Collecting customer feedback that truly benefits your business is about more than just sending out a survey. It’s about designing the right process, asking the right questions at the right time, and making feedback easy and worthwhile for your learners.
To gather feedback that genuinely helps you improve training quality and learner experience, focus on getting these key steps right:
- Match the feedback method to the training format
- Get instructors actively involved
- Design effective feedback forms
- Maximise feedback timing and follow-up emails
- Use an evaluation platform
In this blog, we explore these feedback collection strategies, how they help collect meaningful feedback and why it's important to get customer feedback after training. These strategies will help you move beyond collecting responses to gaining insights that genuinely improve training quality and learner experience.
How to collect customer feedback that improves your training programmes
Below are some of the most effective customer feedback strategies to help you collect high-quality learner feedback that drives real improvement and measurable results.
1. Match the feedback method to the training format
Different training formats require different feedback collection tools. Choosing the right one will maximise response rates and ensure learners can give feedback easily.
For example, replacing paper forms in classroom training with a scannable QR code makes the process faster and more efficient – both for learners and when analysing the results. For self-directed learning, building quick feedback checkpoints directly into the modules helps make feedback a natural and seamless part of the user experience.
For more practical ideas on improving response rates, see our blog, How to ask for training feedback (and boost your response rates).
2. Get instructors actively involved
Instructors play a vital role in successful feedback collection. Encourage them to follow these best-practice tips:
- Mention at the start of the course that you're going to be asking for feedback
- Make it a group activity
- Be enthusiastic and appreciative
- Explain the benefits and how the information they provide will be used
- Reassure them about any privacy concerns they might have
- Reassure them that the whole process will only take a few minutes
If you're running classroom training, then we strongly recommend collecting feedback before the learners leave the room. As well as guaranteeing a high response rate, it also saves you the trouble of sending them a survey link.
If you do send out post-event feedback request emails though, it's even more important that the trainer makes the case for learners not to ignore the email that's coming their way.
3. Design effective feedback surveys
The difference between useful, actionable feedback and vague responses comes down to effective survey design. You can achieve this by following a few best-practice principles when designing your surveys:
- Keep it short: 10 questions or fewer is usually enough.
- Use multiple-choice over ratings: Ratings are subjective, while multiple-choice provides specific insights.
- Ask reflective and future-focused questions: For example, “How confident are you in applying your new skills?”, or “When do you expect to use what you’ve learned?”
- Include at least one open-ended question: This gives learners space to share suggestions in their own words.
- Avoid mandatory questions: Let learners choose where to give detailed input.
- Plan questions around business goals: Ask only what will lead to actionable insights that can improve future training.
4. Maximise feedback timing and send follow-up emails
The timing of your feedback collection is key to getting high-quality responses. We recommend capturing post-course feedback on the spot, during the training session itself (e.g. scannable QR codes for classroom training or survey links for online training). If you must use emails, send the survey within 24 hours to maximise response rates.
On the other hand, to capture the true impact of the training and how learners have been able to apply their training, send a follow-up survey 4–6 weeks later. Use subject lines like “Your recent training” or “The [course name] course you attended” (avoiding the word feedback) and keep the email tone friendly and appreciative to encourage responses.
In the body of your email, reiterate what your trainers have said in the classroom: explain why you are asking for their feedback, tell them how much you value it, reassure them how the information they provide will be used, and emphasise that it’s a short survey form that will only take them a few minutes to complete.
5. Use an evaluation platform
A dedicated evaluation platform ensures that data is usable, consistent, and instantly available – and it also enhances the overall customer experience, making the process smoother and streamlined for both learners and training providers.
Tools like Coursecheck are designed to help you streamline feedback collection and monitor feedback with advanced reporting and analytics features. It works perfectly as a standalone solution, giving you powerful insights without the need for an integrated Training Management System (TMS). However, if you do use a TMS, Coursecheck also provides off-the-shelf integrations with many popular Learning Management and Training Administration Systems like Arlo, which translates into actionable analytics, quicker reporting and reduced administrative burden.
Key reasons to gather customer feedback for training providers
It’s not unusual for training companies to expect a 100% response rate for learner feedback. This can sometimes be a challenge, but one which Coursecheck can really help to address.
However, while response rates matter, we would argue that they can easily become a misleading measure; the quality of those responses is actually what we should be focusing on. In case you still value quantity over quality, here are some of the key reasons for collecting feedback that bring real value to your business:
1. To gain insight into the quality of the training services being offered
You want your training to have the maximum impact it can, so your customers and delegates feel they have really learnt something and got great value for money and for their time. So, if you're going to make changes to the way you do things, you need to be basing your decisions on sound evidence.
In practice, this means knowing that the feedback you've received is meaningful and gives specific details. For example, just one learner pointing out that the slides used were hard to read because they are colour-blind could be a useful trigger to review all course materials to ensure they are completely accessible for all.
We recognise that, in some cases, the decision to make a change may need to be based on the weight of numbers (all your delegates complaining about your external caterer rather than just one fussy eater!), but we would suggest that the quality is often in the detail of individual feedback.
2. To know whether there are any individuals who should be followed up on a one-on-one basis
When it comes to responding to feedback, then of course, you can only do that if you have something to respond to. And that comes down to encouraging people to be honest and to tell you about even the small things that could be improved.
The good news is that if someone has something very positive or has negative feedback to share, they're naturally more inclined to want to leave feedback, so it's those in the middle that need the most encouragement.
3. For training companies, customer feedback can be a valuable marketing asset
If you're using feedback for marketing purposes, then the overall quantity matters, but only up to a point. That's because although there's a big difference between having ten reviews and a hundred, there's only a relatively small additional benefit between having a hundred and a thousand.
Prospective customers simply need to believe that the reviews they're reading are representative, and as long as there are a reasonable number of them, and some are recent, then the marketing objective is achieved.
Clearly, it's worth doing everything you can to maximise both the quantity and quality of feedback you collect. The way to achieve this depends to some extent on the type of training you offer.
4. To validate and measure the return on investment
For many corporate clients, training is a significant investment. Feedback helps you demonstrate the tangible value delivered.
- Prove skill acquisition: Feedback gathered after the training can assess whether learners are actually applying their new knowledge and skills back in their jobs, which is the ultimate measure of training success.
- Market your training courses: Positive testimonials that focus on the ROI (e.g., "The course helped us reduce errors by 15%") allow you to maintain or increase your pricing, positioning your products or services as a high-value investment rather than a cost.
- Ensure alignment with organisational goals: For in-house training, feedback from both the delegates and their managers can confirm that the training outcomes are directly supporting the client organisation's strategic objectives.
5. To foster customer loyalty and build long-term relationships
Responding to feedback, especially negative feedback, is an opportunity to turn critics into advocates and show your commitment to the customer experience.
- Show you listen: Following up on a learner-specific concern demonstrates that you value their individual experience, making them feel heard and respected. This increases the likelihood of repeat business.
- Proactively manage reputational risk: Identifying and addressing a problem before it becomes a widespread complaint prevents negative word-of-mouth or poor public reviews on social media or industry forums.
- Create brand champions: Customers who have a problem resolved successfully often become more loyal than those who never had an issue in the first place, as they've experienced your commitment to service recovery firsthand.
From quantity to quality with Coursecheck
The ultimate takeaway is that while the quantity of responses matters, the focus must fundamentally shift to the quality of the insights. A single piece of detailed feedback can point out an overlooked accessibility issue or prove return on investment to a corporate client. This valuable feedback is the engine for improving service quality, building powerful marketing assets, validating training programme success and most importantly, building lasting customer loyalty.
How Coursecheck helps get quality responses and feedback
Collecting feedback through a training evaluation platform like Coursecheck helps you streamline your training processes and feedback collection, allows learners to complete surveys on their mobile device or laptop and improves the quality and accuracy of the data you collect.
Take control of your training quality. Learn how Coursecheck can turn your learner feedback into measurable results and a competitive edge.
Collecting customers’ feedback: training providers' FAQ
What are customer feedback tools?
Customer feedback tools are platforms that help training providers collect, analyse, and act on delegate feedback. They make it easier to track satisfaction, measure outcomes, and identify areas for improvement.
What are the four types of feedback?
The four main types are:
- Positive feedback: highlight strengths to build on.
- Constructive feedback: points out areas to improve.
- Formal feedback: structured, such as surveys or evaluations.
- Informal feedback: spontaneous comments or conversations.
What are the three methods used to encourage customers to provide feedback?
Training providers can:
- Ask at the right time: for example, immediately after a course.
- Make it simple: use short, clear surveys.
- Show the impact: demonstrate how feedback has led to improvements.