Building a strong voice of the customer program starts with writing questions that not only gather responses but spark real insight. It’s not enough to ask what customers think—you need to ask it in a way that’s thoughtful, focused, and aligned with the experience you’re trying to understand.

In this guide, we’re not just naming survey frameworks like NPS or CSAT—we’re showing you how to write better questions for each one. You’ll learn common pitfalls, ways to improve phrasing, and why tone and timing matter just as much as structure. The result? More meaningful feedback and sharper, more actionable data.

Survey Design Approaches for Better Insights

When writing survey questions, aim for clarity and empathy over cleverness. The goal isn’t to sound smart—it’s to get answers you can use. Whether you're focusing on product feedback, customer support, or brand loyalty, the seven frameworks below offer practical guidance on how to phrase your questions for better results.

1. Expectation: Understanding What Customers Thought Would Happen

Before you ask how things went, it helps to know what people were expecting in the first place. That’s where expectation-based questions come in. These questions set the baseline for how your customer judges their experience.

For example: “Before purchasing, what level of support did you expect from us?” A five-point Likert scale works well here, offering a range from "Much lower than expected" to "Much higher than expected."

It’s best to ask expectation questions early in your survey, before the respondent starts reflecting on what actually happened.

Tips for Writing Better Expectation Questions

• Avoid asking vague questions like "What were your expectations?" They leave room for confusion. Be specific: “What were you expecting when you first logged into your dashboard?”
• Instead of asking, "Did we meet your expectations?" try: "Before your onboarding session, what kind of support were you expecting?"
• Avoid language that assumes satisfaction or disappointment. For example, use “What were you expecting before our first meeting?” rather than “Did everything meet your expectations?”
• Keep it conversational. Say “What did you think would happen when you clicked submit?” rather than “What expectations did you hold prior to initiating the transaction?”
• Ask these questions early—before customers reflect on what actually happened. Example: “Before your appointment, what were you hoping the visit would include?”
• Tie the question to your brand promise: “Did you expect 24/7 response time when you reached out for support?”

Less effective: "Were your expectations met?"

Stronger option: "What did you expect to happen during your first use of the product?"

2. Effort (CES): Was It Easy?

Nobody wants to jump through hoops just to solve a problem. The Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how easy (or hard) it was for your customer to get help or complete a task.

Try this: “How easy was it to resolve your issue today?” Use a 1–7 scale, with a follow-up question for scores of 4 or lower: “What made it difficult?”

Tips for Writing Better Effort Questions

• Avoid using formal or vague wording like “ease of transaction resolution.” It sounds robotic and distant. Try: “Was it straightforward to place your order today?”
• Refer to specific steps or outcomes. Instead of asking “How easy was the process?”, ask: “How easy was it to reset your password?” or “How easy was it to complete checkout?”
• Do be conversational and specific. Don’t assume a certain answer or use internal jargon. Try: “Did you run into any roadblocks when getting started with the app?”
• Avoid words like “workflow” or “processes.” Use simple terms: “Was it easy to follow the steps?” instead of “Was our onboarding workflow intuitive?”
• Tie effort questions to a specific action or interaction. For example: “How easy was it to get help from our live chat agent today?” rather than “Was the resolution process smooth?”

Less helpful: "How easy was the resolution process for your service inquiry?"

More relatable: "Was it easy to get the help you needed today?"

3. Outcome (CSAT): Did It Work Out?

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) questions are the old reliable of VoC surveys—for good reason. They tell you if a customer was happy with a specific experience.

A classic example: “Overall, how satisfied are you with your purchase today?” Stick with a five-point scale to keep things simple and benchmarkable.

Tips for Writing Better CSAT Questions

• Avoid asking general or overly broad questions like "How was your experience?" Instead, clarify the context: “How satisfied were you with the checkout process?”
• Name the touchpoint directly. Rather than “Were you satisfied?”, try “How satisfied were you with the delivery tracking updates?”
• Do align the question with a specific transaction or interaction. Don’t try to measure too much with one question. Break it up: one for product, another for support.
• Keep the tone neutral and respectful. Avoid phrases like “How amazing was...” Instead, use: “How would you rate your satisfaction with the issue resolution?”

Less effective: "Were you happy with everything we offered?"

More useful: "How satisfied were you with the response time from our support team?"

4. Loyalty (NPS): Would They Recommend You?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a powerful tool for measuring customer loyalty. The core question is: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” Customers respond on a scale of 0 to 10.

Then, always ask: “Why did you give that score?” That’s where the gold is.

Tips for Writing Better NPS Questions

• Avoid asking the NPS question without context or a follow-up. Instead of jumping to “Would you recommend us?”, set it up: “Based on your latest interaction…”
• Instead of just “How likely are you to recommend us?”, consider “After resolving your issue today, how likely are you to recommend our support team to others?”
• Do follow up with “What’s the main reason for your score?” Don’t leave the answer as a number. For example: “Tell us more about what influenced your score today.”
• Keep the wording casual and brand-appropriate. “Friend or colleague” works broadly, but for specific industries, say: “Would you recommend our platform to another team in your field?”

Less effective: "Would you refer our brand to someone you know?"More helpful: "Based on your recent experience, how likely are you to recommend us to a colleague or friend?"

5. Emotion: How Did It Make Them Feel?

Experience is emotional, not just functional. Asking about emotions can unlock insights you won’t get from ratings alone.

Example: “Which of the following emotions best describes your experience?” Or: “How did this interaction make you feel?”

Tips for Writing Better Emotion Questions

• Avoid asking only about satisfaction or sentiment, which may overlook the nuances of customer emotion. Instead, ask: “What emotion best describes how you felt after the call?”
• Instead of just “How do you feel about the service?”, try “What emotion best describes your last interaction with our team?”
• Do use simple, relatable emotions (e.g., happy, frustrated, confused). Don’t offer too many choices—keep it digestible. Limit to 4–6 clear options.
• Use approachable, human-centered language. This isn’t about diagnosing mood—it’s about understanding how your brand makes people feel. For example: “Did you feel reassured or more confused after speaking with us?”

Less effective: “Please rate your sentiment toward our platform.”

More useful: “Did you feel supported and understood during your interaction with us?”

6. Resolution: Was the Problem Solved?

If your survey follows a support or service interaction, this one’s a must. Simply ask: “Was your issue resolved?” (Yes/No)

Then, for "No" responses, follow up: “What’s still unresolved?”

Tips for Writing Better Resolution Questions

• Avoid asking only if the issue was resolved. It misses depth. Instead: “Did our team resolve your issue in a way that met your expectations?”
• Rather than simply "Was your issue resolved?", try: “Is anything still unresolved after this interaction?” to prompt more accurate responses.
• Do keep the main question binary for quick data, but follow it with: “Please describe anything still outstanding.”
• Use language that conveys care. Say: “Do you feel your issue was fully addressed?” rather than “Was it handled?”

Less informative: "Was your problem fixed?"

More meaningful: "Do you feel your concern was addressed and resolved during this support experience?"

7. Open-Probe: What Else Do They Want You to Know?

Sometimes, the most valuable feedback is the stuff you didn’t think to ask. Open-ended questions give your customers a chance to raise issues, ideas, or praise that would otherwise go unheard.

Try: “If you could change one thing about your experience, what would it be?”

Tips for Writing Better Open-Probe Questions

• Avoid asking overly broad prompts like “Any other thoughts?” Instead, try: “What’s one thing you would improve about today’s experience?”
• Provide framing that invites specifics. For example: “Is there anything you expected but didn’t receive during your last visit?”
• Do encourage honesty by saying “Tell us what didn’t work—big or small.” Don’t suggest only positive feedback is welcome.
• Use inviting, conversational tone. Instead of “Provide any additional feedback,” say: “What else should we know to improve?”
• Even one sentence can reveal something new. Prompt it: “Is there anything we missed that you’d like to mention?”

Less inviting: "Anything else to add?"

More thoughtful: "What’s one thing you’d like us to do better next time?"

Wrapping It Up: Smarter Surveys Start with Intentional Design

Crafting a great VoC survey doesn’t mean writing more questions. It means writing better questions that connect to real customer experiences and the outcomes your team cares about. With these seven frameworks, you can build surveys that do just that.

Want to take it a step further? Try feeding your open-ended responses into Thematic to see themes, trends, and sentiment in real time. The better your questions, the better your data—and the easier it becomes to take action.

Try Thematic on your own data.