Proven questions organised by category, one-click copy buttons on every question, and two ready-to-use templates. Build your customer satisfaction survey in minutes.
25 QuestionsCopy-Ready2 TemplatesCSAT vs NPS vs CES
By VoteGeneratorPublished 11 April 20267 min read
Customer satisfaction surveys are the fastest way to find out what is working, what is not, and who is about to churn. Here are 25 questions that actually get answered, with free templates to deploy today.
What Is a Customer Satisfaction Survey?
A customer satisfaction survey (CSAT) measures how satisfied customers are with a specific interaction — a purchase, a support ticket, a product feature, or an overall experience. Unlike broader loyalty measures, CSAT is focused and tactical: it tells you what is working and what needs fixing right now.
CSAT surveys typically ask customers to rate satisfaction on a scale and may include follow-up questions about specific aspects. Results are expressed as a percentage of satisfied respondents. They are most effective when sent immediately after the interaction they measure.
CSAT vs NPS vs CES: Which to Use
Three metrics dominate customer feedback. Each measures something different. Understanding which to use — and when — determines whether your feedback programme generates insight or just data.
Customer Satisfaction
CSAT
MeasuresSatisfaction with one interaction
Scale1–5 or 1–10
Best forPost-purchase, post-support
FrequencyAfter each interaction
Net Promoter Score
NPS
MeasuresLoyalty and likelihood to recommend
Scale0–10
Best forOverall brand sentiment
FrequencyQuarterly or semi-annually
Customer Effort Score
CES
MeasuresEase of interaction or resolution
Scale1–5 or 1–7
Best forSupport quality, onboarding
FrequencyAfter each support interaction
Use all three over time. CSAT captures satisfaction, NPS captures loyalty, and CES captures friction. Together they give you a complete picture of customer sentiment across the journey.
25 Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions
Click any question to copy it. Organised by category — use the ones that match your measurement goal.
Category 1 of 5 · 3 questions
Overall Satisfaction
Use 1–2 of these as your core metric. Every CSAT survey should include at least one.
1
How satisfied are you with your overall experience with us?Rating scale (1 = Very dissatisfied, 5 = Very satisfied)
2
Did we meet your expectations?Yes / No / Partially
3
Would you do business with us again?Definitely yes / Probably yes / Unsure / Probably not / Definitely not
Category 2 of 5 · 6 questions
Product or Service Quality
Focus on whether the product does what customers need. Choose 2–3 per survey.
4
How well does our product or service meet your needs?Rating scale (1 = Not at all, 5 = Completely)
5
How would you rate the quality of what you received?Excellent / Good / Average / Poor
6
Was the product or service worth the price you paid?Yes / Somewhat / No
7
How does our product or service compare to others you have used?Much better / Better / About the same / Worse / Much worse
8
Are the features we offer useful to you in your day-to-day work?Very useful / Somewhat useful / Not very useful / Not applicable
9
Would you use our product or service again in the future?Definitely yes / Probably yes / Unsure / Probably not / Definitely not
Category 3 of 5 · 5 questions
Support Experience
Use after support tickets or service interactions. Skip if no support interaction occurred.
10
How helpful was our customer support team?Very helpful / Helpful / Neutral / Unhelpful / Very unhelpful
11
How quickly did we respond to your question or issue?Much faster than expected / Faster than expected / About right / Slower than expected / Much slower than expected
12
Was your issue or question resolved to your satisfaction?Yes, fully / Partially / No
13
How knowledgeable was the person who helped you?Rating scale (1 = Not knowledgeable at all, 5 = Extremely knowledgeable)
14
How easy was it to reach someone who could help you?Very easy / Easy / Neutral / Difficult / Very difficult
Category 4 of 5 · 4 questions
Value and Loyalty
Understand retention likelihood and value perception. Use 1–2 per survey.
15
Do you feel you received good value for the price you paid?Definitely yes / Probably yes / Unsure / Probably not / Definitely not
16
Would you choose us again if price were equal with other options?Definitely yes / Probably yes / Unsure / Probably not / Definitely not
17
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?Rating scale (0 = Not at all likely, 10 = Extremely likely) — this is the NPS question
18
What is your likelihood of purchasing from us again in the next 12 months?Very likely / Likely / Neutral / Unlikely / Very unlikely
Category 5 of 5 · 7 questions
Open-Ended Follow-Ups
Limit to 1–2 per survey. These take longer to answer and longer to analyse — choose the most relevant one.
19
What was the best part of your experience with us?Open text
20
What could we improve?Open text
21
What is the main reason for your satisfaction rating?Open text — pair with your core rating question
22
What would make you more likely to purchase from us again?Open text
23
Is there anything about your experience that surprised you — positively or negatively?Open text
24
What one thing would most improve your experience with us?Open text — useful for product prioritisation
25
Is there anything else you would like us to know?Open text — use as your final question
Free Templates
Two complete templates you can copy and use immediately. The quick template is the right starting point for most businesses.
Quick Template
2 minutes · 3 questions · Best completion rate
How satisfied are you with your purchase? (1 = Very dissatisfied, 5 = Very satisfied)
What is the main reason for your rating? (Open text)
What could we improve? (Open text)
Standard Template
5 minutes · 5 questions · Recommended for recurring surveys
How satisfied are you with what you received? (1 = Very dissatisfied, 5 = Very satisfied)
How would you rate the quality of what you received? (Excellent / Good / Average / Poor)
Was it worth the price you paid? (Yes / Somewhat / No)
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague? (0–10 scale)
What could we improve? (Open text)
How to Structure Your CSAT Survey
Survey length determines completion rates more than any other single factor. Build the shortest survey that answers your core question.
Quick Pulse — 1 to 2 minutes
One overall satisfaction question (1–5) plus one open-ended question. Appropriate after every purchase or support interaction. High completion rate, limited depth.
Standard Survey — 4 to 6 minutes
One overall satisfaction question, two or three product or support questions relevant to the interaction, and one open-ended question. The right balance of data quality and completion rate for most use cases.
Comprehensive Survey — 10 to 15 minutes
Only appropriate when customers have a strong relationship with your brand or when you offer an incentive. Cover all categories: overall satisfaction, product quality, support, value, loyalty, and one or two open-ended questions. Reserve for annual or semi-annual deep-dive surveys.
Start with pulse surveys. Once you understand which aspects of experience matter most to your customers, add targeted questions to standard surveys. Never ask about something you are not prepared to act on.
When to Send Your Survey
Best timing
Send within 24 hours of a purchase. Send within one hour of a support ticket closing. Send the day after an event or interaction. The experience needs to be vivid in the customer's memory. Response rates fall 20–30% for every day of delay past 48 hours.
Avoid sending
Do not survey during active complaints or escalations. Do not survey during holidays or known quiet periods. Do not survey right after a price increase or policy change — sentiment will be temporarily skewed. Do not survey while a known product issue is ongoing.
Dissatisfied customers
For customers who give low ratings, reach out within 24–48 hours. Do not wait. Act on negative feedback before they tell others. Personal contact from a human — not an automated email — is significantly more effective at recovering dissatisfied customers.
Analysing CSAT Results
How to calculate your CSAT score
For a 5-point scale where 4 and 5 indicate satisfaction: count responses of 4 or 5, divide by total responses, multiply by 100. A result of 80 satisfied responses out of 100 total = 80% CSAT.
CSAT Score Benchmarks
Excellent
80%+
Good
60–80%
Poor
Below 60%
Segment your data
Do not only look at the aggregate score. Break down results by product or service type, customer segment (new versus returning), support channel, and time period to spot trends. A 78% overall score might hide a 55% score in a specific segment that needs urgent attention.
Act on what you find
For low ratings: follow up personally to understand the problem. For open-ended responses: group themes and find the patterns. For recurring issues: fix them, then resurvey to measure the improvement. Closing the loop — telling customers what changed because of their feedback — dramatically improves future response rates.
Ready to Survey Your Customers?
Create a free customer satisfaction survey in seconds. No signup required from you or your respondents.
CSAT scores above 80% are generally considered excellent. Scores between 60 and 80% indicate room for improvement. Below 60% signals serious satisfaction issues. Your industry benchmark matters — norms vary significantly across sectors. Benchmark against competitors in your space to understand your relative position.
When should I send a customer satisfaction survey?
Send CSAT surveys within 24 hours of the experience you are measuring. For support tickets, send within an hour of closure. The experience needs to be vivid in the customer's memory. Waiting longer than 48 hours reduces response rates by 20–30% and reduces the accuracy of recall.
How many questions should a CSAT survey have?
Keep it to 3 to 5 questions for the best completion rates. One core satisfaction question is enough for pulse surveys. More than 10 questions significantly reduces response rates. If you have more than 5 questions worth asking, send multiple short surveys over time rather than one long one.
What is the difference between CSAT, NPS, and CES?
CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction or product. NPS measures overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend — usually asked quarterly, not after every transaction. CES measures ease of experience and is most predictive of customer churn from support interactions. Use all three over time to get a complete picture.
Should CSAT surveys be anonymous?
Not necessarily. Unlike employee surveys, you often want to identify dissatisfied customers so you can follow up and recover the relationship. Consider making contact information optional — ask for it, but do not require it. Customers who want to remain anonymous can skip the field while those open to follow-up can provide their details.
How do I improve my CSAT score?
First, understand what is driving low scores through follow-up conversations with dissatisfied customers. Common culprits: product quality gaps, slow support, unclear pricing, or unmet expectations. Prioritise improvements that address the most frequent complaints. Resurvey regularly after making changes to measure whether they worked.