Template · Customer feedback
Customer feedback questions that get real answers.
Twelve questions to find out why customers buy from you, what they'd change and what would make them leave. Each one comes with a follow-up for when the answer is just “fine”. Copy the ones you need, or let Sondering ask them for you.
Use this template- Pick five or six: a short conversation gets more honest answers than a long form
- Open questions, no rating scales
- A follow-up for every vague answer
The questions
Why they chose you
How did you first hear about us?
If the answer is vagueWhat made you try us rather than someone else?
What made you decide to buy from us the first time?
If the answer is vagueWas there anything that almost stopped you?
What were you using or doing before you found us?
If the answer is vagueWhat wasn't working about that?
Their experience
What's the best thing about buying from us?
If the answer is vagueCan you give me an example from your last visit or order?
Was anything harder, slower or more confusing than you expected?
If the answer is vagueWhat happened, and what did you do then?
If you could change one thing about us, what would it be?
If the answer is vagueWhy that one in particular?
Coming back, or not
What would make you come back more often?
If the answer is vagueWhat gets in the way today?
Have you bought something similar somewhere else lately?
If the answer is vagueWhat made you choose them that time?
What would make you stop buying from us?
If the answer is vagueHas that happened with another business? What did they do?
Value and word of mouth
How do you feel about what you pay for what you get?
If the answer is vagueWhat would make it feel worth more?
Have you told anyone about us? What did you say?
If the answer is vagueIf not, what would make you mention us?
Is there anything we haven't asked that we should know?
If the answer is vagueAnything small that annoyed you, even if it only happened once?
§ 01
Pick five or six, not all twelve
Every extra question costs you answers. Pick one or two from each group that matter for a decision you actually have to make, like opening hours, a price or a menu. If you can't say what you'd do with the answer, drop the question.
Keep them open. “How satisfied were you?” gets a number. “What made you come back?” gets a reason you can act on.
- Ask one thing at a time, not “Was it fast and friendly?”
- Don't lead, as in “How much did you enjoy…?”
- Skip what your sales numbers already tell you
- Ask about what happened, not what they might do someday
§ 02
Ask while they still remember
The best time is soon after a purchase, visit or delivery, while the details are fresh. Ask regulars after a few visits. Ask people who've stopped coming within a few weeks, and keep it to two or three questions.
Put the link where your customers already are: the receipt email, a QR code at the counter, a newsletter, or a message to regulars who've said they're happy to hear from you.
§ 03
Why the follow-up matters
Most feedback forms stop at the first answer. “It was fine” tells you nothing. The follow-up is where the reason comes out: the delivery was late, the price wasn't clear, or the staff were great but the website was confusing.
If you send the questions with Sondering, an AI asks them one at a time in a short chat and asks one follow-up when an answer is vague. You get each conversation in full and a short summary of what came up most.
Send these questions as a short chat.
Start from this template, tell the AI about your business, and share one link. Free for early users, no account needed.