Guesthouse Used Surveys for Key Improvements

For the service industry, "customer satisfaction" is never an empty phrase. It lies in a guest’s comment of "I’ll come back next time" when they leave, and also in the numbers of repeat rates and recommendation rates. Customer Satisfaction is not a vague feeling, but an indicator that can be accurately captured through Online surveys. With the right tools, even a small guesthouse can turn satisfaction data into tangible business growth.

Qinglan, a chain guesthouse brand in Hangzhou, achieved this: in 6 months, it increased the repeat rate of existing customers from 28% to 45%. It didn’t rely on complex marketing, but used Online surveys to collect customer feedback, calculated the csat score, and then targeted the "small issues" that dragged down satisfaction.

1. Qinglan’s Dilemma: Good Reviews, But No Repeat Visits

Qinglan has 5 branches in Hangzhou, with an online rating of 4.7/5 for a long time. Positive comments like "nice environment" and "warm service" accounted for 70% of the reviews. However, the operation team noticed a strange phenomenon: only 28% of first-time guests would book again, far below the industry average of 40%.

They initially thought the problem was price or location, but only found the root cause after conducting an Online survey. The survey included a CSAT question: "How would you rate your overall satisfaction with this stay? (1-5 points)". Over 80% of guests gave 4 points or above (a high csat score), but in the follow-up question "Will you book again?", nearly half of the 4-point guests chose "not sure".

Further analysis of the feedback revealed the reason: 4-point guests felt "no major issues, but no reason to come back". Some said "the shower water temperature fluctuates", others mentioned "the breakfast menu never changes in a week", and some complained "it takes an hour to wait for room cleaning when extending the stay". These scattered complaints seem trivial individually, but together they made "satisfied" guests hesitate to return.

2. Using CSAT Surveys to Find "Key Improvements" Instead of Blind Changes

Instead of rushing to adjust prices or run promotions, Qinglan’s team designed a more detailed CSAT survey. They sent Online survey links via SMS to guests 24 hours after check-out, which included three core parts:

Core CSAT question: "Overall satisfaction rating (1-5 points)" (used to calculate the csat score);

Sub-item ratings: 1-5 point scores for 6 dimensions including "room facilities", "cleaning efficiency", and "breakfast quality" (to locate specific issues);

Open-ended question: "What is the main reason for your rating?" (to collect specific cases).

Using the CSAT calculation method (percentage of satisfied customers ÷ total respondents), the initial csat score was 82 (meaning 82% of guests gave 4-5 points). However, the scores for "cleaning efficiency" and "breakfast variety" were significantly lower, at 68 and 71 respectively. Among guests who gave low scores in these two dimensions, 80% said "unlikely to book again".

This insight made the team realize: it wasn’t that guests were dissatisfied, but two specific issues—"slow cleaning" and "monotonous breakfast"—offset the goodwill from "nice environment". They decided to focus on solving these two issues first, rather than making scattered improvements.

3. Small Changes Lead to Big Results: From CSAT Score to Repeat Rate Growth

To address slow cleaning, Qinglan made two adjustments: first, provided housekeepers with a "quick cleaning checklist" to reduce the cleaning time for extended stays to within 30 minutes; second, added an "extended stay reservation" function in the app—if guests reserved 2 hours in advance, housekeepers could prepare during non-peak hours.

The breakfast issue was even simpler: the menu was updated every Monday and Thursday, adding local specialties (such as Dingsheng Cake and Pian’erchuan noodles in Hangzhou). A new CSAT question was also added to the survey: "What breakfast items would you like us to add?" to adjust the menu regularly based on feedback.

Three months later, they conducted a follow-up Online survey using the same method. The csat score rose from 82 to 91, with "cleaning efficiency" jumping to 89 and "breakfast variety" to 87. More importantly, the repeat rate of existing customers increased from 28% to 39%, and the repeat rate of guests who mentioned "faster cleaning" and "new breakfast options" in the survey reached 62%.

4. How SurveyMars Helps Small and Medium-Sized Brands Replicate This Method?

The Online survey method used by Qinglan can be easily implemented by small and medium-sized brands with SurveyMars. Its advantages include:

Ready-to-use CSAT survey templates: No need to design questions from scratch. The templates already include core CSAT questions, sub-item ratings, and open-ended questions—just replace the brand information to use;

Automatic scoring function: After submission, the system automatically calculates the csat score and scores for each dimension using the CSAT formula, eliminating the need for manual Excel statistics;

Data comparison tool: It visually shows score changes between two surveys, such as the upward curve of "cleaning efficiency" from 68 to 89, helping you confirm whether improvements are effective.

For example, a small hotel in a county used SurveyMars to conduct an Online survey and found that "loud air conditioning" was the main factor dragging down the csat score. After spending a few thousand yuan to replace the air conditioners with quiet ones, its repeat rate increased by 15% in 3 months.

5. 3 Practical Tips for Effective Customer Satisfaction Surveys

1.Don’t just look at the total score—focus on "medium-score" customers: Like Qinglan’s 4-point guests, they are not dissatisfied, but "conditionally satisfied". Solving their pain points is the easiest way to convert them into repeat customers;

2.Make questions specific to "scenarios": Instead of asking "Are you satisfied with the service?", ask "Were you satisfied with the front desk’s response speed when checking in?" The more specific the question, the easier it is to locate issues;

3.Close the loop after the survey: Even if you only make small changes based on guest feedback, inform them via SMS or app—e.g., "We have updated the breakfast menu weekly as you suggested". This makes customers feel valued.

Conclusion: Customer Satisfaction Is Not the End, But the Start of Business Growth

Qinglan’s case proves that Customer Satisfaction is not a decorative score, but a "map" guiding your improvements. Use Online surveys to collect feedback, calculate the csat score, and address the specific issues that hold you back. Even small changes can lead to significant growth in repeat rates.

You don’t need to understand complex CSAT calculations. The templated CSAT surveys and automatic scoring function help you quickly find answers from data. After all, the cost of retaining an existing customer is much lower than acquiring a new one—and it all starts with taking every piece of customer feedback seriously.

Q1: Does SurveyMars have ready-made customer satisfaction survey templates, or do I need to build one from scratch?

A: SurveyMars has 10+ pre-built customer satisfaction templates—no need to start from scratch. Templates cover common scenarios: post-purchase feedback, service satisfaction, product usage, etc. Each includes optimized questions (e.g., 5-point satisfaction scales, open-ended feedback prompts) and follows industry best practices. Just select a template, edit details like your brand name, and publish—you can also add/remove questions to fit your needs, even as a free user.

Q2: Is it possible to hide customer satisfaction survey results from respondents after they submit?

A: Yes—SurveyMars lets you control if respondents see results. By default, respondents only get a "Thank You" message post-submission. If you want to hide results entirely, no extra steps are needed. If you want to share aggregate results (e.g., "85% of customers are satisfied"), paid users can enable a "View Results" button on the Thank You page—but this is optional. The default setting ensures respondents don’t see others’ answers, avoiding bias in future submissions.

Q3: How do I export customer satisfaction survey data from SurveyMars to analyze in other tools?

A: Exporting satisfaction data is simple. Go to your survey’s "Responses" tab, click "Export," and choose Excel, CSV, or PDF. Excel/CSV files include raw data (each respondent’s answers) and calculated metrics (e.g., CSAT percentage). PDF exports include visual charts (e.g., satisfaction scale distribution). Both free and paid users can export—free users have a 1,000-response per-export limit, while paid users can export all data at once, making it easy to analyze in Excel, Google Sheets, or BI tools.

Q4: Can I add skip logic to customer satisfaction surveys (e.g., skip service questions for product-only buyers)?

A: Yes—skip logic is available for all users to keep surveys relevant. For example, if a respondent answers "No" to "Did you use our customer service?", you can set the survey to skip service satisfaction questions and jump to product feedback. To add it, edit a question, select "Skip Logic," and choose the condition (e.g., "If answer is No, jump to Question 8"). This reduces respondent fatigue and ensures you only collect relevant satisfaction data.

Q5: Can I customize the satisfaction scale (e.g., use 1-7 instead of 1-5) in SurveyMars customer satisfaction surveys?

A: Yes. SurveyMars lets you adjust satisfaction scales to match your preference. When adding a satisfaction question (e.g., "How satisfied are you with our service?"), go to "Scale Settings." Free users can switch between 1-5 or 1-3 scales; paid users can use 1-7 or 1-10 scales. You can also edit labels (e.g., replace "Satisfied" with "Meets Expectations") to align with your brand language—ensuring scales feel familiar to respondents.