You can craft the perfect subject line and design the most beautiful survey, but the right question at the wrong time will still get ignored.
Think of it this way: asking for feedback too early is like reviewing a film after watching the trailer. To get meaningful answers, you need to wait until your customer has actually experienced the value of what you sold them.
Here is how you can optimise your customer feedback timing to increase response rates.
1. Don’t Rush the Request
The most common mistake is speed. Customers need time to experience your product or service before they can comment meaningfully.
Instead of sending a blast immediately after purchase, use your operational data to trigger requests based on specific milestones:
- Delivery confirmation: Wait until the item is in their hands.
- Service completion: Ask when the job is done.
- Big-ticket items: Consider a two-stage approach—ask for first impressions immediately, then follow up later for long-term usage feedback.
2. Finding the Sweet Spot for Customer Feedback Timing
When is the absolute best time to hit "send"? Our data reveals distinct differences between product and service feedback:
- Service Requests: Speed matters here. Requests sent within 15 hours of the experience typically see the highest response rates.
- Product Requests: Patience pays off. Response rates are higher with a longer delay post-purchase—typically 1 to 4 days on average. For retail specifically, 8 days is often the sweet spot.
- Time of Day: Even the hour matters. Service requests perform best between 11 am and 1 pm, while product requests are more likely to get an answer around 10 amstrong>.
3. Map the journey, not just the purchase
For complex purchases, like travel or automotive, a single request isn't enough. Feedback should follow the customer journey.
For example, a travel company might ask for feedback at three distinct stages:
- Booking Confirmation: Was the process easy?
- The Experience: How is the trip going?
- Post-Service: How was the journey overall?
Each stage offers a different insight and a unique opportunity to engage.
4. Prioritise product over service…
…when it comes to asking for feedback.
If you are asking for both product and service reviews, order matters. Testing shows that users generally prefer responding to product reviews first.
By sending the product request ahead of the service request, you reduce the likelihood of customers leaving product-specific comments in your service review section, keeping your data clean and actionable.
Key takeaways
Timing isn't just about open rates; it is about relevance. If you wait until the customer has had a chance to truly use and appraise your offering, you move beyond polite responses to genuine, actionable insight.
Whether you're looking to improve your customer journey, boost response rates or make smarter decisions with better data, we’re here to help.
Watch the whole masterclass on How to Collect Better Feedback or read our guide for more useful content.
For more insights about how to display this feedback, sign up to our next Masterclass.
FAQs
What is the best time to ask for customer feedback?
Service feedback performs best within 15 hours of the experience, while product feedback sees higher response rates after 1–4 days post-purchase.
Why does timing matter for feedback requests?
Asking too early leads to shallow responses. Waiting until customers have experienced your product or service ensures more meaningful insights.
How soon after purchase should I send customers a review request?
For retail products, 8 days post-purchase is often the sweet spot. For services, send requests within 15 hours of completion.
Does time of day affect feedback response rates?
Yes. Service requests perform best between 11 am and 1 pm, while product requests are more likely to get responses around 10 am.
Should I send multiple feedback requests for complex journeys?
Yes. For experiences like travel or automotive, ask at key stages—booking, during the experience, and post-service—for richer insights.
