Open-Ended Survey Question
Short definition
Open-Ended Survey Question: A survey question allowing a respondent to answer in their own words.
Meaning and how it works
An open-ended response can reveal unexpected issues, but analysing free text requires categorisation and privacy care. Surveys help measure customer perceptions at particular points in a service journey. Results reflect the people who responded, not automatically the entire customer base.
Business applications
- Business scenario:
A customer is asked to describe what could be improved about the support experience.
What to check before implementation
Agree on question wording, survey timing and sampling. Avoid treating small or biased response groups as representative of all customers.