A customer survey is a research tool used to gauge how customers feel about a particular aspect or aspects of a business. http://www.nbrii.com/Customer_Surveys/ The questions in the customer survey ask them to rate aspects on a scale known as a Likert scale, or can provide them with space to enter their own text in an open-ended question. Answers captured on a scale provide for broader statistical analysis of a topic, but open ended questions capture more detail and allow the respondent to more accurately express themselves. http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/quesresp.php

Customers can be surveyed about their overall level of satisfaction with a business, or about a specific aspect of their relationship with a business - their loyalty to a business or experience with the returns department, for example. http://www.cssp.org/uploadFiles/Customer%20Satisfaction%20-%20What%20Research%20Tells%20Us.pdf Customers can be surveyed in person, online, or sent a paper survey in the mail.

Key features to consider when designing a customer survey include:

• Timing. Customer surveys can be given at the time of a customer interaction, such as a customer service call or a purchase, or can be given randomly and not linked to a specific event. Similarly, surveys themselves can be transactional or image-based. Transactional surveys are designed to gain knowledge on customer perception of a specific event, interaction or product , while image-based surveys are designed to gain knowledge of how customers perceive the overall image of a company. http://www.cssp.org/uploadFiles/Customer%20Satisfaction%20-%20What%20Research%20Tells%20Us.pdf
• Questions. Survey questions are written to appear neutral about the subject being asked.. Respondents should not be influenced or lead to an answer, but posed with a question that prompts them to respond honestly. Questions are written so that they adhere to the same format and sentence structure, and use the same Likert items. http://www.nbrii.com/Create_Surveys/Survey_Questions.html
• Length. Research shows that although respondents will complete longer surveys, the quality of their responses will suffer. Respondents tend to become disinterested in the questions, and with online surveys, will click their way through them. http://www.surveysampling.com/sites/all/files/SSI_QuestionLength_WP.pdf
• Demographic information. Demographic information is information on respondents that helps group them and better understand how particular populations of respondents feel about a particular issue. Demographic information includes data such as race, sex, age, and income. http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48461

Examples of customer surveys are available from Carrabbas' Italian Grill and Romano's Macaroni Grill.