Best questions for inactive users survey about value perception

Here are some of the best questions for an inactive users survey about value perception, along with tips for crafting an effective survey. If you want to quickly build a survey like this, you can generate one in seconds with Specific’s AI-powered tools. Build your survey now.

Best open-ended questions for inactive users surveys about value perception

Open-ended questions give inactive users space to share what’s truly on their mind—no leading answers, just honest context. They’re ideal for uncovering motivations, frustrations, or invisible blockers and work especially well at the start of a conversation or when exploring the "why" behind user decisions.

Here are 10 open-ended questions tailored for better understanding value perception among inactive users:

1. What made you originally interested in our product or service?

2. Can you describe what changed that led you to stop using our product?

3. What was the most valuable feature or aspect you found before you became inactive?

4. Were there any moments or changes that caused you to rethink the value?

5. Is there something missing that would make you want to return?

6. How did our product compare to alternatives you considered or now use?

7. Can you share an experience where our product did not meet your expectations?

8. What’s one improvement that would make you reconsider using us?

9. If you could change anything about our service, what would it be?

10. What would you tell a friend if they asked whether it’s worth trying us?

Open-ended questions like these keep your survey flexible and human. Plus, they help avoid bias and often surface insights you didn’t know to ask for in multiple-choice format. Not surprisingly, **engaged, conversational designs increase survey response rates by up to 10% compared to rigid forms**—and tend to capture deeper context from each participant. [2]

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for inactive users surveys about value perception

Single-select multiple-choice questions work best when you want to quantify patterns or lower the effort for users to respond. They’re helpful for validation, quick diagnostics, and setting up natural follow-up questions (especially when people are time-strapped). For inactive users, this combination is powerful: short options get answers flowing, and then you dig deeper when necessary.

Question: What was the primary reason you stopped using our product?

• Didn’t see enough value

• Found a better alternative

• Too expensive

• Lacked key features

• Other

Question: How well do you feel our product solved your needs before you became inactive?

• Extremely well

• Somewhat well

• Neutral

• Poorly

• Very poorly

Question: Would you consider trying our product again in the future?

• Yes, definitely

• Maybe

• No

When to follow up with "why?" Whenever a user chooses an option that signals a potential blocker (like “Didn’t see enough value” or “Poorly”), always follow up with “Why did you feel that way?” or “What would have changed your mind?” This uncovers actionable, story-driven feedback. For example, if someone selects “Lacked key features,” a follow-up can prompt them to describe what features were missing—turning a vague signal into a playbook for improvements.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Always offer “Other” when the obvious options might not cover everyone’s story. Unexpected answers often turn into unique insights, especially when paired with a follow-up prompt for clarification. Inactive users sometimes have reasons you never anticipated, so let them fill in the gaps. Follow-up questions here catch gems standard choices would miss.

Should you use an NPS-type question for value perception surveys?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) isn’t just for active customers. For inactive users, NPS measures latent loyalty: “How likely are you to recommend us—even if you’re not using us now?” It quickly diagnoses if your value perception problem is acute or just a blip. A low NPS signals fundamental dissatisfaction; a neutral or positive one may reveal other causes behind inactivity, like changing needs or external events.

You can generate a tailored NPS inactive user survey with Specific.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions elevate surveys from data collection to smart, human conversations. Instead of accepting ambiguous answers, you use contextual probing to gather real color. That’s where Specific’s automated follow-up questions come in—the AI listens to each reply and responds instantly like an expert interviewer, surfacing motivations, blockers, or surprises you’d otherwise miss. This can make or break a survey: response rates are notoriously low with generic, one-off surveys, sometimes dipping well below 10% for online formats. In contrast, personalized follow-up contacts can recover up to 30% of initial nonresponders and multiple reminders can boost response rates by up to 85% [3].

• Inactive User: “It just didn’t work out for me.”

• AI follow-up: “Can you share a specific example when our product didn’t work as you expected?”

How many followups to ask? In our experience, 2–3 contextual follow-ups are the sweet spot. Too many become tiring, but not enough and you risk missing the real “why.” It’s best to enable a skip-to-next setting once you’ve gathered what you need—Specific gives you granular control over this.

This makes it a conversational survey: Instead of a cold form, you get a back-and-forth dialogue that feels natural and engaging. That’s what makes the experience “conversational”—and why users are more likely to share honestly.

AI survey analysis, instant summaries, automated insights: Don’t stress about piles of unstructured text. AI can analyze the responses, summarizing and clustering feedback in seconds—even when you have hundreds of open-ended replies.

Automated follow-up questions are a new standard in survey design. Try generating a sample survey with this feature; the experience of a real conversation is remarkably different from a static form.

How to prompt ChatGPT (or other AI) for better questions

If you prefer brainstorming questions yourself with ChatGPT or another AI, start simple:

First prompt (basic):

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for inactive users survey about value perception.

To get better, more relevant results, always provide extra context about your goals, your audience, and any specifics that might shape the questions:

We are running a survey to understand why users stopped using our SaaS platform. Our main goal is to improve value perception and uncover any missing features or blockers. Please suggest 10 open-ended questions focused on capturing honest stories and actionable feedback.

Once you have your initial list, use this:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Next, choose categories to explore further and say:

Generate 10 questions for categories “missing features” and “value for money”.

This targeted approach gives you a mix of breadth and depth, just like a seasoned researcher.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey is a dynamic, chat-like experience—instead of static forms, respondents interact with an AI agent that adapts questions in real time. You get richer, more natural feedback, and users feel heard, not interrogated. This approach is at the heart of AI survey generation and why we’re passionate about it at Specific. You design the structure, and the AI brings it to life, probing for details and following up contextually based on each answer.

Why use AI for inactive users surveys? Because AI-based, conversational surveys adapt to each user, reducing friction and bias. They generate higher engagement, clarify ambiguous answers, and help you surface the insights that really matter about value perception. And with Specific, you create and launch these surveys in minutes—with best-in-class UX for both creators and respondents. If you want a practical walkthrough, we’ve published a step-by-step guide on how to create an inactive users value perception survey.

See this value perception survey example now

Ready to get deep insights from your inactive users? Specific’s conversational surveys offer a unique blend of speed, depth, and actionable analysis. See for yourself how easy it is to create a high-converting value perception survey—your next breakthrough could just be a conversation away!