Conversational surveys make people respond to surveys in general. This is also the reason why people are more likely to interact with a chatbot. The conversational nature of LLMs is one of the reasons for its success. In this blog, we will discuss conversational surveys, the benefits and its difference from a traditional survey medium. 

What are Conversational Surveys?

Conversational surveys use an interactive format of questions to encourage customers or employees to share their response more naturally. As the name suggests, conversational itself means to initiate a two-way interaction. Traditional survey questionnaires can feel intimidating. 

The goal of a conversational survey is to encourage people to offer survey responses. Due to the interactive feature of a conversational survey, it is compatible with WhatsApp, Meta messenger, chatbots and dynamic emails. 

Why should you be using conversational surveys over traditional surveys?

There are several key differences between conversational surveys and traditional online survey methods:

Conversational Surveys: Here is Why You Need it

Conversational surveys are transforming the way businesses collect and act on customer feedback. Unlike static survey forms, they feel like a natural dialogue: personalized, contextual, and engaging. Here’s why brands that adopt conversational surveys stay ahead of the curve. 

Personalization based on previous interactions

Conversational surveys adapt questions based on previous interactions, creating a sense of continuity and relevance. Instead of generic forms, customers see questions that reflect their journey. This personalization builds trust and encourages customers to share deeper, more meaningful feedback.

High survey response rates

Traditional surveys often struggle with survey fatigue and low participation. Conversational surveys, on the other hand, deliver a human-like interaction that feels less like a task and more like a chat. This format naturally drives higher survey response rates and makes both customers and employees more willing to engage.

Real time customer insights

Since conversational surveys are mobile-friendly and intuitive, people can respond instantly, in the moment. This means you capture real-time insights on your customer experience (CX) dashboard, helping teams respond quickly and identify trends as they happen.  

Positive impact on satisfaction metrics

Businesses can show customers that they are committed to improving experiences. Pairing quantitative metrics (like NPS or CSAT) with qualitative, open-ended questions creates a richer picture of customer sentiment. Over time, this leads to stronger relationships and measurable business growth.

4 Ways To Improve CX With Conversational Surveys

Conversational surveys go beyond ticking boxes. They capture emotions, preferences, and real experiences in a way traditional forms can’t. Here’s how they can elevate your CX strategy: 

1. Identify customer needs and preferences

Friendly, easy-to-answer conversational surveys reduce cognitive fatigue and make it simple for people to open up. Customers reveal expectations, unmet needs, and motivations, giving you valuable data to guide retention strategies.   

2. Close customer feedback loop

Unhappy customers expect swift resolutions. Conversational surveys help identify dissatisfaction early so that support teams can act quickly and close the loop before negative experiences spill into public reviews.  

3. Improve products and services

Nothing beats honest, real-time feedback from active users. Conversational surveys allow customers to share first-hand experiences, highlight gaps, and suggest improvements. This direct input helps refine offerings and maintain product-market fit.

4. Increase revenue and growth

Improved products and responsive support create a domino effect: higher retention, stronger loyalty, and better lifetime value. With conversational surveys fueling continuous improvement, businesses can scale sustainably while boosting revenue.

Here is Why You Need Interactive Survey Channels for Conversational Surveys

Native WhatsApp and Facebook messenger survey 

In-moment responses

Messenger apps are at everyone’s reach. This makes it easy for people to respond to surveys on the go, without being tied to a desktop. The nature of the messenger-based survey will mean that you get real-time responses to your questions. This ability to capture in-moment responses makes conversational surveys extremely powerful.

Accessibility for customers

Messaging apps are accessible to a wide range of customers, regardless of their location . You can reach your buyers who are spread across geographies. All it takes is customization and personalization to get people to respond. 

Survey personalization

You can personalize messenger-based surveys based on a customer’s previous interactions with the brand. This can ensure that the questions are relevant and in-context. This can lead to more accurate and meaningful feedback.

Responsive messenger apps

Messaging apps are more engaging than traditional survey methods. They allow CX professionals to use conversational language. It proves to be a more interactive experience for respondents.

Automated Surveys 

Integrate messenger surveys with your preferred CRM and automate conversational surveys at touchpoints. This includes post purchase or after an interaction. You can start collecting in-moment responses. 

Flexible messenger apps 

The interface of messenger apps is flexible for CX professionals. Questionnaires often have a variation of rating scales, Whatsapp polls, multimedia content. Using Merren, you can seek feedback in the form of texts, photos, videos, voice surveys or on rating scales. This allows businesses to collect a wide range of feedback from their customers

Multi-language questions

Using a local language can help people to feel comfortable while they respond to the questionnaire. This means you can achieve a higher response rate from people who were initially hesitant on providing responses in English.

Dynamic email surveys

Accelerated mobile pages or AMP was introduced by Google to make emailing a dynamic experience. Thanks to this facility, CX marketers can create dynamic email surveys. You no longer have to go to an external browser or click on multiple links. 

Interactive content

Dynamic emails include interactive content such as buttons, sliders, and drop-down menus in the email body. This can make the feedback experience more engaging and lead to higher response rates. Additionally, businesses can use dynamic emails to provide customers with visual aids such as images, videos or GIFs to help them understand survey questions.

Multi-device compatibility

Dynamic email surveys are compatible across multiple devices and email clients. This can ensure that the survey is accessible to a wider audience. Using quick response time, CX marketers can build stronger relationships with their customers. 

Survey automation

Dynamic emails can be integrated with automation tools. You can now send personalized surveys to customers at touch-points and automate the survey process. This can make the workflow devoid of manual errors. Moreover, CRM integrations offer data-driven details such as respondent information, survey completion rate and other metrics. 

Chatbot surveys 

Chatbots are extensively used across websites and applications. It is powered by artificial intelligence and can grasp complex data. Here is why you can use chatbot surveys to collect customer data 

Scalable chatbots

Chatbots are programmed with NLP to offer a conversational experience. It can handle a large volume of customer feedback simultaneously. This makes them a scalable solution for businesses that need to collect information and feedback from a larger customer base.

Analytics

Conversational chatbots can provide businesses with real-time analytics. It can detect conversational patterns, returning users and emotional metrics. These are crucial data points for CX marketers to create better marketing campaigns. 

Case Study: Examples of Successful Conversational Surveys 

In this section, we will look at some examples of successful conversational surveys and what businesses can learn from their design and implementation.

Example 1: Marriott Hotels

Marriott Hotels used Facebook Messenger to create a conversational survey that asked customers about their hotel experiences. The survey included personalized questions based on the customer’s previous interactions with Marriott. It provided customers with real-time responses to their feedback. Marriott reported a 41% response rate for the survey. This helped the hospitality brand to identify areas for improvement and increase customer satisfaction.

Key takeaway: Personalization and real-time feedback can lead to higher response rates and more accurate feedback.

Example 2: H&M

H&M used a conversational survey to collect feedback from customers about their online shopping experience. The survey was designed as a chatbot that provided customers with a personalized shopping assistant side-by-side collecting feedback on the customer’s experience. H&M reported a 70% survey completion rate. It helped the company to improve its online shopping experience and increase sales.

Key takeaway: Incorporating the survey into the customer’s overall experience can lead to higher completion rates and more accurate feedback.

Example 3: Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s Pizza used a conversational survey to collect feedback from customers about their delivery experience. The survey was designed as a chatbot that provided customers with real-time updates on their pizza delivery. The chatbot also collected feedback on the customer’s experience. Domino’s reported a 50% response rate for the survey. This helped the company to identify areas for improvement and increase customer satisfaction.

Key takeaway: Incorporating the survey into the customer’s overall experience and providing real-time updates can lead to higher response rates and more accurate feedback.

Best Practices for Creating Conversational Survey

The success of conversational surveys depends on how well they are designed. A survey that feels natural, welcoming, and easy to answer encourages more responses and provides richer insights. Follow these best practices to get the most from your conversational survey strategy.

1. Keep questions short and simple

In conversational surveys, clarity is everything. Busy customers don’t have time for long, complicated questions. Keep them short, simple, and to the point. This not only improves survey completion rates but also ensures that the feedback collected is accurate and reliable.

2. Use open-ended questions

Open-ended questions transform conversational surveys into true dialogues. They give customers the freedom to express their experiences, opinions, and emotions in their own words. This adds depth to the insights you collect and uncovers nuances that closed-ended questions might miss.

3. Avoid leading questions

One of the most common pitfalls in survey design is bias. Leading questions steer respondents toward a particular answer and compromise the quality of your data. Conversational surveys should remain neutral and objective to capture genuine customer sentiment.

4. Use branching logic

Branching logic keeps conversational surveys relevant and personalized. By adapting the flow of questions based on previous answers, you prevent unnecessary or repetitive queries. This not only reduces survey fatigue but also improves the accuracy and actionability of the feedback.

5. Provide context for each question

Customers are more likely to respond thoughtfully when they understand why their feedback matters. Always give context before asking questions in conversational surveys. It can be about improving a product, enhancing customer support, or refining an overall experience.

6. Test before you launch

Before rolling out a conversational survey at scale, test it with a small group of respondents. This trial run helps you identify confusing questions, technical glitches, or gaps in logic. Well-tested conversational surveys drive higher completion rates and ensure your feedback campaigns are goal-driven.

What Questions Should I Ask In A Customer Survey?

Here are some questions that you may want to consider:

• How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others?
• How satisfied are you with our product/service?
• How easy was it to use our product/service?
• Did our product/service meet your expectations?
• How responsive were our customer support representatives?
• How would you rate the overall value of our product/service?
• How frequently do you use our product/service?
• What did you like best about our product/service?
• What did you like least about our product/service?
• Is there anything we can do to improve our product/service?

Ask open-ended questions that allow customers to share their thoughts and feelings in their own words. Some examples of open-ended questions are:

• What are some specific things we could do to improve your experience with our product/service?
• Can you share a recent experience you had with our product/service?
• Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your experience with our product/service?

Additionally, you may want to ask demographic questions to better understand the characteristics of your customers, such as age, gender, income, and location. However, be sure to only ask for information that is relevant to your business. Avoid asking for sensitive information that may make customers uncomfortable. To know more, read our blog on how to create a good customer survey

Common Mistakes to Avoid for Conversational Surveys

Here are some of the common mistakes to avoid when publishing conversational surveys.

1. Over-surveying customers 

Overwhelming customers with too many questions can lead to low response rates and inaccurate feedback. Respondents may share random responses to finish a question.

2. Not personalizing the survey

Personalizing the survey by addressing the customer by name or referencing can make people feel more valued. Failing to personalize the survey can make people feel like they are just another number. 

3. Missing the follow-up 

Follow up with customers after they complete the survey. This shows that their feedback is valued and that the business is committed to improvement. Neglecting to follow up can make customers feel their feedback is not important. This can lead to low response rates in future surveys.

4. Asking leading questions

Asking leading questions can bias the respondent. This leads to inaccurate or incomplete feedback. Provide customers with the opportunity to express their opinions and feelings in their own words. This can lead to more accurate and valuable feedback.

5. Using inappropriate language or tone

Inappropriate language or tone can make customers feel uncomfortable or offended.Using a friendly and professional tone helps increase response rates. A conversational tone is desirable for accurate customer feedback.

Current Trends in Conversational Surveys in 2025

In this section, we’ll cover some emerging trends in conversational surveys and how they are likely to shape the future of customer feedback collection.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning

AI and machine learning technologies offer more personalized and targeted surveys. It can be tailored to individual customers based on their past interactions with the business. AI-driven CX platforms can analyze customer feedback and provide insights that can be used to improve customer experiences and increase revenue.

2. Audio surveys

Voice-activated surveys are increasingly popular as more customers use voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant to interact with devices. Voice-activated surveys (voice forms) can provide a more natural and convenient way for customers to provide feedback and increase response rates.

3. Social media conversations

Social listening involves monitoring social media platforms for customer feedback and insights. This approach allows businesses to collect feedback in real-time and respond quickly to customer concerns and issues. Social listening can also help to identify emerging trends and issues that can be addressed before they become major problems.

4. Omnichannel surveys

Multi-channel surveys involve using a combination of different channels to collect feedback, such as email, SMS, messaging apps, and social media. This approach allows businesses to reach customers on their preferred channels and can help to increase response rates and improve the accuracy of the feedback collected.

5. Gamification

Gamification involves using game mechanics such as points, badges, and leaderboards to make surveys more engaging and fun for customers. This approach can help to increase response rates and improve the quality of the feedback collected.

6. Predictive analytics

Predictive analytics uses data and statistical algorithms to identify patterns and predict future outcomes. This approach can be used to analyze the feedback from conversational surveys and understand customer behavior. Predictive analytics can also help businesses to anticipate future customer needs, improve customer experiences, and keep track of key performance metrics.

Conclusion

Conversational surveys are a powerful tool for collecting quick, accurate, and up-to-date customer feedback. To get started with Merren CX, sign up for a 14 day free trial without any credit card details.