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Creating and Managing Simple Surveys

Updated

Our Surveys feature is your go-to tool for effortlessly creating and managing surveys that yield valuable insights. This feature is available to all clients utilizing Awardco Recognition, Awardco Engage, or both. Whether you're conducting logistical assessments or gathering team feedback, this user-friendly tool streamlines the entire process. In this guide, we'll walk you through setting up surveys, customizing questions, and analyzing results to help you make data-driven decisions.
 

Note: For a front-end user perspective, refer to the Taking Surveys article.

 

  1. Navigating to the Surveys tool
  2. Creating a Simple Survey
  3. Finalizing and Publishing Your Survey
  4. Managing Surveys
  5. Sharing Surveys Manually
  6. Sending a Survey Reminder
  7. Viewing Survey Results
  8. Best Practices

 

 

Navigating to the Surveys tool

Note: Before proceeding, ensure you have “Survey Edit” and “Survey Results” permissions. Otherwise, you will not be able to access the Surveys tool. 

 

To access the Surveys tool:

  1. Log into your Awardco platform.
  2. Select “Surveys” under "Engagement" from the left navigation menu.

 

 

Creating a Survey

To begin, click the “Create Survey” button.

  • If you have Recognition only: You will be taken directly to the survey builder.

  • If you have Awardco Engage: Select the Simple option from the dropdown menu.

     

 

Simple surveys are configured using five main tabs: Survey Info, Questions, Participants & Reward, Schedule, and Communication.

Survey Info

Complete the basic information for your Engagement Survey:

  • Survey Name: The title that participants will see.
  • Description: A brief overview of the survey's purpose.
  • Image: (Optional) Upload an image to customize the look.
  • Long Description: (Optional) Provide more detail if necessary.
  • Completion Note: The message displayed on the social feed upon completion.

 

Click “Save Changes” when finished and proceed to the Questions tab.

 

 

Questions

Click “Add Question” to create questions for your survey. You can choose from the following types:

 

 

  • Scale Selection: Prompts the respondents to select a value on a scale (e.g., a Likert scale).
    • Enter the Question Text.
    • Enter the values for the scale (e.g., '1', '2', '3', '4', '5') by typing a value and hitting enter.
    • Check the Participant’s Answer is Required box if necessary.
    • Click “Save.”

 



 

  • Single-Select: Similar to a multiple-choice question, a Single-Select question allows only one answer.
    • Enter the Question Text.
    • Add multiple answer options by typing an answer and hitting enter.
    • Check the Participant’s Answer is Required box if necessary.

    • Click “Save.”

       



       

  • Multi-Select: Allows participants to choose multiple answers.
    • Enter the Question Text and the answer options.
    • Check the Participant’s Answer is Required box if needed.

    • Click “Save.”

       



       

  • Short Answer: Prompts concise written responses.
    • Enter the Question Text.
    • Check the Participant’s Answer is Required box if applicable.
    • Click “Save.”

    • Note: The character limit for a short answer is 600.

       



       

  • Long Answer: Invites detailed written responses.
    • Enter the Question Text.
    • Check the Participant’s Answer is Required box if necessary.
    • Click “Save.”

    • Note: The character limit for a long answer is 4,000.

       



       

  • User Selection: Prompts respondents to nominate a user for a specific question.
    • Enter the Question Text.
    • Check the Participant’s Answer is Required box if necessary.

    • Click “Save.”

       



       

 

Once all questions are added, organize them as needed and click “Preview” for a front-end view. When satisfied, click “Save Changes” and proceed to the Participants & Reward tab.

 

Participants & Reward

Use this tab to define who is eligible to take the survey.

  1. Limit Eligibility: Toggle on to restrict the survey to specific groups or individuals.
    • Eligible to Take Survey: Specify eligibility by entering names or metadata groups. Leaving the toggle Off makes the survey available to all users.
      • Understanding Eligibility Logic:
        • OR Statement: When you add multiple metadata within the same field (e.g., selecting both "Marketing" and "Client Success" under the "Department" field), the participants will be eligible if they match EITHER of those criteria.
        • AND Statement: When you add metadata from different fields (e.g., selecting "Client Success" from "Department" AND "San Francisco" from "Location"), the participants will be eligible only if they match BOTH of those criteria.
  2. Maximum Number of Submissions: Set a limit or check the Allow Unlimited Submissions box.
  3. Anonymous: Toggle this option on if you’d like responses to this survey to be anonymous, meaning absolutely no data will be collected on the participants outside of their answers. Participants will be informed of the survey privacy when they begin the survey.

 

Note: Currently, survey eligibility cannot be restricted by user login status. As a workaround, create a metadata group for logged-in users using the Metadata Creator and limit survey participation to that group.


 



 

Click “Save Changes” when finished and proceed to the Schedule tab.

 

Note on Rewards: You may notice the tab is labeled "Participants & Reward." For Engage-only platforms, the Reward card will appear, but the toggle will be disabled. This feature allows organizations to offer monetary points for survey completion; however, it requires a platform upgrade. If you hover over the disabled toggle, you will see a message confirming that this feature is not active on your current plan. Speak with your Awardco point of contact if you’re interested in monetarily awarding survey participation.

 

Schedule

Configure the survey's start and end dates.

  • Open Survey: Select On Publish to make it available immediately, or On Date to specify a future start time.
  • Close Survey: Select Manually to keep it open indefinitely, or On Date to set an automatic closing time.

 

Note: Simple Surveys are for ad-hoc, one-time sends. They cannot be configured to recur weekly or monthly.

 

Click “Save Changes” when finished and proceed to the Communication tab.

 

Communication

Configure how participants are notified about the survey.

  • Survey Invitation
    • Check the box next to "Send Invitation" to notify eligible participants via available channels once published.
    • Select either "Write Custom Message" or "Use Saved Template".
      • Write Custom Message: This message will be in a non-customizable generic email template.
        • Click "Preview Email" to view the generic email template.
          • Note: The "Write Custom Message" email template is not currently editable and will display: "New Survey Available: [Survey Title] [Survey Description]" and include a button to the survey.
      • Use Saved Template: Custom survey email template created using the Easy Email Editor.
        • This solves for multi-language variant notification needs.
        • Use the email template type "Survey Notification" in the Easy Email Editor.

 

 

 

  • Results Visibility
    • Survey results can be set to release automatically when the survey is completed or manually based on the survey creator’s timeline. When results are released, only users with the appropriate Survey Results permissions and eligible data visibility will be able to view them.
      • Note: You can only switch between Manual and Immediate result release options anytime before the survey is launched. Once the survey is launched this is not adjustable.

 

 

  • Reminders
    • Reminders can only be sent once a survey is Live (Open Status). To send a one-off reminder:
      • Go to the Communication tab of an active survey.
      • Under Reminders select "Create"


         
      • Select either "Write Custom Message" or "Use Saved Template".
        • Write Custom Message: This message will be in a non-customizable generic email template.
          • Customize the Subject, Body, and Link Text, then click “Send.”

 

  • Use Saved Template: Custom survey email template created using the Easy Email Editor.
    • This solves for multi-language variant notification needs.
    • Use the email template type "Survey Notification" in the Easy Email Editor.


 

 

 

Click “Save Changes.”

 

 

Finalizing and Publishing Your Survey

Once you've configured all five tabs and saved your settings, click “Review & Publish” (or “Review & Schedule” if the start date is in the future).

 



 

Note: The invitation email is a standard template that displays the survey title and description; it is not currently customizable.



 

Managing Surveys

Once a survey is published, it will appear in Open Status on the main Surveys page. Use the Filter and Search tools at the top of the page to organize your view by Owner (My Surveys), Type (Engagement or Simple), or Status (Scheduled, Open, Closed, or Draft). By default, Survey Creators see only their own surveys on this page, unless they have ‘All Survey Access’ permissions.

 



 

  • Open Surveys: Surveys with invitation notifications sent will appear under the Survey Invites section. Surveys in Open status will also display under the Manage Survey section, even if a survey invite email was not sent.

     


 



 

  • Past Surveys: Surveys in "Closed" status appear further down the page. You can still access response data by clicking Results, or duplicate the survey by clicking the three-dot icon.

 

 

Sharing Surveys Manually

Click the three dots next to any survey to:

  • Copy Survey Link: Share the direct URL.
  • QR Code: Download a QR code for physical signage or presentations.

 

 

Sending a Survey Reminder

While the survey is in draft status, the option to send reminders is disabled. Once the survey is published (Open Status):

  1. Find your survey under the Manage Surveys section.
  2. Click the stacked three-dot icon (Actions) to the right of the survey.

  3. Click "Craft & Send Reminder."

     



     

  4. Enter the subject, body, and what the survey link text should be.

  5. Click “Send.” This sends a one-off reminder.

     

 

Viewing Survey Results

To view your survey data, click “Results” next to any survey in "Open" or "Closed" status under the Manage Surveys section. Survey Creators can view and manage only the surveys they have created, along with the results for those surveys. They cannot see surveys or results created by other users unless they have “All Survey Access” permissions.

 



 

 

The results page displays the following:

  • Filtering: Use the Filter by dropdown to narrow response data by metadata.
  • Summary: The top of the page shows response statistics (rate and total count).
  • Visualizations: Answers for each question are visualized in data charts further down the page.
  • Export: Click “Export CSV” to download the raw data. The export will reflect your current filters.

 

Go Deeper: This section provides a basic overview. For tactical, administrative data (like t-shirt sizes), the summary view is often sufficient. For a comprehensive guide on advanced analytics, refer to our [title] article.

 



 

Best Practices

  • Define a Clear Goal: Before building, know exactly what you want to measure (e.g., event feedback, reward preference, post-training assessment). Simple surveys are best when focused on a single, specific objective.
  • Keep the Survey Concise: Since simple surveys are often one-time requests, aim for 10-15 questions max. Respect the participant's time; a shorter survey yields a higher completion rate and better quality data.
  • Use Mandatory Fields Sparingly: Only mark a question as Required if the answer is absolutely critical to your goal. Making too many questions mandatory can lead to frustration and participant abandonment.
  • Utilize Reminders: Send a single reminder a few days before the closing date to capture users who missed the initial invitation.  

 



 

 

 

If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.