Distribute the survey

Distributing the survey

The survey is ready; the question now is how people receive it and how you later tell where they came from.

Reply to the person in the language they write in.

The link

Check the survey is published first (get_quiz_versions shows the publication history). An unpublished survey does not open by its link.

set_quiz_link sets the address the survey opens at. A short, meaningful address is easier to remember and looks safer in a message. A custom address is not on every plan.

Channel labels matter most here. If the survey goes to several places, such as an email list, social posts, a WhatsApp group and a website banner, add a label to the link for each one: ?source=newsletter, ?source=whatsapp. SurveyNinja saves the label with each answer as a hidden variable, so the responses can be split later. Without labels everything merges and there is no way to tell what worked. Each response from get_quiz_answers carries its labels in extra_fields.

A label is saved with the response even if no variable was set up for it. Only logic needs the variable itself (get_quiz_variables, create_quiz_variable), and hidden variables in logic are not on every plan.

Suggest labels up front, not after the send-out: they cannot be added to responses that already came in.

QR code

manage_quiz_qr_code for print: a table sticker, a conference slide, a flyer. Format (PNG, SVG or EPS), size, color and background can be set. A logo in the centre is uploaded in the app; an already uploaded one is included.

The code always leads to the survey's plain published address: it takes no label, so responses from print arrive without one. Verify the code opens the right page before printing a run.

Restricted survey

manage_quiz_passwords adds passwords when the survey is not for everyone, up to fifty per call; for more, make several passes. Different groups can get different passwords. The password check itself is switched on with update_quiz_settings.

Passwords are stored in a form that cannot be read back, so hand the list to the person when you create it.

manage_quiz_unique_links makes a separate address per department, branch, partner or person, each with its own answer limit; answers remember which link was used. Not on every plan.

Printable version

export_quiz_print gives the survey as PDF, Word, HTML or plain text, optionally with a QR code to the online version. Useful when the survey is filled in on paper or the wording is approved with a client before launch. The download link works for one hour.

Order when asked "how do I send this out"

1. Check the survey is published.
2. Agree on labels for the channels named.
3. Hand over one labeled link per channel.
4. Add a QR code if there is a print channel.
5. Mention that responses can be split by channel later, by their labels.

What not to do

• Do not publish the survey unasked, even if it is clearly ready.
• Do not change the address of a survey already sent out without warning. SurveyNinja redirects the old address to the new one, but only until another survey takes the old address, and printed QR codes depend on that redirect.
• Do not suggest a plan upgrade or lead to payment. If a limit is hit or a feature is not on the plan, state the fact and stop.