Customer satisfaction survey questions ask customers how it went, so you know what to keep and what to fix. A score shows whether things got better or worse, not why.
Customers like the product; slow replies after the sale are what to fix first.
An example of the line the Agent Results Brief leads with.Under every question is the follow-up Spoke asks when the first answer is vague. That second question is where the real answer usually is.
On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with us overall?
What's the main reason for that score?
How would you describe working with us to a friend?
If you left one thing out to be polite, what would it be?
What keeps you with us rather than someone else?
When did you last notice that, and what happened?
What's one thing we should stop doing?
How often does that get in your way: every time, or now and then?
How easy is it to get what you need from us?
Think of the last time it wasn't easy. What were you trying to do?
What do you wish we offered that we don't?
What do you do today instead, and what does that cost you?
What should we never change?
When did that matter most to you?
What made you decide to buy from us?
What else were you looking at, and what ruled it out?
How did the buying process go?
Was there a moment you weren't sure what happened next?
Did what you got match what you expected?
Where was it different: better, worse, or just not what the page said?
What nearly stopped you from buying?
What would have made that easier to get past?
Was anything harder than it should have been, from checkout to delivery?
What did you have to do to get past it?
What's the first thing you did with it?
Did it do what you needed, or did you have to work around something?
Did we solve the problem you contacted us about?
Is it fixed, or did you find a way around it yourself?
How easy was it to get help?
Which part took longest: finding how to reach us, waiting, or explaining the problem?
Did you have to explain the problem more than once?
Who did you have to repeat it to, and what did they not have?
How was the person who helped you?
What did they do that you'd want everyone here to do, or never do again?
What would have made this a better experience?
Which moment in the conversation would you change first?
If this happens again, how would you want to reach us?
What didn't work about the way you reached us this time?
What was the goal of this project for you, in your own words?
Did the finished work hit that goal, or something slightly different?
How did the project go compared with what you expected when you hired me (or us)?
Where was the biggest gap, for better or worse?
How clear was communication during the project?
Was there a week you weren't sure where things stood? What happened?
How were deadlines handled?
When a date moved, did you hear about it early enough to plan around it?
How did feedback and revisions go?
Was there a round of changes that felt harder than it should have?
Was the final work worth what you paid?
Which part felt most worth it, and which part least?
Is there anyone on your side whose view we didn't hear?
What would they say about how it went?
What's one thing to do differently on the next project?
Would that change whether you'd hire me (or us) again?
Would you hire me (or us) again for the same kind of work?
What would make that an easy yes?
Would you recommend me (or us) to someone in your position?
What would you tell them to watch out for?
What has changed for you since you started with us?
How well does what you have now fit what you need?
What have you gotten the most value from this year?
What would you miss most if it went away?
Which parts of what you pay for do you use least?
Is that something you'd use with some help, or something you don't need?
How does what you pay compare with the value you get?
What shapes that view most right now?
What would you like us to know before you decide on renewing?
Is there anything you'd want settled before then?
What would you want from us in the next year?
If we only did one of those, which should it be?
Every person gets interviewed, not surveyed. Spoke asks, listens, and follows up on what that person actually said. Here's an example.
Read the answer, not the transcripts: themes ranked by how many people raised them, the quotes behind each, and the places where two groups disagree.
Customers like the product and most plan to stay. What costs goodwill is everything around it: replies that take days, setup left to the customer, and renewal pricing that arrives as a surprise. What to fix first: reply times, then setup, then renewal pricing.
An example Agent Results Brief. The counts, themes and quotes are illustrative, not from a real survey.
Customer satisfaction questions ask the people who bought from you how it went, so you know what to keep and what to change. A score like CSAT or NPS tells you whether things got better or worse. It can't tell you what to fix, because a 3 out of 5 looks the same whether the problem was price, a late delivery or a slow reply. To learn whether the product itself is a must-have rather than how the last order went, run a product-market fit survey.
Customers are polite. The first answer is often “fine” or “good overall.” One specific follow-up is usually enough to get to the thing that actually happened.
The bug is still there. The ticket was closed as solved, and the customer stopped reporting it.
The work landed; the communication didn't. A short status note every Friday would have prevented the one thing this client remembers.
A renewal risk hiding behind “okay”: they're paying for features they were never shown how to use.
Weak satisfaction surveys usually fail in one of these ways. More on writing the open part in open-ended survey questions. Writing the answers up: how to write a survey report.
Ask about price and delivery together and you get one answer for two things, with no way to tell which it's about.
A question that assumes they were happy gets a polite yes. Neutral wording gets what happened.
Every extra question costs you answers to the ones that matter. Ask the few that fit the moment.
Weeks later, people remember a feeling, not what happened. Ask while the moment is fresh.
A 3 out of 5 looks the same whether the problem was price, a late delivery or a slow reply.
| Format | What it asks | What it tells you | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSAT | “How satisfied were you with…?” on a 1 to 5 scale | How one moment went: a purchase, a delivery, a support chat | You want a quick read right after an interaction |
| NPS | “How likely are you to recommend us?” on a 0 to 10 scale | How customers feel about you overall | You want one number to track over months. Pair it with a why: see NPS follow-up questions |
| CES | “How easy was it to…?” | How much effort something took | You suspect friction in checkout, setup or support |
| Open questions with follow-ups | “What happened?”, then a follow-up on what they said | Why the score is what it is, and what to fix first | You need to decide what to change, not only track a number |
The formats work together: ask for the score, then ask why. More on writing the open part in open-ended survey questions.
What do you want to learn, and who's answering?
Drafted the spec. Should I ask about pricing directly, or only if they bring it up?
A good starting five: How satisfied are you with us overall, on a scale of 1 to 5? Did what you got match what you expected? Did we solve the problem you contacted us about? What's one thing we should stop doing? What would you want from us in the next year? Each works best with a follow-up, listed under every question on this page.
As few as the moment needs: three to five for a check-in after a purchase or a support chat. With Spoke, one good question plus follow-ups can replace a long form, because each follow-up goes where that customer's answer points.
CSAT asks how satisfied someone was with one interaction, usually on a 1 to 5 scale. NPS asks how likely they are to recommend you, on 0 to 10. CES asks how easy something was. All three give you a number and none says why, so pair each with an open question.
Ask about the goal, communication, deadlines, revisions and whether the work was worth what they paid, then whether they'd hire you again. The client feedback questions above are a complete set you can copy and send as is.
An open, neutral question tied to one moment: “Did what you got match what you expected?” after a purchase, or “Did we solve the problem you contacted us about?” after support. Then follow up on the answer, because the second question is where the reason is.
Count the people who chose 4 or 5 on a 1 to 5 scale, divide by everyone who answered, and multiply by 100. The score says how many were satisfied; the follow-up says why the rest weren't.
Free to start. No card. Your first ten agent surveys are on us.
