High-quality testimonials show your business’s value, inspire trust, and give your business authority. But gathering testimonials that sound sincere while also highlighting your businesses can be tough. The right testimonial questions can shape the narrative and tell the customer’s story as well as your own. Use these 26 testimonial questions to help you and your customers create powerful testimonials for your business.
This blog post was updated in January 2022 to include more testimonial questions and updated information.
26 Testimonial Questions for All Situations
There are many different ways you might ask a customer for a testimonial. If you work with a large number of customers and you want to gather a lot of testimonials quickly, you might use an email request strategy. Or, if you sit down regularly with your customers, you might do this in an in-depth, one-on-one interview. If you want to sit down with your customers, but you or they don’t have time for a lengthy interview, you might also collect quick testimonials in your store or online. We’ll provide some testimonial questions for all situations.
Featured Resource: Testimonial Request Email Templates
Download the Testimonial Request Toolkit
Testimonial Questions for Emails
Testimonial request emails are a great way to quickly reach out to a large pool of customers. You can automate testimonial request emails to save time while still reaching all of your happy customers. Your customers can submit text, photo, or video testimonials directly through a link to your testimonial collection page, similar to the one set up through Boast below. This removes the production stage, so you don’t need expensive cameras, videographers, lighting, or other equipment for an impactful testimonial.
It’s helpful to include testimonial questions in your email, on your testimonial collection page, or both. This will help direct your customers’ narrative and make it easier for them to provide a helpful testimonial. Here are some example testimonial questions you might use as prompts:
1. When did you first discover (product/service/business)?
This question helps to reinforce the authenticity of the testimonial and introduce viewers to the story. Your customer can start their testimonial with how they learned about your product or service which can create a natural segue into a conversation about competitors or switching.
2. What was the problem you were hoping to solve?
This is one of the most important testimonial questions you can ask. When customers describe the problem they were experiencing, other potential customers are likely to relate to this story. This testimonial question shows what your product or service accomplishes and how it can make your customers’ lives easier.
3. What was your experience like using (product/service/business)?
Answers to this testimonial question may come up naturally with the previous question. If not, this is an essential follow-up question. Now that potential customers have heard about a problem that very likely relates to their own, the solution will be even more powerful. Ask your customers to be as detailed as possible. Emotional impacts, such as the relief they experienced with your solution, will be especially helpful here.
4. How has your situation improved/changed?
This question may be similar to the previous, however, asking about specific changes can help. You might ask about time or effort the customer saved, leads or sales generated, how team cooperation improved, or other impacts for which your product or service is designed to help with.
5. During your experience with (product/service), what was the thing you enjoyed or benefitted the most?
For this testimonial question, you might ask about your customers’ favorite feature and why it is their favorite. This will help to pinpoint specific features your product/service offers. It will also highlight what your customers like best about your product/service.
6. What would you tell someone who’s considering our (product/service/business)?
With this question, your interviewee can speak directly to potential customers. People want honesty and they want to hear it from your previous customers. This will be far more impactful than messages directly from the business itself. In fact, 72% of consumers say positive testimonials and reviews increase their trust in a business.
7. What about our business surprised you the most?
Your customers often have a certain goal in mind when they initially begin using your product or service. As they work to accomplish their goals, they may discover other benefits along the way. These benefits can include rewards, incentives, updated features, etc. By asking this testimonial question, you capture the story of how your business is focused on the customer and always work to benefit their needs.
8. Did you face unexpected curveballs when implementing our product? If so, how did our team help you overcome those challenges?
If you’re a B2B business with an onboarding process, this is a question you may want to ask. Product implementation can have its curveballs every now and then. It’s important to know if your customer experienced any issues during their onboarding process. If they did, how were you able to help them overcome those challenges? This question highlights your team’s ability to respond quickly and implement a solution.
9. Is there anything else you’d like others to know about (product/service/business)?
Often, testimonial interviews will jog customers’ minds as they go on. This question allows a customer to bring up any particular experiences or benefits they might not have remembered previously.
Featured Resource: Testimonial Request Email Templates
Download the Testimonial Request Toolkit
In-Person Testimonial Questions
Some businesses prefer to gather testimonials in person when they sit down with clients. If you work with a video production crew, this can get expensive, but you don’t have to go quite so far to make a high-quality testimonial. You can also use Boast and similar platforms during these sit-down sessions. You might set aside time for an in-depth interview or a few quick questions.
If you choose a long interview, here are some testimonial questions you might use that will keep it conversational while also describing to other customers how they might benefit from your business. You might already know the answer to some of the questions, but it’s a good idea to repeat them to capture in the testimonial. Feel free to only ask the questions you need depending on the direction of your interview.
10. Tell us about the problem or difficulties you had that made you seek out (product/service).
If a customer came to you with a significant problem—their existing service was too expensive, their original product was difficult to use, or a business problem was disrupting their productivity—this is a great way to frame the interview. You can easily present your business as a solution-provider while showing prospective customers exactly what you do and how your business works.
11. How was this problem or challenge impacting your business/lifestyle?
If your customer isn’t sure, ask about the time or energy they previously spent solving this problem. Or, the problem might be financially focused, incurring high costs or creating sporadic expenses that were difficult to predict.
12. How did you first discover (product/service/business)?
This question is important to an in-depth, sit-down interview or a quick interview by email. This will not only help to explain your customer’s story to other prospective customers, but it will also give you information about how new customers are finding you.
13. What features, benefits, or advantages first drew you to us?
If your customer switched from a competing business, this question would be crucial to include. It’s not necessary to mention the competitor’s name or product/service they were using previously. Instead, focus on your business’s benefits and advantages your customer enjoys.
14. How long have you been working with (product/service/business)?
The customers giving in-depth testimonials are more likely to work with your business for a longer period of time. If your customer has been with you for many years, this will help show potential new customers that your business forges long-lasting relationships.
15. How has your problem or challenge been solved?
This is the turning point in your customer’s story. By illustrating how you helped your customer solve their problem, you show prospective customers how you can help them as well.
16. What impact did you see on your business/lifestyle?
This is a good question to use to focus on your business’s benefits and biggest competitive advantages. This might include increased sales, leads, revenue, or productivity for a business. Or for individuals and families, more time, more energy, better sleep, or more overall happiness.
Featured Resource: Testimonial Request Email Templates
Download the Testimonial Request Toolkit
Fast and Easy Testimonial Questions
If you or your customer don’t have time for an in-depth interview, you can still make a quality testimonial with a few spare minutes. A quick interview might be a chat while your customer visits your business in-person or a video call online. With a shortened interview, you need to make your testimonial questions count. Below are a few testimonial questions you might ask to get the most out of this brief interview. Most likely, you won’t have time for all of these, so pick one to three that are most relevant to your business.
17. What does our (product/service/business) do for you?
Need to cut to the chase? This is a great question to ask to quickly get a valuable testimonial. While the testimonial won’t tell the whole story, it will explain why your customer loves your business.
18. What is your favorite thing about (product/service/business)?
Ask this testimonial question to highlight a particular aspect of your business, product, or service. If this aspect was vital to solving the customer’s problem, it would highlight how your business improves customers’ lives.
19. How would you describe (product/service/business)?
This is great for explaining your business and highlighting your customer’s experience. Happy customers submitting a testimonial are likely to use positive, descriptive language that summarizes your business quickly. For example, “welcoming, home-town business” or “solution-oriented, inventive and creative.”
20. Why did you choose (product/service/business) over competitors?
Customers telling prospective customers why they chose your business will have much more impact than statements you might make. This testimonial question will help highlight your competitive advantages authentically.
21. How long have you used (product/service/business), and what makes you continue to come back?
Testimonials from long-standing customers will carry more weight than those from new customers. This question shows your customer has an existing relationship with your business and why that relationship is helpful for them. Words from your loyal customers build trust with prospects.
22. What made you want to start using (product/service/business)?
Depending on how a customer interprets this testimonial question, it might highlight your business’s advantages, your competitor’s shortcomings, or how you can solve a problem. The open interpretation of this question can help to highlight different aspects of your business with a single question.
23. If there’s one word you could use to describe your experience with us, what would it be and why?
One-word answers are often short and to the point. While it may take your customer a moment to brainstorm the word they want to use, it often speaks volumes to your business. By using one word, you’ll be able to understand what stands out the most to your customers.
24. On a scale of one to ten, how likely would you be to recommend (product/service/business) to others?
This question is key to determining your NPS® score and overall customer satisfaction. Since it gives you a single score, it’s easy to compare year over and year and measure improvement. However, it’s important to use this testimonial question with caution. You won’t get an accurate NPS score if you’re asking only happy customers for testimonials.
