lengthy survey.

Therefore, the results aren’t accurate, and sometimes, not useful at all. The attention span of the average human today is 8 seconds, so the first step in creating a helpful survey is to make it short and concise.

Take a look at this short product feedback example by Selfridges:

(Source)

The product survey is concise and won’t take more than a minute to fill it with the relevant answers.

Experts suggest that the ideal survey should take around 3 to 5 minutes to complete for optimum authenticity and quality.

2. Trim Dispensable Questions

Following up on the first point, trim all the filler questions from the survey.

Questions that make the final poll must answer a specific question, solve a particular problem, or help eliminate a dilemma.

For example, you may not need to know the gender of the respondent for your product feedback report. In that case, be sure to scrap the question.

Apart from making your questionnaire lean, a brief survey serves to engage the respondent more, enhancing its utility.

3. Avoid Adding Multiple Questions At Once.

In a way, consumers are doing you a favor by filling up your questionnaire. Thus, companies should make the process as seamless and easy for the customers as possible.

Questions should also be framed one at a time. Having to answer multiple questions is an instant turn-off for customers, which, in most cases, causes them to abandon the survey.

And if they don’t abandon your survey outright, they might give perfunctory responses. This is even worse for companies since it leads to bias or irrelevant answers.

Here’s an example of one such question – “When did you first use our product? Please elaborate how.”

Questions like these should be avoided since not many respondents would have the time or the inclination to respond to the “elaborate” part.

4. Use Yes/ No Questions.

Surveys that have binary answers like ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ serve to drive up customer engagement significantly. They are easy to evaluate and answer and don’t take much time.

What’s more, they are far easier to evaluate than questionnaires with open-ended questions. If a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ can solve your queries, or get you the answer you need, always keep it as such.

5. Simplicity is Key.

Respondents lose their attention and focus as they proceed through surveys. That’s why surveys should be simple and straightforward.

However, the terminology used in surveys is also crucial for ensuring good quality. While making a questionnaire, surveyors should assume that respondents know little to nothing about the survey subject. It makes sense to avoid using technical terms and corporate vernacular.

Imagine asking a new customer who has little to no idea about sales-related jargon: “Were you satisfied with your OKRs?”

If confused, your customers will take more time to finish the survey, leading to a loss in mindfulness. The responses will also suffer in standard.

5. Stay Consistent.

While making a questionnaire, it is essential to follow a single standard method of answering. Make sure that you don’t compromise the uniformity and consistency of the survey.

Let’s look at a scenario:

Suppose in a survey there are 10 questions. The first 5 questions have 3 options each: ‘1’ signifies ‘strongly agree,’ ‘2’ signifies ‘neutral,’ and ‘3’ signifies ‘strongly disagree.’

The last 5 questions have the following options each: ‘1’ signifies ‘strongly disagree,’ ‘2’ signifies ‘neutral,’ and ‘3’ signifies ‘strongly agree.’

It is very easy to get confused about the answers while moving on from the 5^th to the 6^th question and beyond. Many respondents will miss the change in coding pattern and answer accordingly. As a result, a strong bias may get induced that can ultimately point in the wrong direction entirely.

6. Give an Incentive.

A survey is something respondents take only if they want to. Usually, an incentive will work much better than a simple “Thank You” note to ensure that a respondent takes the survey. Giving something valuable in exchange for answering a survey is actually a better way of saying “Thank you” and acknowledging your customers.

Incentives can be in various forms, discount coupons, merchandise, account credits, goodies, and free memberships.

While it is an excellent way of attracting more respondents, it doesn’t always mean better quality. When you offer bonuses, you tend to attract a lot of people, many of whom are not in the target audience. The result – you keep doling out rewards, but the subsequent results are not very helpful.

If you decide to keep bonuses, figure out a way to keep out the respondents that are just noise.

7. Survey Timing

Last but not least, the timing of sending out the surveys also matters. The success rate of getting completed surveys correlates directly with the time it was sent.

Based on a variety of survey types, it is possible to identify the best time to get responses for maximum quality and deep insights.

However, you need to consider factors like the audience (B2B/ B2C), survey length, customer surveys or internal surveys, and so on.

Considerable research has been done in this field, and there is enough precedent to confirm its importance.

According to a study by CheckMarket, these are the best days and times to send surveys depending on your industry.

What are the Different Types of Surveys?

Back in 1938, the Statistical Society of London came up with the idea of a questionnaire to gather information. There have been multiple changes in the way data has been collected over the years, but the crux has remained constant.

From the paper surveys of yesteryear, we have progressed to digital ones. While most surveys have closed-ended questions, the ones that have open-ended ones are getting more popular. They allow participants to provide personalized answers with deeper insights.

Interviews are also quite popular. They help surveyors observe the respondents up close and read between the lines. Clearly, the types of surveys will vary according to your need for using them.

Product Surveys Based on Specific Domain.

Let us first look at some critical surveys categorized by their use:

1. Market Research Survey

Innovative companies keep coming up with newer offerings, but they usually falter in their estimation of the market reaction. It’s challenging to identify the target customers and markets.

Market research, if done correctly, can help companies answer these questions. A well-prepared market research survey helps measure the viability of the product or service with respect to the consumers it’s aimed at.

Target questions

How can an existing product/service be improved?
What features can be added to an existing product/ service at the same price range?
What is the most important feature in a product/ service, which, if changed, will affect the customer?

Benefits

Real-world evidence and opinions in real-time
Identification of target market and price range
Helping in population segmentation and product positioning

2. Employee Satisfaction Survey

A CAP study conducted in 2012 had uncovered the actual cost of employee turnover in the U.S. The cost to replace an employee earning $40,000 would be around $8000. To replace a CEO with a salary of about $100,000, costs can soar as high as $213,000.

Clearly, hiring employees who leave can be very expensive, and it can quickly drive companies to early bankruptcy. The easiest way to avoid this is to ensure employee satisfaction.

An employee satisfaction survey helps companies measure employee satisfaction, identify areas of improvement, and take corrective actions wherever needed.

Target questions

How can employee-centricity be improved?
Does the company provide an environment conducive to continuous learning?
Do the current role and projected growth rates match with employee expectations?

Benefits

Identify gaps between company needs and employee requirements
Put an emphasis on enhancing the employee experience
Take timely decisions and measures to reduce turnovers

3. Job Satisfaction Survey

Job satisfaction is all about how the company treats, the engagement levels it provides, and the amount of importance it assigns to its first customers – their employees. It helps decipher the personal voice of the customer.

Job satisfaction surveys help identify the motivation levels of employees and aids in uncovering ways to improve engagement. After all, a happy and engaged employee offers 40% more productivity and 12% higher customer advocacy, which helps improve the company topline.

Questions

How impactful do you find your work to be?
How likely are you to look at opportunities outside?
Do you feel valued by the company?

Usually, this survey is best utilized with closed-ended questions.

Benefits

Set up action plans to improve employee engagement
Ensure alignment between customer wants and needs and company targets
Ensure long-term job satisfaction and reduce employee turnover

4. Exit Interview Survey

Despite all your best efforts, employees may and do leave the organization. There may be multiple reasons behind it, like higher studies, improved salary requirements, relocation, career breaks, etc.

Unless thoroughly researched, companies can miss clear signs of employee dissatisfaction, toxic environments, and shaky peer relationships. An exit interview survey helps identify such undesirable scenarios. Since the exiting employees are no longer invested, these interviews pinpoint the truth.

Questions

What is the reason for leaving the company?
On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to recommend the company to an acquaintance?
Would you like to come back and work for the company sometime later?

Benefits

Highlights problem areas like company culture, hiring methodologies, and salary negotiations that can be improved
Helps companies gauge their standing from the employee point of view
The company learns about employee’s untoward experiences that can be corrected

5. Customer Satisfaction Survey

One of the most important surveys, customer satisfaction surveys, can act as wind vanes and help nudge companies along the path to doing the right things.

Every product or service is tailor-made for customer satisfaction. This survey helps you understand whether the customers are happy with your offers or not.

You’ll also be able to get answers to questions like how loyal they are and what you can do to improve their experience.

Questions

How satisfied are the customers with your service/ product?
How likely are they to turn to a competitor?
If they do turn to a competitor, what would be the reason? (price, features, usability, customer service)

This survey is usually closed-ended, primarily measured on a scale of 1 to 10.

Benefits

Understand how loyal customers are
Understand the areas where competitors are performing better
Timely solution of customer problems that increase CLV and reduce turnover

Regular Product Surveys

Now, let us look at some types of product surveys irrespective of the subject domains:

1. NPS (Net Promoter Score)

NPS stands for “Net Promoter Score” and is an excellent measure of customer loyalty.

This is a survey that helps you determine how likely an existing customer is to suggest your product/ services to their acquaintances. Typically, answers are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, and respondents are divided into detractors, promoters, and passives.

The score gets calculated by the following formula:

NPS = (Number of promoters/ Total count of responses) – (Number of detractors/ Total count of responses).

Passive respondents don’t much care about your product, and they are straight away bypassed.

Here’s a typical question that utilizes NPS:

“Do you find the product useful?” The rank of a scale of 1 to 10, where ‘1’ means ‘Absolutely useless’ and ‘10’ corresponds to ‘Very useful.’

A high score suggests users are happy with the product, and a low score indicates otherwise. Although helpful, this survey isn’t bereft of biases either, that can occur, especially after an excellent or bad experience.

Net Promoter Score: The Best and Most Humbling Way to Improve Yourself and your Business | by Ha Nguyen | Spero Ventures | Medium

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2. CES (Customer Effect Score)

CES, also called ‘Customer Effort Score’, measures the initiative on the part of a customer to interact with the company. It is a different but valuable indicator of how much the product/service means to a consumer.

What is a Customer Effort Score and Why You Should Measure it

How much effort does a customer have to put in to get a valid response from the company? If it is too much, the customer is going to be dissatisfied. That’s why companies are trying to move towards an experience that requires minimum effort from the customer, which maximizes customer value.

This survey helps measure how happy customers are and is best utilized immediately after some sort of interaction between the company and the customer.

For example, suppose the consumer has asked for a speedy resolution of an application bug, and it has been solved. In that case, it makes sense for the company to reach out and enquire about how the resolution experience was for the client.

3. CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Surveys)

A company and a consumer will have multiple touchpoints as they proceed along with their relationship over time. It’s difficult to quantify each and every interaction, but generic CSAT (customer satisfaction surveys) help point out specific areas that are going great and scope for future betterment.

Here is a sample CSAT survey:

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By assigning scores to results, surveyors can glean critical actionable insights. They get to know what the customers think about their products, the areas of emphasis for improvement, and successful features.

4. Feature Opt-in Survey

Customers are the most loyal endorsers of your brand. They know your product intuitively and the market inside and out. They are well-versed with what features your competitors are offering and what the upcoming trends are.

Thus, they can guide you on what features you need to add to have a competitive advantage over your rivals. A feature opt-in survey tries to find out answers to these exact questions from the customer itself.

Rather than fumbling around with a lot of options and features to have, and taking these surveys help streamline your decision pipeline. They throw deep insights onto not only what components need to be added but also aspects that need to be discontinued. Customers will feel valued and appreciate the gesture of attaching importance to their analysis.

That’s a Wrap!

Usually, surveys are not mandatory, and people are under no compulsion to fill them up. However, incomplete or inaccurate surveys will impact business and hamper your ability to glean actionable insights.

Thus, focus on these essential factors while doing surveys:

Short and concise
Relevant
Easy and fun to answer

Sometimes adding monetary or learning incentives can also improve the count of filled surveys. A good survey will help companies uncover product ideas. They have the power to open up entirely different schools of thought regarding product development, UI/ UX enhancement, usability, and value focus.

These actionable insights have the ability to revamp a product and change its roadmap for the better. Unless carefully thought out, they can also significantly increase costs with respect to time and effort and not return substantial returns.

Remember, it all begins with asking the right questions.

Luckily, you can now leverage numerous tools on the market that come with pre-designed feedback forms, questions, and tools to make the entire process a breeze.

You might want to check out our in-depth review of some of the best user insights software that can help you seek customer feedback using product survey tools and forms.

Product Surveys Guide