Writing Good Likert Scale Questions

When designing surveys, the Likert scale is one of the most effective tools for gathering insights on attitudes, behaviors, and satisfaction levels. Whether you’re measuring employee satisfaction or customer experience, Likert questions help you capture more precise data that can help you gather better insights to drive retention and engagement.

Tips for Writing Good Likert Scale Questions

But how do you ensure your Likert scale questions are effective? Each question should assess a single attitude or trait. To get accurate insights, your questions must be worded carefully to avoid confusion or bias. A well-written question provides clarity and focus, ensuring that you’re measuring exactly what you intend to.

Let’s go over some quick tips for writing great Likert questions that will help you gather powerful insights to boost retention.

Include Both Questions and Statements

Mixing both questions and statements in your surveys helps keep participants engaged. The goal is to gather honest feedback without leading respondents toward a specific answer.

For example:

• Statement: “The onboarding process was smooth and easy to follow.”
• Question: “How satisfied were you with the support provided during onboarding?”

By varying your approach, you avoid survey fatigue and encourage more thoughtful responses.

Use Positive and Negative Framing

When every question is framed positively, respondents may be inclined to agree with all of them to reflect positively on themselves. To balance this, include both positively and negatively framed questions.

For instance:

• Positive framing: “The rewards program motivates me to stay engaged.”
• Negative framing: “The rewards program doesn’t add value to my experience.”

By offering both perspectives, you can test for consistency in responses and avoid bias.

Avoid Double Negatives

Double negatives can confuse respondents, leading to unreliable data. Clarity is key, and negative statements should be straightforward.

For example:

• Instead of: “I don’t disagree with the new policy.”
• Rephrase it as: “I agree with the new policy.”

By simplifying your language, you’ll make it easier for respondents to understand and provide accurate feedback.

Ask About Only One Thing at a Time

Avoid “double-barreled questions.” These types of questions ask about two different topics at once, which can confuse respondents and skew results.

For example:

• Bad: “How satisfied are you with your job and work-life balance?”
• Good: “How satisfied are you with your work-life balance?”

By focusing on a single topic, you’ll get more reliable data.

Ask a Maximum of 4 Questions

When gathering data for reward-driven insights, it’s crucial not to prolong the process. Since our engage survey questions are part of the reward process, keeping the survey short ensures that respondents stay engaged and provide thoughtful answers. If your survey is too long, respondents may rush through just to receive their reward, leading to unreliable data.

To avoid this, we recommend asking between 2 to 4 questions. This balance ensures you gather meaningful insights without overwhelming your audience or jeopardizing the accuracy of their responses.

Be Clear

Ambiguous or complex wording can derail the accuracy of your surveys. Make sure that your questions are direct, easy to understand, and free from jargon that might confuse your audience.

For example:

• Instead of: “How often do you engage with ancillary benefits?”
• Ask: “How often do you use the additional benefits provided by the company?”

Clear language makes it easier for respondents to give accurate answers, improving the quality of your insights.

Example Likert Questions for Employee & Customer IQ

At Promotion Vault, we provide a curated set of Likert scale options for both Employee IQ and Customer IQ to ensure your surveys gather the most relevant insights. These include:

• Satisfaction
• Likeliness
• Concern
• Agreement
• Frequency
• Awareness
• Familiarity
• Quality
• Importance

When to Ask Likert Questions during Strategic Automations

It’s not just about how you ask these questions—it’s also about when and how often. Based on the customer and employee journeys we recommend at Promotion Vault, here’s how you can strategically use Likert questions to collect the right data at the right time.

Welcome Reward

The welcome reward is a perfect moment to assess onboarding experiences for both employees and customers, though the questions may not be exactly the same.

For Employee IQ:

• “I am confident in my ability to contribute after completing the onboarding.” (Agreement)
• “How familiar do you feel with the company’s values and goals?” (Familiarity)
• “I believe I have the tools and resources needed to do my job effectively.” (Agreement)
• “The onboarding process helped me understand my role clearly.” (Agreement)
• “I am not fully comfortable with my responsibilities yet.” (Agreement)

For Customer IQ:

• “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?” (Likeliness)
• “The services provided meet my expectations.” (Agreement)
• “I am aware of the benefits of my membership.” (Awareness)
• “I am satisfied with the information provided during sign-up.” (Satisfaction)
• “I don’t feel I fully understand the benefits of my membership.” (Agreement)

Monthly High Five

Monthly High Fives are an ideal opportunity to ask ongoing satisfaction-related questions to gauge how engaged employees and customers feel.

For Employee IQ:

• “How satisfied are you with your current role?” (Satisfaction)
• “I am frequently recognized for my efforts.” (Agreement)
• “I’m not considering finding a new job at this time.” (Agreement)
• “How often do you feel motivated to give your best effort?” (Frequency)
• “I don’t feel appreciated for my contributions.” (Agreement)

For Customer IQ:

• “How satisfied are you with the services provided?” (Satisfaction)
• “I frequently use the benefits included in my membership.” (Frequency)
• “I am aware of any new offerings or programs.” (Awareness)
• “The membership benefits are not valuable to me.” (Agreement)
• “How often do you participate in classes?” (Frequency)

Holiday Reward

Holiday rewards, particularly those during mid and end of the year, are a great way to check in on satisfaction and engagement while also gauging how motivated employees and customers feel going into the new year.

For Employee IQ:

• “I feel motivated to contribute to the company’s success.” (Agreement)
• “I am recognized for my hard work and dedication.” (Agreement)
• “I am not planning to stay with the company long-term.” (Agreement)
• “How satisfied are you with your work-life balance?” (Satisfaction)
• “The rewards and recognition I receive motivate me to perform well.” (Agreement)

For Customer IQ:

• “I am happy with the overall value I get from my membership.” (Satisfaction)
• “The gym’s facilities and services meet my expectations.” (Agreement)
• “I don’t feel the gym offers enough benefits for the price.” (Agreement)
• “How likely are you to continue your membership in the coming year?” (Likeliness)“
• The holiday offers or promotions enhance my gym experience.” (Agreement)

Likert scale questions are a valuable tool for collecting feedback, but crafting them with care is key to gathering accurate, actionable data. By following these best practices and strategically placing questions in your customer or employee journey, you’ll not only gain better insights but also drive retention and engagement with more focused, reward-driven results.