The quality of questions you ask determines the depth of the feedback you’ll get.

 

That’s why we’re dedicating this entire article to help you learn about the best questions to ask your customers, so you can use the ‘right insights’ to make improvements. 

Asking the right questions is critically important to the success of your business, simply because you don’t want to work on feedback that won’t make a significant difference. By working on inaccurate or random feedback, you might end up wasting precious time & money. 

 

Here’s a list of 10 questions you should ask to seek the best customer feedback. It’s not a fully exhaustive list by any stretch of imagination, but it will get you thinking on the right track! 

 

#1: On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with our product or service? 

 

This question will assign a metric to the level of satisfaction experienced by your customers. You’ll be able to gauge, in a measurable way, how much room for improvement there is for you to work on, and know where you stand currently. 

 

The understanding of where your business stands, and where you’d like it to be in terms of how your customers perceive you is priceless. This question is the key to unlock this insight. 

#2: What could we do better or differently to meet or exceed your expectations? 

 

This question will help reveal the effort you need to put in to meet or exceed your customers’ expectations. If you’re not meeting them, someone else will. 

 

That’s why it’s so important to know which pains you’re currently addressing, and which ones are lying unaddressed. Your customers will gladly share with you how you can do better to address their needs holistically so they keep coming back to you. 

 

#3: How likely are you to repeat business with us? 

 

While people may like your product or service, it is only when they keep coming back to you for repeat business that they’re actually serious about being your customers for the long term!

 

Asking your customers how likely they are to repeat business with you is a great insight into how serious they are about transacting with you. This will also give you the opportunity to accurately assess the ‘lifetime value’ of a customer, and also decide the future direction of your business. 

 

#4: What was the most memorable thing during your interactions with us? 

 

This is a very meaningful question to know which parts of a customer interaction are ‘emotionally memorable’. Remember, customers are human beings at the end of the day, and they’re transacting with you for emotional reasons, especially if you’re a B2C business. 

 

The answer to this question will reveal how you can build a deeper emotional connection with your customers, so they start to love your products and services. 

 

Think about a company like Zappos, for instance. They’re known for providing great customer service, and creating memorable moments for their customers through their service. The reason why they do this so well is because they’re constantly seeking customer feedback, specifically around how to be better around creating meaningful experiences for their customers.

 

#5: Have you done business with similar businesses?  What did you like or dislike about them? 

 

This is a clever question to include in your customer feedback surveys. It’s very relevant to ascertain how your competitors are performing, and how your customers perceive them. 

 

You must know where you stand in the marketplace, and how your customers are thinking. This is a smart way to know any threats and opportunities you can take advantage of to better meet your customer needs, while also building your core competitive advantage. 

 

#6: If this was your business, what would you do differently? 

 

The great thing about this question is that it will reveal to you what your customers would do if your business was theirs! They’ll put their thinking caps on to advise you what they’d do if they were running your business, and give you a whole ton of ideas. 

 

Another reason why you should ask this question is because your customers will learn to empathize with you, and work collaboratively with you to help you improve your business. If you can win the active participation of your customers, you’ll be more agile and lean in your product development endeavors. 

 

#7: Why did you choose to transact with us? Are you satisfied with your decision? 

 

Knowing the reasons behind why your customers buy your products and services will help you learn a lot about why you exist, and what you should continue doing. You’ll find your sense of purpose, and strengthen it!

 

As Simon Sinek says, “Know your why, and the ‘what’, and the ‘how’” will fall into place! This question will help you discover exactly that. 

#8: How likely is it that you would recommend our product/service to a friend? Why? 

 

Asking your customers this question will help you learn if there is any potential for you to ask your customers for referrals. If your customers reveal to you that they would, with certainty, recommend your products to their social network, asking for referrals is a no brainer. 

 

If, on the other hand, they reveal to you that they’re not interested in recommending your products and services, that’s an opportunity for you to delve a bit deeper to figure out why.

 

#9: How would you describe your overall customer experience with us? 

 

This question is very helpful in getting a ‘birds eye view’ about how your customers feel about the overall customer experience with your company. These insights will help you refine your user journey maps, empathy maps and service design maps. 

 

Once you have access to these insights, you can dig deeper to uncover opportunities for service and product innovation or enhancements.

 

#10: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us to help us serve you better? 

 

You should always include this question as the last question you ask in your surveys or while collecting customer feedback. It will ensure you haven’t missed out on any thing and capture any random thoughts your customers have about your business.

 

Wrapping it up

 

Use these questions in your customer feedback surveys, or in your conversations with customers to uncover what’s really going through their minds when they’re using your product or service. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you’ll discover along the way!

 

Author: Scott Miraglia 

Bio: Scott is the CEO of Elevation Marketing. He is a balanced risk-taker with nearly three decades of experience starting and growing advertising and marketing agencies. His business acumen is matched with a drive to build creative teams that thrive in open, collaborative work environments. Scott seeks out the best creative individuals, not only to provide quality service to clients, but to also help shape the future direction of Elevation Marketing. He remains dedicated to helping his talented teams develop unique and effective integrated marketing programs that help employees realize their full potential while serving up impressive business wins for clients.