Voice of customer survey: best questions for messaging that improve your website copy

A well-crafted voice of customer survey can transform your website messaging from guesswork into precision copy that resonates with your audience.

Understanding how customers perceive and describe your value proposition is crucial for boosting conversions and building trust.

In this article, I’ll break down the best questions for messaging improvement and show you how conversational AI surveys can dig deeper into customer language, so your website copy feels like it’s written by your best customers.

Questions that reveal how customers understand your value

When it comes to website messaging, value proposition clarity is everything. If visitors can’t quickly “get” what you do or why you matter, they won’t stick around. Customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than those that aren't—clear messaging is a big driver behind that advantage. [1]

Here are a few of my go-to questions that test whether your value proposition actually lands:

• “What would you say we do?”
  If a customer can summarize your offering in their own words, you know your core message is breaking through. If their answer misses the mark, your homepage copy probably isn’t as clear as you think.

• “How would you describe our product to a colleague?”
  This question reveals the real vocabulary and metaphors your customers use. These phrases are gold for rewriting your headlines and product pages.

• “What made you decide to try our product?”
  You’ll uncover which benefits stood out and motivated action. Sometimes, it’s an unexpected detail or feature you’ve neglected in your current copy.

The best way to capture these insights is right after users see your messaging in context. That’s where Specific’s in-product conversational survey widget comes in. By triggering these questions in-app (after signup, feature adoption, or payment), you catch responses while users’ impressions are still fresh. The conversational format leads to richer, more honest answers compared to a generic feedback form.

Questions that surface hidden objections and doubts

Knowing what nearly drove your customers away is just as crucial as understanding why they converted. Companies that successfully act on customer feedback enjoy 20-50% higher customer retention rates, showing the clear connection between addressing concerns and keeping users engaged. [2]

To dig into the frictions in your funnel, I use questions like:

• “What almost stopped you from signing up?”

• “What concerns did you have before trying our product?”

• “What questions did you have that our website didn’t answer?”

Plain open-ended questions are powerful, but conversational AI unlocks another level. With automatic AI follow-up questions, you can immediately probe deeper—for example, if a user mentions price, the survey can dig into why pricing felt risky or what competitor they compared you with.

AI: “You mentioned being unsure about the pricing. Was it unclear how it compared to alternatives, or were you worried about long-term costs?”

This kind of dynamic probing uncovers specific objections about trust, integration, support, or anything else. The result? A playbook of messaging tweaks to address those doubts the minute they surface.

Questions that capture authentic customer language

There’s usually a chasm between how companies describe themselves and how actual customers talk. Your prospects don’t care about “game-changing solutions”—they care about solving real, everyday problems. Using customer language is how your messaging connects and converts. 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide personalized offers and recommendations—and personalization often starts with just using the right words. [3]

Here’s how I uncover the actual phrases and concepts real customers use:

• “What problem were you trying to solve when you found us?”

• “What specific outcome are you hoping to achieve?”

• “How do you measure success with our product?”

Just to illustrate the gap, here’s a quick visual comparison:

Capturing these phrases isn’t just academic—it directly influences how you write homepage headlines, feature blurbs, and even support docs. You’ll find more tips for using customer-inspired vocabulary in our collection of survey templates and AI-powered survey prompts.

Questions that test if your promises land

Even a clear promise can fall flat if customers think it’s exaggerated or irrelevant. I’ve seen teams obsess over making their claims punchy, only to discover their audience doesn’t quite buy it. That’s why it’s essential to test believability and comprehension directly.

I rely on questions like:

• “What seems too good to be true about our offering?”
  This surfaces skepticism that you’ll need to address with social proof or specific, credible examples.

• “Which of our features/benefits matter most to you?”
  Prioritization here shows you which promises deserve the spotlight and which can move lower down the page.

• “What proof would make you more confident in our solution?”
  Maybe it’s customer logos, trial periods, or benchmarking data.

Analyzing these responses for patterns is where AI shines. Tools like AI survey response analysis can quickly show if a certain claim repeatedly triggers skepticism or confusion, so you can zero in on messaging problems. Example analysis prompts you can use:

“Show me all the responses where people questioned our free trial offer.”

“What themes are common in answers to ‘what seems too good to be true?’”

“Which feature claims were described as confusing?”

With this data in hand, you can target your messaging updates for real impact.

Making voice of customer surveys conversational

Traditional website forms tend to miss the real nuance of customer feedback. Conversational surveys, especially in-product ones, feel like a friendly dialogue, making people more willing to share honest, detailed thoughts.

I’ve found the highest-quality feedback comes from placing conversational surveys at key moments—after the first time someone gets value (“aha moment”), during onboarding, or right after a major action like purchase or upgrade. In-product surveys, like those available with Specific’s chat widget, make it easy to reach people when those moments are fresh.

If you’re not asking these questions, you’re missing insights that could double your conversion rates. The beauty of conversational surveys is that they adapt to how your audience talks, clarify unclear answers instantly, and let you keep digging without extra interviews. You don’t need to start from scratch, either—the AI survey generator can help you create customized messaging surveys in minutes.

Start capturing customer language today

Great messaging starts with listening—real, unfiltered feedback is what turns bland copy into conversion gold. Don’t settle for guesswork: create your own voice of customer survey and start transforming your website with authentic language that speaks directly to your customers’ needs.