How to Create a Survey in Excel, Word, Google, Facebook, & SurveyMonkey

I once received a survey from a project management SaaS I was using. The questions were poorly worded, asking me to rate features I had never used. The survey dragged on, with repetitive questions and no progress bar.

I was frustrated and — no surprise there — abandoned the survey halfway through. Unfortunately, this experience is not uncommon. Poorly designed surveys can leave respondents confused, bored, or unwilling to invest the time required to complete them.

Good surveys, on the other hand, are seldom forgettable. The best experience you can aim for as the creator of a survey is for the respondent to a) finish and submit the survey and b) think, “Well, that was tolerable.”

Are you ready to learn how to create good surveys that your customers will actually fill out to provide you with valuable feedback? Below are a few tips that will help you develop interesting and valid surveys, along with specific tools you can use to create them.

Table of Contents

• Before Creating Your Survey
• How to Create a Survey
• How to Make a Survey in Microsoft Forms
• How to Make a Survey in Microsoft Word
• How to Make a Google Survey
• How to Create a Survey on Facebook
• How to Make a Poll on Facebook
• How to Create a Survey on SurveyMonkey
• Create a Survey People Will Want to Take

Before Creating Your Survey

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of survey design, lay a solid foundation. Taking the time to plan helps you create questions people understand and encourage participation Here’s how.

Define Your Survey Objectives

Before creating your survey, define your objectives. What do you want to learn from your survey? What insights do you hope to gain? Your survey will be more focused if you understand your goals.

Testing It Out

For a bakery survey, I want to understand my customers' preferences for pastries, their satisfaction with our products and service, and gather feedback for potential improvements. My objectives are to:

• Identify the most popular pastries among my customers.
• Assess customer satisfaction levels with product quality, service, and atmosphere.
• Collect suggestions for new pastry offerings or improvements to existing products.

Research Your Target Audience

Gather demographic information and conduct market research on your target audience's preferences, behaviors, and pain points. This allows you to create a survey that addresses their needs and gives you actionable insights.

This information will help you tailor your questions, language, and survey design to better engage your respondents and increase participation.

Testing It Out

My target audience for the bakery survey is my current customer base, which consists primarily of local residents aged 25 to 55. They’re a mix of working professionals, families, and retirees who appreciate high-quality, artisanal pastries and a cozy, welcoming atmosphere.

I'll keep this in mind when writing my survey and choosing language that appeals to their interests and preferences.

Determine the Best Distribution Method

Consider how you distribute your survey to your target audience. Will you send it via email, share it on social media, or embed it on your website? Choose the method that best aligns with your audience's preferences and habits to maximize response rates.

Testing It Out

Since I have an email list of my bakery customers, I‘ll distribute my survey via email. This allows me to reach my target audience directly and personalize the survey invitation. I’ll also consider sharing the survey link on my bakery's social media pages and displaying a QR code in-store to encourage participation from walk-in customers.

Plus, given that more than 60% of survey responses in 2023 were submitted on mobile devices, I'll ensure my survey is mobile-friendly and easy to complete on smartphones and tablets.

Offer Incentives for Participation

Offering incentives can increase response rates and show your appreciation for your respondents' time and feedback. Choose incentives relevant to your audience and aligned with your brand. Consider options like discounts, gift cards, or a chance to win a prize.

Testing It Out

To encourage participation in my bakery survey, I‘ll offer a 10% discount on their next purchase for customers who complete the survey. This incentive is relevant to my audience and provides a tangible benefit for their time and feedback. I’ll mention the discount in the survey invitation email and reminder messages to motivate customers to participate.

Plan Your Survey Timeline

Establish a clear timeline for your survey, including the launch date, reminder schedule, and closing date. Keeping a clear end date for the data collection keeps you organized and ensures respondents have enough time to participate.

Testing It Out

For my bakery survey, I'll plan to launch the survey on the first Wednesday of next month (since survey responses peak during Wednesday and Thursday) and keep it open for two weeks. I‘ll send an initial invitation email on the launch day, followed by a reminder email one week later. I’ll also post reminders on my bakery's social media pages throughout the two-week period to encourage participation.

In a few straightforward steps, you can create a survey that gets your team the information you need while keeping your respondents engaged throughout the entire survey.

5 Free Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

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• Net Promoter Score
• CSAT Score
• Customer Effort Score
• And more!

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Step 1. Choose the right platform for the survey.

Creating a proper survey starts with choosing the right platform. For example, if you're trying to survey your Facebook fans, your survey should probably live on Facebook. On the other hand, if you want to email your customers a survey, you'll want to make one using Google Forms.

Additionally, think about how you want to use the data. For example, if you're collecting a ton of data that you want to break out and analyze, you should create your survey using Microsoft Forms so you can download the results as a spreadsheet.

Testing It Out

I want to survey my bakery customers about their favorite pastries and collect their email addresses for future promotions. I'll create my survey using Google Forms and email it to my customer list.

Step 2. Make the survey as short as possible.

Focus on what‘s really important. What data do you need to make your argument, launch your campaign, or change a product? Extraneous "good to know" questions bog down surveys and dim their focus. Remember that your survey respondents don’t really care about what is interesting to you or your company — they care about how quickly they can finish the survey.

It's important to note that drop-offs happen more with longer surveys. So what would your manager prefer: A nice and thorough survey with only 15 completed responses, or a shorter, tighter survey with 200 responses? Probably the latter.

Surveys are getting shorter, and the ideal length for a survey is 11 questions.

Image Source

If your survey is on the longer side, guide your respondents through the sections. Let them know what you‘re going to ask them. Give them cues when they’re almost done, something like (“In this last section, we're going to ask you …”).

If your survey tool allows it (Google Forms does), show them a progress bar to know how much of the survey is left. And always thank them for taking the time to provide feedback.

Testing It Out

I‘ll keep my bakery survey focused on gathering data about customer pastry preferences and contact information. I’ll avoid adding any unnecessary questions to keep the survey short and minimize drop-offs. I'll also let respondents know upfront that the survey will only take a few minutes of their time.

Step 3. Avoid “Yes” or “No” questions.

Because of psychological bias, respondents tend to answer yes when asked a “yes” or “no” question (unless you ask if they've done something wrong).

Instead of asking directly, try to get at the answer in a more roundabout way. For example, give them a list of options and ask if they use or know any of the items listed. Only let respondents move on if they happen to choose the item(s) you are interested in.

Then, you can be sure the people who answer your question are more likely to be honest with their responses.

Don't do this:

Do this:

Testing It Out

Instead of asking, “Do you like croissants?” in my bakery survey, I'll provide a list of pastries and ask respondents to choose their favorites. This will give me more accurate data on their preferences without the bias of a yes/no question.

Step 4. Use survey logic to create personalized paths.

Survey logic allows you to create different paths through the survey based on a respondent's answers. This helps make the survey more relevant and engaging for each individual. For example, if a respondent indicates they have used your product, you can show them more detailed questions about their experience.

If they haven't used your product, you can skip those questions and ask about their general needs or impressions instead. Most survey platforms offer logic features. Use them to tailor the survey flow, skipping irrelevant questions and diving deeper when appropriate based on previous answers. This not only provides a better experience but also yields more insightful data.

Testing It Out

In my bakery survey, I‘ll use logic to show different questions based on the pastries respondents select as their favorites. For example, if someone chooses croissants, I’ll ask follow-up questions about their preferred type of croissant (butter, chocolate, almond, etc.). This will give me more detailed insights without burdening those who didn't select croissants.

Step 5. Randomize your answer options.

There‘s also a first-choice bias in surveys, where people automatically click the first answer listed. It’s prevalent in “select all that apply” type questions — especially in customer satisfaction surveys where customers may be more inclined to quickly select the first positive or negative option they see, rather than carefully considering all the available choices.

Randomizing your options helps combat a survey taker‘s tendency to check the first option they’re given.

Most survey tools will allow you to anchor options such as “Don't know” or “None of the above” at the bottom of the list and exclude them from randomization.

Not so great:

Great:

Testing It Out

When I ask my bakery customers to choose their favorite pastries, I‘ll randomize the order of the options. This way, croissants won’t always be listed first, ensuring I get a more accurate representation of preferences. I'll anchor “Other” at the bottom of the list.

Step 6. Offer an incentive for completing the survey.

Providing an incentive can increase response rates and show respondents that you value their time and input. The incentive should be relevant to your audience and proportional to the length and complexity of the survey. For example, you could offer a discount code, a chance to win a prize or a free resource related to the survey topic. Communicate any associated terms and conditions clearly.

Testing It Out

To encourage participation in my bakery survey, I‘ll offer a 10% discount code to all respondents who complete the survey. I’ll mention this incentive in the survey invitation and on the welcome page of the survey itself. The discount code will be provided on the thank you page at the end of the survey.

Step 7. Keep your tone neutral.

Asking leading questions can influence your respondents to answer a certain way, which is particularly problematic when designing customer satisfaction surveys where the goal is to gather honest and unbiased feedback. If you publish your results where the question is visible, your readers may question the validity of your data.

Here's an extreme example to show you what I mean:

“Don't you think product X is amazing in the following ways? Yes, it is amazing because of x. It's amazing because of y. It's amazing because of z.”

Instead, ask:

“How would you rate product X on a scale of 1 to 5?”

And if you want to know what specifically they like, you can follow up with people who answer 4 or 5 on why they love it. Of course, you can do that with the people who answer the lower ratings, too. This gives you way more actionable data on what people love about your product and what you need to work on.

Here's an example of a leading question:

Here are two neutral questions that will yield unbiased feedback:

Testing It Out

Instead of asking, “Aren't our croissants the best you've ever tasted?” I'll use a neutral tone and ask, “How would you rate the quality of our croissants on a scale of 1 to 5?” I can then follow up with those who gave high or low ratings to gather more specific feedback.

Step 8. Use matrix questions judiciously.

Your survey shouldn’t have more than a few matrices. These are for asking complicated questions — so only use them for important questions.

Additionally, each matrix should have no more than seven row or header options to prevent survey recipients from being visually overwhelmed.

An example of a manageable questionnaire is shown below:

This one, on the other hand, is intimidating:

Testing It Out

I‘ll limit my bakery survey to one simple matrix question, asking respondents to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of the bakery (e.g., pastry quality, service, atmosphere) on a scale of 1 to 5. I’ll keep the number of rows and columns manageable to avoid overwhelming respondents.

Step 9. Align questions and answers to each type of respondent.

You may live and breathe your product or industry, but you should not assume your survey respondent knows what you're talking about.

It never hurts to give examples and explain concepts or jargon to educate respondents who are less knowledgeable than you. Likewise, make sure you provide answer options that give your respondents an out if they don't know an answer.

5 Free Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

Easily measure customer satisfaction and begin to improve your customer experience.

• Net Promoter Score
• CSAT Score
• Customer Effort Score
• And more!

Download for free Learn more

Download Free

All fields are required.

You're all set!

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An example of this is asking whether someone‘s team got bigger or smaller. While it may seem innocuous on the surface, you’re actually excluding some possible answers. For example, maybe the respondent's team stayed the same, or the respondent is a new hire and does not know how big the group was a year ago. So make sure you have options those people can select.

This question limits respondents to just two options:

This question includes more options that respondents can choose from:

Testing It Out

When asking about bakery visit frequency, I'll provide a range of options that cover all possibilities, such as “This is my first visit,” “Less than once a month,” “1-3 times a month,” “Once a week,” “More than once a week.” This ensures every respondent can accurately report their visit frequency.

Step 10. Include a “red herring” question to weed out inattentive respondents.

As a quality check, you can ask a simple demographic question at the beginning and end of each survey. This is especially important when you're designing longer surveys — because you may be surprised (and dismayed) to see how many respondents forget what country they're from or how many employees their company has.

You shouldn‘t always toss out respondents based on just the red herring mismatch, but you can use it along with other checks to validate the quality of a respondent’s answers. For example, only remove a response if the survey taker failed the red herring and answered “Don't know” for 5 out of 10 questions in your survey.

Testing It Out

To check for inattentive respondents, I‘ll ask a simple question like "Have you visited our bakery before?" at the beginning and end of the survey. If a respondent answers inconsistently, I’ll scrutinize their other responses more closely and consider removing them from the dataset if they show other signs of inattentiveness.

Now that you know what makes a good survey, it's time to learn how to start creating one. So keep reading to learn how to create surveys in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Google Forms, Facebook, or SurveyMonkey.

Step 11. Test your survey before launching.

Before sending your survey to your entire audience, test it with a small group of people. This can help you spot any unclear questions, technical issues, or logical inconsistencies in the survey flow.

Send the survey to a few colleagues, friends, or family members who resemble your target audience. Ask them to provide feedback on the clarity of the questions, the length of the survey, and their overall experience.

Check the data to make sure everything is working as it should and that the responses are being recorded accurately. Based on the feedback and test results, make any necessary revisions to improve the survey before launching it to your full audience.

Testing It Out

Before launching my bakery survey, I‘ll send it to a few regular customers and staff members. I’ll ask them to provide honest feedback on the survey questions, length, and overall experience.

I‘ll also review the test data to ensure that the responses are being recorded correctly and that the survey logic is functioning properly. If needed, I’ll make adjustments based on their feedback before sending the survey to my entire customer list.

Creating a survey in Microsoft Forms is simple. Simply log in to your Microsoft Office 365 account, create a new form, and add your questions. I’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide on how I do it.

Step 1. Log into your Microsoft Office 365 account.

I log into my Microsoft Office 365 account, which I have set up on OneDrive. If you don't have an account, you can create one for free.

Step 2. Select “Forms” from the starting menu in the upper left-hand corner of OneDrive.

I selected “Forms survey” to begin creating a new survey.

Step 3. Name your form and add a description.

I give my form a name and provide a brief description of its purpose. Then, I click on the “Add question” button to start creating questions for my survey.

Step 4. Select the types of answers that recipients can choose from.

I choose the appropriate answer format for each question, such as multiple-choice, text, or a rating system, depending on the type of information I want to gather.

Step 5. Fill in the questions.

I write my survey questions in the provided fields. If necessary, I toggle the “Multiple answers” or “Required” buttons to allow respondents to select more than one answer or to ensure they answer mandatory questions.

Pro tip: Use the recommended questions to get started if you’re stuck.

Step 6. Send the survey to recipients using the “Send” button.

Once I’ve completed creating my survey, I click on the “Send” button. I then choose how I want to distribute the survey, either by sending it via email, sharing a direct link, or embedding it on a web page.

If you need to disclose information to your respondents before or after they complete your survey, create it in Microsoft Word. This way, you can add text, images, or other visual aids that may help respondents answer the survey questions more accurately.

5 Free Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

Easily measure customer satisfaction and begin to improve your customer experience.

• Net Promoter Score
• CSAT Score
• Customer Effort Score
• And more!

Download for free Learn more

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All fields are required.

You're all set!

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Step 1. Start with a blank document or search for “Form” in the templates gallery.

I open Microsoft Word and decide whether to start with a blank document or search for a “Form” template in the templates gallery. I choose the template that best suits my needs and click “Create” to begin working on my survey.

I also explore other resources for survey templates and examples. For example, these five free customer satisfaction survey templates are a great starting point.

Step 2. Find the developer tab.

To access the necessary tools for creating a survey, I need to find the developer tab. On my PC, I click on File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Main Tabs > Developer > OK.

If I'm using a Mac, I click on Word > Preferences > Authoring and Proofing Tools > View > Show developer tab.

Step 3. Add content to your survey. Then choose the type of control for the survey field.

I add my survey questions and any necessary instructions or information to the Word document. For each question, I choose the appropriate type of control based on the kind of answer I expect from the respondents.

If I want them to type in their answers, I choose the “Text Box” control. If I prefer that they select from a group of predefined answers, I opt for the “Combo Box” control. The control appears as a gray box in the Word document.

Step 4. Input instructional text or drop-down menu options.

For questions where I've chosen the “Combo Box” control, I input the list of answer options that respondents can choose from in the drop-down menu. This ensures that they select from a predefined set of answers.

Step 5. Click the “Review” tab, then “Protect,” and select “Protect Document.”

To prevent recipients from accidentally editing the survey questions while still allowing them to fill in their answers, I click on the “Review” tab, then “Protect,” and select “Protect Document.” This locks the survey content while keeping the answer fields accessible.

Step 6. Share your form with recipients.

With my survey complete, I share the Word document with my intended recipients. They can choose to fill out the survey on their computer and print it, or they may prefer to print the survey first and then complete it by hand.

Featured Resource: 5 Free Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

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You can use Google Forms to not only make your survey but also share it with respondents. Rather than including a link to the survey, you can simply include their email addresses and click send. This saves you a few extra steps, making the entire process quick and easy.

Step 1. Open your Gmail account menu and select “Forms.”

I open my Gmail account and locate the menu. If I don't immediately see the “Forms” option, I scroll down to expand the menu and find it there.

Step 2. Select a blank form, or use a template from the gallery.

I decide whether to start from scratch with a blank form or save time by using a premade template from the gallery. The gallery offers various options, such as event feedback forms and time off request forms. I choose the option that best fits my needs.

Step 3. Name your survey and add a description.

I give my survey a clear and concise name, double-checking for spelling errors, as this will be the most prominent text on the form. I also add a brief description to provide context for my respondents.

Step 4. Create your form questions by selecting a question type.

I begin creating my survey questions by selecting the appropriate question type for each one. I then enter the answer options for multiple-choice questions or leave space for respondents to write in their answers. For mandatory questions, I make sure to toggle the “Required” button.

Step 5. Add multimedia elements, sections, or unique formatting options using the sidebar menu.

Using the sidebar menu, I can enhance my survey by adding multimedia elements, dividing the form into sections, or applying unique formatting options. This allows me to rearrange or break up the order of different survey questions to create a more engaging and organized form.

Step 6. Adjust the form settings.

I review and adjust the form settings according to my preferences. I can choose to include options that make the form function as a quiz, display a confirmation message upon completion, or collect respondents' email addresses.

Step 7. Send the survey to your recipients.

When my survey is complete, I click the “Send” button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. I add the email addresses of my intended recipients or collaborators. The, I send the survey out for them to complete.

Featured Resource: 5 Free Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

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Facebook offers two options for creating surveys: a simple poll or the Survey app. The poll option only allows you to ask one question, whereas the Survey app allows you to customize and expand your survey to multiple different types of questions. Read below for instructions for creating both:

Step 1. Enter "Survey" in your Facebook search bar.

I start by typing “Survey” into the Facebook search bar. When the search results appear, I look under the “All results” section and select the first option called “Survey,” which takes me to the app's Facebook page.

Step 2. Select the “Use app” button on the Facebook page.

On the app's Facebook page, I locate the “Use App” button at the top and click on it to begin using the Survey app.

Step 3. Give the survey permission to use your profile information.

Before I can start creating my survey, I need to grant the app access to my Facebook profile information. I carefully review the permissions and click “Allow,” knowing that the app won't post anything on my behalf without my instruction.

Step 4. Name your survey.

With the app permissions granted, I name my survey. I choose a clear and concise title that reflects the purpose of my survey. I keep in mind that I can always edit the name later if needed.

Step 5. Customize your survey question and answer options.

I dive into creating my survey questions, taking advantage of the various question types available in Facebook's survey app. For multiple-choice questions, I use the rich-text field to bulk import my answer options, saving time and effort.

Step 6. Preview your survey.

After completing my survey questions, I take a moment to preview the entire survey. This allows me to see how it will appear to my respondents and make any necessary adjustments before publishing.

Step 7. Publish your survey on your profile or business page.

Once I'm satisfied with my survey, I move on to the final step: publishing it on my Facebook profile or business page. I consider my options, such as creating a unique post for the survey, sharing it via a URL, or inviting individual followers to complete it. I select the method that best suits my needs and publish the survey, making it live for my audience to access and complete.

Sometimes, a survey may be too much of a hassle to collect the data you're looking for. Opt for a Facebook Poll instead. With Polls, you can solicit feedback from your Page followers and fans on simple topics.

With the click of a button, respondents can weigh in on any topic you choose to discuss. Plus, they‘ll get to see an aggregate of the responses to know whether they’re in the majority or minority opinion.

5 Free Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

Easily measure customer satisfaction and begin to improve your customer experience.

• Net Promoter Score
• CSAT Score
• Customer Effort Score
• And more!

Download for free Learn more

Download Free

All fields are required.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Download Now

Step 1. Enter “Poll” in your Facebook search bar.

I begin by typing “Poll” into the Facebook search bar. In the “All results” section, I click on the first option called “Poll,” which directs me to the app's Facebook page.

Step 2: Select the “Use App” button on the Facebook page.

On the Poll app's Facebook page, I locate and click the “Use App” button to start using the application.

Step 3: Give the poll permission to use your profile information.

Before I can create my poll, I need to grant the app permission to access my Facebook profile information. I review the permissions carefully and click “Allow,” understanding that the app will not post anything on my behalf without my explicit instruction.

Step 4: Name your poll.

With the app permissions granted, I give my poll a name. I choose a clear and concise title that reflects the topic or question I want to ask my followers.

Step 5: Customize your poll question and answer options.

I start creating my poll by filling out the question and customizing the answer options. The Poll app provides various question types, allowing me to choose the one that best fits my needs.

Step 6: Preview your poll.

After completing the poll question and answer options, I take a moment to preview the poll. This allows me to see how it will appear to my followers and make any necessary adjustments before publishing.

Step 7: Publish your poll on your page.

Once I am satisfied with my poll, I move on to the final step: publishing it on my Facebook page. I consider the available options, such as creating a unique post for the poll, sharing it via a link, or inviting individuals to participate. I choose the method that best aligns with my goals and publish the poll, making it live for my followers to engage with and provide their opinions.

For longer surveys with more functionality and data analytics, try Survey Monkey. You can choose from a variety of question and response options making this survey platform applicable for virtually any type of research.

Step 1. Select the type of survey you want to create.

I start by signing up for a SurveyMonkey account, choosing between a free or paid option depending on my needs. Once I'm logged in, I select the option to build my survey from scratch.

Step 2. Name your survey.

After deciding on the type of survey I want to create, I give it a clear and descriptive name that reflects its purpose. I also assign the survey to a relevant category to keep my surveys organized.

Step 3. Add or choose survey questions.

I begin building my survey by either typing in my own questions or selecting from the suggested questions provided by SurveyMonkey based on the type of survey I've chosen. I carefully consider each question to ensure it aligns with the goals of my research.

Step 4. Send your survey to respondents.

When my survey is complete, I explore the various options SurveyMonkey offers for distributing my survey to respondents. I can choose to share the survey link myself, embed it on a website, or even purchase responses from a broader pool of participants provided by SurveyMonkey.

Once I‘ve selected the most appropriate distribution method for my needs, I’m ready to send out my survey and start gathering feedback from my target audience.

Create a Survey People Will Want to Take

After exploring various survey creation tools, I have to say that Google Forms is my absolute favorite. I find it incredibly user-friendly and packed with features that make the survey creation process a breeze.

The seamless integration with other Google tools, like Gmail and Google Sheets, is a huge plus for me. I love how I can easily share my surveys with respondents via email and collaborate with others in real time. Plus, the real-time response tracking and automatic data analysis in Google Sheets save me a ton of time and effort.

Try out these survey tools to see what insights you uncover about your audience.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.