Guest experience surveys give your guests a platform to express how they feel about your attraction.
Considering that their level of satisfaction will determine whether or not they’ll book a time from you again (or tell their friends about their experience), it’s important for you to gauge their overall sentiment and any key reasons why they might be reluctant to talk positively about their experience.
If you’re not sure how to begin asking your guests for feedback, this guide will walk you through the process.
- What is a guest experience survey?
- Why are these surveys important?
- How long should it take a customer to complete it?
- 3 different types of guest experience surveys
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Surveys
- Customer Effort Score (CES) Surveys
- A long list of guest experience survey questions to ask
What is a guest experience survey?
A guest experience survey is a questionnaire that aims to capture guests’ feelings about your attraction. Specifically, the survey will ask guests to rate their satisfaction level about particular aspects of their experience. This can include every interaction from pre-visit customer service phone calls to the actual visit.
This kind of survey helps attractions gather feedback about significant touchpoints in their customer journey. Your attraction can then use the data collected from these surveys to decide where to focus your energy.
The first step in creating a guest experience survey is deciding what you want to measure.
If you want to know how your guests feel about your overall attraction, then you’d send them a survey following their visit asking them to rate the experience. But you can also survey them on more specific aspects, such as asking whether they enjoyed a new exhibit at your museum or the new restaurant options in your theme park.
Guest experience surveys are also commonly sent after a meaningful interaction with your team, such as following a customer service email.
These surveys always share the common goal of gathering as much feedback as possible so that you can continue to improve your guest experience.
Why are these customer experience surveys important?
If your guests are exiting your venue with a smile on their faces, you might assume they have no complaints. Yet you won’t be sure until you start a conversation with them.
That’s where a feedback survey comes in. It’s a casual way to start communicating with your guests about how they feel. When you ask guests to share their opinions with you, you’re showing them that you value their feedback.
Consider that registering a complaint through a survey can be less intimidating than doing so in person. Your guests might actually have a lot to say about your attraction, yet you may never hear from them unless you make the first move.
The data collected from your guest experience surveys will tell you how well you’re meeting expectations. Survey tools and customer experience software can help you track satisfaction over time. You’ll also be able to spot changes in real-time. If negative reviews start pouring in, you can quickly address the issues that are causing them.
Benefits of guest experience surveys
Guest experience surveys are invaluable tools for businesses, especially those in the hospitality, tourism, and service industries. These surveys provide a way to gauge customer sentiment and solicit direct feedback from customers. They also provide valuable customer insights that drive informed decision-making, enhance competitive advantage, and ultimately lead to a higher level of customer satisfaction.
By understanding specific pain points and positive experiences, you can tailor your tours and experiences to better meet customer expectations and reduce the number of unhappy guests. This leads to higher satisfaction levels, as customers feel their feedback is valued and acted upon, fostering a sense of loyalty and trust.
Guest feedback can also highlight the performance of staff members. Positive comments can be used to recognize and reward employees, boosting morale and motivation. On the other hand, constructive feedback can identify areas where additional training or support is needed. This focus on continuous improvement helps create a positive work environment and enhances overall service quality.
In addition, the most effective customer satisfaction surveys provide detailed insights into both the strengths and weaknesses of your business. Positive feedback highlights what the company is doing well, which can be leveraged in marketing efforts to attract new customers. Conversely, constructive criticism reveals areas that require attention and improvement. Addressing these issues can prevent potential negative reviews and enhance the overall guest experience.
Data collected from guest experience surveys can also guide strategic business decisions. For instance, if a significant number of guests mention dissatisfaction with a particular aspect of the service, management can prioritize changes in that area. This data-driven approach ensures that resources are allocated effectively, focusing on changes that will have the most substantial impact on customer satisfaction and business performance.
Not to mention, if you are in a competitive market, understanding customer preferences and staying ahead of trends is crucial. Guest experience surveys provide real-time insights into what customers want so you can adapt quickly. This agility can set a business apart from competitors who may not be as responsive to customer feedback, thus enhancing the company’s competitive advantage.
How long should it take a customer to complete it?
Your surveying efforts will fall flat if you can’t get enough responses. There are many ways to boost your survey response rates — and keeping your survey as short as possible is a major one.
Most successful surveys take just a few minutes to complete. This is because people don’t typically view surveys as the most fun thing to do in their spare time. The word “survey” itself can already cause someone to run in the opposite direction, especially if you catch them at a busy time.
Yet if you present your survey as a quick, easy-to-get-through questionnaire, your guests are more likely to complete it.
Ideally, your survey should take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes to complete. You’ll want to promote this figure in your survey introduction by saying something like, “If you could spare just five minutes of your time…” This helps set proper expectations for your guests.
If your survey takes longer than 12 minutes, they’re likely to abandon the survey before finishing it.
3 different types of guest experience surveys
Many times, a single-question survey can provide context on where you are exceeding guest expectations and where you can improve.
There are three proven customer experience survey types that can tell you a lot about how guests view your company: The Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction Score, and Customer Effort Score.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys
NPS is a metric used to measure customer loyalty, which typically correlates with customer retention and more ticket sales. Loyal guests will return to your attraction for repeat visits and speak positively about their experience to others, bringing you more bookings.
NPS surveys ask the following question to measure that loyalty:
- How likely are you to recommend this product or service to a friend or colleague?
Respondents are asked to answer with a rating of 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely). The guests that answer with a 9 or 10 are considered your “promoters,” or your strongest brand advocates. Those that answer with a 6 or below are considered “detractors,” and they’re the ones you need to focus on. Detractors are likely to speak negatively about your attraction in public and even discourage others from visiting — unless you can change their mind beforehand.
When you subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters, you’ll have your NPS score. The higher your score, the happier your guests.
NPS surveys are best used after your customers reach a big milestone with your company, such as after a first visit. They’ll take every interaction into account when responding, which will give you a sense of how well your overall guest experience is meeting expectations.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Surveys
CSAT surveys are a more straightforward way of asking guests if they’re happy with a service or not. Your CSAT score can be derived from the responses. The metric can be used to track satisfaction over time, as well as see where you stand against your competitors.
CSAT surveys ask the following questions to measure customer satisfaction:
- On a scale of 1 (very unsatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied), how do you feel about your experience?
To calculate your score, you’ll take the number of satisfied customers who responded with a 4 or 5 and divide it by the total number of responses. Then multiply by 100 to get a percentage.
Unlike an NPS survey, a CSAT survey elicits an emotional response based on a recent interaction with your company. This is why CSAT surveys are best used to measure short-term customer satisfaction, such as after a support call, sales interaction, event, or online checkout.
Customer Effort Score (CES) Surveys
The Customer Effort Score measures the ease of interacting with your company. Businesses that make it easy for customers to resolve issues have positive customer satisfaction scores. Those that make customers exert too much effort, on the other hand, risk losing those customers.
CES surveys ask the following question to measure customer effort:
On a scale of “very easy” to “very difficult,” how easy was it to interact with [attraction name]?
CES surveys can be deployed immediately after any customer service interaction, such as after a guest calls in to request a refund. This way, you can identify and address any bottlenecks that are negatively impacting your guest experience.
A long list of guest experience survey questions to ask
Here is a long list of questions you may want to ask to get actionable feedback from customers. In addition, the types of questions you ask will depend on the type of guest survey you are sending out.
Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions are inquiries that allow for a detailed, elaborated response. They typically encourage respondents to provide more information, share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and express their opinions in their own words. These questions often begin with “how,” “why,” “what,” or “describe.”
– How did you hear about our tour/attraction?
– Were there any parts of the tour/attraction that you found particularly interesting?
– Were there any parts of the tour/attraction that you found disappointing?
– What was the highlight of the tour/attraction for you?
– Do you have any suggestions for improving our tour/attraction?
– What did you think about the duration of the tour/attraction?
– How did you feel about the pace of the tour/attraction?
– What aspects of the tour guide’s presentation did you enjoy most?
– What could the tour guide have done better?
– How did the tour/attraction compare to your expectations?
– What were your thoughts on the quality of the transportation (if applicable)?
– How did the facilities contribute to your overall experience?
– How would you describe your overall experience with our staff?
– What elements of the tour/attraction did you find most educational?
– How did the audio/visual equipment affect your experience (if applicable)?
– What was your impression of the food and beverages offered (if applicable)?
– How did you feel about the cleanliness and maintenance of the facilities?
– What unique features of the tour/attraction stood out to you?
– How did you feel about the balance of activities on the tour?
– What was your experience with the booking confirmation process?
– How did you find navigating to the meeting point?
– What was your overall impression of the organization of the tour/attraction?
– How would you describe the atmosphere of the tour/attraction?
– What unexpected surprises did you encounter during the tour/attraction?
– How would you describe your overall experience with the souvenir shop (if applicable)?
– How did the tour/attraction cater to your specific age group or family needs?
– How would you describe the value for money of the tour/attraction?
– What additional information would have been helpful before the tour/attraction?
Closed-ended questions
Close-ended questions are inquiries that can be answered with a simple, concise response, often limited to “yes” or “no” or selected from multiple-choice options. These questions are designed to gather specific, quantifiable information and typically begin with “is,” “are,” “do,” or “how many.”
– How easy was the booking process?
– Were our staff friendly and helpful?
– Did the tour/attraction meet your expectations?
– How would you rate the tour guide’s knowledge?
– How would you rate the tour guide’s presentation skills?
– Was the duration of the tour/attraction appropriate?
– Were the facilities clean and well-maintained?
– Did you feel safe during the tour/attraction?
– Was the tour/attraction good value for money?
– How would you rate the quality of the transportation (if applicable)?
– Were the directions to the meeting point clear?
– Was the pace of the tour/attraction comfortable?
– Were there enough breaks during the tour/attraction?
– How would you rate the variety of attractions on the tour?
– How would you rate the overall organization of the tour/attraction?
– Were you satisfied with the level of customer service provided?
– How would you rate the audio/visual equipment used (if applicable)?
– Was the tour/attraction suitable for your age group?
– Was the tour/attraction suitable for families?
– Were there any accessibility issues during the tour/attraction?
– Did you find the tour/attraction educational?
– How would you rate the quality of the food and beverages (if applicable)?
– Were there enough restrooms available during the tour/attraction?
– Did the tour/attraction start on time?
– Did the tour/attraction end on time?
– How likely are you to recommend this tour/attraction to others?
– Were the instructions provided before the tour/attraction clear and helpful?
– Did the tour/attraction offer a good balance of activities?
– How would you rate the souvenir shop (if applicable)?
– Did you feel that the tour/attraction provided a unique experience?
– Were there any unexpected surprises during the tour/attraction?
– How would you rate the booking confirmation process?
– Did you use our website to book your tour/attraction?
– How would you rate our website’s usability?
– Did you receive adequate information before the tour/attraction?
– Was the meeting point easy to find?
– How would you rate the professionalism of our staff?
– Did you feel that the tour/attraction was well-organized?
– How would you rate the comfort of the tour vehicles (if applicable)?
– Were the descriptions and promotions of the tour/attraction accurate?
– How would you rate the overall atmosphere of the tour/attraction?
– Were the tour/attraction activities appropriate for all ages?
– Did you find the tour/attraction interactive and engaging?
– Would you consider taking another tour/visiting another attraction with us?
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All three of the guest experience surveys discussed in this post can bring your company actionable customer feedback on how your guests are feeling about your tour, experience, or attraction.
Plus, if you do this regularly, you can create a feedback loop so that you can stay on top of customer opinions and get more accurate feedback. You can use this to get more loyal customers as well as improve in the areas that matter most to your bottom line.
