This article will guide you on how to create an inactive users survey about barriers to returning. If you want, you can instantly build your own survey with Specific in seconds. It’s as easy as it sounds.
Steps to create a survey for inactive users about barriers to returning
If you want to save time, just generate a survey with Specific—it literally takes a click.
Tell what survey you want.
Done.
You don’t even need to read any further if you’re pressed for time. With AI-generated surveys, expert knowledge is baked right in. The system will ask smart followup questions to really dig into users’ barriers and motivations—giving you insights you’d otherwise miss.
Why an inactive users barrier survey is a must
Without understanding why people leave or don’t come back, you’re flying blind. The average nonresponse rate for surveys is about 40%, which means decision-makers rarely hear from huge swaths of their user base [1]. That’s a massive blind spot. If you’re not running these surveys, you’re missing out on crucial context about churn, frustration, or unmet needs that would help you win those users back.
Importance of inactive users recognition survey: It’s your best shot at surfacing hidden obstacles that drive people away.
Benefits of inactive users feedback: You get unfiltered perspectives—from slow loading times, missing features, confusing UX, or problems that only crop up once someone tries to use your service again.
The value goes beyond numbers. Only 11% of consumers feel they get an experience worthy of their loyalty [3]. So these surveys help teams prioritize what truly matters—before it’s too late.
Skipping this type of user survey means leaving retention, revenue, and growth on the table. You risk repeating the same mistakes—releasing features nobody values, sending irrelevant campaigns, or failing to address the real reasons users churn.
What makes a good survey on barriers to returning?
A strong survey about barriers to returning needs to ask clear, unbiased questions that are approachable and relatable. That means plain language, no jargon, and a tone that invites honest feedback. The easier you make it for people to share the truth, the more honest and actionable their responses.
Here’s a quick look at what not to do, and what works better:
Bad Practices | Good Practices |
|---|---|
Double-barreled questions | One idea per question |
Judgmental tone | Conversational, neutral |
Too many required fields | Lean, focused set of questions |
The best measure of survey quality is both the quantity and quality of responses. You want lots of feedback—but it has to be genuine and detailed, not half-hearted or ambiguous.
What are the best question types and examples for inactive users survey about barriers to returning?
It’s smart to mix question types to balance structured data with deeper insights. Let’s walk through the best options:
Open-ended questions let inactive users explain barriers in their own words. Use these when you want detail, examples, or context you may not anticipate. They’re invaluable for uncovering surprises:
“What is the main reason you haven’t used our product lately?”
“Is there anything that would make you consider returning?”
Single-select multiple-choice questions are great for quickly qualifying common issues and making results easier to analyze at scale. They work best when you’ve already identified the likely barriers:
Which of the following best explains why you stopped using our service?
Lack of useful features
Technical issues (bugs, slow loading)
Too expensive
Other (please specify)
NPS (Net Promoter Score) question is great when you want to segment respondents by likelihood to return and trigger custom followups that probe deeper. If you want to automatically create an NPS survey for inactive users on barriers to returning, try using this AI generator.
On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague, given your recent experience?
Followup questions to uncover "the why": These are essential when you get a vague or brief answer. Always probe with a followup to clarify the specifics and understand the emotional drivers. Examples:
“Can you elaborate on what made using our site difficult?”
“What feature would help you return?”
If you want to explore more best questions for inactive users about barriers to returning, or need more examples and tips, check out our full guide.
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey mimics a natural chat—questions flow in a sequence, the respondent feels heard, and the AI responds in real time. Most traditional survey tools fire off long, static forms that feel impersonal and cause drop-off (especially critical if you remember that slow loading times massively hurt completion rates; your survey should load in under 3 seconds for best outcomes [2]).
Manual Survey Creation | AI Survey Generation |
|---|---|
Time-consuming | Instant: AI builds the survey for you |
Why use AI for inactive users surveys? AI removes hours of manual work, plus it guarantees follow-ups and phrasing born from best practices. You get an AI survey example that is always up to date, covers blind spots, and is ready to launch immediately. When you build with Specific, you also get a top-tier conversational experience—questions and followups flow effortlessly, making participation almost frictionless. If you want to learn how to build a conversational survey for inactive users (with step-by-step walkthroughs), we’ve got a full article just for that.
The power of follow-up questions
Traditional, static forms often stop at superficial answers. The real unlock comes from automated AI followup questions—Specific’s specialty. Our AI reads each response and instantly asks smart, contextual followups (like a human researcher would). This turns every reply into a deep-dive interview without extra work for your team. It also feels natural to users and saves you from chasing clarification by email.
Inactive user: “Just didn’t have time.”
AI follow-up: “Would a shorter onboarding process or flexible scheduling encourage you to return?”
How many followups to ask? In most cases, two to three followup questions per topic is the sweet spot. That’s enough to clarify and get the crucial context, while keeping the conversation moving. Specific’s AI lets you fine-tune this and automatically skips followups if the answer is already detailed.
This makes it a conversational survey—where feedback becomes a back-and-forth, unlocking honesty and nuance other survey formats rarely achieve.
AI response analysis, qualitative survey analysis: Even when you end up with a mountain of unstructured text, AI makes it simple. If you want to learn how to analyze all the qualitative data, check out our guide on analyzing survey responses from inactive users about barriers to returning.
Try generating a survey and see how interactive, automated followups create a whole new level of insight and engagement—you’ll notice what your old forms were missing.
See this barriers to returning survey example now
Ready to reach inactive users and uncover barriers holding them back? Create your own survey now and tap into richer insights in minutes—the fastest, smartest path to reconnect with those you’re missing.