Customer satisfaction survey template with NPS and effort questions
A customer satisfaction survey template for three moments: after a solved ticket, once a quarter (NPS) and after onboarding. Exact questions and scales, replies for low scores, review rules, a filled example and an Excel log that computes CSAT, NPS and effort.
Made by Anatolii Ulitovskyi 
Fact-checked by RH Fardin Updated 1. Customer satisfaction survey after a solved ticket
Within 24 hoursThis customer satisfaction survey template goes out once, within 24 hours after you close a ticket: three questions to tap and one optional comment. Copy the questions as they are into your own survey or form tool and send the link from your mailbox.
Subject3 quick questions about your request, ref. reference
EmailHi first name,
Your name closed your request about topic on day. How did it go? Three questions, one tap each:
1. Is your issue solved?
Yes / No
2. How satisfied are you with the help you got?
1 Very dissatisfied, 2, 3, 4, 5 Very satisfied
3. Company made it easy for me to handle my issue.
1 Strongly disagree, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Strongly agree
4. Anything we should have done differently? (optional)
survey link
Review owner reads every answer. If something went wrong, you will hear back within one business day.
Your name, company
Chat version, before you close the chatBefore I close this chat: is your issue solved? A yes or no is enough.
If yes: Thank you, first name. When the chat ends you will see a star rating. One tap tells us how we did.
If no: Thank you for telling me. What is still not working? I will keep this chat open.
Rules
- Send it only when you believe the issue is solved. Not solved yet? Keep working; do not survey.
- One send, no reminder.
- Skip customers who had any survey email in the last 90 days or have an open complaint (tab 7).
- Low answer: Solved No, satisfaction 1 or 2, or effort 1 to 3. The review owner replies within one business day (tab 4).
NeverPut an NPS question or a review link in the same email. One survey, one purpose.
2. NPS survey questions: the standard wording and one why
Once a quarter at mostSend this to active customers once a quarter, in the same week each quarter. It measures the whole relationship, not one ticket. Bain calls it relationship NPS: asked without a trigger, to get a general sense of how customers feel1.
SubjectOne question from company
EmailHi first name,
Once a quarter we ask our customers one question, and I read every answer myself.
How likely is it that you would recommend company to a friend or colleague?
0 Not at all likely, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Extremely likely
What is the main reason for your score? (optional)
survey link
If your answer needs a reply, you will hear from me within one business day.
Your name, role, company
Short version for chat or textOne question from company: how likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague, from 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely)? And the main reason, if you have a moment.
What each score means
| Score | Group | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| 9 or 10 | Promoter | Thank-you within a week (tab 5) |
| 7 or 8 | Passive | Read the reason; reply if they name a fix |
| 0 to 6 | Detractor | Reply within 1 business day (tab 4) |
Rules
- The same wording and the same 0 to 10 scale every quarter, or the scores do not compare.
- NPS = % of promoters minus % of detractors2. Passives count only in the total.
- One reminder at most, 5 business days later, to those who did not answer.
- Skip customers who had any survey email in the last 90 days.
NeverAdd a list of extra questions. Fred Reichheld, who introduced NPS, warned that more questions lower response rates and the reliability of your sample3.
3. Onboarding survey: set up, easy, and the hardest part
Send this once per customer, on day 30 or when onboarding is finished, whichever comes first. It checks the promise you made at the start while the setup is still fresh.
SubjectIs everything set up the way we agreed?
EmailHi first name,
It has been 30 days since you started with company. Two quick questions and one optional one:
1. Is everything we agreed at the start now set up and working?
Yes / No
2. Company made it easy for me to get started.
1 Strongly disagree, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Strongly agree
3. What was the hardest part of getting started? (optional)
survey link
If anything is not set up yet, onboarding owner will reply within one business day with a date to finish it.
Your name, company
If they answer NoThank you, first name. You told us item is not set up yet. Onboarding owner will finish it by date, and I will confirm by email when it is done.
Rules
- Once per customer, never repeated.
- It counts toward the 90-day cap: if the next quarterly NPS falls within 90 days, skip it for them.
- The onboarding owner reads every answer, not only the low ones.
Use the answersTwo customers name the same hardest step? Fix that step in your onboarding checklist this month.
4. After a low score: who reads it and what to send
1 business dayA low score is Solved No, satisfaction 1 or 2, effort 1 to 3, or NPS 0 to 6. Every one gets a personal reply within one business day.
Who does what
- ReadThe review owner reads the answer with the ticket or chat history.
- ReplyWithin one business day: thank them, name the specific problem, say what changes.
- Fix or offer a callFix what is still broken, or offer a short call. Never argue with the score.
- Log itReplied on and the action in the response log, and a note on the contact.
Low satisfaction or effort, subjectYour answer about topic: thank you, and what we are changing
Low satisfaction or effort, emailHi first name,
Thank you for your honest answer about topic. You said their words, short, and you are right: what went wrong, in one line.
What we are changing: the change, with a day.
If it is still not working: owner will fix it by day and time.
If you would like to talk it through, reply with a time and I will call you.
Your name, role, company
Detractor (NPS 0 to 6), emailHi first name,
Thank you for answering our quarterly question. You gave us score and said: 'their reason'. That helps, and I am sorry we fell short.
What you are doing about it, with a day.
One more question, if you have a minute: what one thing would make the biggest difference for you? One line is enough.
Your name, role, company
Detractor with no commentHi first name, thank you for answering our quarterly question. You gave us score, and I would like to understand why. In one line, what should we do better? Your name
Solved: NoHi first name, you told us your request about topic is not solved. I have reopened it as reference, and owner will next step by day and time. Sorry we closed it too early.
Never
- Ask them to change their score.
- Offer anything in return for a better score or a review.
- Send a reply that does not mention what they said.
- Reply from a no-reply address.
5. Close the loop with promoters, without review gating
Google and FTC rulesPromoters and customers who answer 4 or 5 get a thank-you that shows you read what they wrote. Review requests follow their own rule: the same ask, at the same step, for every customer, whatever their score.
Thank-you to a promoter, subjectThank you for your answer, first name
Thank-you to a promoter, emailHi first name,
Thank you for answering our quarterly question, and for the score. You wrote: 'their reason'. I shared it with team member, who what they did.
We will keep doing the thing they valued. If anything ever slips, reply to this email and it comes straight to me.
Your name, role, company
Passive (7 or 8) who named a fixHi first name, thank you for the score and for telling us their point. From day, we are what you will change. If there is anything else we should improve, I would like to hear it.
Review request, the same for every customerOne more thing, first name: if you have a minute, an honest review on review site helps other customers like them decide: review link. Good or bad, every review is welcome. If you would rather not, that is completely fine.
Review rules
- The survey score never decides who gets a review request. Google does not allow businesses to selectively solicit positive reviews4, and the FTC tells businesses not to ask only the customers they think will be positive5.
- No review link that appears only after a high score. That is review gating: show it to every respondent, or to no one.
- No discount, gift, credit or prize draw for a review. Google prohibits incentives for reviews4.
- Never suggest what the review should say.
ReferralsA promoter may welcome a referral ask later. Use the referral request templates: one ask, then stop.
6. CSAT, NPS and effort survey questions, word for word
Use the standard wording so your scores mean what they say and compare over time. Change only company and the topic.
6.1NPS: likely to recommend
QuestionHow likely is it that you would recommend company to a friend or colleague?
Scale0 to 10: 0 = Not at all likely, 10 = Extremely likely3.
Score% promoters (9-10) minus % detractors (0-6)2, from -100 to +100.
Then askWhat is the main reason for your score?
6.2CSAT: satisfied with this help
QuestionHow satisfied are you with the help you got?
Scale1 to 5: 1 = Very dissatisfied, 5 = Very satisfied.
ScoreAnswers of 4 or 5 divided by all answers. Zendesk, for example, counts 4 and 5 as good on a 1 to 5 scale6.
6.3CES: easy to get it done
StatementCompany made it easy for me to handle my issue7.
Scale1 to 7: 1 = Strongly disagree, 7 = Strongly agree.
ScoreThe average of all answers7. Higher is easier.
6.4Solved: did it work?
QuestionIs your issue solved?
AnswersYes / No
ScoreYes answers divided by all answers. A No reopens the ticket.
6.5Comment: the reason
QuestionAnything we should have done differently? (optional)
RuleOne open question per survey, always last, never required.
Which questions for which moment
| Moment | Ask | Do not ask |
|---|---|---|
| After a ticket or chat | Solved, CSAT, effort, comment | NPS |
| Every quarter | NPS and the reason | CSAT, effort |
| After onboarding | Set up, effort, hardest part | NPS in the same email |
Keep the scales1 to 5 for satisfaction, 1 to 7 for effort and 0 to 10 for NPS, in every survey, so this quarter compares with the last.
7. Survey frequency cap, review owner and completion check
Completion checkThe rules for whoever sends the surveys. Agree on them once, write in the owners' names and check them every month.
Survey plan
| Survey | When | Who gets it | Review owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| After a ticket or chat | Within 24 hours of closing | Solved tickets, if no survey in 90 days | support lead |
| Quarterly NPS | Same week each quarter | Active customers, if no survey in 90 days | owner or manager |
| After onboarding | Day 30 or when done | Every new customer, once | onboarding owner |
Frequency cap
- One survey email per customer every 90 days at most, of any kind. Bain's best practice is a maximum of once every three months1.
- Two surveys due within 90 days: send the one for the moment that just happened.
- The star rating at the end of a chat is not an email and only appears in a chat the customer started. It does not count.
- No survey while a complaint is open.
Log for every answer
- Date, customer, survey and reference.
- Resolved status: Solved Yes or No.
- Satisfaction 1-5, effort rating 1-7 or NPS 0-10.
- The optional comment, word for word.
- Review owner, reply due, replied on, action taken.
Completion check
| Check | Done when | Filled example |
|---|---|---|
| Every answer logged | Within 1 business day | Omar's answer, logged Wed 30 Sep |
| Every low score answered | Replied on by the reply-due date | Replied Wed 30 Sep, 11:05 |
| Action recorded | Action column filled | Monday bank feed check |
| Cap respected | Nobody surveyed twice in 90 days | Omar skipped in the 1 Oct NPS |
| Monthly review done | One fix chosen and shared | Bank feed alerts from 5 Oct |
For small sales and support teams
End every chat with a star rating and answer low scores on time.
In CRMsoftware.pro, turn on Satisfaction Ratings and each chat ends with a star rating; the average, the distribution and the trend show in Analytics under Satisfaction. Each low score becomes a task with an assignee and a deadline. Survey emails go from your own mailbox or survey tool.
- Satisfaction Ratings: a star rating when a chat ends
- Tasks with Assignee and Deadline, Notes on every contact
- Free for 3 users; Launch, $19 a month billed yearly, adds human handover and analytics
Free plan: 3 users, AI chat and basic tasks, no credit card.
Filled example
One low score, answered the same morning
Cedarline Bookkeeping, a fictional 6-person firm with 140 small-business clients, sends this customer satisfaction survey template after every solved ticket. On Wednesday 30 September 2026, Omar Haddad of Saltbox Bakery answers with a 2.
Survey answer, filled in
| Survey | After a ticket, sent Wed 30 Sep, 08:00 |
| Reference | T-418, bank feed stopped, solved Tue 29 Sep |
| Solved | Yes |
| Satisfaction | 2 of 5: low |
| Effort | 2 of 7: low |
| Comment | Had to explain it twice; no alert |
| Review owner | Maya Chen, client services lead |
| Reply due | Thu 1 Oct (1 business day) |
Follow-up and CRM record
| Item | Recorded | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Read by the owner | Wed 30 Sep, 09:10, with the ticket | Done |
| Reply sent | Wed 30 Sep, 11:05, under 3 hours | Done |
| Task | Bank feed check, Dana Ruiz, deadline Mon 5 Oct | Done |
| Notes on the contact | Feed stopped 21 Sep; explained twice; prefers email | Done |
| Response log | Replied on 30 Sep, action filled, status Done | Done |
| Survey cap | Skipped in the 1 Oct NPS; next in January 2027 | Done |
CSAT, NPS or CES
CSAT vs NPS vs effort: which question to ask when
Every customer feedback survey template uses one of these four measures. Ask them at different moments, not all in one long survey.
| Measure | What it tells you | When to ask | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSAT, satisfaction 1 to 5 | How one ticket, chat or order went | Within 24 hours of the interaction | % of answers that are 4 or 5 |
| CES, effort 1 to 7 | Whether getting help was easy | After a ticket, a chat or onboarding | Average of all answers |
| NPS, recommend 0 to 10 | How the whole relationship is going | Once a quarter at most, no trigger | % 9-10 minus % 0-6 |
| Solved, yes or no | Whether the problem is really fixed | First question after a ticket | % of Yes answers |
Do not compare an NPS from your quarterly survey with one asked after a ticket. Bain says relationship and experience scores should not be compared directly1.
Why it matters
Why short surveys with an owner beat long question banks
Service is a risky moment for loyalty. In Gartner's research with more than 125,000 customers, customer service interactions were nearly four times more likely to lead to disloyalty than loyalty8. In a CEB study of more than 75,000 people published in Harvard Business Review, customers mostly wanted a simple, quick solution, and the Customer Effort Score predicted loyalty better than satisfaction or NPS9. That is why the after-ticket survey asks 'solved?' and 'easy?', not 'delighted?'.
Fewer questions, more honest answers. Fred Reichheld warned that more questions lower response rates and the reliability of the sample3. Bain's best practice is to ask each customer for feedback at most once every three months and to follow up where the answer calls for it1. It pays to listen: Bain says promoters account for more than 80% of referrals in most businesses, and detractors for more than 80% of negative word of mouth2.
Reviews have separate rules. Google does not allow businesses to offer incentives for reviews or to selectively solicit positive ones4, and the FTC tells businesses not to ask only customers they expect to be positive5. So a survey score never decides who gets a review request.
4x
service interactions were nearly 4 times more likely to lead to disloyalty than loyalty (Gartner)
80%+
of referrals come from promoters in most businesses, Bain says
3 months
the shortest gap between two feedback requests to one customer, Bain's best practice
Excel log
Excel survey response log with CSAT %, NPS and follow-ups
Three sheets: Response log with the sample answers, Summary, and Lists and settings. Shaded columns fill in by themselves. Opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets.
| Column | What it does |
|---|---|
| Date answered, client, survey, reference | One row per answer; the survey comes from a list of the 3 surveys. |
| Solved or set up, satisfaction, effort, NPS | The answers as given: Yes or No, 1-5, 1-7, 0-10. Leave blank what the survey did not ask. |
| NPS group Auto | Promoter (9-10), Passive (7-8) or Detractor (0-6). |
| Comment, review owner | The comment word for word; the owner from a list. |
| Low score, reply due Auto | Yes for Solved No, satisfaction 1-2, effort 1-3 or NPS 0-6; the reply is due the next business day. |
| Replied on, action taken | Your reply date and what you changed. |
| Follow-up status Auto | Done when Replied on is filled; Due until the reply-due date passes; then Overdue. |
| Summary Auto | CSAT %, NPS, average effort, response rate per survey, chat star ratings, follow-ups due or overdue and small-sample notes. |
In the sample log, Cedarline has 25 answers: CSAT is 80% (8 of 10 answers were 4 or 5), NPS is 33 (6 promoters and 2 detractors in 12 answers) and average effort is 5.4 out of 7. Of 5 low scores, 3 got a reply within one business day; on 8 October 2026, one is due and one is overdue. The small-sample note says it plainly: with 12 answers, one client moving from promoter to detractor changes NPS by 17 points.
How to use
How to use the customer satisfaction survey template
- 1
Start with one moment
The after-ticket survey first. Add the quarterly NPS and the onboarding survey when it runs smoothly.
- 2
Name a review owner
One person per survey who reads every low score the day it arrives and replies within one business day.
- 3
Copy the questions as they are
Into your own survey or form tool, with the same scales. Change only the names.
- 4
Log every answer
One row per answer in the Excel log. Low scores get a reply-due date by themselves.
- 5
Review once a month
Read the Summary and the comments, choose one fix and tell customers what changed.
Set it up in CRMsoftware.pro
- My Bots > choose the bot > Behavior tab: turn on Satisfaction Ratings ('Show a star rating prompt when a conversation ends'), then Save Bot.
- Read the stars in Analytics under Satisfaction: Avg Rating, Rating Distribution and Satisfaction Trend. Copy the count per star into the Summary sheet once a month.
- In Live Support, before you click Resolve, ask 'Is your issue solved?' (tab 1, chat version).
- For each low score: Tasks > New Task, Task title 'Low score: Omar Haddad', the review owner as Assignee and the next business day as Deadline. Check Due today and Overdue in My Tasks.
- Write what the customer said and what you promised in Notes on the contact.
- Send the email surveys from your own mailbox or survey tool.
The app has no survey builder and does not send surveys or follow-ups: the star rating at the end of a chat is the one built-in question. AI chat and basic tasks are free for 3 users. Human handover and analytics come with Launch, $19 a month billed yearly for 8 users; advanced analytics, email reports and exports with Growth, $49.
Monthly survey review, 30 minutes
- Low scores: all answered within one business day? Clear any overdue first.
- Comments: group them by cause and pick one cause to fix this month.
- Small samples: read the note on the Summary before you report a number.
- Tell customers what changed, in the next thank-you or follow-up.
FAQ
Questions about customer satisfaction surveys and NPS
What should a customer satisfaction survey template include?
Three questions and an optional comment: 'Is your issue solved?' (Yes or No), 'How satisfied are you with the help you got?' (1 to 5) and the effort statement 'The company made it easy for me to handle my issue' (1 to 7). Add who reads the answers and a promise to reply to low scores within one business day.
What is the standard NPS survey question?
'How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?', answered on a 0 to 10 scale where 0 means not at all likely and 10 means extremely likely3. Bain's own site uses the shorter 'How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?'2 Follow it with one open question: what is the main reason for your score?
How do you calculate NPS?
Subtract the percentage of detractors (0 to 6) from the percentage of promoters (9 or 10)2. Passives (7 or 8) count only in the total. Example: 12 answers with 6 promoters and 2 detractors give 50% minus 17%, an NPS of 33. The score runs from -100 to +100.
What are good CSAT survey questions?
'How satisfied are you with the help you got?' on a 1 to 5 scale, asked within 24 hours of the ticket or chat. CSAT is the share of 4 and 5 answers, the ones Zendesk counts as good on a 1 to 5 scale6. Pair it with 'Is your issue solved?' and one optional comment.
What is the difference between CSAT, NPS and CES?
CSAT measures satisfaction with one interaction, CES measures how easy it was, and NPS measures how likely customers are to recommend you, so the whole relationship. In the CEB study published in Harvard Business Review, effort predicted loyalty better than satisfaction or NPS9. Use CSAT and effort after tickets, and NPS once a quarter.
How often should you send customer satisfaction surveys?
No more than one survey email per customer every 90 days. Bain's best practice is to ask each customer for feedback at most once every three months1. Run the relationship NPS once a quarter at most and skip anyone surveyed in the last 90 days.
What should you do after a low score or a detractor?
The review owner reads it the same day and replies within one business day: thank them, name the specific problem and say what changes, with a day. Reopen the ticket if it is not solved. Never ask them to change the score.
Can you ask customers who give a high score for a review?
Not only them. Google does not allow businesses to selectively solicit positive reviews or to offer incentives for reviews4, and the FTC tells businesses not to ask only the customers they expect to be positive5. Send the same review request to every customer at the same step, whatever their score.
How many answers do you need for a reliable NPS?
The fewer the answers, the more one answer moves the score: with 12 answers, one client moving from promoter to detractor changes NPS by 17 points. Treat small samples as a direction, read the comments, and check the margin of error with an NPS calculator before you call a change real.
Can CRMsoftware.pro send customer satisfaction surveys?
No. It has no survey builder and does not send surveys, so send them from your own mailbox or survey tool. With Satisfaction Ratings on (bot Behavior tab), every chat ends with a star rating, shown in Analytics under Satisfaction, and each low score can become a task with an Assignee and a Deadline.
Related templates
Free tools
Sources
- Relationship and experience NPS, closing the loop, survey frequency, read 8 October 2026: Bain & Company, Three Types of Net Promoter Scores
- Standard NPS question, 0 to 10 scale, groups and calculation, read 8 October 2026: Bain & Company, Measuring Your Net Promoter Score
- Original NPS article with the question wording and the 0 to 10 anchors, December 2003: Fred Reichheld, The One Number You Need to Grow, Harvard Business Review
- Google Maps policy on review incentives and selective solicitation, read 8 October 2026: Google, Prohibited & restricted content (Maps user generated content policy)
- US guidance on asking for reviews (January 2022), read 8 October 2026: Federal Trade Commission, Soliciting and Paying for Online Reviews: A Guide for Marketers
- How a help desk counts good CSAT ratings on a 1 to 5 scale, read 8 October 2026: Zendesk help, Viewing your CSAT (customer satisfaction) score and ratings
- Customer Effort Score question, scales and calculation (page of 2 September 2026): Salesforce, What Is Customer Effort Score (CES)?
- Research with more than 125,000 B2B and B2C customers, read 8 October 2026: Gartner, Create an Effortless Customer Experience
- Study of more than 75,000 customers that introduced the Customer Effort Score, July-August 2010: Matthew Dixon, Karen Freeman and Nick Toman, Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers, Harvard Business Review
- Plans and prices, checked 8 October 2026: CRMsoftware.pro pricing
Ask less, read every answer, reply within a day.
Start free with 3 users, AI chat and basic tasks. Turn on Satisfaction Ratings for a star rating at the end of every chat. Launch, $19 a month billed yearly for 8 users, adds human handover and analytics.