Customer satisfaction questionnaire: email analysis

Lately, I've received a number of customer satisfaction emails asking for my opinion following a purchase, and while I've found some common elements, I've noticed a few differences in approach that I'd like to share with you today. Let's get on with the adventure.

What is a customer satisfaction email?

First of all, the purpose of a customer satisfaction email is to gather feedback from a customer or prospect following a purchase, a visit to a store, or a request for information, for example. The aim is to better understand the customer's needs and wishes, and of course to measure customer satisfaction. Sending out a satisfaction survey also helps to identify any problems encountered and to find solutions to remedy them, thereby strengthening the relationship with the customer and enhancing the company's reputation.

Analysis of customer satisfaction emails

The smileys satisfaction survey

To begin with, let's look at the email sent by Musement, the site on which I bought tickets to visit MoMA.

From: Musement email@musement.com
Date: May 11, 2023 at 23:18:39 UTC+2
Subject : Leave a review on Musement

This email was sent to me exactly 1 month after my purchase, but before the date of my visit to the museum (yes, I plan my vacations 2 months in advance... don't judge me!). I found it strange to receive it before the booking date, because even though it's not about giving a review of the museum but of the service, at that point I only had the experience of the purchase. I didn't yet know whether the queue-cutting ticket would be taken into account, whether my reservation was valid, or anything else. Admittedly, I'm a little too far-sighted, and the majority of customers who book via Musement do so for an activity within 30 days, but... I'm not sure. why not use the reservation date rather than the purchase date to send out the satisfaction survey? I know, I'm quibbling.

Concerning theemail subjectIt's clear, I know what content to expect. However, I find that the term "experience" in the intro and title isn't very concrete... does it refer to the reservation service or to my visit? Should I make a note of my purchase and the information I received? Am I being too fussy? Probably ^^! In any case, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some customers give an opinion on the business and not the service.

The smileys for giving feedback are clearly visible, and I find their design effective. The little reminder of the activity I've booked is essential and welcome, although it's not a "reference number", if I may say so (who, me? demanding?).

Overall, this satisfaction email works wellThe text is not too long, and the rendering is clean, even on mobile, which is essential. If I had to give my opinion on the email, it would be the little blue man.

On-board satisfaction questionnaire

You clever people have already guessed the destination of my last vacation, I can't hide anything from you. The second customer satisfaction email to be scrutinized, in chronological order, is from the airline I flew with.

From: Delta Air Lines delta@express.medallia.com
Date: May 3, 2023 at 18:32:55 UTC+2
Subject: Reminder: Ghislainemrs, your feedback can help shape the Delta experience

Here, I notice in the subject line that it's a "reminder", and I'm going to blame my lack of memory of having received this email the first time on jet lag (or deliverability, I'm still hesitating).
I wouldn't mind the personalization in the object if the data in the database came up correctly, and not the first name followed by the title in US format. Having said that, airlines have to deal with the numerous data formats they receive during reservations (other airlines, travel agencies, ticket resale sites, all of which have their own internal data models), so I can understand the complexity of creating a contact database with the right fields..

If this is indeed a reminder, it was sent 4 days after the trip, so I imagine that the satisfaction survey must have been routed within 24 or 48 hours of arrival. The timeframe of the automated scenario is rather short, but since we're talking here about a completed action (and not a product that would be tested over several days, for example), it's quite common to contact the customer within a few days so that the satisfaction survey can be carried out quickly.

As for the content, the text is a little long for my taste. Instead of detailing the trip in the paragraph, it could be shortened and written above the 1st question. The survey details are very complete, with the time it takes to answer them, although I doubt the response rate (5min is a long time, with an optional video to boot).

Delta has chosen to ask the first question of the satisfaction survey directly in the email.However, I'm unable to tell you whether the selected answer is taken into account when redirected to the survey or whether it has to be selected again. I took too long and the customer satisfaction survey has since been deactivated.
This time, we're using numbers to give our opinion, from 5 to 1. I find the direction in which the notation is read quite unusual, from the highest on the left to the lowest. Perhaps this is common in the US? What do you think, do you find it logical/readable/disturbing?

Measuring satisfaction with stars

Finally, here's our last example of a satisfaction survey email. No more travel, it's back to work, ah ouuuuh cha cha cha! And the purchase of supplies. I'm not hiding anything from you, worthy of a high quality docu. Anyway, here I am at Bureau Vallée to restock my cartridges.

From: Carcassonne noreply.invitations@trustpilotmail.com
Date: 2023-05-27T19:04:08.000+02:00
Subject: * * * * * How many stars do you give to www.bureau-vallee.fr?

This satisfaction email is sent from the Trustpilot platform, which I won't bore you with.

Honestly, I almost deleted the email without opening it, because even if Carcassonne is a beautiful town, it's not the only one. not very suitable as a sender name. With 5* as the object, I thought it was a poll to vote for the best city in France (spoiler: it's not in the Top 10, hello Angers!). To understand the subject of this email without a large enough subject display area (the brand name comes last), or an email preview window, good luck.

Truspilot offers a star rating and chooses to display all possible cases, i.e. 5 lines... that's a lot of stars. But let's not dwell too much on the design, since it's the platform's default template, although we've seen more modern designs. Note to self: propose a redesign of their design system coming soon!

On the other hand, in terms of content, the email is precise, with no fuss. I'm a fan of Bureau Vallée's slogans, and "On en pince pour vous" is totally in keeping with the subject. By the way, as an aside: I still remember the subject line of a reactivation email I received last year, "On recolle les morceaux?", which I thought was perfect! That's how you recognize a good Tone of Voice: it leaves a lasting impression..

So, what content should we choose for a customer satisfaction email?

Customer satisfaction emails are an essential tool for gathering feedback from customers and prospects, identifying problems and finding solutions to resolve them. The examples analysed here show that object personalizationClarity of content and choice of rating method are key to maximizing response rates and obtaining quality feedback. Smileys and stars are more visual and understandable than notes, but the choice will depend on the context and target audience. All in all, the customer satisfaction e-mail is a valuable tool for improving customer relations and strengthening your company's reputation.

This article deals with customer satisfaction in campaign strategy and editorial design. If you'd like to discuss more technical points (form in email, data recovery and database qualification, accessibility of image or smiley questionnaires...) please let us know via the form below, or on our networks - we know all about marketing automation!