Questionnaire Strategy: How to Collect Data That Drives Results

To make effective business decisions, you need solid insights. Whether you plan to launch a new product, analyze customer satisfaction, or boost employee engagement, data helps you understand your audience. One of the most effective ways to get this data is with questionnaires.

For businesses and agencies, questionnaires are among the most affordable and convenient ways to obtain structured feedback in bulk. Done right, they lead to powerful insights that can have a transformative impact on your company.

In this tutorial, you'll learn everything you need to know about questionnaires, meaning what they are, how they're used, and how to build and run effective questionnaires.

If you're a new researcher or a marketing analyst running a questionnaire, you'll get helpful tips and live examples to help you get top results.

What is a questionnaire?

Let's start with a questionnaire definition, in business terms: It's a set of questions intended to collect information from a specific group of people (employees, customers, stakeholders). Questionnaires are used by companies to get insights about customer satisfaction, employee engagement, market trends, and brand awareness. They can then act on this information to improve their products and services.

What distinguishes a questionnaire from loose chats or open-ended interviews? Questionnaires enable you to collect data in a consistent and replicable manner. They are easy to compare, and the data can be used to identify trends.

When used correctly, questionnaires allow companies to make smarter, faster, and more informed choices using real feedback from respondents.

What are the differences between surveys and questionnaires

What is a questionnaire, and how is it different from a survey? These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different parts of the data collection process.

The benefits of using questionnaires as a business

Still unsure if questionnaires are worth the time? Here are some strong reasons why businesses use them:

Cheap and scalable

You can send out a questionnaire to thousands of people at scalable costs, especially with tools like Typeform, Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, or Checkbox, with its customizable questions.

Provide immediate insights

Questionnaires allow you to gather large amounts of data quickly. It is an excellent option when decisions have to be made in a short time.

Versatile across business needs

Questionnaires can be customized with different types of survey questions to suit any department or objective, including voice of the customer (VoC) and brand awareness survey questions, and more.

Include reliable data

Structured frameworks provide easier data analysis and improved results on different segments and timeframes.

Improved decision-making

By collecting real feedback from the people who care the most (customers, employees, stakeholders), you reduce guesswork and make fact-based decisions.

Common business questionnaires

Companies typically run several questionnaires depending on the goals. Let's look at some of the most common examples, each illustrated with a typical question:

Net promoter score (NPS)

NPS questionnaires are used to measure customer loyalty: "How likely are you to suggest our product/service to a colleague/friend?"

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

You'll understand how satisfied customers are with an experience or product: "How satisfied were you with your previous purchase?"

Employee feedback

The questions focused on employee feedback will help you measure morale, engagement, and work problems: "How valued do you feel in your current role?"

Brand awareness

Used in marketing to determine how recognizable your brand is: "Which of the following brands do you know?"

Market research

Market research survey questions help to gather information on customer desires, habits, or potential demand: "Which of these features would you use most in a product like ours?"

Cancellation questionnaires

Find out why customers are canceling: "What was the main reason you canceled your subscription?"

All of these examples of questionnaires have various purposes, but they all begin with a well-designed set of questions.

Types of questions to include in your questionnaires

Want to create an effective questionnaire? Include a range of question types to gather both qualitative (opinions, feelings) and quantitative (numbers, measurable facts) information.

For instance, voice of the customer survey questions often combine Likert scales, open-ended, and multiple-choice question types to understand customer experiences and thoughts comprehensively. In this way, you can make decisions based on the full picture you gather.

Below you can see some popular question types you can consider including in your questionnaire, with examples and the benefit of each:

Likert scale questions

These questions assist in measuring agreement or attitude on a scale (e.g., 1–5).

Example: How much do you agree with the following statement: "The product met my expectations."

• Completely agree
• Somewhat agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Somewhat disagree
• Completely disagree

Benefits: Provide reliable, easy-to-compare quantitative data that will help with the identification of trends in attitudes or satisfaction. 

Multiple choice questions

Your respondents should select one or more options from a list presented. 

Example: What was the primary reason you visited today?

• To purchase a product
• To shop
• To make a return
• Other

Benefit: Such questions simplify data comparison and analysis, categorize answers in an easy-to-understand way. You can also get qualitative data points by asking respondents to provide another option if they choose "Other".

Binary questions

A simple version of a multiple-choice question, these questions give respondents just two options, often yes and no, true and false, or agree and disagree.

Example: Were you satisfied with your service today?

• Yes
• No

Benefit: Binary questions are relatively rare in questionnaires, because there are usually more than two logical options a respondent might choose. However, they're great if you want to segment data or get a quick response.

Short and long answer (open-ended) questions

This type of question allows respondents to give richer, more personalized, and expanded feedback in their own words.

Example: What can we do to make your visit better?

Benefit: You get high-quality, qualitative data that can be analyzed and turned into clear, actionable steps.

Matrix questions

If you want to give the same binary or Likert scale options for a number of questions, you can add them to a matrix to simplify survey creation and response.

Example: How often do you use the following platforms when searching for leads? (Never, rarely, sometimes, usually, always)

• LinkedIn
• Google Search
• Twitter
• Facebook
• ChatGPT

Benefit: As mentioned, grouping questions together can simplify the creation of your questionnaire, while also making it easier for respondents to complete. Plus, as they have the same answer options, you can compare questions across your matrix to find patterns.

Ranking questions

Ranking questions ask users to rank things in terms of importance or preference.

Example: Rank the following product characteristics by importance.

Benefit: Ranking questions are a great tool to understand and prioritize user needs and preferences effectively.

Demographic questions

These questions enable you to gather background information like age, gender, where your respondents are from, or their job title.

Example: "What do you do?"

Benefit: Demographic questions can really help you segment your data.

Blending question types enables you to capture both statistical trends (quantitative data) and the human side of your insights (qualitative data). An equal balance of these questions will help you to have a complete understanding of your audience, so you can make informed decisions based on the 360-degree feedback picture you get.

Top 6 examples of questionnaires

Need some examples? Here are some actual questionnaire samples typical of the common business usage cases we covered above. Each questionnaire template serves a specific purpose and involves a mix of question types.

1. NPS questionnaire

The purpose of NPS questionnaires is to measure customer loyalty and willingness to refer.

Examples:

• On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague? (Likert scale)

• What is the principal reason for your score? (Short answer)
• What can we do to enhance your experience with us? (Short answer)

2. Employee engagement questionnaire

Discover how your employees feel about their job and environment.

Examples:

• How much do you agree for the following statement: I feel valued at my workplace. (Likert scale: from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree)

• How probable is it that you would recommend this organization as an amazing place to work? (Likert scale)
• What can be done to enhance leadership support for staff professional development? (Short answer)
• To which department do you belong? (Multiple choice)

3. Brand awareness questionnaire

Quantify the extent of your brand's familiarity in the market.

Examples:

• Which of the following brands are familiar to you? (Matrix question)
• Where did you first hear of our brand? (Multiple choice)
• What are your initial thoughts about [product category]? (Short answer)

4. Cancellation feedback questionnaire

Determine why customers are canceling and how to prevent future churn.

Examples:

• Why have you cancelled your subscription to [product or service]? (Multiple choice)
• How satisfied were you with the service overall? (CSAT: 1–5 scale)
• What could we have done to keep you as a customer? (Short answer)

5. Market research questionnaire

Identify customer wishes and demand for products.

Examples:

• How often do you use [product category] products? (Multiple choice)
• Rate the following traits by how much they matter to you. (Ranking question)
• What problems do you have when using products like ours? (Short answer)

You can vary these questions based on your audience, product, campaign, or research goals. Start small, test repeatedly, and refine your results.

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How to build a questionnaire that performs

Creating an effective survey questionnaire is about writing more than just a few questions. Here's how to build one that provides real, usable insights:

• Start with a purpose. Know what decision or insight you're seeking. Are you trying to improve a product, test customer loyalty, or find out why people are leaving?
• Get to know your respondent. Tailor your tone, vocabulary, and questions to the respondent's familiarity and interest. 
• Keep it brief and focused. Typically, respondents are more likely to finish short surveys. Keep it 5–10 minutes at most unless you're offering an incentive. 
• Vary question types. Use different qualitative and quantitative questions for greater insight. 
• Use templates to increase efficiency. You may use market research, employee feedback, a customer service survey template, or other methods to save time and enhance efficiency. 
• Avoid leading or biased questions. Employ neutral wording to avoid biasing your results. Here's an example of what you shouldn't do: "How wonderful was our customer service?" Here's what you should do: "How would you rate your recent customer service experience?" (Likert scale) 
• Pilot before launch. Test a small pilot questionnaire to check for clarity, reasonableness, and technical issues.
• Optimize for mobile. Many of your respondents will respond on a phone, so make sure it's okay for them.

Other data collection methods to use alongside questionnaires

Questionnaires are a great tool, but there are some other methods of gathering useful data. Using them together with questionnaires can help you get a more complete overall view of your audience or market.

Interviews

One-to-one interviews that allow for richer questioning of motives, likes and dislikes, and attitudes. Use them to gather thoughtful feedback or test first ideas.

How to use them with questionnaires: Start with a questionnaire to identify trends, then follow up with interviews to explore the "why" of your conclusions from the initial data.

Focus groups or panels

Small, moderated group discussions that provide rich qualitative data on customer behavior. Apply this method to gather product feedback, test messages, and generate ideas, and get a range of opinions.

How to use them with questionnaires: Identify themes in your questionnaire results and then validate or expand on them in a focus group.

Product usage and attribution data

Study usage behavior, onboarding flows, and what similarities your best customers have with each other to will gain improved insight into actual activity vs. what people say in their feedback.

How to use them with questionnaires: Compare behavior data with survey comments to know what people do vs. what they say.

Final thoughts

Using questionnaires is a strategic method of learning more about your customers, employees, products, and markets. With careful, well-designed questionnaires, alongside other data-gathering techniques, you can obtain the insights you need to improve your products, increase satisfaction, retain talent, and drive business growth.

Ready to get started? Begin by choosing one key area in your business where feedback would have an impact. Design a concise, focused set of questions, test it on a small number of individuals, and make decisions based on the resulting data. 

Checkbox can help you create the best surveys and questionnaires to collect true feedback and convert it into actionable insights and strategies. Start your free trial!

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