Referral questions that turn happy clients into new business
Ask clients how likely they are to recommend you, who they would introduce and whether you may enter the work for an award. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What client referral survey questions tell you
Client referral survey questions ask the clients who know your work best whether they would recommend you, to whom, what they would say and what they would do to help: a quote, a reference call or an introduction. A happy client who is never asked rarely thinks to refer you, and a short survey at the right moment makes it easy to say yes.
Ask a few weeks after a project goes well or after a good result, and ask about awards well before entry deadlines. Start with the recommendation score and how the client feels, and add logic to skip the reference and award questions for clients who score 6 or lower. Five or six questions are enough.
Results shows the NPS score with promoters, passives and detractors, and each written answer gets a theme and a sentiment. Give each referral an owner in the inbox, and a workflow can send it on to HubSpot.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- A few weeks after a project goes well
- Industry
- Agencies
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 awards and referrals questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Would they recommend you
Start with the recommendation score and how the client feels, then what they would say, so you know who to ask for more.
- 01NPS
How likely are you to recommend our agency to another company?
The NPS question for the whole agency. Results shows the score with promoters, passives and detractors, and the card compares with the period before.
- 14Emoji
How do you feel about the work we did together?
A row of faces for how the client feels about the work you did together. Ask it early in the survey, so the NPS score has a feeling to read alongside it.
- 09Big scale
How likely are you to work with us on the next project?
How likely the client is to work with you on the next project, on a scale of 1 to 10. Read it next to the NPS score, since recommending and returning are separate decisions.
- 04Text
What would you say about us to someone who asked?
The open question for what the client would say about you. With permission, their words make stronger copy for your website than anything you write yourself.
Referrals and references
Ask clients who score high how they would help and who they would introduce, and keep their consent on record.
- 02Consent
May we name you as a reference for other clients?
A consent question for naming the client as a reference. Ask it before you give their name to a prospect, and keep the answer with the response.
- 03Multiple choice
Who would you recommend us to?
Who the client would recommend you to, from a company like theirs to one in another field. The share of each shows which markets your clients open for you.
- 05Multiple choice
Which of these would you do for us?
Lets the client tick every way they would help, from a quote to an introduction. Follow up on each one within a week, while the offer is fresh.
- 10Contact
Who should we thank for the referral?
Collects the name and email of the person who referred a new client, so you can thank them. Ask it of new clients; Results lists the names in a table.
- 11Call to action
Know someone who needs this kind of work?
A call to action near the end of the survey, for clients who know someone who needs your work. Add logic so only clients who score high on the NPS question see it.
- 12Text
What kind of company should we be talking to next?
Asks what kind of company you should talk to next. Read the answers by theme for the markets your clients think you fit.
Awards and how clients find you
Learn whether the client agrees to an award entry, which awards matter in their world and where clients first hear of you.
- 06Yes / No
May we enter this work for an industry award?
A yes or no on entering the work for an industry award. Ask it well before the entry deadline, so there is time to gather results and approvals.
- 07Ranking
Rank what you would rather we won
Ranks a creative award, an effectiveness award, trade press, a referral and repeat work. Results shows the average place, which tells you what recognition clients value.
- 08Dropdown
Which awards matter in your industry?
Which awards matter in the client's industry. Use the shares to choose which award shows are worth the entry fee and the time.
- 13Multiple choice
How did you first come across our agency?
How the client first came across you, from a referral to an event. Results shows each share, so you can see which channels bring in the clients you keep.
Tips for asking about awards and referrals
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask when the news is good
Send the survey a few weeks after a launch or a good result, when the client has something to tell others.
- 02
Ask promoters for more
Add logic to skip the reference, quote and award questions for clients who score low, and ask the rest what you could do better.
- 03
Record every permission
Keep the consent answers with each response, and check them before you name a client to a prospect.
- 04
Thank every referral
Give each referral an owner in the inbox and thank the person who sent it, so they know the introduction mattered.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about awards and referrals
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
A few weeks after a project goes well, or after a good result. Ask again each year, and before award deadlines when you plan to enter the work.
Show them to clients who score 9 or 10 on the NPS question. Add logic to skip them for everyone else, and read those clients' open answers instead.
Five or six. Start with the NPS question and how the client feels, add what they would say, and end with the ways they would help.
Yes. Add the contact question to your onboarding survey, and Results lists the names and emails in a table, so you can thank each one.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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