Referral questions that show what makes customers spread the word
Ask customers whether they recommend you, how they do it and what would make them do it more. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What referral and word of mouth survey questions tell you
Referral and word of mouth survey questions ask customers how likely they are to recommend you, whether they already have, how they pass it on and what they say when they do. Word of mouth is hard to see in your analytics, and these answers show how much of it happens, where, and what would make it happen more.
Ask after a good moment, such as a successful order, a solved problem or a few months of steady use, by email or inside your web app. Pick four or five questions, and show the referral button only to customers who gave a high score.
Each written answer gets a theme and a sentiment, so the words customers use to recommend you and the warnings they would give sort into clear themes. Results shows the NPS score with detractors, passives and promoters, and the reward question shows which offer to build a referral program around.
- Questions
- 12
- Best asked
- After a good moment, such as a solved problem
- Industry
- Any business
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 12 referrals and word of mouth questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Who recommends you
Measure the likelihood to recommend, then whether customers already have and how much a recommendation counts.
- 01NPS
If a colleague asked, how likely are you to put our name forward?
The recommend question, worded for a colleague asking. Results shows the NPS score with detractors, passives and promoters, and promoters are the customers to invite to a referral program.
- 02Yes / No
Have you told anyone about us?
Whether the customer has already told anyone about you. Select Yes in Results to see what those customers say about you and how they pass it on.
- 03Number
How many people have you mentioned us to?
How many people the customer has mentioned you to. Results shows the median and the middle half, a rough measure of how far word of mouth travels.
- 08Big scale
How much does a friend's recommendation sway you?
How much a friend's recommendation sways the customer, on a 1 to 10 scale. Results shows the average and a column per step, and a high average is a reason to invest in referrals.
How they pass it on
These show where recommendations happen, how easy you are to explain and what customers praise and warn about.
- 04Multiple choice
How do you usually pass on a recommendation?
How the customer usually passes on a recommendation, from a conversation to a review. Results shows each share in a donut, which tells you where a referral link would get used.
- 07Customer effort
How easy would it be to explain what we do to a friend?
How easy it would be to explain what you do to a friend, on a 7 point effort scale. A low score means customers like you but struggle to describe you, so give them the words.
- 09Text
What do you say about us when you recommend us?
What the customer says about you when they recommend you. Each answer gets a theme, and the phrases that repeat are ready for your homepage and referral emails.
- 10Text
What would you warn a friend about before they sign up?
What the customer would warn a friend about before they sign up. The answers name the weak spots that hold recommendations back, so read them before you push referrals.
What would make them do it more
Ask what would help and which reward appeals, then give happy customers a way to share.
- 05Multiple choice
What would make you recommend us more?
Customers pick everything that would make them recommend you more. Results shows bars with each share, so you can tell whether a reward, an easier way to share or more confidence matters most.
- 06Multiple choice
Which reward would you rather have?
Which reward the customer would rather have. Results shows each share in a donut, which tells you what to offer before you launch a referral program.
- 12Call to action
Know someone who would like this?
A button to your referral page or share link. Add logic so it appears only after a high score, and leave it out for everyone else.
- 11Contact
Who should we thank for sending you our way?
The name and email of the person who referred this customer, so you can thank them. Ask it only when you plan to say thank you, and say why you are asking.
Tips for asking about referrals and word of mouth
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask after a good moment
Send referral questions after a solved problem or a successful order, when customers have a reason to recommend you.
- 02
Show the referral button to promoters
Add logic so only customers with a high score on the recommend question see the referral button.
- 03
Read the warnings first
Read what customers would warn a friend about before you launch a referral program, and fix the top warning first.
- 04
Give customers the words
Use the phrases customers already use to describe you in your referral emails and share messages.
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 referrals and word of mouth
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
After a good moment, such as a solved problem, a successful order or a few months of steady use. Ask by email or inside your web app.
Four or five. Start with the recommend question, then ask whether they have told anyone and how, which reward they would want and one open question.
Yes. Add logic so the referral button appears only after a high score on the recommend question.
Yes. Add a tag to the survey link, such as the name of the referral campaign, and each answer keeps it for workflows, Google Sheets and the API.
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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