A customer feedback survey short enough to finish.
Long surveys get abandoned and rating scales rarely tell you what to fix. This one is six questions, takes about two minutes, and uses open answers where they matter.
Every extra question costs you answers. Most feedback surveys try to measure everything and end up with a high drop-off and a pile of averages nobody acts on.
This template asks one question per decision you could make: what customers came for, how well you deliver it, what to fix, what nearly stopped them and what they'd switch to. Open answers do the heavy lifting, because that's where you find out why.
How to use it
- 01Decide what it's for
Write down the decision the answers will inform. If an answer couldn't change anything, cut the question.
- 02Send it at a moment that matters
Right after onboarding, after a support ticket closes, or ahead of a renewal. The experience is fresh, so answers are specific.
- 03Read every open answer
Before looking at any average, read the words. Group them into themes and count how often each comes up.
- 04Close the loop
Tell people what you changed because of their answers. It's the best way to get answers next time.
Customer feedback survey (about two minutes)
Before you send it
- The decision this survey will inform
- Who gets it, and why them
- When it goes out
Right after a moment that matters: onboarding finished, a ticket closed, a renewal coming up.
The questions
- What were you trying to get done when you started using [product]?
Open answer. - How well does [product] help you do that?
Scale of 1 to 5, from "not at all" to "completely". - What is the one thing that would make it more useful to you?
Open answer. - What nearly stopped you from signing up, or from using it more?
Open answer. - If [product] disappeared tomorrow, what would you use instead?
Open answer. - Can we get in touch about your answers?
Yes or no, and an email address if you don't already have one.
Optional add-ons
Only add these if you will track the answer over time.
- How likely are you to recommend [product] to a friend or colleague?
Scale of 0 to 10. This is Net Promoter Score. - How would you feel if you could no longer use [product]?
Very disappointed, somewhat disappointed, or not disappointed. A common product-market fit question.
After it closes
- Themes from the open answers, with a count for each
- Quotes worth sharing with the team
- What we will change, and who owns it
- What we told respondents, and when
Tips and common mistakes
Ask about the past, not the future
"What nearly stopped you?" gets a real answer. "Would you use feature X?" gets a polite one.
Open answers beat ratings for finding what to fix
A score tells you something is wrong. The words tell you what. Keep the scale to one question and let the rest be open.
One question per decision
If you can't say what you'd do differently depending on the answer, the question is costing you responses for nothing.
Count themes, don't just quote them
One vivid answer can dominate a meeting. Group every answer into themes and count them, so the loudest comment doesn't outweigh the most common one.
Or let Corha write the survey and read the answers
Corha drafts a survey for whatever it still can't back about your customers, gives you a link to send, and reads every answer as it arrives. Answers land as evidence against the claims they were meant to test, so you see what changed rather than another spreadsheet.
Questions about the customer feedback survey template
- How many questions should a customer feedback survey have?
- As few as will answer the decision you are making. Five or six is plenty for most feedback surveys. Every extra question costs you completed responses.
- When should I send a customer feedback survey?
- Right after a moment that matters, while the experience is fresh: after onboarding, after a support ticket closes, or before a renewal. Avoid sending the same customer surveys too often.
- Should I include NPS?
- Only if you will track it over time and act on it. On its own the score tells you little; the follow-up question asking why is where the useful answers are.
- How do I analyse open-ended survey answers?
- Read every answer, group them into themes, and count how many answers fall into each. Keep two or three quotes per theme to show the team. Look at the counts before the quotes, so a single memorable answer doesn't outweigh a common one.
A persona built on evidence: the job, the trigger, the objections and a quote behind every line
A 30-minute interview script that asks about what customers did, not what they might do
Job statement, job stories and the four forces, on one page
A one-page research plan that starts from the decision, not the method
Skip the blank page.
Start with your website and Corha drafts a first picture of your customers in about a minute. Connect your calls and tickets when you want it backed by real quotes.
Try it with your own website, no account. We read the public page and keep nothing.