Unlocking Customer Insights: How to Create Survey Questions Along with Communication Best Practices

Understanding your customers starts with asking the right questions, in the right way. Surveys were and will remain one of the most effective tools for uncovering valuable customer insights.

But crafting great survey questions takes more than honesty. It requires strategy. Even industry experts spend years refining this skill. In this article, we’ll break down what it really takes to design questions that reveal what your customers truly think, feel, and need.

1 - Define your customer survey goals 

Before you write a single survey question, you need to clearly define what you want to learn and why it matters. Setting clear goals makes sure that every question you ask serves a purpose and leads to valuable insights. 

Start by identifying the key business objectives behind your survey, for example: understanding customer satisfaction, improving a product feature, testing a new idea, or measuring brand perception. Then, translate those objectives into specific, measurable goals, such as “increasing customer retention by 10%” or “identify top three pain points in the onboarding process.” 

When your survey goals are well-defined, you’ll be able to focus on your questions, interpret results accurately, and turn feedback into actionable strategies that drive improvement and growth. 

2 - Write unbiased customer survey questions 

If you want to master the art of gathering valuable feedback, start by eliminating bias. That’s the golden rule. This article from Attest breaks down exactly how to create survey questions, with practical examples, proven techniques, and insights you can apply right away.

Using Neutral language 

Avoid using any phrases that suggest a “right” answer. 

Biased: “How much do you love our new product?” 

Unbiased: “How would you rate your experience with our new product?” 

Offer balanced response options 

Make sure your choices cover all possibilities. 

Biased: “Are you satisfied with our service? Yes/No” 

Unbiased: “How satisfied are you with our service? Very satisfied / Satisfied / Neutral / Dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied” 

Ask one question at a time

Don’t ask double-barreled questions that may confuse the respondent. 

Biased: “How happy are you with our product quality and customer support?”

Unbiased: “How well does our product meet your expectations?” “How effectively does our support team resolve your issues?”

Ask open-ended questions 

This gives people space to provide answers beyond choices and capture insights that can benefit you. 

Example: “What’s one thing we could do to improve your experience with our product?”

3 - Be clear and respectful

Being clear and respectful in customer surveys makes sure that respondents understand your questions easily and feel valued, which increases honesty and response rates. To be clear and respectful, here’s what you need to do: 

• Use simple and direct language: Avoid tech terms or long sentences. It’s important to make every question easy to read. 

• Be polite and appreciative: Try showing respect for the respondent’s time and opinions. For example: “We value your feedback. How satisfied are you with our customer support?” 

• Avoid pressuring the respondent: For example, don’t say: “You must rate our service as excellent, right?” Be respectful and say, “Please share your honest opinion about your experience with our services.” 

4 - Send customer service surveys in communication channels 

To get better feedback, send your surveys through the channels your customers already use and trust. That could be an email, SMS, in-app messages, or social media. Delivering surveys where your customers are most active increases response rates and engagement. 

For example: 

• Email: Include a short message explaining why their feedback matters, with a clear call-to-action (CTA). 

• SMS: Keep it brief and provide a direct link to the survey. 

• In-app or website pop-ups: Trigger at natural points, like a purchase or support interaction, without interrupting the experience. 

Tip: When you’re doing this, follow the customer communication best practice, outlined by Aircall. Be respectful, transparent, and clear about the purpose of your survey. 

5 - Align channels with your customer journey stages 

To get meaningful feedback, it’s always important to align survey channels with the specific stages of your customer journey. Different stages call for different communication methods to ensure relevance and maximize response rates. 

• Awareness Stage: At this early stage, email newsletters or social media polls can gauge initial impressions of your brand or content. Keep your questions light and informative. 

• Consideration stage: Customers researching products or services may respond better to in-app prompts, chatbots, or targeted emails that ask about their browsing or evaluation experience. 

• Purchase stage: After a transaction, sending a short SMS or email survey about the buying process ensures feedback is timely and specific. 

• Post-purchase/retention stage: In-app surveys, follow-up emails, or loyalty program messages can measure satisfaction and identify opportunities for upselling or engagement. 

Aligning channels with your customer journey stages allows you to collect contextual insights that are actionable and maintain a smooth and respectful experience for your customers. 

6 - Centralize your communication stack 

Centralizing your communication stack is one of the most effective ways to create consistency, efficiency, and clarity in how you gather and respond to customer feedback. Instead of managing multiple disconnected tools like emails, chats, and surveys, you can bring them all into one unified communication system. 

A centralized stack allows your team to: 

• Track all customer interactions in one place: Making sure no feedback is lost or duplicated. 

• Automate survey distribution across preferred channels, reducing manual work. 

• Analyze insights holistically, connecting survey responses to real customer behavior and support history. 

This approach not only strengthens your internal workflows but also improves the customer experience. 

7 - Keep your surveys short 

Short surveys get better results. Long or repetitive surveys can cause fatigue, leading to people rushing their answers or leaving them incomplete. A concise survey shows respect for your customers’ time and increases the likelihood of thoughtful, accurate feedback. 

Focus on essential questions that align directly with your goals, ideally between five and ten, depending on complexity. Combine a mix of multiple-choice and one or two open-ended questions to balance everything out. 

Also, it’s a good idea to communicate the time commitment (e.g., “This survey will take 5 minutes to complete.”). 

8 - Start training your team on brand voice 

Employees learn 70% of their abilities on the job, so this means training is an essential part of what they learn and will benefit them long-term. 

Therefore, training your team on brand voice makes sure every customer interaction, including follow-ups and survey invitations, feels consistent, authentic, and aligned with your company’s identity. When everyone communicates in the same tone and style, customers experience a unified brand personality across all touchpoints. 

Start by defining your brand voice clearly. Is it friendly and conversational, professional and concise, or warm and supportive? Always provide examples of do’s and don’ts so your team knows exactly what to do and how to apply that tone in their chats, survey messages, and emails. 

9 - Always follow up 

Following up with your respondents is an important step in turning survey data into stronger relationships and ongoing engagement. When customers take the time to share feedback, acknowledging their input shows that you value their voice and that their opinions can lead to real action. 

You can always start by sending a thank-you message immediately after they complete the survey. A simple note expressing appreciation can go a long way. For deeper engagement, share a summary of what you learned and how you plan to act on the results. 

Finally, if specific issues or suggestions arise, reach out personally to address them. Taking this extra step reflects and shows how much you actually care about your customers and their thoughts. 

Unlocking customer insights isn’t just about asking questions 

Yes, the truth is that unlocking customer insights isn’t only about asking questions, but about asking them with purpose, clarity, and respect. When you define your survey goals, craft unbiased and concise questions, and communicate through the right channels, you create a feedback process that feels effortless from a respondent’s side.

Also, let’s not forget that centralizing communication, training your team on brand voice, and following up with respondents further builds long-term relationships with respondents, which is a win-win situation for you and them. 

Overall, when this process is followed up properly, surveys become much more than data collection tools; they become bridges to understanding your audience on a deeper level and building better relationships in the long term.