Do you ask your customers for feedback regularly? When was the last time you actually surveyed them? A good customer survey can be genuinely valuable to your business — it can unlock insights you didn’t know you needed and even open the door to future business. Running an online survey also lets you engage your customers or readers and collect useful data quickly.
Over the years we’ve run annual surveys for Mykidstime, as well as surveys on behalf of other businesses, and we’ve picked up plenty of lessons along the way. Here are our 10 tips to help you create a customer survey online that actually gets results.
#1. Go Online
Online surveys remain the best format for most businesses. With people spending so much time on their phones and other devices, an online survey makes it easy for people to respond — and easy for you to collect and review your data.
If you only have postal addresses for customers, or you work from a physical premises, you can still go digital: give customers a card or note with the link to your survey and ask them to complete it online.
Tip: There are plenty of free and easy-to-use online survey tools available, such as Survey Monkey.
#2. Think Carefully About What Your Customer Survey Should Achieve
To create a good survey, think carefully about what you actually want it to achieve. What answers will be most valuable to your business right now?
One survey shouldn’t try to cover your entire business. Pick a specific area you want to focus on and ask about that. A common mistake is trying to find out too much in one go — short and focused is always better.
Tip: Write down every question you’d love to ask, then be ruthless and cut the list back to only the ones that will give you the answers you actually need.
#3. How Long Should the Customer Survey Be?
The longer the survey, the fewer people tend to complete it, in our experience. It helps to tell people upfront roughly how long it will take.
- Keep the survey brief — decide in advance what you want to know and only ask questions relating to that topic.
- Try to keep it to a minimum while still getting the data you need. We’ve found that 10–15 questions tends to get the best response rates overall. Longer surveys get fewer responses and take longer to analyse.
- Keep your questions concise — find the shortest way to ask each one without losing the meaning.
Tip: If you don’t need someone’s name, age or address, don’t ask for it.
#4. Structure Your Customer Survey Carefully
Start with simple questions — multiple choice or yes/no work well — before moving on to open-ended ones. This eases the respondent in and gets them through the early questions quickly, which makes them more likely to give thoughtful, longer answers towards the end.
If you’re using a rating scale (for example, 1 being “not at all likely” and 5 being “extremely likely”), keep that same format consistent throughout the survey. You could also add a comment box under scale questions to ask what would move someone closer to a 5.
Each question should only ask about one thing. If you ask a yes/no question, consider offering a “maybe” option too, since forcing a binary answer can sometimes give misleading results. A comment box asking “if no, why?” can also be useful.
Try to avoid leading questions if you want honest responses, and never use acronyms or assume readers will interpret something the way you intend — ask directly.
Tip: Don’t be afraid of negative responses — they’re often the most useful feedback for improving what you offer.
#5. Data Only, or Grow Your Mailing List?
This decision will shape the whole survey:
- Data only: You may get more responses if you keep the survey anonymous and are simply looking to improve one aspect of your business.
- Data and mailing list growth: The information you collect could form the basis of a new mailing list, helping you reach customers more effectively going forward.
Tip: If you’re collecting contact details, always include a clear opt-in explaining that you wish to retain customer details, and link to your data protection information.
#6. How Will You Encourage Answers?
Offering an incentive tends to improve response rates. Your customers or readers are busy, so a small incentive can go a long way — it doesn’t need to be extravagant. Vouchers or a small prize are often just as effective as anything bigger.
Consider entering respondents into a draw when they complete the survey, or offering a discount or coupon for your product or service (with a clear end date for use). Just make sure any incentive is factored into your budget.
Tip: Ask permission to retain contact details, and link to your data protection page.
#7. When to Send Your Survey
Timing matters. Monday mornings tend to get strong response rates generally. For parents specifically, we’ve found Fridays or Sundays also work well.
Tip: If you’re sharing your survey on social media, evenings can be a good time to reach parents once the kids are in bed.
#8. Analyse the Answers and Use the Data
Once your survey closes, take the time to properly analyse the results. Whether you’re reporting back to customers to show you’ve acted on their feedback, or sharing insights with your team to improve what you offer, the data is only useful if you actually refer back to it.
Your respondents are the people who’ll be buying your product or service in the future, so it’s worth the effort to keep them happy.
Tip: Let customers know what you’ve changed as a result of their feedback with a simple follow-up email — something like “Thanks for taking our survey. We’ve listened, and here’s how we’ve improved.”
#9. Keep and Reuse Your Questions
Hold onto your survey questions so you can repeat the same survey at a future date. That way you can compare answers over time and build a more accurate picture of how your business is progressing.
Tip: Store your questions and results together on a shared drive or document for easy access later.
#10. Suggested Email Wording for Your Customer Survey
Here’s a draft you can adapt:
Dear [Name] (or “Customer” if anonymous),
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to improve our service to you. We’d be grateful if you could take a few moments to complete our short survey about the service you’ve received.
We appreciate your business and want to make sure we’re always meeting your expectations.
As a thank you, please find attached a discount voucher, or we’ll enter you into a draw to win [prize].
We take data protection seriously and will only use your details with your permission. [Link to data protection page]
Sincerely, [Name]
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions should a customer survey have?
Based on our experience, 10–15 questions tends to strike the right balance — enough to gather useful insight without the survey feeling like a chore. Longer surveys generally see lower completion rates.
Should I offer an incentive for completing a survey?
It’s not essential, but it can help boost response rates. A small voucher, discount, or entry into a prize draw is often enough — you don’t need anything elaborate.
What’s the best day to send a customer survey?
Monday mornings tend to work well generally, though for parent audiences specifically, Fridays or Sundays can also get good response rates. It’s worth testing what works best for your own audience.
Should a customer survey be anonymous?
That depends on your goal. If you simply want honest feedback to improve one part of your business, anonymous responses can work well. If you want to build a mailing list from responses, you’ll need to collect contact details with a clear opt-in.
How often should I repeat a customer survey?
Keeping the same core questions and repeating the survey periodically lets you track how your business is improving over time and compare results meaningfully.
Related Articles
- Simple Ways to Get More Feedback From Your Customers
- Building a Mailing List That Actually Engages Your Audience
- How to Use Feedback to Improve Your Business
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