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Task effort survey template

Find the step that slows users down, right after they finish the task

Five questions after a long task such as an import: how much effort it took, about how many minutes, how users felt, whether the result was worth it and which step took the longest. Usertick reads every written answer and groups the slow steps by theme.

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What this task effort survey tells you

A task effort survey asks users about one task they just finished. This template measures it three ways, as effort on a 1 to 10 scale, as minutes on a ruler and as a feeling on a mood dial, then asks whether the result was worth it and which step took the longest. The five questions take about a minute.

It is written for a popup in your web app, opened the moment a long task ends: an import, a first report, a data sync or an account setup. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, your app calls Usertick.trigger("import_finished") when the task completes, and the survey opens on that custom event while the steps are still fresh.

Results shows the average effort with a column per step, the median minutes with the middle half, the share of each feeling and the share who found the result worth it, each against the period before. Each answer to the last question is read and filed under a theme, so the step users name most often stands out.

On your websiteAs a linkIn an emailAs a conversation
Questions
5
Time to answer
About a minute
Written for
A popup in your web app the moment a long task is done
Plans
Every plan, the free plan included

See it on every channel

The same template on your website, behind a link, in an email and as a conversation.

On your website

Show it as a popup, a side button or inside the page, and choose the pages and the moment it opens: on page load, after a delay, on scroll or as someone is about to leave, on every plan. Event and behavior triggers work on 1 survey on Free and on every survey from Starter.

The 5 questions, one by one

What each question asks, why it is there, what it shows you and what to change.

Question 1 of 5 · Big scale

How much effort did that task take?

Why ask it
A 1 to 10 effort score gives the task a number you can follow release by release. On this scale a higher number means more effort, so a falling average is the goal.
What you learn
The average and a column per step, against the period before, so a release that made the task harder shows as a rise.
Make it yours
Name the task in the label, such as How much effort did the import take?, when users run several long tasks in your app.
Question 2 of 5 · Ruler · Optional

About how many minutes did it take?

Why ask it
Minutes add a measure users can estimate and your team can compare with what the task should take. The ruler ends at 60+, so long runs still fit.
What you learn
The median and the middle half of the minutes, so a few very long runs don't hide what a typical user spends.
Make it yours
Keep it optional, and set the ruler's top end to fit your task, such as 10 minutes for a short setup step.
Question 3 of 5 · Mood dial

How did you feel once it was done?

Why ask it
Effort and time say how hard the task was, and the feeling says how users will remember it. A long task that ends well leaves a different memory from a short one that ends in frustration.
What you learn
Five faces from frustrated to pleased, each with its share, against the period before.
Make it yours
Select Frustrated or Annoyed in Results to read which step those users named in question 5.
Question 4 of 5 · Yes / No

Was the result worth the effort?

Why ask it
A heavy task can still be fine when the result is worth it. A No marks the tasks where the effort outweighs the value.
What you learn
The share that said yes, against the period before. Select No to see the effort and minutes of users who felt the task wasn't worth it.
Make it yours
Read the No answers next to question 5, since those users point to the step worth cutting first.
Question 5 of 5 · Text · Optional

Which step took the longest?

Why ask it
Users remember the step that held them up, such as matching columns or waiting for a sync. One open question names it in their words.
What you learn
Each answer with its sentiment and theme, filterable by theme, with up to 8 themes and their trends. Usertick also marks bugs, so a step that fails outright is set apart from a slow one.
Make it yours
Keep it optional, and share the top themes with the team that owns the task.

What the answers show

Results turns each question into numbers you can follow week by week.

Every written answer, read for you

Each answer arrives with its category, theme, type and urgency, so the urgent ones reach your team first.

Use this template in four steps

From the template to the first answers.

  1. 1

    Open the template

    Sign up free and pick Task effort review in the template gallery. It opens in a matching style, ready to change.

  2. 2

    Make the questions yours

    Reword any question, change the options, and add logic or more questions.

  3. 3

    Choose where it runs

    Show it on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.

  4. 4

    Publish and read the answers

    Answers arrive in Results and the inbox as people send them, each written one read and filed by Usertick.

Tips for this survey

Small choices that keep people answering and the answers useful.

  1. 01

    Open it when the task ends

    Fire a custom event from your app at the end of the task, so users answer about the task they just finished. Custom event triggers work from Starter, or on 1 survey on Free.

  2. 02

    Measure one task per survey

    Run a separate survey for each task you want to measure, so the averages and minutes describe one flow.

  3. 03

    Compare before and after a release

    Note the date of each release and compare the effort average with the period before in Results. A drop shows the change worked.

  4. 04

    Ask again after a change

    Keep the default frequency, Until answered, so users answer once. When a release changes the task, set it to show again after a number of days.

Customer effort scoreWebsite surveysEffort and time questions

More customer effort templates and questions

Templates like this one, and single questions from the library to add to it.

Templates

Browse all templates
Customer effortCustomer effort (CES)Measure how much effort it took customers to get what they needed. Show it right after a support ticket is solved, a checkout or a setup step.
NPSNet Promoter Score (NPS)Measure how likely customers are to recommend you, and hear the reason behind each score. Send it every quarter by email or in the app to track loyalty over time.
CSATCustomer satisfaction (CSAT)Find out how satisfied customers are with a purchase, a visit or a support conversation. Send it within 24 hours, while the experience is still fresh.
Customer effortReturns and refundsMeasure how easy your returns process is and learn the real reasons products come back. Send it once the refund has been issued.

Questions from the library

Browse the question library
  1. How much effort was the initial setup?Big scale · Effort and time
  2. How hard was it to find what you were looking for?Big scale · Effort and time
  3. How long did that take you?Ruler · Effort and time
  4. Was your issue resolved?Yes / No · Support
  5. How much effort did it take to get help?Customer effort · Support
  6. How could we have handled this better?Text · Support

Frequently asked questions

From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, call Usertick.trigger with an event name such as import_finished when the task completes, and set the survey to open on that custom event. Without the event, show it with a delay on the page users reach once the task is done.

A customer effort survey asks how easy something was on a 5 or 7 point scale. This template asks how much effort a task took and adds time, feeling and whether it was worth it, so it suits a longer task in your product.

Users who just finished the task. From Starter, target by traits passed with Usertick.identify(), such as signup date, to ask only new users who meet the task for the first time.

A low effort average, a short median time and a high share who say the result was worth it, holding or improving against the period before. The step named most often in question 5 is where to start.

Yes. Every template comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.

Yes. The template becomes your own survey, so reword any question, add or remove questions, and change the options and the logic. The gallery stays as it is.

Yes, from Starter. The template is written in US English. Add languages by hand or with AI translation, and each person sees the survey in their browser's language.

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