The document provides tips for designing effective customer satisfaction surveys. It recommends clearly communicating the purpose of the survey and only including relevant questions. Questions should be written clearly and unambiguously. Instructions should be provided directly after the question to ensure respondents see and process them. Questions should be short, clear, avoid difficult words, and not be double-barreled or leading. Answer choices should be mutually exclusive and exhaustive.

1. Customer Survey
Research
Constructing Customer Satisfaction
Questions

2. Learning Objectives
 Recall the tips for designing good customer
satisfaction surveys
 Recall the question types you can use to write
customer satisfaction surveys

3. Constructing Questions
 Understand purpose of survey to include only
relevant questions
 Write clear and unambiguous questions
 Accurately communicate what is required of
customers to answer each question
 Don’t assume customers understand questions or
instructions

4. Questionnaire Design - Instructions
 Providing instructions directly after question
stem helps ensure respondents see & process
it before providing answer
 Example:
When did you start your studies at Utah State
University? Please provide your answer using two
digits for the month and four digits for the year.
MM YYYY

5. Asking Effective Questions
 Make questions clear
 Be precise
 Avoid difficult or specialized words, acronyms, &
pretentious language
 Keep questions short
 Contain no more than 2 short sentences

6. Asking Effective Questions
 Avoid double-barreled questions
Example:
How do you describe your experience with Agri-Service
and Massey Ferguson tractors?
Replace with:
How do you describe your experience with Agri-
Service?
How do you describe your experience with Massey
Ferguson tractors?

7. Asking Effective Questions
 Avoid leading questions
 Do not suggest a certain response
▪ Poor Example: Wouldn’t it be great to purchase
Anderson Bean boots at C-A-L Ranch?
▪ Better: What boot brands would you like to purchase
from C-A-L Ranch?
 Ask reliable questions
 Understood and interpreted in the same way by
all readers
 Poor Example: Where are you from?

8. Asking Effective Questions
 Do not use questions that ask for highly
detailed information
 Don’t ask for details: in the past 30 days, how
many hours did you spend repairing your water
trough?

9. Asking Effective Questions
 Provide mutually exclusive answer choices
Incorrect Question: Correct Question:
 Be exhaustive in answer choices