Email Surveys Explained + 124 Sample Questions!
Email surveys are a popular method for collecting feedback, opinions, and data from individuals or groups. They come in various formats and types, each serving different purposes.
Email surveys are more than just a bunch of unrelated questions. Used tactically, you can assess customer sentiment about your current products/services plus collect feedback on upcoming launches, pain points, and even your competition.
In this detailed guide, we first explain email surveys, how they work, and different use cases. Then, we provide sample questions you can use in your own surveys!
What is an Email Survey?
An email survey is a data collection method used to collect quantitative data. Researchers/marketers send surveys or questionnaires to targeted respondents via email. The questions can range from multiple-choice to open-ended, depending on the survey’s objectives.
Recipients can answer these surveys directly within the email (embedded questions), click on a link to a page with the questionnaire, or respond over email.
Once responses are collected, the survey creator analyzes the data to draw insights, identify trends, and make informed decisions. This may involve using survey analysis tools or software to process and interpret the data efficiently.
These are the main advantages of email surveys:
- They’re convenient: Recipients can respond to the survey at their convenience, without the need for physical forms or face-to-face interactions.
- They’re budget-friendly: Compared to traditional methods like postal mail or phone surveys, email surveys are generally more cost-effective, as they eliminate printing and postage expenses.
- They have good reach: Email surveys can reach a wide audience quickly, making them suitable for collecting feedback or opinions from a large group of people.
Email surveys come with their own set of challenges, though; issues such as low response rates, potential for survey fatigue, and concerns about data privacy and security can make surveying difficult.
But the pros far outweigh the cons; surveys are invaluable tools for marketers.
How Do Surveys Help Email Marketers?
Survey feedback helps marketers correct course; it can also offer surprising insight into what works and what doesn’t.
Sending surveys offers these benefits:
| Advantages | What it means |
|---|---|
| Understand preferences | Surveys can help you understand subscriber preferences and expectations. |
| Segment better | By understanding your audience better, you can segment them effectively. |
| Collect feedback | Surveys allow you to gather valuable customer insights. |
| Improve service | Survey feedback can help you address customer concerns or pain points. |
| Plan content | Armed with survey data, you can personalize your email campaigns. |
| Build trust | Surveys show you care about content, strengthening your positioning as a trusted source. |
| Attract new leads | Well-timed surveys can help you bring in new leads. |
| Build funnels | Email surveys can be used strategically to create various funnels. |
These surveys can reveal your audience’s interests, pain points, and preferred content formats. You can then create more effective email marketing campaigns and improve customer satisfaction.
Different Formats of Email Surveys
Each type of survey has its advantages and limitations, and the choice depends on factors such as the survey objectives and audience preferences.
Depending on your requirements, you can use these survey formats:
- Embedded surveys: Surveys are directly included within the body of an email message, allowing recipients to respond without leaving the email client.
- Link surveys: Hyperlinks within emails directing recipients to external survey pages for more complex survey designs and functionalities.
- Pop-up surveys: Triggered when recipients click on a specific link or button within the email, presenting survey questions in a pop-up window.
- In-line surveys: Surveys are inserted directly into email content, often as interactive elements like buttons or forms, enabling recipients to provide feedback within the email.
Simpler surveys can work well as embedded, while longer or more intricate ones are better suited for link-based or landing page options. Note that embedded surveys might yield higher initial clicks, but link-based surveys with well-designed CTAs can be effective as well.
Choosing an Email Survey Tool
There is no shortage of email survey tools, which makes it tricky to shortlist one for your business.
Make your decision easy by considering the following factors:
- Ease of use: Choose a survey tool that is user-friendly for both survey creators and respondents.
- Features: The survey tool should offer a wide range of features, such as customizable survey templates, question types, branching logic, data analysis tools, and reporting capabilities.
- Customization options: Ensure the survey tool allows for customization to match your brand identity and style preferences.
- Publishing options: Look for options to send surveys via email, embed them on websites, share them on social media platforms, or distribute them through other channels.
- Multi-device compatibility: Ensure the survey tool is accessible across different devices and screen sizes.
- Data security and compliance: Choose a survey tool that prioritizes data security and compliance with relevant regulations.
- Integration: Consider whether the survey tool integrates with other software or platforms that you use.
- Analytics: Evaluate the survey tool’s analytics and reporting capabilities to gain insights from survey responses effectively.
- Customer service: Review the resources available to customers, like online documentation, tutorials, webinars, and customer support channels.
Remember to read reviews of email survey tools online before you invest in one. The next section is a great starting point for your research.
Popular Email Survey Tools
To truly harness the power of email surveys, you need the right tools to streamline distribution, collect responses, and analyze the data.
This section covers popular tools in the survey industry.
SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a widely used online survey platform that allows users to create and distribute surveys, collect responses, and analyze data.
Features:
- Has a user-friendly interface for creating surveys.
- Provides various question types (multiple choice, open-ended, rating scales, etc.).
- Allows customization of survey design and branding.
- Offers real-time reporting and analytics.
Who it’s for: Businesses, researchers, educators, and anyone seeking feedback or data from respondents.
Typeform
Typeform is known for its interactive and conversational survey experience. It focuses on engaging respondents through visually appealing forms.
Features:
- Uses a conversational format with one question at a time.
- Allows multimedia integration (images, videos, etc.).
- Provides conditional logic for dynamic surveys.
- Offers customizable themes and branding.
Who it’s for: Great for customer feedback, lead generation, and interactive quizzes.
Jotform
Jotform is an online form builder that enables users to create various types of forms, including surveys.
Features:
- Drag-and-drop form builder.
- Easy third-party publishing options.
- Range of templates for different use cases.
- Provides analytics and reporting.
Who it’s for: Suitable for small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals.
Google Forms
Google Forms is a free tool within Google Workspace that allows users to create simple surveys and forms.
Features:
- Basic form creation with various question types.
- Integrates seamlessly with Google Drive and Sheets.
- Collaborative editing and sharing.
- Limited customization options.
Who it’s for: Ideal for quick surveys, event registrations, and internal feedback. Popular with college students collecting data for projects.
Qualtrics
Qualtrics is a robust survey and research platform used by enterprises, universities, and organizations.
Features:
- Advanced survey design capabilities.
- Supports complex question logic and branching.
- Offers powerful analytics and reporting.
- Integrates with other systems.
Who it’s for: Best suited for academic research, market research, and large-scale data collection.
As there are many free tools available, it’s best to try each of them out, see what works, and when your requirements scale up, upgrade to a paid tool that offers better features.
Email Marketing 101: How to Send an Email Survey
You can either send an embedded survey within an email or send a link to a landing page that has a survey. But there are a few other points to cover before you send an email survey, so we will break it down for you.
This 9-step guide will help you plan and execute your email survey.
1. Define Your Goal
What information are you hoping to gain from the survey? Is it customer satisfaction, product feedback, or something else?
2. Decide Your Target Audience
Segment your email list based on demographics or past behavior to ensure you’re reaching the right people.
3. Choose Your Email Survey Tool
There are numerous survey tools available online, like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, JotForm, and Google Forms, which is a good free option.
4. Plan the Survey
Decide on the type of survey. Remember, you can collect segmented feedback by using branching, logic, and conditional questions.
5. Create the Survey
Build your survey and test it to verify it works correctly.
6. Craft the Survey Email
Write a clear and concise subject line; if possible, also use personalization as it can boost open rates. In the body, explain the purpose of the survey, how long it takes to complete, and why their feedback matters. Include a link to your survey.
7. Offer an Incentive
Consider a discount, entry into a prize draw, or early access to a new product to encourage participation.
8. Make it Mobile-Friendly
Ensure your survey email renders well on all devices. A poorly formatted survey will always be skipped.
9. Data Analysis
Collect and analyze your survey data to gain actionable insights. You can also use your learnings to craft future surveys
You can apply these steps to every kind of survey. Next, let’s check out the most common kinds of surveys businesses send to their subscribers.
Different Email Surveys for Different Objectives
You could send a survey for pretty much anything; the goal is to understand what your end customer thinks of your plans/actions.
Surveys can help understand customer happiness or disappointment, how they feel about upcoming competitors, issues in your business processes, what they expect from your business in the future, etc.
Most surveys you find in your inbox fall under these categories:
- Customer satisfaction surveys: Assess how satisfied customers are with products or services to improve overall experiences.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys: Measure customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking how likely they are to recommend a product or service.
- Employee engagement surveys: Assess employee satisfaction and commitment levels to enhance workplace morale and productivity.
- Market research surveys: Gather insights on market trends, customer preferences, and competitive landscapes to inform strategic business decisions.
- Event feedback surveys: Collect attendee feedback to improve future events, covering aspects like organization, content, and overall satisfaction.
- Product/service feedback surveys: Solicit feedback from users to enhance product features, functionalities, and overall quality.
- Website/App feedback surveys: Obtain user insights to optimize website or app usability, design, and performance for better user experiences.
- Post-purchase surveys: Gather feedback from customers after purchase to assess satisfaction levels, improve processes, and build loyalty.
Besides these, email surveys are also sent for employee exits, lead generation, demographic data, competitive analysis, training and development, social media usage, subscription preference, and nonprofit donor surveys.
Each type of email survey serves a specific purpose and can provide valuable insights for businesses looking to improve products, services, processes, or experiences.
Next, we shall describe each type of survey in detail and share sample questions for them.
Customer Satisfaction Surveys (CSAT)
These surveys are designed to measure customers’ satisfaction levels with products, services, or experiences. They often include questions about overall satisfaction, specific aspects of the product or service, and suggestions for improvement.
These surveys help you gain insight into the minds of your customers:
| Category | Sample questions |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ‣ How easy was it to use our product/service? ‣ Did you encounter any difficulties while using our product/service? |
| Value for money | ‣ Do you feel that our product/service offers good value for the price paid? ‣ How would you rate the affordability of our product/service? |
| Shipping | ‣ Were you satisfied with the delivery/shipping process? ‣ Did your order arrive promptly? |
| Customer service experience | ‣ How satisfied are you with the level of customer service you received? ‣ Did our customer service representatives meet your needs effectively? |
| Problem resolution | ‣ Were issues and concerns addressed satisfactorily? ‣ How satisfied were you with the resolution of any problems you encountered? |
| Feedback | ‣ Do you have any suggestions for improving our product/service? ‣ Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your experience? |
| Advocacy | ‣ How likely are you to purchase from us again in the future? ‣ Would you consider using our product/service again? |
| Demographic information | ‣ What is your age group? ‣ What is your gender? ‣ What is your occupation? |
| Overall satisfaction | ‣ How satisfied are you with our product/service? ‣ On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product/service to others? |
CSAT surveys can help businesses identify their strengths and weaknesses, understand customer needs and preferences, and make informed decisions to enhance customer loyalty and retention.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys
NPS surveys measure customer loyalty by asking one simple question: “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague?” Respondents rate their likelihood on a scale from 0 to 10, and respondents are categorized as promoters, passives, or detractors based on their score.
This table breaks down an NPS survey for an imaginary company named ABC that makes a product called XYZ:
| NPS Score | Classification | Example NPS Question |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 6 | Detractor (Unhappy Customer) | ‣ On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend ABC to a friend or colleague? ‣ Thinking about your recent experience with XYZ, how likely are you to recommend it to a friend or colleague? |
| 7 – 8 | Passive (Neutral Customer) | ‣ On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend ABC to a friend or colleague? ‣ How satisfied are you with the overall quality of XYZ? |
| 9 – 10 | Promoter (Loyal Customer) | ‣ On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend ABC to a friend or colleague? ‣ In your own words, how would you describe ABC to a friend? |
NPS surveys provide businesses with a clear metric to compute customer loyalty and satisfaction levels. They are useful for segmentation purposes, plus they help identify areas for improvement, and overall customer sentiment.
Employee Satisfaction Surveys
These surveys are useful to assess employee satisfaction with various aspects of their job, workplace environment, company policies, and management. These surveys typically include questions about job satisfaction, work-life balance, career development opportunities, communication channels, and feedback mechanisms.
The questions in this table are common in employee surveys:
| Aspect | Sample Questions |
|---|---|
| Work environment | ‣ Do you feel valued and appreciated in your workplace? ‣ How would you rate the work atmosphere and culture? |
| Role satisfaction | ‣ Are you satisfied with the opportunities for career growth? ‣ Do you feel challenged and engaged in your daily tasks? ‣ Do you feel recognized and appreciated for your contributions? |
| Workplace relationships | ‣ How would you rate your relationships with team members? ‣ Do you feel supported by your coworkers and team leaders? |
| Feedback for management | ‣ Do you feel your opinions and suggestions are heard and valued by management? |
| Work-life balance | ‣ Do you feel that you have a healthy work-life balance? ‣ Are you able to manage your workload effectively within regular working hours? |
| Compensation and benefits | ‣ Are you satisfied with your current compensation and benefits package? |
| Training | ‣ Do you feel that you have access to adequate training and development opportunities? ‣ Are you satisfied with the support provided for professional growth? |
| Company values | ‣ Do you feel aligned with the company’s values and mission? ‣ How well do you believe the company adheres to its stated values? |
| Suggestions | ‣ Do you have any suggestions for improving employee satisfaction in the workplace? ‣ Is there anything the company could do to enhance your overall experience? |
| Overall satisfaction | ‣ On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your overall job satisfaction? |
Employee satisfaction surveys help organizations identify areas for improvement and boost employee morale and productivity.
Market Research Surveys
Market research surveys gather data about consumers’ preferences, behaviors, demographics, and purchasing habits. Companies use this information to make plans for product development, marketing strategies, and target audiences.
The questions in this table aim to gather data for an imaginary company ABC that makes a product called XYZ:
| Category | Questions |
|---|---|
| Demographics | ‣ What is your age group? ‣ What is your gender? ‣ What is your highest level of education? ‣ What is your household income level? |
| Product specifics | ‣ How frequently do you use XYZ? ‣ What factors influence your decision to purchase XYZ? ‣ How long have you been using XYZ? ‣ What do you like most about XYZ? |
| Purchasing information | ‣ Where do you typically purchase XYZ? ‣ What channels did you use to research XYZ before making a purchase? ‣ How much are you willing to pay for XYZ? ‣ What features or attributes are most important to you when purchasing XYZ? |
| Brand identity | ‣ How would you describe our brand personality? ‣ What words or phrases come to mind when you think of our brand? ‣ How do you perceive our brand compared to competitors? ‣ What do you think sets our brand apart from others in the market? |
| Market trends | ‣ What do you think will be the next big innovation in XYZ’s industry? ‣ Which brands do you consider leaders in XYZ’s industry? ‣ What factors influence your decision to switch brands or products? |
| Advertising and marketing | ‣ Have you seen or heard any advertisements for XYZ? ‣ How effective do you find our advertising campaigns? ‣ Have you interacted with our brand on social media platforms? |
Market research surveys help businesses understand their target audience, identify market trends, assess competitors, and drive their marketing and customer acquisition strategies.
Event Feedback Surveys
Organizers of conferences, workshops, seminars, and other events often send feedback surveys to gather opinions about the event’s overall experience.
If you want insight into what visitors thought of your event, these sample questions should get great results:
| Category | Sample Questions |
|---|---|
| Event organization | ‣ How well-organized was the event in terms of scheduling and logistics? ‣ Did you find the event easy to navigate and find your way around? |
| Venue and facilities | ‣ How would you rate the venue where the event took place? ‣ Were the facilities (restrooms, seating, parking, etc.) adequate and convenient? |
| Presentations | ‣ How would you rate the quality of the presentations/sessions? ‣ Were the topics covered during the event interesting and informative? |
| Speakers | ‣ How effective were the speakers/presenters in delivering their content? ‣ Did the speakers engage the audience and hold your attention? |
| Networking opportunities | ‣ Did you have sufficient opportunities for networking and connecting with others? ‣ Were there organized networking sessions or activities during the event? |
| Food and beverages | ‣ How would you rate the quality and variety of food and refreshments provided? ‣ Were dietary restrictions/preferences accommodated? |
| Registration | ‣ Did you encounter any issues or difficulties during registration? |
| Feedback | ‣ Do you have any suggestions for improving future events? |
| Overall satisfaction | ‣ How satisfied were you with the event overall? ‣ On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to attend another event organized by us? |
Event feedback surveys help organizers understand what worked well and what can be improved for future events.
Product/Service Feedback Surveys
Companies send product/service feedback surveys to customers to gather insights about their experiences. These surveys typically ask about features, ease of use, or quality.
To simplify things, we wrote product instead of “product or service” in the examples below.
Product feedback is critical for businesses; send questions like these to assess what customers think:
| Category | Sample Questions |
|---|---|
| Features | ‣ Which features of the product do you find most useful? ‣ Are there any functionalities you would like to see added or improved? |
| Ease of use | ‣ How intuitive and user-friendly do you find the product/ interface? ‣ Did you encounter any difficulties while using the product? |
| Performance | ‣ How reliable has the product been in meeting your needs? ‣ Have you experienced any performance issues or glitches with the product? |
| Durability | ‣ How would you rate the overall durability of the product? |
| Quality | ‣ Are there any areas where you feel the product quality could be improved? |
| Customer service | ‣ How satisfied are you with the customer support provided for the product? ‣ Did the customer support team address your inquiries and issues effectively? |
| Value for money | ‣ Do you feel that the product offers good value for the price? ‣ Would you consider the product to be reasonably priced compared to its competitors? |
| Feedback | ‣ Do you have any suggestions for improving the product? ‣ Is there any additional feedback you would like to provide about your experience with the product? |
| Overall satisfaction | ‣ How satisfied are you with the product overall? ‣ On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend the product to others? |
Product feedback surveys play a crucial role in product development, innovation, and customer satisfaction. They help businesses gather actionable feedback to enhance product features, address issues, and meet customer expectations.
Website/App Feedback Surveys
These feedback surveys are used to collect user opinions and suggestions about website or app usability, design, navigation, content, and functionality.
You can send questions like these to get an idea of how happy users are with your app/website:
| Category | Questions |
|---|---|
| User interface | ‣ How visually appealing do you find the website/app interface? ‣ Is the layout of the website/app intuitive and easy to navigate? |
| Features | ‣ Are the features of the website/app clear and easy to use? ‣ Did you encounter any issues or errors while using the website/app? |
| Loading speed | ‣ How quickly does the website/app load and respond to your actions? |
| Performance | ‣ Have you experienced any performance issues or delays while using the website/app? |
| Content | ‣ Is the content on the website/app relevant and informative? ‣ Are you able to find the information you’re looking for easily? |
| Mobile use | ‣ How well does the website/app perform on mobile devices? ‣ Is the website/app responsive and optimized for different screen sizes? |
| Registration and login | ‣ How easy was it to register on the website/app? ‣ Did you encounter any difficulties while logging in to your account? |
| Suggestions/feedback | ‣ Do you have any suggestions for improving the website/app? |
| Overall experience | ‣ How satisfied are you with your overall experience using the website/app? ‣ On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend the website/app to others? |
Website owners can use this feedback to improve user experience and optimize their websites for better engagement and conversion rates.
Post-Transaction Surveys
Post-purchase surveys are sent to customers after they have made a purchase to gather feedback about their buying experience and satisfaction with the product or the shipping process.
Sending a survey with questions like these immediately after a purchase can give you valuable insight:
| Category | Sample Questions |
|---|---|
| Product satisfaction | ‣ How satisfied are you with the quality of the product you purchased? ‣ Does the product meet your expectations? |
| Shipping and delivery | ‣ How satisfied are you with the shipping and delivery process? ‣ Did your order arrive within the expected timeframe? |
| Product value | ‣ Do you feel that the price you paid for the product was fair and reasonable? ‣ Do you believe the product offers good value for the price paid? |
| Loyalty | ‣ How likely are you to recommend our products/services to others? ‣ Would you encourage your friends or family to purchase from us based on your experience? |
| Overall satisfaction | ‣ How satisfied are you with your recent purchase? ‣ On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to purchase from us again? |
This feedback helps companies identify areas for improvement and build customer loyalty. These emails can identify potential issues in the buying process and help enhance customer retention.
Each type of email survey serves a specific purpose and can provide valuable insights for businesses, organizations, and individuals looking to improve products, services, processes, or experiences.
Email Surveys: Examples
We dug through our Gmail inbox for surveys and found these perfect examples!
Decathlon
This email uses a simple, visual format to collect product feedback from customers about its paper bag.
Cyclop
In this survey email for a Cyclop biking light, you can click on radio buttons for product feedback and then click on the CTA button — this will submit the information on a separate landing page. The email also offers you the option of filling out details on the company website.
Upstox
This survey aims to collect feedback on the customer service experience at Upstox. The email sets expectations (only two minutes) and offers a three-question survey. You can also submit detailed feedback in the text box.
Recapping Best Practices for Email Surveys
Following best practices when sending email surveys is crucial for maximizing your response rate and ensuring the quality of the data you collect.
Remember to:
- Keep surveys concise: Stick to essential questions that directly address your objectives.
- Use clear and simple language: Avoid jargon or complex wording that may confuse respondents.
- Personalize emails: Address recipients by name and personalize the email content based on their previous interactions.
- Use a CTA: Clearly communicate the purpose of the email survey and include a prominent CTA button.
- Test the formatting: Test your email survey to ensure it displays correctly across different devices and email clients.
- Schedule emails wisely: Send your email survey at a time when your audience is most likely to engage with it.
- Send follow-up emails: Remind recipients to complete the survey if they haven’t already done so.
- Apply survey learnings: Survey data is invaluable; use customer feedback to improve your products, services, or marketing strategies.
These guidelines allow you to gather meaningful feedback that can lead to positive outcomes for your business.
Sending Surveys with Campaign Refinery
Campaign Refinery offers integration with thousands of third-party marketing tools, and this includes popular email survey platforms, too.
And that’s not all. We let you track customer behavior by assigning tags to them, depending on the links they click on. This means you can share multiple links in an email (CTAs, buttons) and use their response to segment them into more refined lists. This even lets you target specific customers for immediate conversions.
Campaign Refinery has a lot more to offer, besides running email surveys:
- We have the best deliverability rates in the industry! With inbox placement rates like these, you can focus on more important things like strategies and moving leads through your sales funnel.
- Our automated list-cleaning tool ensures mailbox providers see you in a positive light — we remove invalid emails, spam traps, seeder accounts, and role-based emails, among others.
- Want crazy-high engagement rates? Our Gamification tool was built for this; see click rates as high as 72.76% with a 0% complaint rate.
- At Campaign Refinery University, you can learn how to master email marketing. We teach you tried and tested methods to achieve better conversions, more leads, and enhanced engagement rates.
- As a boutique email services platform, we are highly tuned into what our customers are saying. This is why we build features based on what our users want!
- At Campaign Refinery, we don’t charge email marketers for large email lists, only for the emails they send. Make each email send count!
With Campaign Refinery, you will get used to elite email performance. Apply to be a customer today!
