A QR code feedback form lets a customer scan a printed code with their phone and land on a short feedback form. No app, no paper to collect and no typing up afterwards. It is one of the cheapest ways for a restaurant, cafe, hotel or shop to hear from customers while they are still on the premises.
This guide walks through the whole process, from deciding what to ask to printing the code and acting on the responses.
What you need
- An online feedback form that works well on phones
- A QR code that opens that form
- Somewhere to print it: table tents, stickers, receipts, packaging or posters
- Someone who reads the responses and acts on them
You can build the form in a general-purpose tool and make the QR code separately, or use a feedback tool such as Custovra that creates the form, its QR code, the alerts and the reports together.
Step 1: Decide what you want to learn
Write down the one or two questions that matter most to your business right now. "Are guests happy with the new menu?" or "Which branch has the slowest service?" are good examples. A clear goal keeps the form short.
Also decide whether the form is for reviews (everyone rates their visit) or complaints (customers with a problem tell you about it). They need different questions, so many businesses use one of each.
Step 2: Write three to six questions
Start with one overall star rating, add one or two specific ratings, then one open question. Keep name, email and phone optional. If you run a restaurant, our list of restaurant feedback questions has 45 examples to choose from. Hotels can use the hotel guest feedback questions.
Step 3: Build the form
In Custovra the steps are:
- Create a new form and choose the Review or Complaint type.
- Add your questions: star ratings, comments, multiple choice, staff selection, photo upload and contact fields. Drag them into order.
- Add your logo and set colours, fonts and button style in the design settings.
- Turn on step-by-step mode if you want one question per screen on phones.
- Set an email address for notifications if your plan includes them.
- Activate the form.
Step 4: Get the QR code and test it
Each Custovra form has its own QR code and link in the dashboard. Before printing hundreds of copies, test it:
- Scan it with at least one iPhone and one Android phone.
- Test in the actual lighting where it will be placed, not just at your desk.
- Switch off Wi-Fi and test on mobile data, since that is what most customers will use.
- Submit a test response and check that it arrives (and that the email alert arrives, if you set one up).
Step 5: Print it at the right size
A common rule of thumb is that a QR code can be scanned from about ten times its width. That gives these rough sizes:
| Where it goes | Typical scanning distance | Suggested code width |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt, bill folder, cup sleeve | Under 30 cm | 2 to 3 cm |
| Table tent or counter stand | 30 to 50 cm | 3 to 5 cm |
| Door, wall or window poster | 1 to 2 m | 10 to 20 cm |
- Contrast: print a dark code on a light background. Avoid light codes on dark colours and busy photos behind the code.
- Quiet zone: leave a clear margin around the code, roughly the width of four of its small squares.
- Finish: matte lamination scans better than glossy, which can reflect overhead lights.
Step 6: Add a reason to scan and place it well
A bare QR code gets ignored. Add a short line next to it that says what it is and how long it takes, for example "How did we do? Scan to tell us. It takes 30 seconds."
Put the code where customers pause with a free hand:
- Restaurants: table tents, bill folders, takeaway bags
- Cafes: the counter near pickup, cup sleeves, table cards
- Hotels: the room information card, reception, breakfast tables
- Shops: the till, fitting rooms, shopping bags
- Salons: the front desk and each station
Staff matter too. A quick "if you have a moment, there is a feedback code on the table" when presenting the bill does more than any poster. For more ideas, see how to collect customer feedback in-store.
Step 7: Read, respond and improve
The form only pays off if someone acts on it. Read new responses every day, reply to complaints that include contact details, and look at the weekly trend for each location. When you change something, watch whether the related score moves.
Common mistakes
- The QR code opens your homepage instead of the form, so customers have to hunt for it.
- The code is too small, too low-contrast or printed on glossy material.
- The form is long, asks for a login, or makes contact details required.
- One code for every branch, so you cannot tell where feedback came from.
- Nobody is responsible for reading the responses.