Frequently Asked Questions

Creating Survey

  1. I can't get further than the Name page when trying to create a new survey.
  2. I want to combine randomization and branch on range at the same time.
  3. I want to know the color number.
  4. The 3D Matrix drop-down columns are too long and that's why my survey is wider than the screen.
  5. I do not want the total option for numeric allocation.
  6. I want to use a scale plus an area for further comment.
  7. How can I have a look at your survey samples?
  8. How to create accessible surveys?
  9. How to create a panel survey?

Editing Survey

  1. I want to insert questions in the middle of the survey.
  2. Is there a way to backup the survey just in case our server goes down?
  3. I want to remove an empty line for question answer.
  4. How can I resize the logo?
  5. How much text can an answer box hold?
  6. How can I rotate the phrases within your application to give different respondents dissimilar choices?
  7. Can I resize or remove the uploaded image?
  8. I forgot to hit Save button when editing a question.
  9. I want to copy a set of questions to another spot of the survey?
  10. I want to use the same choices I entered for a previous question. Do I have to cut and paste? I don't see an option for selecting my custom responses from a previous question and using them to replace the current responses.
  11. I would like to fit the entire survey on one page so I do not have to scroll. Can I shrink the logo and maybe adjust the font size of the survey questions?
  12. How do you delete an item with the "Rate different items along the scale of your choice" type of question. I deleted the words but the options still show up.
  13. How to insert my company's name and change questions that are not appropriate in the template for the service we offer?
  14. How to remove Back button in my survey?
  15. How must I set my rules so that my respondents can keep coming back to the same survey and complete the survey at their own pace?
  16. My survey is too long and might need to be taken in "chunks". What is the best way to divide it?
  17. We would like to match the color scheme of our survey. Is that possible and do you have instructions to make those changes?
  18. We would like to direct our respondents to a certain websites according to their answer choices. Is that possible?

Survey Design

  1. I started designing a survey but did not like the template. How can I change it?
  2. What is CSS?
  3. Where can I edit survey CSS?
  4. Which CSS classes can I edit to improve my survey appearance?
  5. What is the difference between CSS class and survey element?
  6. I was trying to do something with CSS and by accident I have messed up the format on one of my surveys. How can I correct it?
  7. How can I change my survey fonts?
  8. How can I change my survey CSS so my survey's print copy looks fine?

Survey Launch

  1. I want to send a reminder and spell check it, but can't find where to do it.
  2. I need a confirmation that the emails I send through your system reach the recipients.
  3. Is there an option of encrypting data?
  4. How can I send out the survey and have it returned through your system?
  5. How does duplicate email work?
  6. I want to capture the respondent ID info with Master URL.
  7. How to export email addresses from Outlook?
  8. I want to fill in the info that I have from three respondents as they can't access their email accounts and, thus, can't reach their individual links.
  9. Can I relaunch the survey to the additional addresses?
  10. How to make the survey active?
  11. Where do I find email lists that I can import for bulk distribution?
  12. Can I include in the outgoing email any fields that were imported?
  13. I would like to know if I can send an email with an invitation to take my survey to someone who was not previously in my imported email address list without resending it to all the other survey takers. If yes, how do I do it? Can I just enter the email address manually and click the send button?
  14. Do the reminder emails contain the link to the survey automatically?
  15. I'd like the ability to select and send an email to those who have partially completed the survey.
  16. I want to send the link to one person and then I want this person to forward the link to all the recipients.
  17. Can I use fake email address in the 'From' field while composing the email message?

Survey Report

  1. How to cancel Email report?
  2. How can I run a report using only responses from respondents who work for a certain group?
  3. I have lots of text responses, can I expand all of them at once in summary report mode?
  4. How can I restrict what parts of the report the respondents can see?
  5. I have a survey which has text answers to some of the questions. If I run a PDF report, it doesn't show those answers. How can I include the text responses?
  6. How do I copy reports from one survey to other surveys?
  7. I am using a rating scale for a question. I have several items to be rated. The last item is other. I want to specify that all items must be rated, except for other. How do I do this?
  8. Is there any way to keep the survey results anonymous?
  9. How do I place reports in Power Point slides?

Creating Survey

  1. I can't get further than the Name page when trying to create a new survey.

    This is most commonly caused by pop up or script blockers. Your browser and security software should be set to allow pop ups, and Java and Java Script for Key Survey. If you are unsure how to do this, you should contact your system administrator.

  2. I want to combine randomization and branch on range at the same time.

    You can't combine randomization with any logic transition, because the logic transition predetermines a strict order of the questions.

  3. I want to know the color number.

    You can see the code of the color you are choosing in the 'Color Palette' box on the Layout>Custom Layout>Styles page. Just pick the color you need or enter the color code into the appropriate field.

  4. The 3D Matrix drop-down columns are too long and that's why my survey is wider than the screen.

    Most likely, the default field width was used for this column type. You need to shorten the field width of the 'Dropdown box' format by typing the number of characters in the 'Field width' box.

  5. I do not want the total option for numeric allocation.

    The 'Total' is built in, it cannot be removed from the 'Numeric Allocation' question type. If you do not need that field, then you can use another question type - Single Line Text with Pre-Format Options. You can have the same fields in this question type, but without TOTAL. What is more interesting, you may set different format for different fields. For more information, please consult the 'Customize formats' help chapter.

  6. I want to use a scale plus an area for further comment.

    You can use the "3D Matrix" question type for the purpose you meant. 3D Matrix question creates a grid. You can list the statements, products, features or services you wish evaluated in 'answer choice' lines and enter your evaluation criteria as column headings. Each cell of the 3D Matrix grid can allow a respondent to enter text or numeric values according to the format you set. A respondent will then be able to comment every choice he/she made. For more information, please consult the '3D Matrix' help chapter.

    But if this question type is not quite suitable for you, you can use another one, namely "Pick One with Comment". In this case your scales option will be listed as answer choices and there will be an area to comment the choice. For more information, please consult the 'Pick One with 'Comment'' help chapter.

    You can also use "Rate Different Items Along the Scale of Your Choice" question type. This question will include a list of products, statements etc and the ranking scale options. For more information, please consult the 'Rate Different Items Along the Scale of Your Choice' help chapter.

    To let your respondents make further comments, you can add the next question of the "Multi-line text response" type. For more information, please consult the 'Multi-line text response' help chapter.

  7. How can I have a look at your survey samples?

    To look through our template library click the New Survey button from the Surveys Home page. Then select the Use a Template option. The left pane will list you all available categories and the right pane will show you the list of surveys in the selected category. Click Preview to see if this template will work for you.

  8. How to create accessible surveys?

    Creating accessible surveys is as easy as creating simple surveys. There are only a few rules you need to follow. Consult the Creating Accessible Surveys help chapter for more information.

  9. How to create a panel survey

    Creating a panel survey is a multiple-steps procedure, description of which is available from the How To section.

Editing Survey

  1. I want to insert questions in the middle of the survey.

    Use the Insert dropdown menu on the Edit Questions page where you need to insert a question.

  2. Is there a way to backup the survey just in case our server goes down?

    You can restore the survey design using previously saved CSS code, but you can't restore survey results, as the backup could be managed only for a short period of time and does not save the survey results which were deleted from the account.

  3. I want to remove an empty line for question answer.

    If there are no respondents (survey creation) - the empty line won't display. If there are respondents (the answer option has been selected already) - edit the responses or delete the respondents who selected this option. For more information, please consult the 'Summary Report' or 'Delete Response' help chapters.

  4. How can I resize the logo?

    Fortunately, Key Survey does have the ability to resize your logo image after you have uploaded it. Then you can drag image itself to change it's size or indicate exact width and hight from the Image Size menu.

  5. How much text can an answer box hold?

    The answer box can hold up to 256 symbols for single line field (single line, multiline questions, comments, etc.). Totally general format fields can contain up to 80 Kb per survey. For successful converting to PDF 20 Kb of text is the limit for one field.

  6. How can I rotate the phrases within your application to give different respondents dissimilar choices?

    There's 'Rotate answers' option in the drop-down at the bottom of the 'Edit Survey>Edit Question' page (almost for all questions).

  7. Can I resize or remove the uploaded image?

    To change/remove an image from survey question, you need to upload another image instead or delete all the images uploaded to the question (if more than one was uploaded). The option is available on the Questions>Add Image page. The image resize could be adjusted in other image editing applications.

  8. I forgot to hit Save button when editing a question.

    Unfortunately, this means you will need to perform those edits again, and click the [Save] button to apply the changes.

  9. I want to copy a set of questions to another spot of the survey?

    You could copy a set of questions to the end of survey by clicking Copy Question, then selecting needed questions and clicking Copy.

  10. I want to use the same choices I entered for a previous question. Do I have to cut and paste? I don't see an option for selecting my custom responses from a previous question and using them to replace the current responses.

    Unfortunately, there is no option for now to copy only responses from the question. However, you could copy the whole question and change the question line and leave the responses. To copy the question you should:

    1. Click Copy Question button on the Edit Questions page.
    2. Select the survey you want to copy question from.
    3. Select the question you want to copy.
    4. Click copy to insert selected question into your survey.

  11. I would like to fit the entire survey on one page so I do not have to scroll. Can I shrink the logo and maybe adjust the font size of the survey questions?

    To adjust your survey size and design go to the Layout page. There you can change the font size of some questions and answer choices by editing Current Layout or by applying theme from a library. However, the logo resize should be done when uploading it to the survey.

  12. How do you delete an item with the "Rate different items along the scale of your choice" type of question. I deleted the words but the options still show up.

    It must be because of the responses that you have to this questions. You will not be able to delete this answer option till you have at least one response to it. We can suggest the following workarounds:

    • After you delete all respondents that have chosen this answer option, you will be able to delete it completely.
    • If the responses that you already have are very important for you, then you can hide this question and create a duplicate. It will gather new responses from that moment, but this time without that answer option.

  13. How to insert my company's name and change questions that are not appropriate in the template for the service we offer?

    Once you design the survey from the template you will be free to edit it in the way you like. Please follow the steps below to design your survey:

    1. Click New Survey and select the From a Template option.
    2. Select the survey category from the left column.
    3. Then you will need to select the exact survey template from the right column.
    4. In some templates a text box will appear where you will need to enter your Company's name. If not, do not worry, you will be able to insert it a little later.
    5. Click Preview to see if this template will work for you.

  14. How to remove the Back button in my survey?

    Go to the survey's Rules page and select the Do not show back button option. It is recommended to use this option if you used logical transition(s) in your survey.
    Note: This option is available only for surveys which contain more than one page.

  15. How must I set my rules so that my respondents can keep coming back to the same survey and complete the survey at their own pace?

    There is a rule that can be used for this purpose. It is "Respondent may return and modify their response". If this rule is set at the corresponding page of the survey (Edit Survey > Survey Rules), your respondents are allowed to come back to the survey anytime they want following the same link they received before. The respondents will see their answers that were entered some time ago and even make changes to them. The old responses will be deleted and replaced with the new ones (if a respondent made any changes).

  16. My survey is too long and might need to be taken in "chunks". What is the best way to divide it?

    You can break the survey into several "pages" by using the New Page option on the Edit Questions page. Simply click this check box next to one of your questions, and that will be the first question on the new page.

  17. We would like to match the color scheme of our survey. Is that possible and do you have instructions to make those changes?

    These changes can be made while customizing the survey layout page (Design Survey > Step 4 of 6 > Layout). You can apply one of the available themes to your survey or use "Current Layout" editor.
    If using "Edit Layout" there are three options available: "Styles", "Buttons" and "CSS". Styles allows you to set the format and colors of all form elements using color palette and font controls. You can add logo (that is .jpg, .gif, .bmp and has a size under 300 KB) and then customize the form background (Page screen color item) to match the color of you logo.
    In case this option is not acceptable or does not meet your needs completely, you can use CSS Styles (if you or any other person of your company is familiar with CSS parameters). This section allows you to work directly with CSS style and make some necessary changes there.

  18. We would like to direct our respondents to a certain websites according to their answer choices. Is that possible?

    This can be easily done using "Plugins" feature. Go to the "Rules" page of the survey you are working with and click [Plugins] button. "Logic, Quota and Randomization" section offers two plugins that redirect respondents to different URLs upon their answers:

    • Logical Redirect plugin redirects respondents to a specified URL based on their answers.
    • Quota With Redirect plugin redirects respondent to a specific link if a particular quota has been met.

    More information on plugins setup can be found in the Plugins help chapter.

Survey Design

  1. I started designing a survey but did not like the template. How can I change it?

    There are two options available to apply custom design to your survey:

    1. Custom Layout allows you to customize such survey elements as name, introduction, question, answer choice, as well as their text font, weight, color and alignment, background color in easy manner that does not involve any programming or web designing skills. You can also customize survey buttons and CSS.
    2. Theme Library allows you to apply ready-made design to your survey as well as to create your own layouts and add them to the library for future use. For more details consult the Edit Survey Layout help chapter.

  2. What is CSS?

    CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) - is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in a markup language. CSS is used to define colors, fonts, layouts and other aspects of document presentation. For more information, please consult the CSS Parameters help chapter.

  3. Where can I edit survey CSS?

    Survey CSS can be customized on the survey Layout page. To get there click the Edit button to edit the survey on the Surveys Home page and click the Next button. Then click Edit for the Current Layout. Then navigate to the CSS tab. Customize your survey layout in the way you need and save your changes.

  4. Which CSS classes can I edit to improve my survey appearance?

    Each CSS class represents particular survey element or group of elements. The most commonly used classes are:

    • .H1 - represents survey name parameters.
    • .H22 - represents survey introduction and "Section Header" type of question parameters.
    • .HHeader - represents survey header parameters.
    • .HFooter - represents survey footer parameters.

    Please consult the CSS Parameters help chapter for the whole list of CSS classes and their descriptions.

  5. What is the difference between CSS class and survey element?

    CSS classes allow you to apply a style to multiple survey elements that belong to the same class, for example to all 'Pick One or Other' type of questions within your survey.

    Survey element has its unique ID so when applying any style to this element you do not affect other survey elements. For example: to stress on particular survey question by changing its background color or making its text bold.

  6. I was trying to do something with CSS and by accident I have messed up the format on one of my surveys. How can I correct it?

    The best and the fastest way to correct messed CSS code is to reset it to default and apply necessary changes from the very beginning. To do this click the Default button on the 'Custom CSS' page when editing your survey 'Layout'.

  7. How can I change my survey fonts?

    Survey fonts can be changed easily and quickly for all survey elements, questions and answer choices by using the Custom Colors Layout option which is available from the survey 'Layout' page.

    Another way is to customize your survey CSS using the CSS Styles option on the survey 'Layout' page. There you can customize the whole class or particular survey element.

  8. How can I change my survey CSS so my survey's print copy looks fine?

    To improve your survey look and feel and get well-designed print copy, please add the following code to the survey CSS:
    @mediaprint{
    .class{properties;}
    #id{properties;}
    }

    For example: if you want to hide survey footer within a print copy without affecting your actual survey, CSS code will look as following:
    @mediaprint{
    .HFooter{display:none;}
    }

    Thus you can customize appropriate survey class or just a separate survey element for a print copy.

Survey Launch

  1. I want to send a reminder and spell check it, but can't find where to do it.

    Email reminders can be sent only to those respondents who did not start or did not complete the survey. Select the survey you want to send the reminders for and click the Schedule Reminder link from the Survey Information pane in the right. Reminder contains the spell checking option itself.

  2. I need a confirmation that the emails I send through your system reach the recipients.

    To view the distribution statistics follow the link that is automatically emailed to your email address after the survey is launched. You can also access it by clicking the Manage Responses link from the Survey Information pane.

  3. Is there an option of encrypting data?

    Use the secure connection feature. For this you need to select the 'Secure Connection' check box on the 'Launch Survey' page or ' Edit Report > Publish > Options' page.

  4. How can I send out the survey and have it returned through your system?

    If using our email distribution system all the surveys are returned automatically within our system and added to your survey report.

  5. How does duplicate email work?

    Duplicate email works with a unique code uploaded to the data file for the bulk distribution. For more information, please consult the 'Multiple response from same address' help chapter.

  6. I want to capture the respondent ID info with Master URL.

    You need to use password protection feature. For more information, please consult the 'Password Protection' help chapter.

  7. How to export email addresses from Outlook?

    You need to do the following:

    1. Launch Outlook Express and select File | Export....
    2. Choose Comma Separated Values and click Export.
    3. Choose a file name for the exported data and click Next.
    4. Select E-mail Address field (select other required fields if you are going to pre-populate them into your survey before distribution).
    5. Click Finish.

  8. I want to fill in the info that I have from three respondents as they can't access their email accounts and, thus, can't reach their individual links.

    Use the survey master URL and type in the info manually yourself. Please, note the following:

    • The "Allow multiple responses" rule should be set on the Rules page.
    • When responding to a survey from the same computer, you must close the browser window after each time you have submitted a survey.

    If the survey was launched via the Email Survey Distribution method, use the Status Report feature. It will automatically generate and then will export to Excel all distribution statistics as well as unique respondents' links.

  9. Can I relaunch the survey to the additional addresses?

    Yes, you can launch your survey as many times as you need. For Trial users there's email limitation set (200 emails allowed to be sent via our email system).

  10. How to make the survey active?

    If the survey name on the Surveys Home page is marked with the grey icon, your survey is inactive. You can change survey activeness dates from the Survey Information pane in the right.

  11. Where do I find email lists that I can import for bulk distribution?

    We do not provide our users with any email lists. You are free to export email address from other Data Sources (i.e. Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, etc).

  12. Can I include in the outgoing email any fields that were imported?

    When distributing the survey via email you could autofill some fields into your survey from csv file using imported information on respondents along with their email addresses. Also, you can insert some additional information on respondents (name, email etc.) in your email body text. To do it use tag [Fx], where x is number of import field (column) of your Data File or Address Book.

  13. I would like to know if I can send an email with an invitation to take my survey to someone who was not previously in my imported email address list without resending it to all the other survey takers. If yes, how do I do it? Can I just enter the email address manually and click the send button?

    Yes, it is possible to send more emails with survey invitations even after you have already launched your survey. You are absolutely right, you can either put in emails manually through the 'E-mail survey to addresses I enter manually' option or upload another file with emails by taking the 'Import e-mail list for bulk survey distribution' way.

  14. Do the reminder emails contain the link to the survey automatically?

    The system adds the survey link to the reminder email automatically. And this link is the same as the one that was inserted into the invitation letter (by the system) the first time when the real launch was made.

  15. I'd like the ability to select and send an email to those who have partially completed the survey.

    To resend the survey to those who have completed the survey partially, you can launch the Email Reminder. While setting reminder up choose "Edit address list manually" option to manually select from the whole incomplete list only those who have partially completed your survey.

  16. I want to send the link to one person and then I want this person to forward the link to all the recipients.

    In this case you should provide the Master Url which can be found on the launch page. To launch your survey using Master URL.
    Please follow all the steps below:
    1. Go to 'Launch' page and copy the Master URL link.
      Note that you should not use KeySurvey's Email Survey Distribution method if you intend to give out the Master URL.
    2. Paste it into the body of your email invitation. Note that in this case you should distribute the survey via your mail client.
    3. If some of your respondents are going to take the survey from the same computer, make sure that 'Allow multiple responses' rule is set on the 'Rules' page.
    4. Now you can send your survey.

  17. Can I use fake email address in the 'From' field while composing the email message?

    Yes, you can indicate any email address, however it should be of the valid format (...@domain.com). With the increase in spam on the internet, many email servers will not accept emails without valid From, Send replies to and Send undelivered to addresses.

    Keep in mind, some Internet service providers do not relay e-mail claiming to come from a domain not hosted by them, but very few (if any) check to make sure that the person or even e-mail address named in the "From" field is the one associated with the connection. Also some Internet service providers do not relay e-mail claiming to come from one domain but with a different domain indicated in From, Send replies to and Send undelivered to fields.

    Technical recommendations:

Survey Report

  1. How to cancel Email report?

    Select the Do not Email Report option on the Email Report page.

  2. How can I run a report using only responses from respondents who work for a certain group?

    You need to include a question to the survey asking for the group title ('Pick One' question type) and apply filtering to the survey results based on this question on the Report Items page. For more information, please consult the 'Filtering Results' or 'Advanced Filter' help chapters.

  3. I have lots of text responses, can I expand all of them at once in summary report mode?

    If you would like to include these responses to the survey report you should go to the Report Items page and select 'Show all text responses' check box.

  4. How can I restrict what parts of the report the respondents can see?

    We have an option not to show results to the respondents. It is located at the Survey Rules page (Do not show results to respondents). If you check the corresponding box, your respondents to this survey will not be shown the Report Summary. This is automatically the default option in your survey.
    In case you still want your respondents see the results of the survey, but just a part of the report, you can use the Customize Report option. You will be able to Hide those questions that you do not want to appear in the report, which a respondent will view. And then you can share a link of this customized report with your respondents.

  5. I have a survey which has text answers to some of the questions. If I run a PDF report, it doesn't show those answers. How can I include the text responses?

    We have a special feature to show text responses in online report. It is used to convert the report to PDF with expanded text responses. Please be so kind to follow the instructions below to have the comments included into your PDF report:
    1. Click Edit next to the needed report on the 'Report Home' page.
    2. Click 'Items' .
    3. Select the 'Show text responses' check boxes for all the text responses you need.
    4. Click the 'Rules' link.
    5. Select the 'Convert to PDF option' check box to enable to convert your survey results to PDF in online report.
    6. Click Run Report to view your survey results in online report.
    7. You can close the text responses you don't want to see clicking Hide.
    8. And finally, click Convert To PDF to convert your survey results to PDF with expanded text responses.

  6. How do I copy reports from one survey to other surveys?

    Each survey has its own unique reports and answers. So, unfortunately, there is no possibility to copy report from one survey into another.
    As to the results you can export them into different file formats (Excel file (.xls); PDF format; SPSS file (.sav); 'comma delimited text file' (.csv)) where you can combine reports or apply other changes.

  7. I am using a rating scale for a question. I have several items to be rated. The last item is other. I want to specify that all items must be rated, except for other. How do I do this?

    If you do not want 'Other' answer option to be rated at all, please delete this option from your rating question. And design the new question of 'Single line text' type, so that your respondents could specify the 'Other' option.

  8. Is there any way to keep the survey results anonymous?

    Yes, it is possible to keep the survey results anonymous. There are two ways how to get this:

    • You can use Master Survey URL. If you use this general link and don't ask for respondent's personal information all the survey results will remain anonymous.
    • There is "All respondents to remain anonymous" option which is used within our e-mail distribution system. You won't know from which email address you receive responses if you set it.

  9. How do I place reports in Power Point slides?

    Please find the instructions to export your survey report to PowerPoint as the following:

    1. On the 'Report Home' page click Edit next to the report you need. Click Edit next to the needed question on the Report Items page. Then click Edit Graph.
    2. Select graph type and adjust its appearance.
    3. Click Preview button.
    4. Then move mouse over graph.
    5. Right click.
    6. Choose 'Copy'.
    7. Open the PowerPoint document.
    8. Right click on the PowerPoint page.
    9. Select 'Paste' to paste the picture.