Use this guide to see how a respondent opens, completes and submits a survey from a personal email invitation or the public link. For survey creators.
Before you start
- The survey must be published and the survey site must be set up. See Publish a survey and Set up the survey site (guided).
- Send the survey to the respondent. See Send a survey.
Open the survey
A respondent can open a survey in two ways.
- From a personal invitation: the email has a Start the survey button. The button opens the respondent's own link, which ends in ?t= and a code. The answer is linked to the person and to the record the survey is about, such as a Case.
- From the public link or QR code: anyone who has the link can open it. The answer is anonymous.
The survey opens on its own page, without a Salesforce login. The page shows only the survey, on a white card.
Complete the survey
- Open the invitation email and click Start the survey. The survey opens in a new tab.
- If the survey has a welcome note, read it and click Start Survey.
- Answer the questions. The questions shown depend on the question settings of the survey.
- Click Submit.
At the top of the card, InPoll shows the number of questions, for example "2 questions". When at least one question is required, it also shows "* Required".
After the respondent submits, InPoll shows the exit note of the survey. If the survey has no exit note, it shows "Thank you for your feedback."
Answer on a phone
Survey pages fit the width of a phone, and nothing scrolls sideways. A 1 to 10 Net Promoter Score scale fits in one row, with the number under each icon.
Answer with the keyboard
A respondent can answer with the keyboard instead of a mouse. Screen readers can read the questions and the answers.
Open a link again
One personal link gives one answer.
- After a respondent submits, the same link shows "You have already answered this survey. Thank you." The answers are not shown, so a forwarded link does not reveal them.
- A respondent who opens the link but leaves before submitting can open the same link again and answer.
- The public link has no such rule. Each submission from the public link is a separate anonymous answer.
Messages respondents may see
- "This survey link is not valid. Please use the full link from your email or message." The link is incomplete or was changed. Ask the sender for the full link.
- "This survey is not open for answers right now." The survey is not published or is no longer open for answers.
- "This survey can only be answered from a personal invitation link. Please use the link from your email." The creator switched off the public link with Personal invitations only. See Send a survey.
- "This survey can't be opened yet: the survey site's set-up is not finished." The admin must finish step 3 (Let respondents open surveys) in InPoll Settings. See Set up the survey site (guided).
- "Some question requires an answer." A required question has no answer yet.
- "Your answers are too long to save. Please shorten the longest answers and try again." Shorten the longest text answers.
- "Sorry, your answers could not be saved. Please try again in a moment." Submit again.
Good to know
- Some questions depend on the answer to an earlier question. They appear only after the respondent selects the matching answer. See Build logic for a question.
- Some questions are required. The respondent must answer them before submitting.
- You can try the survey before you send it. See Preview and test a survey.