Survey Distribution Type - Best Option? | XM Community
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Hi, 

I am sending a survey to a small group of 15 CEOs. 

I expect that they each will forward the survey to one or several subordinates to complete specific sections. 

My question  - What is the best approach to ensure that multiple different people can access and edit the survey? Also, how do ensure that individuals can make multiple edits to the survey, i.e. exit and re-enter the survey?

Thanks 

Hi @HarryO87 

Anonymous link is best in this case. To exit and re-enter the survey you can keep the default settings

 


Great thanks @Gaurav_27 


I would actually recommend sending through Email distribution. When someone enters an anonymous link from a different browser/device, it’s considered a new session so each person the CEO forwards this survey will start a new session. Based on your description, I think you want this recorded as one response per company but with multiple people editing different sections. If that’s so, I’d recommend sending through email to a contact list. Include a table of contents so it’s easy to jump to each section. And provide instructions to not submit the survey on the last page so it remains open until they do. Move the last quesiton of the survey to a separate block and change the “Next” button on that block to “Submit” to make it clear that this will now submit and end the survey.

If they mistakenly submit, you can still provide them a retake link from Data & Analysis tab.


I would recommend testing this suggestion first before going live. If a survey is started by one person then forwarded to another to complete the next section, the anonymous link may open a new (blank) survey session for the second person instead of the in progress survey.

Survey delegation and exiting/re-entering do work automatically with Email-Individual and Personal links, so you might consider those options.

Whether you decide to use anonymous, Email-Individual, or Personal links, the key point to make to the respondents is that there should be no more than one person working on an individual survey at the same time, otherwise responses may not be saved. For instance, if CEO1 delegates their survey to 3 subordinates, subordinate1 should work on the survey and finish their section before subordinate2 accesses the survey, and so on.


I’ve had issues too where the survey will only save progress if the user clicks the “next” button within the survey to move to the next page. Otherwise, all answers on the current page will disappear when they enter the survey again later. So I would maybe leave a note to make sure to click the next page button to save all survey progress.


I would actually recommend sending through Email distribution. When someone enters an anonymous link from a different browser/device, it’s considered a new session so each person the CEO forwards this survey will start a new session. Based on your description, I think you want this recorded as one response per company but with multiple people editing different sections. If that’s so, I’d recommend sending through email to a contact list. Include a table of contents so it’s easy to jump to each section. And provide instructions to not submit the survey on the last page so it remains open until they do. Move the last quesiton of the survey to a separate block and change the “Next” button on that block to “Submit” to make it clear that this will now submit and end the survey.

If they mistakenly submit, you can still provide them a retake link from Data & Analysis tab.

Hi InnessaG,

Great advice, thank you. Have taken on board your suggestions and has worked well in testing.

Harry


Thanks to all for your input. I’ve decided to send email distribution and updated each next button to read ‘save answers / next question’. Have placed the final submit button within a dedicated block with warning that this will submit and close survey / no further edits possible. 


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