Customer feedback is the key to growing your business but let’s be honest, nobody likes long, boring surveys clogging their inbox. The truth is, if your surveys feel tedious, most people will ignore them, rush through them, or worse give dishonest, low-effort answers just to be done.

So how do you get the insights you need without annoying your customers? The answer is creating better, more engaging survey experiences that people actually want to complete.

Here are 5 proven ways to get more honest customer feedback while keeping your audience happy.

1. Make Your Surveys Feel Like a Conversation

Traditional surveys can feel robotic and disconnected. That’s why more businesses are switching to conversational surveys, short, interactive surveys designed to feel natural, just like chatting with a friend.

When people feel like they’re part of a conversation, they’re more likely to share genuine, thoughtful responses. With tools like SurveyNoodle, you can design surveys that guide your customers through questions in a clear, engaging flow, leading to higher completion rates and more honest feedback.

Pro Tip: Use simple language, avoid jargon, and personalize your surveys to reflect your brand’s voice.

2. Keep Surveys Short and Focused

The longer your survey, the lower your response rate. People are busy, and they don’t want to spend 15 minutes filling out endless forms.

Focus on the essentials:
Stick to 3–5 key questions
Group similar questions together
Prioritize clarity over quantity

Shorter surveys show your customers that you respect their time making them more willing to provide honest, thoughtful answers.

3. Offer Mobile-Friendly Survey Options

Your customers aren’t always behind a desk. They’re on their phones, tablets, or out in the real world. If your surveys aren’t optimized for mobile devices, you’re missing out on valuable feedback.

Mobile-friendly surveys allow customers to respond quickly and easily whether they’re on the go, in-store, or scrolling social media.

With SurveyNoodle, all surveys are automatically optimized for mobile, so your customers can share feedback anytime, anywhere.

4. Ask Open-Ended Questions (But Not Too Many)

Open-ended questions are powerful for uncovering honest opinions but overloading your survey with too many can overwhelm your audience.

Balance is key:
Include 1–2 open-ended questions for deeper insights
Keep the rest of your survey quick and multiple-choice
Frame open questions to encourage genuine answers (e.g., “What’s one thing we could improve?”)

The right mix keeps your survey easy to complete while still capturing rich, honest feedback.

5. Send Surveys at the Right Time

Timing matters. If you send a survey too late after an interaction, your customers may forget the details or lose interest altogether.

Best times to send surveys:

• Immediately after a purchase or support interaction

• Right after product delivery or onboarding

• During events or live demos via QR code
  
  

Real-time, contextual surveys capture feedback while the experience is fresh, leading to more honest, accurate responses.

Ready to Get Honest Customer Feedback (Without Being Annoying)?

With SurveyNoodle, creating short, conversational, mobile-friendly surveys is easy. Get more honest responses, higher completion rates, and insights that help your business grow all without annoying your customers.

Start free with SurveyNoodle and discover how better surveys lead to better relationships.