Tablet, QR code or email: which channel to use for your customer satisfaction survey
When a business decides to measure customer satisfaction, the first question is rarely what to ask. It is how to reach customers. Three channels work for physical venues: a tablet on site, a printed QR code and an email (or text message) after the visit.
| Channel | Tablet | QR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers on the spot | |||
| No customer phone needed | |||
| Works outside the venue | |||
| You know who answered | |||
| Reaches people who left |
Tablet on site
It gets the most responses per visit, because the survey is in front of the customer right when they finish. It does not depend on mobile data, a camera or anyone wanting to take out their phone.
- It works best with short surveys of three to five questions.
- The tablet needs to go back to the start on its own after each response: that is what kiosk mode is for.
- Responses are anonymous: you do not know who answered unless you ask.
- It costs one tablet per spot, although any budget tablet will do.
QR code
A QR code on the table, the receipt or in the room is cheap and can go in many places at once. People answer on their own phone, whenever they like, even after leaving.
- It gets fewer responses than a tablet: scanning takes one more step.
- It suits slightly longer surveys, because people can answer at their own pace.
- With a different QR code per table, branch or room (using a hidden field in the link), you know where each response came from.
Email or text after the visit
It is the only channel that reaches people who already left and the only one where you know who answered, because the survey goes to a specific person. It is useful for follow-up: calling an unhappy customer or thanking a happy one.
- You need the customer's email or phone number, and their permission to contact them.
- Response rates are usually lower than on site, except with regular customers.
- It is the best channel for asking about something that happens later: delivery, installation or the result of a treatment.
How to combine them
Many businesses use two channels for the same survey: the tablet for people on site and email for people who bought by phone or online. If you use the same survey with a different link per channel, you can see the results together or separately.
To avoid duplicate responses, do not email people who already answered on the tablet. If that is not possible, ask by email only what the tablet does not cover.
Our recommendation
- Busy store, restaurant or clinic: a tablet in kiosk mode next to the register or front desk.
- Restaurant with tables or a hotel: a QR code on the table or in the room, plus a tablet at the exit or front desk.
- Online sales, home services or customers with an account: email or text after delivery.