4 Simple Ways to Gather Feedback with a QR Code Survey

Surveys are a superb way to gather in-depth customer data, understand what makes them tick, and streamline your business. You can use them to gather anything from insights about a demographic to specific information about customers’ experiences

But what takes feedback generation to the next level is the Quick Response Code (QR Code) survey. Feedback QR Codes make it easy for businesses to collect responses from their clients and improve their products and services. 

In this blog, we’ll look at QR Code surveys, their benefits, and how to use QR Codes for feedback. 

Benefits of using QR Codes for surveys

You may be wondering how QR Codes can benefit your business. After all, successful business owners only invest in products that can improve their processes and customer experiences. 

QR Codes do both. QR Code encoding makes it easier to direct customers to online surveys using offline mediums like product packaging, posters, and business cards. 

It also makes accessing surveys more convenient, as customers don’t need to type in long survey links to offer their opinions. Instead, they can just scan the QR Codes with their mobile devices. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into the benefits of using QR Codes for surveys. 

Learn about your customers

Did you know that only around 55% of small businesses reach the five-year mark? The other 45% fail for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones is a poor understanding of their market. 

To be among the 55%, you need to know your customers and their behaviors, attitudes, and opinions so you can create a more positive experience for them. The better their experiences, the likelier you are to stay in business and perform well. 

QR Codes allow you to share surveys more seamlessly and reach a wider audience. You only need to embed your survey web link into your QR Code and add it to your preferred digital or print media. The process is quite straightforward—but more on that later. 

Measure customer satisfaction

The higher your customer satisfaction rates, the better your business performs. Clients are more likely to remain loyal to brands that cater to their needs and preferences than those that don’t. 

QR Code surveys provide response rates in real time, so you can easily gauge overall customer satisfaction and bridge the gap between customers’ expectations and experiences. You can then make improvements to your products or processes and observe how they impact your satisfaction rates. 

Find out about trends

Trends can make or break your business—just look at Netflix and Blockbuster. In the 1990s, both companies saw tremendous success in renting and selling physical DVDs. Now, only Netflix exists—and it’s worth more than $210 billion. Why? Because it adapted to the changing times and launched streaming services. 

QR Code surveys can help you adapt by allowing you to stay on top of emerging market trends and changing customer needs. Create a QR Code that directs customers to forms asking about their needs and plan how your business can adapt to their preferences. 

Improve customer retention

You need to address customer concerns to maintain their loyalty. QR Code surveys facilitate seamless data collection, giving you the information you need to better meet your target market’s needs. 

For effective results, create a feedback survey that focuses on customers’ experiences. Inquire about their satisfaction and ask how you can improve future experiences. This shows you care about them and value their opinions, which can greatly increase your retention numbers. 

Customer feedback also allows you to tweak your offerings, change your strategy, and transform how you engage with customers.

Upgrade and refine your products and services

Change is a constant in business. To survive and thrive, you must upgrade and refine your products and services to provide better customer experiences. 

QR Code surveys provide feedback you can use for continuous product and service improvement. For example, you can:

  • Enhance user experiences by collecting data on your products’ pain points. 

  • Develop new products or features by identifying gaps between current and desired user experiences.

  • Improve product performance by listening to your client’s issues.

QR Codes are easier to share than standard survey links. You can also track QR Code scans to monitor the number of people who provide feedback and their locations. This allows you to make more targeted improvements. But how can you actually use them in your business?

Let’s take a look at some QR Code survey use cases across different industries.

Restaurants

Capitalize on QR Code surveys by placing QR Codes on as many items as you can find: takeout boxes or bags, menus, checks—you name it! There are a plethora of creative ways to use QR Codes in restaurants

What’s great about this approach? You leave your customer undisturbed during their dining experience. Plus, you don’t have to bother them with the outdated pen-and-paper surveys that they—let’s face it—will never do.

For the best results:

  • Place your QR Code on a visible medium: For takeout, add your QR Code to carry-out bags or receipts. For in-house dining, place your QR Code on menus, checks, signage, and tables. 

  • Keep your surveys concise: Let’s be honest—nobody wants to spend more than a few minutes on a survey. Focus on key aspects like service and food quality to increase the likelihood of customers completing your survey. 

  • Include open-ended questions: While simple yes-or-no questions can be easier to analyze, they may not provide valuable insights into what you can improve. Add a few open-ended questions to your questionnaire for detailed feedback. 

  • Offer incentives: Incentives can increase survey response rates. Consider options like discounts or free desserts. 

QR Code feedback request at the bottom of the restaurant bill.
A Feedback QR Code printed on the restaurant check.

Events

Oh, events—what a favorable time to gather feedback about customers on a large scale.

Wondering how your audience felt about your talk? Strategically include a QR Code survey on your last slide. Trying to figure out what your attendees thought of your conference event? Conveniently place a QR Code survey in restrooms. 

Scratching your head about what your attendees thought of your festival or concert? Display a QR Code survey on print posters or big screens. And if you feel really ambitious, you could take your QR Code survey to the next level: the sky.

Take Travis Scott, the music artist who, while debuting his new song, “Escape Plan,” put on the theatrics with a drone light show. The drones lit up the sky with a QR Code, which prompted thousands of festival-goers to listen to his pre-single on Spotify. 

Brilliant doesn’t even begin to capture this smart marketing move. This epic drone light display led to over 80,000 impressions.

But, don’t just stop at collecting feedback. Hype up your next event and improve the registration process with QR Codes for event management.

Healthcare

QR Codes in healthcare gained tremendous popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their use in medical settings hasn’t slowed down since.

Today, medical facilities use QR Codes for numerous purposes, including patient satisfaction and service quality feedback. Here are some possible uses of QR Code surveys in healthcare:

  • Appointment booking assessments: You can place QR Codes asking about the ease of appointment scheduling in waiting rooms or include them in appointment reminder emails. 

  • Facility amenities evaluations: You can use QR Code surveys to ask clients about the cleanliness or quality of your amenities. 

  • Patient care quality assessment: QR Code surveys can provide information on physicians’ and nurses’ competence and empathy. 

  • Medication management: You can add QR Codes to medication packaging to collect feedback on the clarity of instructions, side effects, and overall experiences with specific medications. 

QR Code survey at a doctor’s practice for easier new patient registration.
Register at a doctor’s office with a QR Code

Marketing

Modern marketers are no strangers to QR Codes. They facilitate seamless connections between physical and digital mediums, allowing businesses to share more information and engage more with their target audience. 

But did you know you can use QR Codes to collect customer feedback, too?

QR Code surveys can improve your marketing campaigns by providing valuable feedback on your customers’ experiences. Just create an online questionnaire, embed the link in a QR Code, and share it with your target audience. 

Social media platforms and email are invaluable mediums. Given the billions of people on social media, engaging your customers on these platforms means that you’re meeting most of your customers where they already are.

If you prefer email, reach out to your customers with a personalized thank you note accompanied by a QR Code survey to collect feedback. 

Retail

To succeed in retail, you must continuously improve customer satisfaction and provide easy access to information. And what better way to do that than through QR Codes for retail

Create QR Code surveys asking about customers’ experiences. Ask about your staff’s helpfulness and friendliness, the ease of finding products, and what clients would like to see more of in your store. 

This way, you can improve service quality and stock up on high-demand products. You can also include a Net Promoter Score (NPS) question to determine customers’ likelihood of recommending your business. 

Another way to use QR Code surveys in retail is to collect product and shopping experience reviews. A study of 8,153 U.S. consumers revealed that almost 87% of shoppers read reviews regularly before shopping. 

QR Code surveys allow you to collect numerous customer reviews with ease, building trust and making it simple for potential shoppers to find information about you. 

Education

You may already know about the functionality of QR Codes in educational institutions. They’ve become valuable tools for teachers, allowing them to share educational materials seamlessly with their students. 

But this isn’t their only use. Schools can use them to improve educational content or the overall student experience. If you’re an administrator, create QR Code surveys asking learners about teaching models, schedules, and satisfaction with school amenities. 

Hospitality

TripAdvisor finds that 79% of users are more likely to book the hotel with better reviews when looking at otherwise identical accommodations. Meanwhile, over half stated that they would never book a hotel that had no reviews. What does this mean for your hospitality business? You must find ways to encourage positive client reviews. 

One way is by using QR Code surveys to collect feedback. Asking for guest feedback allows you to better your services and keep many complaints in-house. Review hospitality survey templates for guest satisfaction and service customization to determine what to include in your questionnaires. 

To offer even better services, take advantage of other QR Codes for hospitality, as well. You can use Event QR Codes to give guests more information about activities at your hotel or Image QR Codes to provide a visual of your hotel rooms and amenities. 

Public services

QR Code surveys help governments collect feedback on community services and initiatives. This can facilitate service improvement and allow them to focus resources on initiatives with the highest demand. 

You can embed your QR Codes on print materials and display them in areas frequented by the public, like community centers. 

Consider exploring other QR Code ideas for governments to make it easier to share public information. For example, consider using PDF or Video QR Codes to share details on service improvements. 

How to create a QR Code for a survey

Generating a QR Code for a survey is relatively straightforward, and it doesn’t require a lot of technical expertise. All you need is the right guidance. So here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create QR Code surveys.

1. Create and test your online survey

Find a reliable survey tool to start creating your questionnaire. Google Forms is a popular option because it’s simple to use and free. 

After choosing your preferred tool, create a survey focusing on possible customer pain points and areas you want to improve. Keep your survey short and offer incentives to encourage completion. 

When you create your survey, test it internally before releasing it to the public to identify errors and ensure it provides the information you need to improve processes. 

QR Code Generator PRO offers a Google Form QR Code, making it easy to generate a QR Code survey using a Google Form. 

2. Go to qr-code-generator.com

When you confirm your survey touches on all desired areas, visit a QR Code builder to create the QR Code. We recommend QR Code Generator PRO because it’s easy to use and offers comprehensive scan tracking data for Dynamic QR Codes. 

3. Select Website QR Code. 

The next step is to generate your QR Code. Log into your QR Code Generator PRO account and select Create QR Code and then Website to get started. 

4. Paste your survey link into the website field

Go to your chosen survey tool and copy the survey link. Navigate to the Website field in your QR Code Generator PRO account and paste the link. When you do, the tool will embed the link into your QR Code. 

5. Customize your QR Code’s design

The design window will automatically open when you create your QR Code. This is your chance to personalize your QR Code and align it with your business’s branding elements. You can:

  • Customize its text.

  • Select the shape and color and add a frame.

  • Choose your preferred foreground and background colors.

6. Download and test your QR Code survey

When you’re satisfied with the appearance of your QR Code, save and download it. To prevent QR Code scanning problems, test it to ensure it works as intended. 

Use QR Code Generator PRO to create more accessible surveys

QR Code surveys allow you to digitize your feedback and gain valuable customer insights. Depending on your industry, there are all kinds of different ways to reach your customers via QR Code surveys, both in person or digitally via social media or email.

QR Code Generator PRO is the perfect solution for creating QR Codes for surveys. Whether you’re a retailer looking to increase traffic to your store or a restaurant owner looking for service and food quality feedback, QR Code Generator PRO is the tool you need.

Sign up for QR Code Generator PRO to create survey QR Codes that unlock a world of insights for a better customer experience.

Author
Tobias Funke

Tobias Funke is Bitly’s Vice President of Product. With a background in software engineering, he has a decade of combined experience in product development and the QR Code space. Tobias leads a team that developed one of the most successful and popular QR Code generators available. His entrepreneurial and growth mindset helps build products that continuously disrupt the market. You can connect with Tobias on LinkedIn.

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