Well-designed surveys are the foundation of customer experience measurement. This guide provides ready-to-use templates for CSAT, NPS, and CES surveys across different industries and touchpoints.
Survey Types Overview
Understanding the different survey types and when to use each:
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)
- Purpose: Measure satisfaction with a specific interaction
- When to use: After transactions, support tickets, deliveries
- Scale: Typically 1-5 or 1-7
- Calculation: (Satisfied responses / Total responses) x 100
NPS (Net Promoter Score)
- Purpose: Measure loyalty and likelihood to recommend
- When to use: Relationship surveys, periodic check-ins
- Scale: 0-10
- Calculation: % Promoters (9-10) - % Detractors (0-6)
CES (Customer Effort Score)
- Purpose: Measure ease of doing business
- When to use: After support interactions, onboarding
- Scale: Typically 1-5 or 1-7
- Focus: Reducing customer effort predicts loyalty
CSAT Survey Templates
Customer Satisfaction Score templates for different scenarios:
General Service CSAT
Question 1:
"How satisfied were you with your experience today?"
Scale: Very Dissatisfied - Dissatisfied - Neutral - Satisfied - Very Satisfied
Post-Purchase CSAT
Question 1:
"How satisfied are you with your recent purchase?"
Question 2:
"How satisfied were you with the checkout process?"
Question 3:
"What could we have done better?" (Open text)
Support Ticket CSAT
Question 1:
"How satisfied were you with the support you received?"
Question 2:
"Was your issue resolved?"
Question 3:
"How knowledgeable was the support agent?"
A clearer view of the experience.
NPS Survey Templates
Net Promoter Score templates for relationship measurement:
Standard NPS
Question 1:
"On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend [Company] to a friend or colleague?"
Question 2:
"What is the primary reason for your score?" (Open text)
Transactional NPS
Question 1:
"Based on your recent experience, how likely are you to recommend us?"
Question 2:
"What did we do well?"
Question 3:
"What could we improve?"
Employee NPS (eNPS)
Question 1:
"How likely are you to recommend [Company] as a place to work?"
Question 2:
"What would make this a better workplace?"
CES Survey Templates
Customer Effort Score templates for ease measurement:
Standard CES
Question:
"[Company] made it easy for me to handle my issue."
Scale: Strongly Disagree - Disagree - Somewhat Disagree - Neutral - Somewhat Agree - Agree - Strongly Agree
Support Effort
Question 1:
"How easy was it to get the help you needed?"
Question 2:
"What would have made this easier?"
Website/App Effort
Question 1:
"How easy was it to find what you were looking for?"
Question 2:
"How easy was it to complete your task?"
Industry-Specific Templates
Tailored survey templates for specific industries:
Retail Survey
- Store cleanliness and organization
- Product availability
- Staff helpfulness
- Checkout experience
- Value for money
Restaurant Survey
- Food quality and taste
- Service speed and attentiveness
- Ambiance and cleanliness
- Value for money
- Likelihood to return
Healthcare Survey
- Ease of scheduling
- Wait time
- Provider communication
- Staff courtesy
- Facility cleanliness
Hotel Survey
- Check-in experience
- Room quality and cleanliness
- Staff service
- Amenities
- Value for money
Customer EchoA responseA useful measureTouchpoint Templates
Survey templates for specific customer touchpoints:
Onboarding Survey
Questions:
- "How clear were the setup instructions?"
- "How long did it take to get started?"
- "Did you receive adequate support during onboarding?"
- "What would have made onboarding easier?"
Delivery Survey
Questions:
- "How satisfied were you with the delivery?"
- "Was the package in good condition?"
- "How was the delivery driver?"
- "Was the delivery on time?"
Website Feedback
Questions:
- "Did you find what you were looking for?"
- "How easy was the website to use?"
- "What would improve this page?"
Survey Best Practices
Maximize response rates and insight quality:
Survey Design
- Keep it short: 3-5 questions for transactional, 10-15 for relationship
- Start with the key metric: NPS or CSAT first
- Use consistent scales: Don't mix 5-point and 7-point
- Include one open question: For qualitative insights
Timing
- Transactional: Within 24 hours of interaction
- Relationship: Quarterly or semi-annually
- Product: 7-14 days after delivery/use
- Avoid survey fatigue: Don't over-survey the same customers
Distribution
- Email: Best for relationship surveys
- SMS: Best for quick transactional feedback
- In-app: Best for digital product feedback
- QR codes: Best for physical locations
Response Rate Optimization
- Personalize the invitation
- Explain why feedback matters
- Show expected time to complete
- Send reminders (once)
- Optimize for mobile
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should a survey have?
For transactional surveys (post-purchase, support), keep it to 3-5 questions. For relationship surveys (NPS, annual reviews), 10-15 questions is acceptable. Customer Echo templates are optimized for each use case.
What is the best survey scale to use?
For CSAT, 5-point scales work well. For NPS, the 0-10 scale is standard. For CES, 7-point scales provide good granularity. Customer Echo supports all standard scales with built-in benchmarking.
When should I send surveys?
Transactional surveys should be sent within 24 hours while the experience is fresh. Relationship surveys work best quarterly or semi-annually. Customer Echo can automate timing based on customer events.
How do I improve survey response rates?
Keep surveys short, personalize invitations, optimize for mobile, send at the right time, and explain why feedback matters. Customer Echo A/B testing can help optimize your approach.
Should I include open-ended questions?
Yes - at least one open question provides rich qualitative insights. Place it after your main metric question. Customer Echo AI analysis can help categorize and analyze open responses at scale.
