Software evaluation survey for the people who used the tool
Sixteen questions for the people who used the tool, at the end of a trial or before a renewal.
- 16questions
- 4 to 5 minto complete
The 16 software evaluation survey questions
A software evaluation survey is a short questionnaire for the people in your organization who have used a tool, sent at the end of a trial or before a renewal. It scores fit, ease, speed, reliability, integration and support, then asks whether they would keep it. Every question is ready in the free online survey maker.
Who is answering (2 questions)
Role and frequency first, so every rating below can be split.
- Which of these describes how you used [Tool Name]?Swap [Tool Name] for the product you are judging.
- How often did you use [Tool Name] for your core work?Leave "I never got to use it" answers out of the averages.
Does it do the job (3 questions)
Three statements on whether the tool covers the work.
- [Tool Name] does the parts of my job it was supposed to do.
- I can finish my core work in [Tool Name] without switching to another tool.
- The way [Tool Name] expects the work to be done matches the way my team actually works.
Day to day use (6 questions)
Ease, speed, reliability, data and help, one statement each on the same scale.
- I can find the part of [Tool Name] I need without hunting for it.
- My most common task in [Tool Name] takes a reasonable number of steps.
- [Tool Name] is fast enough to keep up with the pace of my work.
- [Tool Name] keeps running through a normal working day without stopping me.
- I can move data between [Tool Name] and my other tools without copying it by hand.
- If I needed help with [Tool Name], the answer was easy to find.Optional: someone who never needed help has nothing to rate.
Blockers and comments (3 questions)
A checklist of deal-breakers, then two open answers.
- Which of these would stop you putting [Tool Name] in front of the whole team? Select every one that applies.A blocker several people pick outweighs a small gap in averages.
- What did you do outside [Tool Name], if anything, to get your work finished?
- What would have to change, if anything, before you would want to keep [Tool Name]?
Would you keep it (2 questions)
The outcome, asked last, so the survey closes on a rating.
- Overall, [Tool Name] is a good fit for the work I do.
- If [Tool Name] became our standard tool for this work, I would want to keep using it.
How to use the software evaluation survey
Send it to everyone who used the tool, in the last days of a trial or two to three months before a renewal date. Ask for no names: question 1 already lets you split the answers by role.
To turn the answers into one score, give each criterion a weight before anyone sees a demo. US federal buyers work the same way: every evaluation factor and its relative importance is stated in the solicitation.[1] Multiply each weight by its average rating, divide by five, and add the rows up. Weights that total 100 give a score out of 100.
| Criterion to weight | Questions that score it |
|---|---|
| Does the job | 3, 4 and 5 |
| Ease of use | 6 and 7 |
| Speed and reliability | 8 and 9 |
| Data and integration | 10 |
| Help and support | 11 |
| Would keep it | 15 and 16 |
To judge one interface in depth, send the user experience survey. A build waiting for release needs the UAT questionnaire instead.
For the whole set of tools staff already work with, run the technology survey.
Software evaluation survey FAQ
What questions should a software evaluation survey ask?
Who used the tool and how often, whether it does the job, how easy, fast and reliable it is day to day, whether data moves to other tools, whether help was easy to find, what would block a rollout, and whether they would keep it.
Who should answer a software evaluation survey?
Everyone who used the tool: daily users, administrators, managers and the people who support them. Question 1 records the role, so you can report each group with its count beside it.
How do I compare two tools with the same survey?
Send the same sixteen questions for each tool and change only the tool name. Give both the same trial length, the same training and the same mix of roles, then compare them criterion by criterion.
Can I send it to customers of software we make?
These questions are written for colleagues judging a tool at work. For customers of a product you ship, the app feedback survey asks about their device, crashes and the feature they want next.
Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 2 October 2026 · How templates are reviewed
Sources (1)
- General Services Administration. Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.304: evaluation factors and significant subfactors. acquisition.gov
Hear from the people who used it
Put your tool name in and send it before the trial ends.
Use this template