Step 1: Set clear goals
The first step is to be clear about what you want to achieve with the survey.
If you know why you are doing the survey, you can ask the right questions and focus on the relevant results later.
- For employees:
Do you want to measure satisfaction in your team? Is it about the working atmosphere, communication or training opportunities? - For customers:
Do you want to know how satisfied they are with your products? Or do you want to hear their opinion on your customer service?
What you can do:
• Write down the most important topics you want to cover. For example: “How can we improve teamwork?” or “How do customers rate the quality of our services?”
• Sit down with your team or those responsible in the company and clarify the goals together.
• Define measurable goals, e.g. “We want to receive an NPS (Net Promoter Score) from our customers” or “We want to collect concrete ideas for improving the working environment.”
Step 2: Develop suitable questions
Well thought-out questions are at the heart of every successful survey.
They should be easy to understand, relevant and formulated in such a way that the answers will help you.
A survey that is too long can put participants off, so keep it compact and focused.
- For employees:
Ask about aspects such as motivation, leadership, work-life balance or career development. - For customers:
Get feedback on their experience with your product, your service or their overall satisfaction.
What you can do:
• Formulate a mix of open-ended questions (“What can we do better?”) and closed-ended questions (e.g. on a scale of 1 to 10).
• Use proven methods such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to find out how likely customers are to recommend you.
• Get feedback from colleagues or experts to make sure the questions are clear and understandable.
• Consider whether you need to offer the survey in multiple languages to reach all participants.
Step 3: Create a questionnaire
Design a clearly structured questionnaire that covers all relevant aspects.
Use a mixture of closed questions (e.g. scale rating) and open questions to gain quantitative and qualitative insights.
Make sure to formulate the questions precisely, comprehensibly and purposefully in order to obtain usable feedback.
What you can do:
• Keep the wording precise and simple.
• Avoid ambiguous or suggestive questions that could influence participants' answers.
• Divide the questionnaire into logical sections, e.g: Satisfaction survey, evaluation of specific aspects, suggestions for improvement and open feedback options.
• Pre-test the questionnaire with a small group to make sure it works and provides the desired information.
Step 4: Ensure effective communication
For your survey to be a success, participants need to understand why it is important and how their answers will be used.
Getting them on board will increase participation rates and trust.
- For employees:
Explain to them that their opinions are valued and the results will be used to implement concrete improvements. - For customers:
Show them that their opinion counts and that it helps to optimize products or services.
What you can do:
• Create a clear announcement for the survey, e.g. by email, in a newsletter or as a post on the intranet.
• Communicate transparently whether the survey is anonymous and how the results will be used.
• Prepare a FAQ document that answers common questions, e.g. “How long does the survey take?” or “What happens to my answers?”
Step 5: Carry out a test run
Before you officially launch the survey, you should test it with a small group.
This will help you to identify possible weaknesses and improve the survey.
What you can do:
• Choose a representative test group, e.g. a few employees from different departments or a handful of customers.
• Ask the testers to give you feedback: Are the questions understandable? Does the technology work? Does the survey take too long?
• Make changes before you finally release the survey.
Step 6: Start survey and apply
Here we go!
Start the survey and make sure that as many people as possible take part.
The more responses you get, the more meaningful the results will be.
What you can do:
• Send emails or reminders to encourage participation.
• Use multiple channels: Email, social media, posters or QR codes.
• Set a deadline for participants to submit their answers.
Once the survey has been completed, it’s time for the exciting part: the analysis.
The results will show you where things are going well and where there is room for improvement.
What you can do:
• Group the responses by topic, e.g. “job satisfaction” or “product quality”.
• Create a summary of the most important findings - preferably in a clear report.
• Share the results with your team or your customers to show that their opinion is taken seriously.
Step 8: Derive and implement measures
Use the results to plan concrete measures.
Show your employees and customers that their answers make a real difference.
What you can do:
• Organize workshops or meetings to discuss next steps.
• Prioritize the issues that will have the biggest impact.
• Communicate the planned actions and keep everyone informed of progress.
Conclusion
The successful implementation of employee and customer surveys requires well thought-out planning and the active involvement of all relevant stakeholders.
With a clear roadmap, you can ensure that all important steps are completed on time by the end of the year.
Not only will you be able to use the results in good time for strategic planning in 2025, but you will also gain valuable impetus for the further development of your company.
A structured approach makes your surveys a success: you gain meaningful insights, strengthen the trust of your employees and customers and create a sound basis for targeted measures.
With this roadmap, you are ideally prepared to gather relevant opinions, identify challenges and initiate lasting positive change.