How NOT to ask for feedback - a real-life example from a £2B+ brand

By
David Ascott
Last Updated:
July 2, 2025
Reading time:
9 minutes

Understanding the customer’s experience is more complicated than it has ever been. There’s so many different ways that customers can tell you what they think and feel; from App Store and GooglePlay reviews, to Trustpilot, Feefo, all manner of social media and more. This ever growing list of ways for customers to proactively express their views now complements traditional channels such as surveys and customer support queries.

Despite the way the narrative is sometimes presented, responding to surveys is still a thing, people still do it. It’s just that surveys now form one part of an ecosystem. Nowadays, understanding customers means having the intelligence architecture in place to listen to customers throughout their journey, regardless of where or how they choose to provide feedback.

A key part of the strategy team’s role here at Chattermill is to advise on how and where data should be collected. We work with organisations to ensure that both the coverage and the quality of the feedback that is gathered is fit for purpose.

Artificial intelligence is incredible, but it’s not magic. As with any process or machine, flawed inputs lead to flawed outputs. Garbage in, Garbage out is just as true as it has ever been.

Balancing the need to understand the experience with the need not to annoy customers can be tricky. There’s a surprising amount of nuance involved. Often however, this nuance only becomes clear after mapping out how and where feedback is proactively requested or reactively collected across the journey.

A lot (but certainly not all) of the organisations we work with have a joined up survey strategy in place. A joined up ‘intelligence strategy’ is also increasingly the norm.

Reflecting back on the last decade or so, it’s fair to say that in general, the standard of how organisations understand their customers has improved.

However a survey that I recently received from a well known hotel chain reminded me that there is still a long way to go.

The specific organisation shall remain anonymous, the purpose of this is not to name and shame but rather to use it as an example of how not to do things.

To put it bluntly, there is simply no reason why a survey like this should still be in use.

On the plus side, this survey is an incredibly thorough example of how to do it badly. It is suboptimal in so many different ways that it provides a fantastic case study of what not to do, all in one convenient place.

So let's take a look at some of the failings and how they illustrate what should be done.

1. The timing of the survey trigger

We can start with when the survey is triggered.

I’m about to make a purchase, the sole purpose of a digital transaction - the very reason the company has invested in advertising to get me to their website (not to mention why they have dedicated countless hours to improving the digital experience to drive conversion) - but then, just as I am about to pay, a survey pop up appears, getting in the way of me completing payment.

This is nothing short of madness. I’m trying to pay and they’re making it harder for me to give them money.

Failing: The survey pops up right before payment, interrupting the transaction process and potentially deterring customers from completing their purchase.

Solution: Trigger the survey after the transaction is complete. This respects the primary goal of the visit and captures feedback without hindering the purchase process.

2. The length of the survey

There are 2 issues here; the first is how the survey is introduced. On the initial pop up and at the top of the survey form itself the survey is introduced as a ‘short survey’. Yet the survey is 37 questions long. If that’s a short survey what’s a long one? This is misleading and sets expectations in the wrong way.

The second issue is the actual length of the survey. 37 questions is simply too long, it is a dreadful experience for the customer and it doesn’t respect their time.

Failing: The survey is introduced as "short" but contains 37 questions, misleading respondents and contributing to survey fatigue.

Solution: Be transparent about the survey length and reduce the number of questions significantly. Limit surveys to 2-5 questions to maintain engagement and ensure data quality.

3. Survey design and validity

Such a poor survey design is likely to mean that only a very small proportion of people will bother to complete it. This minimises the cross section of customers who provide feedback. Effectively you will only gather the views of the small segment of people who are prepared to complete a 37 question survey.

Failing: The extensive length and poor design of the survey can lead to unrepresentative results due to respondent fatigue and rushed answers.

Solution: Focus on key questions that provide actionable insights. Use pilot testing to identify and remove redundant or unclear questions.

4. Relevance and clarity of questions

Taking Please rate the consistency of speed from page to page? as an example from the survey. This is simply not the optimum use of the limited time and attention that your customers will grant you.

Failing: Many questions are irrelevant or confusing to respondents (e.g. load speed consistency, balance of graphics and text).

Solution : Evaluate each question's relevance to the overall survey goal. Ensure that questions are clear, concise, and directly tied to actionable business outcomes.

5. Question wording

Questions should be simple and easy to understand for reliable data collection.

Failing: Some questions are poorly worded and confusing, which can result in unreliable data.

Solution: Use straightforward, unambiguous language. Pre-test questions with a small audience to identify and rectify any confusion.

6. Inappropriate personal questions

There is a delicate balance to be struck when it comes to asking for additional information from customers.
Failing: Questions about personal information, such as the number of children under 11, can be seen as intrusive and irrelevant.

Solution: Ensure all questions are relevant to the survey’s objective and respect customer privacy. Avoid asking for sensitive information unless absolutely necessary and justified.

7. Actionability of data collected

Ensuring that the responses that are collected are as actionable as possible is another key element of effective survey design.
Failing: Many questions are not actionable.

Solution: Ensure each question provides actionable insights. Focus on questions that will lead to tangible improvements in customer experience.

8. Placement and wording of open-ended questions

The opportunity to let customers provide their own opinion of the experience is fundamental.
Failing: The only open-ended question is placed too far into the survey and is phrased to bias responses.

Solution: Introduce open-ended questions earlier in the survey to capture spontaneous feedback. Use neutral wording to encourage honest and comprehensive responses.

9. Collection of data already available

Failing: Asking for information that the company already has or can easily obtain (e.g., customer registration status, number of stays) is redundant and annoying for respondents.

Solution: Utilize existing customer data to pre-fill information or avoid asking these questions altogether.

10. Overall user experience

Providing a poor survey experience conflicts with the aim of improving customer satisfaction.

Failing: The survey provides a poor experience, conflicting with the aim of improving customer satisfaction.

Solution: Design the survey experience to be as user-friendly as possible. Ensure the survey is mobile-friendly, quick to complete, and non-intrusive.

How does this happen & how to avoid it?

Switch to a customer centric approach: ask how to best understand the customer’s experience.