Surveys let you collect feedback, responses, and data from your customers through text messaging. Instead of sending customers to an external form, you can ask questions directly via text and capture their replies within the platform. Because surveys happen inside the same conversation thread your customers already use, response rates tend to be significantly higher than email-based or web-based surveys.
Key Features
Text-Based Data Collection
Ask contacts questions via text message and capture their responses. Replies are stored against the contact record, making it easy to review feedback and follow up. Every response is timestamped and tied to the original survey message, so you always have a clear record of what was asked and what was answered.
Integration with Campaigns
Surveys can be built into your campaign workflows. After sending a message, include a follow-up question that captures a response — for example, asking for a rating, a preference, or a confirmation. Campaigns give you full control over timing, audience segmentation, and follow-up logic, so you can target the right customers with the right questions at the right time.
Custom Field Capture
Survey responses can be mapped to custom contact fields, automatically populating profile data as contacts reply. This is especially useful for collecting information like birthdates, email addresses, or preferences. Once a response is captured into a custom field, it becomes available for segmentation, personalization, and automation across all future campaigns.
Automated Follow-Up
Combine surveys with automations to trigger actions based on responses. For example, a customer who replies with a low satisfaction score can automatically receive a follow-up message from a manager, while a customer who replies with a high score can be invited to leave an online review.
Response Types
The platform handles several types of survey responses. Understanding these will help you design questions that produce clean, actionable data.
Free Text Responses
Open-ended questions where the customer replies in their own words. Best for qualitative feedback, suggestions, or information that does not fit a predefined set of choices.
Numbered Choice Responses
Questions where the customer selects from numbered options. Include the choices directly in the message so the customer only needs to reply with a single number.
Hi
{first_name}, which event format do you prefer? Reply with a number: 1 - In-person 2 - Virtual 3 - Hybrid (both)
Yes/No Responses
Simple binary questions that work well for confirmations, opt-ins, and quick preference checks.
{first_name}, are you planning to attend the Annual Awards Dinner on June 14? Reply YES or NO.
Date-Formatted Responses
Questions that ask for a date. Always include the expected format in the message so responses are consistent. Dates entered without a year may not process correctly for automated features like birthday campaigns.
Hi
{first_name}, we'd love to celebrate your birthday! Can you reply with your birthdate in this format: MM/DD/YYYY?
Rated Scale Responses
Questions that ask customers to rate something on a numeric scale. Useful for satisfaction scores, NPS surveys, and event feedback. Specify the scale clearly in the message.
{first_name}, on a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend our businesses to a colleague? (1 = not likely, 10 = very likely)
Survey Use Cases
Surveys are especially effective for membership-based organizations such as chambers of commerce, trade associations, and professional clubs. Below are common use cases with example messages.
Post-Event Feedback
After a luncheon, mixer, or training session, send a quick follow-up to gauge satisfaction. A single rated-scale question captures actionable data without requiring a lengthy form.
Hi
{first_name}, thanks for joining us at yesterday's Business After Hours! How would you rate the event? Reply 1-5 (1 = poor, 5 = excellent).
Collecting Missing customer Data
Over time, contact records develop gaps. Use a survey campaign to fill in missing fields like email addresses, birthdates, or company names. Target only contacts who are missing the specific field.
{first_name}, we're updating our member directory. Could you reply with your current email address so we can keep you in the loop?
customer Interest and Preference Surveys
Before planning a quarterly calendar, survey customers about the topics, formats, or times they prefer. This helps allocate resources toward the programs that will see the highest attendance.
{first_name}, we're planning next quarter's programming. Which topic interests you most? Reply with a number: 1 - Marketing & Social Media 2 - HR & Hiring 3 - Finance & Tax Planning 4 - Networking & Relationship Building
Volunteer and Committee Availability
Recruit volunteers or gauge availability for committees, boards, and special projects. A text survey removes friction and gives you immediate results.
Hi
{first_name}, we're forming a committee for the 2026 Golf Tournament. Would you be interested in volunteering? Reply YES or NO.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys
NPS is a single-question survey that measures customer loyalty. It works well via text because it requires only a one-number reply. Optionally route low scores to staff for personal outreach.
{first_name}, quick question: on a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend membership in our association to a friend or colleague?
How to Use Surveys
Step 1: Define Your Questions
Decide what information you want to collect. Keep questions simple and easy to answer via text. The best survey questions can be answered in a few words or a single reply. If you need to ask more than one question, plan each question as a separate step in a campaign so responses are captured individually.
Step 2: Build the Survey into a Campaign
Create a campaign that includes your survey question as part of the message flow. Use personalization tags to make the question feel personal. Set appropriate wait times between messages if you are sending a sequence of questions.
Example: Collecting birthdates from customers who are missing this information:
Hi
{first_name}, we noticed we don't have a birthdate for you in our records. Can you reply with your birthdate in this format: MM/DD/YYYY? We'll be sure to send you something special on your day!
Step 3: Map Responses to Contact Fields
If you are collecting structured data (dates, email addresses, preferences), map the survey response to a custom customer field. This ensures the data is automatically saved to the customer's profile and available for future segmentation and personalization.
Step 4: Review Responses
Check responses in the Inbox or through contact records. Survey replies appear in the conversation history and can be reviewed alongside other messages from the contact. For numbered-choice and rated-scale surveys, you can also review aggregate results through reporting.
Tips & Best Practices
- Keep questions short and specific. customers are more likely to respond to simple questions. If a question requires a paragraph to explain, it may be better suited to email or a web form.
- When collecting dates, provide a format example (MM/DD/YYYY) to ensure consistency.
- Do not overwhelm customers with too many questions at once. One well-timed question per message performs better than a multi-question survey.
- Map responses to custom contact fields when possible so the data is automatically associated with the contact's profile and available for future use.
- Send surveys during business hours for the best response rates. Messages sent between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM on weekdays typically see the highest engagement.
- For numbered-choice questions, limit options to 3-5 choices. Too many options can confuse customers and reduce response rates.
- Include a brief reason for the survey in the message itself. customers are more likely to reply when they understand why the information is being collected and how it will be used.
- Follow up with non-respondents once, but only once. A single reminder message a few days later can significantly improve response rates without feeling intrusive.
Common Questions
Can I send a multi-question survey?
The platform supports sequential questions within a campaign flow. Each question is sent as a separate message, and responses are captured individually. For complex multi-question surveys, consider linking to an external survey tool.
What response rates can I expect?
Text-based surveys typically see significantly higher response rates than email surveys. For single-question surveys sent to an engaged contact list, response rates of 20-40% are common. The simpler the question and the more relevant the audience, the higher the response rate.
Do surveys use message credits?
Yes. Each outbound survey message uses one message credit, the same as any other text message. Inbound replies from customers do not use credits. If you are running a multi-question survey across several messages, each message in the sequence counts as a separate credit.