Tools questions that show where your software costs people time
Ask employees how the tools they use every day work, from chat and email to the HR system. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What internal tools survey questions tell you
Internal tools survey questions ask employees about the software they use all day: how well it fits together, how easy it is to find a document, which tool slows them down and where they type the same thing twice. The answers turn hallway complaints into a list IT can rank and budget for.
Ask once a year before you renew licenses, and a month or two after you roll out a new tool. Pick six to eight questions, and show the survey inside the intranet or another web app people use daily, as a side button or inside the page, or share the link in team chat.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and filed under a category and a theme, with a type such as bug, idea or complaint, so a broken expense form and a wish for better search land in different lists. On every plan, a workflow can add each answer as a row in Google Sheets for the IT team.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- Yearly before renewals, and after a rollout
- Industry
- HR and employees
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 internal tools questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How the tools work today
Start with the overall scores, the grid of main tools and how easy it is to find documents, to see the state of the whole set.
- 01Stars
How well do the tools we give you work together?
Five stars for how well the tools work together. Results shows the average and the share who rated 4 or higher; ask it again after a rollout to see whether it moved.
- 14Emoji
How do you feel about the software you use at work?
How people feel about their work software, on a row of faces. Ask it near the start; Results shows the share for each face and the change from the period before.
- 02Matrix
Rate the tools you use most
Rates chat, email, the intranet and the HR system in one grid. The heat map shows the weakest tool, and the row averages let you compare each one year over year.
- 03Customer effort
How easy is it to find a document you need?
An effort score (CES) for finding documents, on a seven-point scale. Results shows the average and the share who found it easy; a low share points to search or to where files are kept.
Where the time goes
These questions find the tool that slows people down, how many sign-ins a week takes and how many minutes are lost, which gives every fix a cost.
- 04Multiple choice
Which tool slows you down most?
Names the tool that slows people down most. Results shows the share of each; select one to read what those employees wrote about it in the open questions.
- 07Number
How many different tools do you sign in to in a normal week?
How many tools people sign in to each week, as a number. Results shows the median and the middle half, a simple figure to track after you merge tools or add single sign on.
- 13Ruler
How many minutes a day do you lose to tools that misbehave?
Minutes lost each day to misbehaving tools, on a ruler from 0 to 60. Results shows the median and the middle half; multiply the median by headcount to make the case for a fix.
- 10Text
Where do you have to enter the same information twice?
An open question about entering the same information twice. Each answer points to a missing link between two systems, which makes a ready brief for the IT team.
Workarounds and new tools
Ask what people do outside the official tools, whether new tools get approved and where they look for policies, to find the gaps the official set leaves.
- 05Multiple choice
Which of these do you do outside our official tools?
Lets people tick what they do outside the official tools. Results shows a bar per option; each popular workaround is a gap in the tools or a policy worth revisiting.
- 06Yes / No
Can you get a new tool approved when you need one?
A yes or no on getting a new tool approved. A low share of yes can explain the workarounds in the previous question, so read the two together.
- 12Dropdown
Where do you look first when you need a company policy?
Where people look first for a company policy. A high share for a colleague or for not being sure means the intranet and HR system aren't where people expect answers.
What to fix first
End with the priorities: the ranking of fixes, the trade-offs people would accept and the tool they would replace tomorrow.
- 11Ranking
Rank what you want fixed in our tools first
Employees rank five fixes, from speed to fewer tools. Results shows the average place per item, which gives IT a priority order backed by the people who use the tools.
- 09This or that
Which would help you more?
Two trade-offs side by side: fewer tools or better ones, one place for everything or the best tool for each job. Results shows a split bar per pair, useful before a tools review.
- 08Text
Which tool would you replace tomorrow, and with what?
Asks for a tool to replace and what should take its place. Answers name real products, so each one gives IT a concrete option to trial, and the themes show which tool draws the most replacements.
Tips for asking about internal tools
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask where people use the tools
Show the survey inside the intranet or another web app as a side button, so people answer while the tools are in front of them.
- 02
Ask again after a rollout
Repeat the rating and the tools grid a month or two after a new tool goes live, so Results can compare them with the period before.
- 03
Separate bugs from wishes
Filter written answers by type: send bugs to IT support right away and keep ideas for the next tools review.
- 04
Tell people which fix you chose
Share which fix from the ranking you picked and when it lands, before you ask the next round.
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 internal tools
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Once a year before license renewals, and a month or two after a new tool goes live. Keep the rating and the tools grid the same each time to see the change.
Yes, when the intranet is a web app where you can add the Usertick website code. Show it as a popup, a side button or inside the page, and target the pages where people look for documents.
Six to eight. Start with the overall rating, the tools grid, the tool that slows people down and the ranking of fixes.
Everyone who uses the tools daily, across teams and locations, so one department's favorite isn't mistaken for the whole company's.
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.
Listen better, act faster, and build what truly matters.
Start free, see what your customers mean, and get each answer to the person who can act on it.
- 150 responses a month on Free
- Every channel and AI analysis
- No card needed