Reception questions that show what patients notice before anyone calls their name
Ask patients about arriving at your clinic, from parking and signs to the front desk, privacy and the waiting room. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What reception and waiting room questions tell you
Reception and waiting room survey questions ask patients about the first minutes of every visit: whether it was clear where to go, how the front desk welcomed them, how private the desk felt and how comfortable the waiting room was. These details shape a visit before patients meet a clinician, and they tend to cost little to fix.
Ask on the day, with a QR code on a sign in the waiting room, or by email the day after, and pick three to five questions. Keep the survey on the building and the welcome: Usertick doesn't sign business associate agreements, so keep the placeholder that asks for no medical details on both open questions.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and given a category, a theme, a sentiment and an urgency, so a broken door or a restroom out of order reaches the facilities team before the next clinic day.
- Questions
- 12
- Best asked
- On the day, in the waiting room or soon after
- Industry
- Healthcare
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 12 reception and waiting areas questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Arriving and finding the way
Start with parking, signs and checking in, the steps before patients reach the desk.
- 08Yes / No
Was there somewhere to park without a long walk?
A yes or no on parking without a long walk. Results shows the share that said yes, which helps when you talk to the building owner about spaces.
- 02Yes / No
Was it clear where to go when you arrived?
A yes or no on knowing where to go on arrival. Each No points to signs or directions, and the share that said yes is a quick check after you change them.
- 07Ruler
How many minutes did it take to find the right room?
Minutes to find the right room, on a ruler up to 30. Results shows the median and the middle half; anything above a few minutes makes the case for clearer signs.
- 03Multiple choice
How did you check in?
How the patient checked in, including I was not sure how. Results shows each share in a donut; a rising share of unsure patients means the screen or the signs need work.
The front desk
These questions rate the welcome and the privacy at the desk, the moments patients remember from reception.
- 01Stars
How would you rate the welcome at the front desk?
A star rating for the welcome at the front desk. Results shows the average and the share who rated 4 or higher, worth sharing with the reception team each month.
- 05Big scale
How private did the front desk feel?
How private the front desk felt, from 1 to 10. Results shows the average and a column per step; low scores are a reason to move the line back or add a private window.
- 11Emoji
How did the front desk leave you feeling?
How the front desk left the patient feeling, on a row of faces. It picks up tone and warmth that the welcome rating alone can miss.
The waiting room and the building
Ask about each part of the building and what would improve the wait, before you buy seating or move the desk.
- 09Matrix
Rate each part of the building
Rates the entrance, reception, the waiting area and restrooms in one grid. The heat map shows which part pulls the building down, with an average for each row.
- 10Multiple choice
How was the temperature inside?
How the temperature felt, from far too cold to too warm. Results shows each share in a donut, a quick check to share with whoever runs the building.
- 04Ranking
Rank what would improve the waiting area
Patients put six improvements in order, from more seating to something for children. Results shows the average place per item, which tells you what to buy or change first.
First impressions in patients' words
End with the open questions, so patients can name what the ratings didn't cover.
- 12Text
What did you notice first when you came in?
First impressions in a sentence or two. Filter by theme to see what patients notice first, and keep the placeholder asking for no medical details.
- 06Text
What would make arriving less stressful?
The open question on making arrival less stressful. The placeholder asks for no medical details; filter by theme to see whether parking, signs or the desk comes up most.
Tips for asking about reception and waiting areas
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask in the waiting room
Put the survey's QR code on a sign in the waiting room, so patients answer while they sit there.
- 02
Keep the reason for the visit out
Usertick doesn't sign business associate agreements, so ask about the building and the welcome, never why the patient came. Keep the placeholder asking for no medical details.
- 03
Pass building problems straight on
Give every answer about a broken door, a dirty restroom or the temperature an owner in the inbox, and fix it before the next clinic day.
- 04
Recheck after a change
Ask the same questions before and after you change signs, seating or the desk, and compare the two periods in Results.
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 reception and waiting areas
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
On the day, while the patient is there or soon after. A QR code in the waiting room reaches patients as they wait, and an email the day after reaches the rest.
Three to five: the welcome rating, whether it was clear where to go, the building grid and an open question.
Yes. Open the survey's link on the tablet, and each patient answers on the hosted page.
Yes, for website, link or QR code surveys: with anonymous responses on, no user ID, traits or visitor ID is stored. Surveys sent through Usertick email are not anonymous.
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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