If you're tired of guessing what your customers actually think—and you want honest, ongoing feedback instead of one-off snapshots—recurring surveys are the way to go. This guide is for anyone who wants to use Appinio to track customer satisfaction over time, whether you're new to surveys or just want a no-nonsense approach. We’ll cut through the fluff, show you what works, and flag what’s not worth overthinking.
Why Track Customer Satisfaction Over Time?
One-off surveys are like checking the weather once and assuming you know the climate. If you want to spot real trends—like whether a new product feature is actually helping, or if customer service is slipping—you need to ask the same questions repeatedly. That’s where recurring surveys come in.
Who should care?
- Product managers who want real user data (not just intuition).
- Customer experience teams aiming to catch issues before they snowball.
- Startups hunting for product-market fit.
- Anyone tired of “gut feeling” being the loudest voice in the room.
The Basics: What Makes Recurring Surveys Work
Before diving into Appinio specifics, let’s lay out what actually matters:
- Consistency: Ask the same questions, in the same way, at regular intervals.
- Simplicity: Don’t try to measure everything. Focus on what you can actually act on.
- Honest Data: Don’t nudge people toward the answers you want to hear.
Recurring surveys aren’t magic; they’re just disciplined. The hard part isn’t sending surveys—it’s sticking with them and paying attention to the results.
Step 1: Get Set Up on Appinio
First, a quick reality check. Appinio is a solid tool for quick, broad feedback from real people—not just your existing customers. If you want to survey your own customer list, you’ll need to use the “Bring Your Own Sample” option or export your Appinio survey for email distribution.
What you’ll need:
- An Appinio account (the free trial is good for kicking the tires, but recurring surveys usually mean a paid plan).
- A clear idea of who you want to survey (your own customers, or Appinio’s panel).
Pro tip:
If you need repeat surveys with the same cohort, make sure Appinio’s panel can support it, or plan to invite your own contacts.
Step 2: Decide What to Measure (and What to Ignore)
Don’t get bogged down in “vanity metrics” that look good in a slide deck but don’t drive action. Focus on a few core satisfaction signals, like:
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): “How likely are you to recommend us?”
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): “How satisfied are you with your experience?”
- Product-specific questions: “How easy was it to use feature X?”
What not to do:
- Don’t load your survey with 20 questions. Nobody has time for that, and you’ll get junk data.
- Avoid open-ended questions in recurring surveys unless you’re prepared to read them all.
- Don’t change your questions every month—you’ll just muddy your trend lines.
Reality check:
NPS gets a lot of hype. It’s useful for trends, but don’t treat it as gospel. Combine it with other signals for a fuller picture.
Step 3: Build Your Survey in Appinio
Here’s where Appinio shines: fast setup, and a clean interface. But don’t let the speed tempt you to rush.
Key steps:
- Create a new survey project.
- Pick your question types.
Stick with scales (1–5 or 0–10), simple multiple choice, and—if you must—a single free-text box. - Keep the language plain.
People tune out corporate speak, and confusing questions ruin your data. - Test your survey.
Appinio lets you preview before launching. Send it to a colleague first.
Pro tip:
Use Appinio’s “survey logic” to skip irrelevant questions—but don’t overcomplicate it. The more branching, the harder it is to analyze results over time.
Step 4: Set Up Recurrence (Here’s the Catch)
Appinio doesn’t have an automatic “recurring survey” button. You’ll need to manually duplicate your previous survey at whatever interval you choose (weekly, monthly, quarterly).
How to keep things consistent:
- Duplicate your last survey.
In Appinio, use the “Duplicate” or “Copy” function to avoid accidental tweaks. - Keep the survey link or invitation process the same.
If you’re using your own contact list, schedule reminders in your calendar. - Set reminders for yourself.
This isn’t glamorous, but it’s what actually keeps the cadence going.
What to ignore:
Don’t get hung up on “the perfect timing.” Consistency is more important than obsessing over which day of the week is “best.”
Step 5: Distribute and Collect Responses
With Appinio, you’ve got two main ways to reach people:
- Appinio’s own panel:
Fast, broad, and useful for general sentiment. But it’s not your customers, unless you just want generic feedback. - Your own list:
For real customer satisfaction tracking, export the survey link and send it via your usual channels (email, in-app, etc.).
Tips for better response rates:
- Keep your ask short and honest: “Quick 2-minute survey. Tell us what you really think.”
- Don’t bribe with big rewards—it just attracts people who want the prize, not real feedback.
- Send a gentle reminder, but don’t nag. Once is plenty.
What works:
A short, focused survey sent at regular intervals builds trust—people see you actually care about their input (and notice when you act on it).
Step 6: Analyze Trends, Not Just Snapshots
The whole point of recurring surveys is to spot patterns, not just chase one-off spikes or drops.
How to get value:
- Track the same metrics each round.
Stick your results in a simple spreadsheet or dashboard. - Look for changes over time.
Did NPS tank after a big update? Did CSAT improve after a customer support revamp? - Don’t chase every blip.
Single-survey swings can be noise—focus on real trends.
Watch out for:
- Respondent fatigue:
If response rates drop off, your survey is probably too long or too frequent. - Changing your audience:
If you switch from internal customers to Appinio’s panel, don’t compare those scores directly.
What doesn’t work:
Don’t try to slice and dice tiny datasets for “insights.” If you’ve only got 20 responses, take any trends with a grain of salt.
Step 7: Actually Act on Feedback (or Don’t Bother)
This is where most companies stumble. There’s no point tracking satisfaction if you never change anything.
- Share results internally—good or bad.
- Pick one or two things to improve each cycle.
- Let customers know when you’ve made changes based on their feedback (it actually boosts future response rates).
Pro tip:
If you’re not willing to act on feedback, save everyone’s time and skip the survey.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works:
- Keeping surveys short and repeatable.
- Comparing the same questions over time.
- Acting on the feedback and closing the loop with customers.
What doesn’t:
- Chasing “perfect” survey design. It’s better to start simple and fix as you go.
- Overanalyzing tiny response pools.
- Relying on just one metric (like NPS) to tell the whole story.
Ignore this:
- Fancy dashboards and “AI insights” promises, unless you actually need them.
- Surveying more often than you can handle—monthly is plenty for most teams.
Keep It Simple, Keep It Honest
Recurring surveys with Appinio aren’t complicated, but they do require discipline. Start with a handful of questions you actually care about, send them out on a regular schedule, and pay attention to what you see. Fix what’s broken, celebrate what’s working, and don’t sweat the rest. Most of all: keep it honest, keep it consistent, and don’t let “analysis paralysis” slow you down.