How to branch based on distribution channel? | XM Community
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I have a survey that I will share via 2 distribution channels

  • a Qualtrics panel

  • anonymous link through my own marketing automation email tool

I would like to ask slightly different screening questions based on which distribution channel it goes through.
I spoke with support and they suggested that I use the embedded data value Q_CHL.
For ex: If Q_CHL Contains email - then go to the right branch.
However, Q_CHL would only contain "email" if I use the Qualtrics platform to send the email. When sending via anonymous link, Q_CHL doesn't have a value.
I've looked up Q_DL and Q_EMD but neither or those seem right either.
Is there a way to do this?
I realize that workaround would be to create separate surveys for each, but ideally, I'd like to keep it within 1 survey so that I could still maintain quotas etc.
Thanks in advance for your help!
  • jana


I would say, you might try a query string appended to the anonymous link.
So for example, at the beginning of the survey flow, create an Embedded data field (Options = Text Set) and call it "Channel" (or Source or what have you).
Decide what the 2 Channel values will be (eg, QPanel or Email)

  • When you send via email from your own system, add ?Channel=Email to the end of the anonymous URL to set a Channel value. (NOTE: for Previews, or if you have other data appended to the URL, that will be &Channel=Email) [side note to test this to make sure any "link tracking" capabilities in your mailing system (if applicable) doesn't also try to add to the URL; we usually recommend the team leave off link tracking on the survey URL link ]

  • Then to handle the "not Email case" you can either (a) [my personal preference] add a branch under the Channel, so that if the Channel is empty (is not set via the query string on the anonymous emailed URL), then set Channel to QPanel or (b) at the end of the fielding, use tags to set the items that have no Channel value to QPanel.

That's probably how I'd do it, if the Qualtrics Panel doesn't come with some kind of indicator built in (which you'd hope Support would know if there was).
I hope that helps.

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