Creating a customer satisfaction survey that actually captures meaningful feedback requires asking the right questions at the right time. If you want to learn how to create a customer satisfaction survey that works, you're in the right place.
We’ll cover the best questions for a customer satisfaction survey, grouped by objective—NPS, CSAT, CES, and open-ended. You’ll see exactly how AI follow-ups can dig deeper for actionable insights.
While traditional forms often miss subtle signals, a modern conversational AI survey can probe for the “why” behind every answer—helping your team understand what matters most.
NPS questions that reveal the complete story
Net Promoter Score (NPS) was built to measure the ultimate driver of business success: customer loyalty. The standard NPS question is: “How likely are you to recommend [product/service] to a friend or colleague?” This single, simple question unlocks a powerful customer satisfaction benchmark.
NPS responses fall into three categories:
Category | Score |
|---|---|
Promoters | 9-10 |
Passives | 7-8 |
Detractors | 0-6 |
The secret to getting more from NPS is personalized AI follow-up. With Specific’s dynamic NPS branching, each segment receives custom follow-ups:
Promoters: “What specifically do you love most about our service?”
Passives: “What would make this a 10 for you?”
Detractors: “What’s the main issue affecting your experience?”
These don’t come from a script; they’re generated dynamically by AI in real time—just like a thoughtful human interviewer. This leads to richer, more honest feedback, not bland platitudes. According to Forrester, brands that excel at customer experience grow revenues 5.1x faster than those that don’t, and understanding the “why” behind NPS is a key part of that advantage. [1]
With Specific, you can also set tailored ending messages for each group—thanking Promoters, encouraging Passives to stay engaged, and showing Detractors you value their input and are listening.
CSAT questions for immediate feedback
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) surveys provide a real-time snapshot of satisfaction at key touchpoints. This is where you measure feelings right after an experience—like finishing a support chat or receiving a delivery.
Here are three sample CSAT question formats:
“How satisfied were you with your recent support interaction?” (5-point scale)
“Rate your checkout experience.” (Star rating)
“How happy are you with the product quality?” (Emoji scale)
AI follow-ups in Specific adapt to the initial score. For happy customers, a natural next question might be: “What made this so good?” For negative feedback, AI will gently dig deeper: “Can you share one thing we could improve?”
“If the respondent rates 2/5 or 3/5, ask the AI to explore which specific aspect could have gone better, but make sure the tone remains neutral and supportive.”
This approach not only delivers more actionable feedback, but lowers friction for unhappy customers. Multi-language support in Specific ensures people answer comfortably in their preferred language, which can lift response rates and accuracy. As Zendesk reports, CSAT is 35% higher when customers engage in their chosen language. [2]
CSAT works well both inside your product and as a standalone conversational survey page, making moments of truth count wherever they happen.
CES questions to measure friction
Customer Effort Score (CES) sheds light on a question every business should ask: “How easy is it for customers to get what they need?” Reducing effort increases loyalty—Gartner found that 96% of customers who had high-effort experiences became more disloyal, while only 9% of those with low-effort journeys did. [3]
Try one of these examples in your CES section:
“How easy was it to resolve your issue today?”
“The company made it easy for me to handle my issue.” (Agree/Disagree scale)
CES is especially good at surfacing process issues that classic satisfaction scores can miss. With Specific’s AI, the follow-up flow might look like:
For low effort (“Very easy”): “What made this process smooth for you?”
For high effort: “Which part of the process required the most effort?”
Good practice | Bad practice |
|---|---|
AI probes for specific friction points (“What took the most time or felt confusing?”) | Only asks for a score, no follow-up |
Responses inform clear process improvements | Misses context, can’t diagnose weak spots |
CES is invaluable for support teams and product managers focused on smoothing the path for users. When you know exactly where friction lives, you can fix it.
Open-ended questions that spark real conversations
Open-ended questions are where the richest insights appear—if you ask and listen well. Structured ratings tell you where the fire is, but open text answers show what’s burning. Here’s a set of questions for different scenarios:
“What’s been your experience with our product so far?”
“If you could change one thing about our service, what would it be?”
“What problem were you trying to solve when you found us?”
“How has our product impacted your daily workflow?”
AI follow-ups make these questions exponentially more valuable. If someone answers “it’s okay,” Specific’s AI follow-up engine will clarify: “Could you share why it’s just okay, and what might make it better?”
Teams can instantly analyze and summarize open-ended responses with Specific’s AI. This conversational style not only keeps people engaged—it reveals actionable detail that’s easy to surface and discuss.
You can instruct the AI to probe for certain topics (“Ask for use cases but avoid budget questions unless raised first”). That flexibility helps you learn faster without making respondents feel they’re being interrogated.
Building your complete customer satisfaction survey
The magic happens when you combine these question types in a smart flow. Open with broader questions, then follow the “breadcrumb trail” as respondents signal what matters most. With the AI survey generator, you can build the entire customer satisfaction survey just by explaining your goals in natural language.
For best survey flow:
Start with a warm greeting and set expectations (“This survey takes about 3 minutes and helps us improve.”)
Lead with an NPS or CSAT question to establish a benchmark.
Use AI-powered follow-ups based on segment (Promoters, Detractors, happy/unhappy, high-effort/low-effort).
Add targeted open-ended questions midway—tailor them based on earlier answers.
Finish with a forward-looking question (“What’s one thing we could do to make your next experience even better?”)
It’s worth putting thought into the final message. Here’s how I like to wrap up:
Thank respondents by name where possible—it feels more genuine.
Set expectations (“We review every suggestion and will follow up if you opt in.”)
Allow space for extra comments, and let the conversation continue in Specific if a customer wants to elaborate.
With Specific’s AI survey editor, you can change any question or flow step just by chatting with the tool—no complex building or logic trees. Whether you share your survey as a Conversational Survey Page or place it inside your product via an in-product conversational survey, every format supports the full spectrum of questions and AI follow-ups.
Turn feedback into action
The right survey questions—paired with real AI follow-up—turn scattered feedback into clear, actionable signals. It’s not just about what you ask, but how deeply you understand the responses. Specific’s AI engine can spot patterns and surface insights across hundreds of conversations in seconds.
Create your own customer satisfaction survey to learn what your customers really think—and start building better experiences with every answer.
When you uncover the motivations, blockers, and delights hiding behind every response, you’re equipped not just to measure satisfaction, but to raise it.