Frequently asked questions
The questions operators and participants actually ask
Running a program
Do the people taking our surveys have to sign up first?
Only if you want them to. With open surveys, anyone you share a link or QR code with can complete the survey immediately — no account, no registration and no approval step. Sign-up and scheduling are used when you want specific people on specific dates.
Who actually does the shopping?
Whoever you choose. Most clients use their own people — a manager from another location, a trusted regular, a small customer panel — or switch on guest sign-up so their own customers pick a date. The program scores the response, not the respondent's job title.
How many surveys should we run per location?
One per location per month is the usual starting point for service standards. Locations with known problems, new openings and franchisee reviews often run weekly for a quarter. We recommend a frequency based on what you are trying to change.
Can we use our own questionnaire?
Yes. Many clients arrive with an instrument built in-house. Import your existing questions, map them to the scoring framework in the builder, and define the evidence rules yourself so the results are defensible.
How do we stop the same person responding over and over?
Survey links can be location-locked, time-boxed and access-coded, and every response records the device and the time it was submitted. One response per person per period is enforced automatically, and suspected duplicates are flagged for review rather than silently scored.
What happens if a location disputes a result?
The evidence decides. Receipts, timings and required photographs are attached to the questions they answer, so a dispute is resolved against the record. If evidence does not support a score, your team can query the response, ask for it to be re-surveyed, or exclude it from the scorecard — and every decision is logged, so you can always see what changed and why.
Can you survey delivery, order-ahead and drive-thru channels?
Yes. The channel changes the scenario and the timings captured, not the evidence standard. Delivery and order-ahead surveys measure handoff timing, packaging and accuracy; drive-thru surveys measure window and total lane time.
How quickly should we expect scores to move?
When findings are coached in the same week they are reported, most programs see movement within two or three survey cycles. Scores that never move usually mean the coaching is not reaching the shift.
Can you survey our competitors?
Yes, as a benchmark add-on. Paired surveys at a named competitor in the same market and daypart are scored on your framework, so the comparison is about the guest experience you both deliver.
Taking a survey
Do I need an account to take a survey?
No. If a restaurant shares a survey link or QR code with you, you open it and answer the questions there and then. The only time you enter personal details is when you choose to sign up for a specific date through a program's scheduling page.
What does a survey ask me to do?
Behave like any other guest, pay attention to the moments the survey asks about — the greeting, the wait, the order, the room, the goodbye — keep your receipt and answer honestly. The brief tells you exactly what to note before you go in.
How long does it take?
The visit is a normal restaurant visit, plus five to ten minutes afterwards to finish the survey on your phone while the detail is fresh.
Do I get paid?
That depends on the program you are helping. Some clients offer a gift card, a free meal or a small incentive; others run internal checks with their own staff. The terms are always stated before you agree to a slot — GuestSignals does not pay participants itself.
Can I bring someone with me?
For most surveys, yes — and for table-service visits the program may ask you to bring one person so the visit looks natural. Where a solo visit is required, the brief will say so.
What if I cannot make the date I chose?
Cancel through the confirmation email and the slot returns to the pool automatically. Programs set their own rules for repeat no-shows, usually a short cooldown before you can book again.
Will the restaurant know it was me?
No. The location sees the response, never your identity. Your details stay with the program that invited you, and are not shared with the location you visited.
The commercial questions
Are there setup fees, per-survey charges or participant licences?
No, none of the three. The survey builder, unlimited surveys, participant scheduling, the review workflow, dashboard access and reporting are all included in the per-location rate, which is set by the number of locations you run.
Do you charge per participant?
No. There is no licence for the people who take your surveys. If you choose to reward them, that cost sits with you and is not marked up by us.
What is the minimum commitment?
Programs run month to month with an agreed minimum survey volume. Enterprise and franchise programs are contracted annually with a stated volume schedule, and both can be adjusted as your estate changes.
Do you charge for survey changes?
No. Standards change, and questions should change with them. Questions, weights, evidence rules and collection modes can be adjusted between cycles at no additional cost.
Who owns the data?
You do. Your responses, scores, participant lists and standards are yours to export at any time. GuestSignals retains the platform, the survey architecture and the scoring engine, and never resells your program data.
Can we run a program outside the United States?
The platform works wherever your locations and participants are, and programs are delivered in English. Talk to us about the markets involved and we will tell you honestly what we can support.
Still deciding?
Ask us the awkward question on the demo call.
Program leads answer directly — including when a survey program is not the right answer for what you are trying to fix.
Or email hello@guestsignals.com. We reply to every enquiry within one business day.