Customer satisfaction survey template
This free customer satisfaction survey template is an Excel workbook for your results. Log each reply's 1 to 5 satisfaction rating and 0 to 10 likelihood-to-recommend score, and it works out your CSAT percentage and Net Promoter Score (NPS) for each period you choose, with the promoters, passives and detractors behind it.
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Each reply is also labelled, so you can filter to the unhappy ones, record what each comment is about and track follow-up calls until they're done.
What's in the template
Five sheets: a read-me; Responses, with room for 300 replies; Results, giving CSAT and NPS for up to 12 periods you define; and an example of each. In Responses, Satisfied? and NPS group fill in from the scores. The example replies, without the theme, comment and owner columns:
| Date | Branch | Satisfaction (1-5) | Recommend (0-10) | Satisfied? | NPS group | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep | North | 5 | 10 | Yes | Promoter | Not needed |
| 3 Sep | South | 4 | 8 | Yes | Passive | Not needed |
| 7 Sep | Town centre | 2 | 3 | No | Detractor | Done |
| 9 Sep | North | 5 | 9 | Yes | Promoter | Not needed |
| 14 Sep | South | 3 | 6 | No | Detractor | To do |
| 18 Sep | Town centre | 4 | 9 | Yes | Promoter | Not needed |
| 22 Sep | North | 4 | 7 | Yes | Passive | Not needed |
| 28 Sep | Town centre | 5 | 10 | Yes | Promoter | Not needed |
For these 8 replies, Example - Results shows 6 of 8 satisfied (CSAT 75%) and 4 promoters, 2 passives and 2 detractors (NPS +25).
How CSAT and NPS are calculated
CSAT (customer satisfaction score) comes from a question such as "Overall, how satisfied were you with our service?", answered from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). The template counts 4s and 5s as satisfied: CSAT % = 4s and 5s ÷ all satisfaction answers × 100.
NPS comes from "How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague?", answered from 0 to 10. Bain & Company's method counts 9s and 10s as promoters, 7s and 8s as passives and 0 to 6 as detractors. NPS = % promoters minus % detractors, so it runs from -100 to +100; passives count in the total but in neither group. The Results sheet counts them with COUNTIFS.
Net Promoter, NPS and Net Promoter Score are trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., NICE Systems, Inc. and Fred Reichheld.
How to run the survey and log the results
- Ask the two scored questions word for word, on the same scales, every time. The customer feedback form has both.
- Fix who gets asked and when, such as every customer after delivery, and keep that rule from period to period.
- Enter one row per reply, using an order or job reference rather than a name.
- Give each comment a main theme, so you can count what lies behind low scores.
- Mark follow-ups: "To do" with an owner for each detractor who agreed to be contacted, then "Done" once someone has called.
- Define the periods on the Results sheet: a label, then the first and last dates.
- Report the trend with the number of replies, for example in your KPI dashboard.
Example: a fictional garage group
The example sheets hold eight September replies for a fictional 50-person garage group with three branches. Six of the eight rated the service 4 or 5 (CSAT 75%); four were promoters and two were detractors (NPS +25).
The two detractors' comments said more than the scores. One customer was invoiced £85 over the quote with no call about the extra work; another was offered an online booking slot that didn't exist. The service manager made "phone before any work beyond the quote" a rule at every branch, and the office manager took on the booking calendar. With eight replies, each is 12.5% of the total: one customer moving from passive to promoter shifts the NPS by 12.5 points. The group judged the changes on the comments and the next quarter's results.
Tracking the score over time
Scores depend on the industry, the wording, the timing and who answers, so compare with your own earlier periods, measured the same way.
- Show the number of replies beside every score. With 20 replies, one customer moving from passive to promoter changes the NPS by 5 points.
- Compare like with like: the same questions, asked at the same point in the journey, of the same kind of customer.
- Filter by branch, team or product to see where low scores come from.
- Read the comments with the scores: the themes say what to fix; the next period's score says whether it worked.
ISO 10004 gives fuller guidelines on monitoring and measuring customer satisfaction.
Common mistakes
- Averaging the 0 to 10 scores. An average of 7.5 isn't an NPS.
- Leaving passives out of the total, which distorts the score.
- Changing the question or scale mid-year, then comparing results.
- Surveying only customers you know are happy.
- Asking customers for a 9 or 10, which makes the score meaningless.
- No call back to detractors.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between CSAT and NPS?
CSAT asks how satisfied a customer was with a recent order or contact, on 1 to 5. NPS asks how likely they are to recommend you, on 0 to 10, and is usually read as a sign of loyalty. The workbook takes both from each reply.
What is a good Net Promoter Score?
Above zero means more promoters than detractors, but no one figure is good for every business. Compare with your own previous periods, asked the same way, and check the number of replies before reading much into a change.
Can I use this with an online survey tool?
Yes. If your tool can export responses, paste the dates and the two scores into the matching columns of the Responses sheet, keeping the 1 to 5 and 0 to 10 scales.