Getting Started
Prerequisites
Before creating surveys, ensure you have:- Access to the Surveys module in your navigation
- The
manage_surveyspermission to create and send surveys - At least one company or contact in your database to receive surveys
Accessing Surveys
Navigate to Surveys from the main sidebar. You’ll see:- All Surveys: List of all NPS and custom surveys with status, response rates, and version history
- Groups: Recipient groups for targeted survey distribution
- Settings: Default NPS configuration and email templates
Creating a Survey
Surveys are created using a 3-step wizard that guides you through design, recipient selection, and scheduling.Step 1: Create Your Survey
Start the Survey Wizard
Choose Survey Type
- NPS Survey (Recommended): Measures customer loyalty with a 0-10 scale question. Best for tracking satisfaction over time.
- General Survey: Create custom surveys with multiple question types for detailed feedback.
Configure Survey Details
- Title: A descriptive name (e.g., “Customer Satisfaction Survey Q1 2025”)
- Description: Brief context about the survey’s purpose
- Introduction Text: Optional message displayed at the top of the survey
NPS Survey Configuration
For NPS surveys, configure these additional options:- NPS Question: The main question recipients answer (default: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?”)
- Rating Style: Choose how ratings appear to recipients:
- Numeric (0-10): Traditional NPS scale with color-coded numbers
- Stars: 5-star rating system
- Emoji: Emoji faces from sad to happy
- Dogs: Fun dog illustrations for a lighter approach
- Thank You Message: Shown after submission
Review Link Prompts
Review Link Prompts
- Toggle Enable Review Prompts
- Set the Minimum Score to show links (default: 9 for NPS). The threshold is configured per survey type so promoters and high-CSAT respondents see the call to action while detractors stay on the internal feedback path
- Add URLs for the public review platforms you want listed. MSPortal supports six platforms out of the box:
- Google Reviews
- Yelp
- Facebook Reviews
- Trustpilot
- G2
- Capterra
General Survey Configuration
For custom surveys, build your questionnaire:Add Questions
- Question Text: What you’re asking
- Type: Short text, long text, single choice, multiple choice, or rating
- Required: Whether the question must be answered
- Help Text: Optional guidance for respondents
Configure Choice Questions
Reorder Questions
Using AI to Design Surveys
Click the purple sparkle button on the right side of the screen to open the AI Survey Designer.Describe Your Survey
- “Add questions about service quality and response times”
- “Create follow-up questions about our support team”
- “Add questions to understand what features customers want”
Review Suggestions
Accept or Reject Changes
Step 2: Assign Recipients
Choose who receives your survey:Targeting Options
- All Clients: Send to every active contact with a valid email. Requires confirmation checkbox.
- Survey Groups: Select from pre-configured recipient groups (see Survey Groups below)
- Specific Companies: Choose individual companies to survey their contacts
- Manual Entry: Add individual email addresses
Step 3: Review & Send
Configure delivery options and send your survey.Email Settings
- Email Subject: The subject line recipients see
- Email Template: Select a pre-configured template or create a new one
Schedule Options
Send Now
Schedule
Recurring
Reminder Settings
Toggle Send Reminder to automatically follow up with recipients who haven’t responded. Set the number of days after the initial send.Saving and Sending
- Save Draft: Save your progress without sending
- Save as New Version: When editing an existing survey, create a new version
- Send Survey: Deliver the survey to recipients
Survey Groups
Survey Groups let you organize recipients for targeted, repeatable survey distribution.Creating a Group
Navigate to Groups
Configure Group Details
- Name: Descriptive group name
- Description: Purpose of this group
- Color: Visual identifier
- Status: Active or Inactive
Add Members
Using Rules for Automatic Membership
Groups can automatically include contacts based on rules:Open Rules Dialog
Configure Rules
- Company membership
- Contact role or title
- Custom field values
Apply Rules
Viewing Survey Results
Survey Dashboard
Click any survey to view its results. The dashboard shows:- Response Rate: Invites sent vs. responses received
- Questions View: Individual question responses and aggregated data
- Respondents View: List of who responded with their answers
- Word Map: Visual representation of common words in text responses
AI Analysis
Run AI-powered analysis on survey responses:Open Analysis Tab
Set Date Range (Optional)
Run Analysis
- Overall Sentiment: A sentiment score with color-coded indicator
- Key Themes: Recurring topics with weight, description, and supporting evidence
- Follow-up Questions: AI-suggested questions for deeper understanding
Survey Settings
Configure default behaviors and email templates in Surveys > Settings.NPS Defaults
Settings that apply to new NPS surveys by default:- Automatic Survey Sending: Enable scheduled survey automation
- Allow Anonymous Responses: Let recipients respond without identification
- Require Comment for Detractors: Force feedback from low scorers (0-6)
- Default Follow-up Delay: Hours before sending follow-up emails
- Default Thank You Message: Standard completion message
NPS Low-Score Alerts
A dedicated card on the NPS Defaults tab opts you in to email alerts the moment a low NPS response arrives, so account managers see detractors immediately without waiting for the weekly digest.Enable Alerts
Set the Threshold
Choose Recipients
Save
- The numeric score
- The respondent’s name, email, and company (when not anonymous)
- The free-text comment, if the respondent left one
- A direct link to the survey response in MSPortal
Default Review Platform Links
Pre-configure review platform URLs that will be available when creating NPS surveys:- Google Reviews
- Yelp
- Facebook Reviews
- Trustpilot
- G2
- Capterra
- Custom platform
Email Templates
Create reusable email templates for survey invitations:Create Template
Configure Template
- Name: Template identifier
- Subject: Default email subject
- HTML Body: Rich formatted email content
- Text Body: Plain text fallback
- Variables: Dynamic fields like
{{recipient_name}}or{{survey_link}}
Preview and Save
Managing Surveys
Survey List Actions
From the survey list, use the action menu (three dots) to:- View Analytics/Results: See response data
- View Recipients: See who was invited, their status, and scores (see below)
- Edit Survey: Modify and create a new version
- Manage Recipients (NPS only): Update who receives the survey
- Send Now (NPS only): Immediately send to recipients
- Activate/Deactivate: Toggle survey status
- Delete: Permanently remove the survey
Viewing Survey Recipients
The Recipients modal gives you a detailed view of every invitation sent for a survey, including delivery status, response scores, and direct survey links.Open the Recipients Modal
Filter by Status
- Completed — Recipient submitted a response
- Sent — Email delivered, awaiting response
- Expired — Invitation expired before a response was received
- Pending — Invitation created but not yet sent
Search and Sort
Survey Versions
When you edit an existing survey, a new version is created automatically. This preserves historical data from previous versions.- Versions are displayed as “v1”, “v2”, etc.
- Multiple versions are grouped in the list with an expand/collapse control
- The latest version shows a green badge
Best Practices
Keep Surveys Short
Use Clear Language
Test Before Sending
Follow Up Promptly
NPS Best Practices
- Score Threshold for Reviews: Only show review links to promoters (9-10 scores) to avoid negative public reviews
- Consistent Timing: Send NPS surveys at regular intervals to track trends
- Act on Feedback: Use the AI analysis to identify actionable themes
Troubleshooting
Survey not sending to recipients
Survey not sending to recipients
- Survey status is Active
- Recipients have valid email addresses
- You selected recipients in Step 2 of the wizard
- For NPS surveys, click Send Now from the action menu
Recipients not receiving emails
Recipients not receiving emails
- Verify email addresses are correct
- Check spam/junk folders
- Ensure your email sending is configured in Settings
- Contact support if issues persist
AI Analysis not generating
AI Analysis not generating
- Survey has at least one response
- Selected company has responses (if filtering by company)
- Wait a moment - analysis can take 30-60 seconds for large surveys
Survey Groups not updating membership
Survey Groups not updating membership
- Rules are properly configured
- Click Apply Rules Now to manually trigger updates
- Ensure contacts match the rule criteria
Related Resources
- Email Settings - Configure email sending
- Company Overview - Organize contacts by company
- Company settings - Manage companies and their contacts