How to Get Useful Resident Feedback (Without a Survey)

We all know the feeling: you want input from your community on how you can make things better for them, but the idea of sending another survey feels like shouting into the void. Surveys can be powerful tools - but they also require careful timing, a good distribution strategy, and enough time to analyze the results. But when responses are slow and there lacks data to gather, you can’t help but ask if there’s a better way?

If you’re looking for quick, creative ways to gather useful feedback from residents (without launching a full survey), here are some lightweight alternatives that planning, permitting, and communications teams across the country are using to stay in sync with their communities.

1. Turn Regular Complaints Into Insights

You’re probably already getting feedback - just not in the form of survey responses. Phone calls, emails, and walk-ins often contain valuable clues about resident confusion or friction points.

Here’s what to do:

• Review recent service request emails or calls for repeated questions or themes.
  
  
• Track FAQs that are leading to escalation or multiple follow-ups.
  
  
• Ask frontline staff: “What are people most confused about this week?”
  
  

This type of “passive feedback” can help you pinpoint areas to clarify on your website, simplify in your forms, or highlight in upcoming public communications.

2. Make Feedback Easy With a Quick QR Scan

You don’t need a giant billboard to start a conversation, just a well-placed QR code can do the trick. Try posting a simple prompt in places your residents are already visiting, like:

• Permit counters
  
  
• Community boards
  
  
• Utility bills
  
  
• Event flyers
  
  

Example: “Tell us one thing you wish you knew earlier about the permitting process. Scan to share!”

Link the QR to a simple form or inbox that doesn’t require logins or personal info. Bonus: these kinds of quick prompts often get more engagement than long-form surveys.

3. Use Internal Questions to Identify Public Gaps

Staff are often the first to spot resident confusion, and their input can serve as a valuable stand-in for public feedback, especially when you're updating an FAQ or rolling out a new tool.

Start by asking:

• Which questions do you answer the most often?
  
  
• What do you wish you could send residents instead of writing out every reply?
  
  
• Are there answers you feel unsure about giving?
  
  

Their responses help you identify gaps in public-facing information and internal documentation alike since confused frontline staff only lead to confused customers.

4. Create a Resident Feedback Inbox

Not every feedback request needs a full campaign. Some departments have had success with a “lightweight inbox” a simple form or email link that invites comments like: 

• “What would make this easier to understand?”
  
  
• “What was missing from this page?”
  
  
• “What would you like us to explain better?”

You can add this to your website footer, permit confirmation emails, or newsletters using a quick one question CTA. The goal isn’t volume, it’s surfacing insights from the folks who are already engaged.

5. Test Your Messaging Before It Goes Live

You don’t need a focus group to know whether a message is clear. Send drafts of your new FAQ answers or form instructions to a colleague in a different department (or even a family member). If they don’t get it right away, chances are residents won’t either.

Clarity is a form of respect and often all it takes is a fresh set of eyes to flag confusing language or missing context.

Turn Everyday Interactions Into Insight

The best feedback often comes from low-pressure, ongoing channels - not just big surveys launched once a year. The more you create easy, low-friction ways for residents (and staff) to tell you what’s working and what’s not, the more responsive and trusted your department becomes.

By using Acta to quickly and consistently answer customer inquiries, your team is also generating valuable insight. With every interaction logged, Acta’s built-in analytics dashboard tracks which questions are being answered most often, helping you identify common themes, areas of confusion, or missing content. When paired with lightweight feedback tactics like call log reviews or in-person observations, this data makes it easier to spot patterns and proactively improve your department’s communications.