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Patient wait time survey template

Shorten the wait patients feel, starting at the front desk

Four questions for the day of the visit: how long patients waited past their appointment time, whether anyone told them about the delay, how the front desk did and how comfortable the waiting area was. Use it as it is or change any question, and Usertick reads every response for urgency and customer risk.

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What this patient wait time survey tells you

A patient wait time survey measures the part of a visit that happens before the exam room: the minutes past the booked time, whether the front desk explained the delay, how the staff treated people and what the waiting area was like. This template asks four questions in about half a minute.

It is written for the evening of the visit, sent by Usertick email to the patients seen that day while the wait is still fresh. The same survey runs as a QR code on a sign in the waiting area or at checkout, and as a link in your own follow-up messages.

Results shows the share of each waiting band, the share who were told about a delay, and the average front desk and waiting area ratings with the share of 4s and 5s. Every card compares with the period before, so a new check-in process or an extra receptionist shows up in the next period.

In an emailAs a linkOn your websiteAs a conversation
Questions
4
Time to answer
Under a minute
Written for
The evening of the visit, by email to the patients seen that day
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.

In an email

Send it from Usertick to a contact list, with the first question inside the email. A tap on an answer opens the rest of the survey with that answer already kept. Usertick sends 50 emails a month on the free plan, or connect your own sender.

The 4 questions, one by one

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

Question 1 of 4 · Multiple choice

How long did you wait past your appointment time?

Why ask it
Minutes past the booked time are what patients count, more than the total time in the building. Five bands, from seen on time to more than an hour, are quick to pick.
What you learn
A donut with the share and count of each band, and the stacked shares over time, so a growing share of 30 to 60 minutes shows a schedule that keeps running late.
Make it yours
Add a skip so patients who pick I was seen on time go straight to question 3; as built, everyone sees the delay question.
Question 2 of 4 · Yes / No

Were you told about the delay?

Why ask it
Patients accept a delay more easily when someone tells them about it and how long it will be. The question checks whether the front desk does that.
What you learn
The share that said yes, against the period before. Select No to see how long those patients waited and how they rated the front desk.
Make it yours
With the skip from question 1 in place, read this share as the share of waiting patients who were told.
Question 3 of 4 · Stars

How would you rate the front desk staff?

Why ask it
The front desk is the face of the wait: checking patients in, answering how much longer, and handling frustration. A 5-point rating from poor to excellent gives the team a number of its own.
What you learn
The average, a bar per rating and the share who rated 4 or 5, compared with the period before. Select the 1s and 2s to see how long those patients waited.
Make it yours
Share the rating with the front desk team each month, beside the share who were told about a delay.
Question 4 of 4 · Stars

How comfortable was the waiting area?

Why ask it
A long wait in a cramped or cold room feels longer. The rating from very uncomfortable to very comfortable points to fixes that cost little, such as seating, water or a working screen.
What you learn
The average, a bar per rating and the share who rated 4 or 5, against the period before.
Make it yours
Add an optional text question after it, such as What would make the wait easier?, and Usertick files each answer under a category such as waiting times.

What the answers show

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

How would you rate the front desk staff?

The average rating and the share who gave 4 or 5 stars, against the period before.

How long did you wait past your appointment time?

The share of each answer with its count. Select an answer to narrow the whole page to those people and read what else they said.

Use this template in four steps

From the template to the first answers.

  1. 1

    Open the template

    Sign up free and pick Wait time and front desk 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

    Add the skip for on-time patients

    Patients seen on time have no delay to rate, so send I was seen on time straight to question 3. Skip logic works on any answer, on every plan.

  2. 02

    Agree on what to say

    Agree on what the front desk says when the schedule runs late, such as the expected wait, and watch the share of Yes on question 2 in the weeks after.

  3. 03

    Put a code in the waiting room

    A QR code on a sign in the waiting area reaches walk-in patients and those not on your contact list. Tag that link with ?utm_source=waiting-room, so each answer keeps its source in workflows and Google Sheets.

  4. 04

    Get an alert on a bad week

    On every plan, an alert can post to Slack or Microsoft Teams when the average front desk rating falls below a line over the last 7 days.

CSAT surveysPatient satisfaction surveysEmail surveysUrgent care visits questions

More satisfaction templates and questions

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

Templates

Browse all templates
CSATAppointment experienceLearn how patients experienced a visit, from booking and waiting to how clearly things were explained and what happens next. Send it the same day, and keep it free of medical details.
CSATPharmacy visitLearn how customers rated a pharmacy visit, the wait and how clearly the medicine was explained. Share it on the receipt with a QR code.
CSATDental visitLearn how patients rated their dental visit, from comfort in the chair to how clearly costs were explained. Send it the same day.
CSATPhysical therapy sessionCheck how patients feel after a session and whether their home exercises and treatment plan are clear. Send it an hour after each session.

Questions from the library

Browse the question library
  1. How many hours were you there in total?Ruler · Urgent care visits
  2. How did you decide to come in?Multiple choice · Urgent care visits
  3. Were you told how long the wait would be?Yes / No · Urgent care visits
  4. How would you rate your dentist?Stars · Dental care
  5. How long since your last checkup?Dropdown · Dental care
  6. Were you told the cost before the work started?Yes / No · Dental care

Frequently asked questions

The evening of the visit, while patients remember how long they waited. Usertick sends the email now or at a time you schedule up to 30 days ahead.

Three or four. This template asks four and takes about half a minute.

Patients judge the wait against the time they were given. Minutes past the booked time show how well the schedule holds, whatever time patients chose to arrive.

Yes, with one survey per location or a question that names it, since Results doesn't split answers by the tag on a link. Starter includes three dashboards, and Pro and up include unlimited dashboards.

Keep this one on the wait and the front desk, and use an appointment survey for the rest of the visit. Neither should ask about symptoms or treatment, since Usertick's terms don't allow medical details in surveys.

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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