Create a Survey from Scratch

Creating a survey from scratch gives you complete control over question types, flow, and content. Here is how to do it: 

Step 1. Start a New Survey

• From the All Surveys page, click + New Survey.

• You’ll see three options:
  • Start from a template (recommended)
  • Create a custom survey from scratch
  • Generate a survey with AI
• Select Create a custom survey from scratch.

Step 2. Enter Survey Details 

• Provide a Survey Name (required).
• Select a Survey Type:
  • Custom – Build your own questions without a predefined format.
  • Pulse – Create a short, quick-turnaround survey for rapid insights.
• Click Continue to move forward.

Step 3. Build the Survey 

Question Builder

1. Reorder or add new questions (Left Panel): Once you’ve chosen a template (like eNPS and Retention), your survey will already include a set of questions. These can be reordered, edited, or expanded.
2. Add new questions by clicking + New Question. Select a type (e.g., single choice, multi-select, scale) and enter your options. 
3. Main Area: Edit question text, select question type (e.g., scale, multiple choice), and make required at your discretion.
4. Translations: Use the translations button if needed.

Note: all edits are autosaved.

Add Participants

1. Go to the Participants tab.
2. Use filters (e.g., tenure, department, gender) to target groups.
3. Select employees individually, by group (filers), or Add All. The selected employee(s) will appear in the panel on the right, where you can also remove individuals.
4. Remove participants with Remove or clear all with Remove All.

Note: You can also add employees manually by name or sync your list from an HRIS integration.

Schedule Survey

1. Go to the Schedule tab to decide when the survey will be sent out.
2. Specific Date and Time: Choose start and end dates. 
3. Automatic by Event: Trigger surveys based on individual events (e.g. 7 days after hire). This option is often used for New Hire or Exit surveys.

Tip: The platform auto-generates reminders based on your schedule, so make sure your timeline allows enough time for reminders and responses.

Configure Communications

• Open the Communications tab.

• Review default launch and reminder messages. The number and spacing of reminders adjust based on your survey timeline.
• You can customize subject lines and message text by clicking Customize Communications. The system keeps standardized openings and closings intact, but the body of the message is editable. 
• If needed, adjust reminder timings or reset to default.

Adjust Settings

• Click the Settings tab.

• Anonymous
  • No personally identifying information is stored or connected to responses.
  • Reports cannot display groups smaller than the minimum threshold (default: 6 participants).
  • A banner at the start of the survey confirms anonymity for participants.
• Attributed
  • Participant information is saved and linked with responses.
  • Reports can show individual-level data.
  • A banner at the start of the survey alerts participants that responses are not anonymous.
  • Auto-Scheduling Per Event: To have a survey automatically launch for events (e.g., onboarding, exit), select Attributed in the Settings tab. This setting is required for event-based automation.
• Analytics
• Surveys can be categorized by applying tags that group them for reporting.
• Common tags include:
  • Baseline – First or foundational survey, used for comparison over time.
  • Pulse – Short, frequent surveys to measure changes quickly.
  • eNPS – Focused on employee Net Promoter Score.
  • DrillDown – Targeted surveys exploring specific topics (e.g., Leadership, Equity, Empowerment).
  • Custom – Organization-defined tags for unique needs.
• Selected tags appear in the right-hand panel under “Selected Tags.”

Finalize and Send

• Click the Send tab.

A. Error Check

• Go to the Send tab. This tab summarizes everything you’ve set up. It displays your choices across the five previous tabs: number of questions, participants, schedule, communications, settings, and tags.
• Red exclamation marks on tabs (e.g., Participants, Schedule) indicate incomplete setup. Once each section is completely filled, the indicator changes to a green check sign.
• Fix errors flagged with a red exclamation mark.

B. Preview & Test

• Use Preview to see the survey across devices (web, tablet, mobile).

C. Send a Test Survey

• Click Send Test Survey to open the modal.
• Adding Users:
  • Click Add Users to bring up your organization’s user list.
  • Use the search bar to quickly select specific users.
• Test Restrictions:
  • Test surveys are not live and will not collect participant data.
  • They can only be sent to users within your organization (no external test recipients).

D. Schedule Survey

• Once ready, click Schedule Survey. The survey will move from draft to scheduled, and you can still unschedule it before launch if needed.