Around 75% of customers will pay more for a great customer experience. Are you using a feedback form to help you find out exactly what they're looking for?
Many businesses use feedback forms to collect customer insights, but my experience has shown me that not everyone uses them effectively. The feedback forms you use, the questions you ask, and the timing of your surveys all have an impact on customer satisfaction.
Just asking for your customers‘ opinions can already have a positive effect on how they feel about your business. So, if you aren’t already using a feedback form, I recommend starting as soon as possible.
In this guide, I'll teach you how to create a feedback form using HubSpot’s professional form tool, offer examples of some great feedback forms and survey templates, and point you toward some great resources to borrow or build your own feedback form.
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Table of Contents
A feedback form is a structured questionnaire or survey that you can use to gather insights about your business, product, service, and so on. You can use these insights to learn what you're doing well, along with the areas where you might need to improve.
While there’s no “right way” to collect feedback, there are several common frameworks.
For example, open-ended feedback forms allow customers to name their issue or concern, relate it to a general category, and then describe it at length.
A website feedback form, meanwhile, might use checkboxes or drop-down lists to gauge consumer interest, while a survey-based feedback form lets them answer questions about specific, recent interactions.
Bottom line? The type of form you choose isn’t as important as how you design and use it. And no matter the framework, your feedback form should contain clean-looking elements, clear questions, and easy-to-understand instructions.
Below, I‘ll show you a step-by-step guide to creating a survey-based feedback form with HubSpot. If you’re not a HubSpot customer, you can get started with HubSpot here.
The HubSpot customer feedback forms tool is available to Service Hub Professional and Enterprise users. If necessary, upgrade your account to access this function.
From this screen, you can create a new survey or edit/clone existing surveys. For now, I'm just going to create a new survey.
However, for future feedback forms, I recommend cloning one of your existing forms, as it will let you save some time.
You can also create customer loyalty or satisfaction surveys. In this example, I'm going to create a customer support survey that lets you discover how easy it is for customers to get help when they need it — and what they think of that help.
The survey you choose will change your delivery options. For example, if you select a customer satisfaction survey, you have the option to add your survey to a webpage, chat, or email.
Here, you can customize your survey language, company name, subject line, greeting, featured image, and color.
Use the left-hand panel to customize your follow-up questions based on your customers’ scores. You can create three different questions based on the customer score given: Scores from 1-3 represent customers who found service difficult to access, 4-5 were neutral about their interaction, and 6-7 found it easy.
The Thank you tab at the top is where you can customize thank you messages based on customer score values. You can also add header and body text to describe next service steps.
In this tab, you can select the pipeline for your survey. If you haven’t made a pipeline yet, click Manage ticket pipelines to create your pipeline.
In the Settings tab, you can choose to send your email immediately or select the number of hours after the customer service interaction takes place to send your survey. More immediate surveys typically garner better responses, but make sure you have enough staff to handle time-sensitive concerns.
You can also adjust notification settings in this tab.
Click on the Automation tab to create workflows based on customer satisfaction scores.
When you’re finished creating and editing your survey, click Review and Publish. After you click the orange button in the top right, a popup will help you check that the delivery method, send time, and notification settings are correct. You also have the option to send a test survey.
If everything looks right, click Publish.
Every feedback form should be unique to your business and customers. That said, my experience has shown me that there are some guidelines you can follow for better results.
It's easier to collect multiple-choice or yes or no answers from a data analysis perspective. But your customers are more than numbers, and they may want a chance to speak their minds.
So, be sure to add open-ended questions to your surveys. Give them a chance to speak to their individual stories and experiences.
If you need to stick with limited options, don‘t forget to add answers like "Maybe" or "I don’t know" or make answering optional. These ideas seem small, but they give users a chance to show which questions are most important to them.
Make each feedback form about your customers and meeting their needs, not about your business goals or strategy.
Limit your customer survey to a few questions whenever possible. They’ll appreciate that you‘re thinking about saving them time. And a shorter survey improves the chances you’ll collect more responses and get better engagement.
It's also a good idea to auto-fill responses for your customers when you can. Again, this saves them time and makes it easy for them to share the data that matters most.
A great feedback form should be easy to scan and read. This means a clear survey design, with consistent formatting and structure.
Most of the work of a feedback form is in the writing. Use easy but specific words and phrases that make the point of each question quick to understand.
Remember, simple takes work. You might need to draft each question several times, and run tests to make sure each question is easy for customers to respond to.
You‘ll get different feedback a week after purchase than you will at the time of purchase. And don’t just send customers a survey after a great conversation with your customer support team.
If you want honest and useful feedback, take a thorough look at your buyer journey. Then, set up a workflow that sends the right feedback form at pivotal moments for your customers.
In addition to the tips above, I think it's also important to focus on which questions to include in your feedback form.
In a nutshell, I recommend keeping your feedback form as short as possible (so that more people will answer it), while still asking enough questions to get meaningful insights.
To that end, here are some specific elements that you should consider including in your feedback form:
If you’re looking for free feedback form templates, here are a few great options I think are worth considering.
Smartsheet offers free website feedback forms, customer feedback forms, and even employee feedback forms. Download them in Excel or PDF formats — they’re ready to use when you’re ready to engage your customers.
Why I like it: Their templates are fast and easy to use. They also offer conditional logic and custom branding for forms.
Jotform provides more than 300 feedback form templates that users can access and download on demand. Guests can download five forms for free, or upgrade for improved access.
Why I like it: Besides the wide assortment of form templates, Jotform offers templates for unique use cases. Their templates include smart forms that help you get more targeted feedback from your customers.
Formstack lets you quickly browse by form and category type — sign up for a free trial and get access to hundreds of forms instantly.
Why I like it: Formstack makes it simple for small businesses to automate processes, and its form templates are super easy to use.
When you register for a free account, Formcrafts gives you access to six customer feedback forms. Their templates offer illustrated visuals and a comfy UX.
Why I like it: Their templates are easy to use even if you're new to form building. They also offer easy-to-understand analytics.
Typeform has excellent feedback and survey form templates. Their templates have sleek designs and background images. The free plan is limited, but you can upgrade to a paid plan for $25 per month.
With Typeform's integration with HubSpot, you can tailor subsequent questions to build on their last answer. Learn more about this integration in the HubSpot Marketplace for Marketers.
Why I like it: These templates let you customize your feedback forms in response to your customers' answers. With each response, you can offer a new question that builds on their last answer.
WPForms is a popular WordPress form builder plugin that includes a variety of feedback form templates, including the aptly named feedback form template below.
You can easily customize all of the feedback form templates using the drag-and-drop builder and embed them anywhere on your WordPress site using a block or shortcode.
With WPForms's HubSpot integration, you can also connect survey responses to your HubSpot CRM.
Why I like it: You can customize your templates directly from your WordPress dashboard and include a variety of different qualitative and quantitative question types.
Gravity Forms is another popular WordPress form plugin that offers an easy-to-use feedback form template for WordPress sites.
The plugin's feedback template includes a variety of different quantitative and qualitative question types and you can easily customize everything using the drag-and-drop builder.
As with WPForms, Gravity Forms also offers a HubSpot integration so that you can connect your feedback surveys with the HubSpot CRM.
Why I like it: You can manage everything about your feedback forms without leaving your WordPress dashboard. The Survey Add-On also gives you dedicated tools for analyzing customer responses.
NoteForms offers a variety of different feedback templates that are designed to automatically sync customer responses to your Notion databases. If you‘re using Notion, it’s a great source of templates. Otherwise, you might want to choose a different template collection.
Why I like it: If you‘re already using Notion in your business’s workflows, I think that being able to save your customer feedback straight to your Notion databases can be really convenient.
SurveyMonkey is a tool specifically designed for creating and analyzing surveys, which makes it work great for customer feedback forms. To help you get up and running quickly, SurveyMonkey has a large library with dozens of different feedback templates.
I think one notable downside, though, is that SurveyMonkey's premium plans can get a little expensive if you want access to all of the analysis features.
Why I like it: I think that SurveyMonkey has more advanced analysis tools than other template sources, such as its support for crosstab analysis. So, if you really want to dig into quantitative feedback data, that could be a reason to use these templates.
Feathery is a SaaS form builder tool that's notable for its robust conditional logic functionality, along with its ability to connect to other tools and documents that your business relies on.
It also offers a few different feedback form templates for customer feedback, employee exit feedback, website feedback, and more.
Why I like it: Feathery's advanced logic functionality lets you easily personalize your feedback forms based on how people have answered previous questions. If you want to be able to build this type of branching logic into your feedback surveys, I think that could make these templates a good option.
Like WPForms and Gravity Forms, Formidable Forms is another WordPress form plugin that includes a number of pre-built feedback templates that you can use to gather customer responses.
You can choose from a variety of formats, including custom forms or structured feedback forms like Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Formidable Forms also has a HubSpot integration so that you can connect your feedback forms with the HubSpot CRM.
Why I like it: You can choose from a variety of different types of feedback forms and manage/customize everything without having to leave your WordPress dashboard.
Paperform is a hosted SaaS form builder tool that offers a variety of feedback form templates, including simple 60-second surveys or more in-depth feedback surveys with lots of options for qualitative feedback.
Why I like it: I like the variety of feedback templates that you can access, both in terms of how in-depth they are and the different niches that you can find. For example, there are feedback templates for events, restaurants, instructors, and more.
Airtable isn't just a form builder. Rather, it's a tool for easily building relational databases and spreadsheets. However, as part of that, you can also build customer-facing forms that can feed into your databases.
And with its pre-made customer feedback template, Airtable makes it super easy to get up and running. You can store responses in your Airtable database and then display and analyze all of that information using Airtable's many tools.
Why I like it: I recommend this template if you want more advanced ways to display and analyze your feedback data, as this is Airtable's strong point.
Microsoft Forms is a form builder tool from Microsoft that's sort of the equivalent of Google Forms. It offers a simple way to build feedback forms, along with a number of different premade feedback templates.
Why I like these feedback form templates: Because these templates come from Microsoft, you can easily analyze your responses in Excel. If you like the idea of using Excel for your survey analysis, that might be one reason to choose these templates.
Fluent Forms is another well-known WordPress form builder plugin that offers a native WordPress solution for customer feedback forms.
You can get started with one of the pre-built feedback form templates and then easily customize it without leaving your WordPress dashboard.
Why I like these feedback form templates: I recommend these templates if you want to collect customer feedback via your WordPress site. You can also access a good variety of question types, even with the free version of the plugin.
Zoho Forms is a SaaS form builder that comes with a variety of pre-made templates, including a simple product feedback form template along with some other customer satisfaction survey templates.
Why I like these feedback form templates: I like these templates because they offer a simple and effective way to start gathering customer feedback. They can also be an especially good option if you‘re also using some of Zoho’s other tools, as you'll be familiar with the platform.
In addition to the template collections above, I also recommend considering these tools for actually building your feedback forms.
Whether you access HubSpot's form builder through your account or with the WordPress plugin, it’s free, powerful, and easy to use. Plus, it automatically syncs forms and contacts with the HubSpot CRM. This connection streamlines both the collection and application of customer feedback.
In addition to letting you create feedback surveys, HubSpot's customer service tools also make it easy to analyze responses and share insights with your entire team.
You can also see how your customer feedback KPI (key performance indicators) change over time, which can be especially helpful if you're implementing a standardized feedback template such as NPS or CSAT.
The HubSpot WordPress plugin is free, and you can create basic feedback forms using the free version of HubSpot. However, you might want to choose one of the paid plans if you want access to more customer service, marketing, and/or sales features, including automated product surveys.
Why I like this form builder: HubSpot’s form builder offers a range of advanced tools to create forms. It offers automatic emails and notifications, robust integrations, and custom forms that can connect directly to your client database. This single-system capability creates a better customer experience. It saves time and helps cut potential errors.
I think it's also great how you get tools to analyze and act on your customer feedback, which helps you turn your data into actionable ways to improve your business.
Gravity Forms is a powerful, adaptable tool that lets you quickly create feedback forms for your WordPress website. Build your form with their visual editor or choose from more than 30 ready-to-use form fields.
Plans start at $59 per year, but you'll need the $259 Elite license to access its dedicated survey analysis features.
Why I like this feedback form builder: Gravity Forms has tons of integrations with third-party services and options for customization. I think these are beneficial because they let you really integrate Gravity Forms into your business processes and build useful automations based on your feedback forms. Gravity Forms also has a dedicated survey analysis tool, which can help you more easily analyze quantitative feedback forms.
From surveys to quizzes to customer feedback forms, Forminator has you covered. This free tool makes it easy to create forms with a drag-and-drop builder for WordPress.
I think that most people will be fine using the free version of the plugin for customer feedback forms. However, if you do need access to premium functionality for some reason, Forminator's paid plans start at $36 per year.
Why I like this form builder: The free version of Forminator has one of the most generous feature lists of any tool, which I think makes it great if you‘re on a tight budget but don’t want to sacrifice features. It also connects directly with over 2,000 third-party apps. These integrations can help your business to create forms for seamless customer engagement.
Zoho Forms lets you easily create and share online surveys. It also provides tools to quickly manage feedback data with integrated applications.
You can already try it out using the free version, which I think is great for people on a tight budget. If you need the paid features, plans start at $10 per month for Zoho Forms Basic and go up to $90 per month for Zoho Forms Premium.
Why I like this form builder tool: You can use this tool to create and share forms online as well as offline. It‘s also helpful for managing email forms. This tool is also super user-friendly, making it easy to customize. As I mentioned above, I also think it’s an especially great ecosystem if you‘re also using one of Zoho’s other tools, as you‘ll already be integrated into Zoho’s platform.
If you're looking for more form builder options, check out this list of tools.
What does a great feedback form look like? Here are a few examples.
What I like: Using the host's first name creates the feeling that this customer was staying with a friend for a visit. I also like that the form lets customers know that they can submit separate public and private comments. This helps put the customer more at ease as they fill out the form.
What I like: This form offers a range of questions about the online shopping experience. I like that each question is simple and specific. Each question also gives the customer a chance to remember and zero in on the pros and cons of their shopping experience.
What I like: This is another online shopping experience form. It‘s different from the Blick form above because it’s much shorter and to the point. But the two forms are similar. I like that the text highlights the positive parts of the shopping experience and gives customers a chance to agree or disagree.
What I like: This form gets specific from the start, focusing on three key parts of the buying experience. Besides offering useful data to Columbia, I also like how this customer survey shows shoppers that Columbia understands what is important to them.
What I like: This three-part form is appealing because it offers simple interactive graphics. It also lets customers share the reason behind a positive or negative review. I like this type of qualitative question as it offers customers a chance to give more detailed feedback.
What I like: This customer satisfaction survey is short and direct. While Wayfair is collecting numeric feedback, most of the space on the form is for its customers to talk about their individual stories. I think it's a good example of how to blend quantitative and qualitative feedback in one form.
What I like: This form is simple, clear, and easy to understand. Instead of a broad survey, it talks about specific parts of the fast-food dining experience. Because it's a little longer than some other surveys, I also like that it provides respondents with a progress bar to gauge how long the survey will take.
What I like: This form and its follow-up are attractive and highlight Chatbook's most popular products.
The second form is also open-ended and personalized, prompting the user for insights after the first feedback form.
I think it's a good reminder of how you can still reinforce your branding within a feedback survey.
What I like: After collecting more general feedback, this form from Mood Fabrics speaks to a segment of its users, people who sew. By asking about this skill set instead of their brand relationship, I like how it gives Mood a chance to learn about its customers more organically.
What I like: I think it‘s great how this form shows the many different areas that can impact customers at a public event. The form breaks down these pieces in a way that’s easy to understand. Then it gives customers a chance to offer details in the areas that are most important to them.
What I like: Jessicurl's feedback form is very specific. While this form could take a little bit longer to complete, it also lets customers know that Jessicurl understands curly hair care. This approach builds customer trust in their authority.
At the same time, it helps Jessicurl get a better understanding of the other products their customers are using and why.
What I like: This excerpt of a Glassdoor form shows a few excellent questions that quickly cover the most important moments of an interview. The insights from this form help Glassdoor offer more reliable insights to people who are researching the interview process at different companies.
What I like: This feedback form is quick and easy to understand, with icons for each sentiment about a recently sent email. With this format, Capital One is helping make the process of offering feedback easier for their customers. This makes them more likely to offer more insights in the future.
Overall, I think it's a great idea to incorporate icons into your feedback forms when collecting this type of information.
What I like: Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all experience, DoorDash recognizes that it has three different communities that want to offer feedback. So, there are separate forms for their customers, their employees, and their restaurant partners. When you click each icon, it opens up into a specific form for that group.
What I like: This simple customer feedback survey lets guests quickly rate specific aspects of their stay with Hilton Hotels. I like how the language of the form shows that Hilton is looking for the opinions of both vacation and business travelers, not just one or the other.
What I like: This radio-button survey focuses on specific customer service categories. This information helps Netflix deliver improved streaming options.
I believe that this is an especially useful example because it shows how consistent language can make it easier for customers to offer their opinions on more complex topics.
What I like: Zoom’s form welcomes customers to provide feedback on their video communications software. The form is designed for ideas, comments, and criticism. This form also requires users to specify the device type, making it easier to diagnose technical problems.
Overall, I think it's a great example of how you should always offer some type of open-ended feedback form for your customers, even if customers need to proactively seek it out on your site.
What I like: Taskrabbit offers a basic, open-ended feedback form for their users and Taskers. It also allows for file attachments with requests. This addition can help their team quickly troubleshoot unique issues. This means they can get back to their customers more quickly.
Both kind and critical feedback can help your business measure success. Honest feedback is the best way to make positive changes for your customers. These changes can be the engine that drives your efforts forward.
The right feedback data can help your team create better marketing strategies and branding, new products and services, or update your sales funnel. Are you ready to get started?
Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.